All’s Fair in Love and War was a delightful read. The book plot moves a snail pace some times and by 60% of the book our main characters barely had exchanged more than a few sentence’s. The ending of the book felt rushed, I wish the ending of their love story would have been expanded on more.

Georgie was intelligent and I love how she never back downed with the Captain even with all her childhood trauma. The slow burn is most definitively slow. Past 80% of the book I honestly though that the couple was not going to end up together because of the pacing and that it would pick up in book 2 but their storyline is completed.

Miss Georgina Rowe finally has her first governess job after graduating the estimable Miss Prentice’s School for Girls. Despite having graduated a while ago, she has never managed to rein in her inner warrior well enough to get past an interview. However, naval captain Henry Kinkaid has just had his rambunctious nieces and nephews temporarily dumped on him by his loving, yet flighty, sister and is desperate. Sparks begin to fly when the staid Henry starts to see that Georgie isn’t quite your normal governess. There isn’t any quietly sitting at desks reading and writing. There is catching bugs in the garden and tales of adventure. There is no orderly time keeping, but chaos and laughter. But, when they clash it isn’t the heat of anger he is feeling.

If, like me, you picked this book up because you liked the title and thought the cover was cute, rejoice! Because it is just as charming and fun as it appears. We have a lovely opposites attract, enemies to lovers romance with cute slobbery dog and kid antics thrown in. Add in the funny banter, well-built tension and relationship growth between Henry and Georgie and It’s an embarrassment of riches!

Virginia Heath has definitely found my kryptonite: staid heroes who are secretly marshmallows. Although my synopsis didn’t paint Henry in the greatest light, he is a wonderful, yet completely overwhelmed uncle striving to do the right thing for his beloved nieces and nephew. The heart melts. Even if he doesn’t quite get it right. And Georgie, our fierce heroine who absolutely believes children should be seen and heard after a childhood of being ignored and belittled.

The build up of the romance between Georgie and Henry was gradual, their initial clashes over the children do a great job of raising the tension. As does the comedy of errors that leads to her barging in and seeing him half naked in the bath. It was a romance full of witty repartee, fun and simmering sexual tension.

If you are looking for something funny and heart warming to read then I can’t recommend this enough. It’s a lovely light-hearted and witty read, that will leave you looking back on it with a smile.

I have been provided with a review copy of this title from NetGalley for an impartial review. Awwww this was such a cute story. I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. It was just so easy to get into these characters lives and you just can't help but fall in love with them. I can't wait to see what's next from this author.

This book was an entertaining historical romance. Georgie Rowe is a governess. Well, she would be if someone would hire her. She has had 33 unsuccessful interviews so far. Her outspokenness has been her downfall.

Harry Kincaid is a busy naval officer. He is busy working for the admiralty as a problem solver. One of his biggest problems is getting the HMS Boadicea ready for sailing but there are construction delays after construction delays.

Then Harry's sister decides to go with her husband to look for the source of the Nile and leave her three mischievous children and their monster dog in Harry's care. He loves his nephew and nieces, but they are too much for a busy man to deal with. He hires Georgie out of desperation to be their temporary governess until their parents return.

Harry has been in love before, and it almost cost him his career. He doesn't need to be attracted to this feisty governess who doesn't follow his precisely laid down schedule. And Georgie doesn't need to fall in love with a rigid military man who seems so like the stepfather who made her mother's life and her own life so miserable.

These two mismatched souls fall in love. But can they ever be together?

Fun romance with well-developed characters.

Wasn’t my favorite and I struggled a bit to get through but I know others would enjoy! Thank you for letting me be a part of it

Well, this is a load of fun.

All’s Fair in Love and War is a promising start to Virginia Heath’s latest series which revolves around Miss Prentice’s School for Girls, which 'finishes' young ladies in respectable ways for jobs in the real world. It’s got mischievous kids, a lovable but impossible dog (NORBERT!), a hero who’s trying to be honorable, damn it, and a heroine who is smart, determined, and independent. Plus, there's enough sexual chemistry to blow the door off a barn.

Harry Kincaid is an ex-captain straight from Nelson’s navy who now finds himself tasked with the temporary raising of his sister Flora’s three children, Felix, Marianne and Grace Pendleton (and their enormous, unruly dog, Norbert) when she and her husband head off on an Egyptian expedition. Harry is not a natural with either children or dog, and decides what the household needs is a governess. Miss Prentice’s School provides him with recent graduate Georgina Rowe. Unfortunately, Georgie is not the antidote to chaos Harry was hoping for.

Georgie’s child-rearing philosophy is the antithesis of the order-bound household Henry wants. Partially inspired by the cold upbringing she herself was subjected to as the daughter of a military man, she becomes determined to introduce joy and laughter to the Pendleton children. Harry is aghast and thinks her a terrible nanny – until Georgie’s life force begins to bring him around, and her methods work wonders on the children. And he starts thinking of wild oats and the sewing of them. But it would be improper for him to lie with the governess, would it not? Sunshine versus grumpy: who will survive?

If you smell a whiff of The Sound of Music – only way more erotically charged – here, then you are not alone. All’s Fair in Love and War absolutely reminded me of Maria’s battle to get Captain von Trapp to see his children as people instead of members of the military – and how she captures his heart along the way.

The romance in the book is steamy and filled with tension, but I have to call out the final act for doing a number of ridiculous things that dragged the grade down a bit. I can’t spoil it for obvious reasons but it feels as though Heath is straining to find a reason for Harry and Georgie to avoid formalizing their relationship. It’s too bad because the off-kilter union was enchanting.

As always with Virginia Heath, the supporting characters are amazing – the students at the school, the children and even the butler are all interesting people well worth spending time on.

All’s Fair in Love and War made me absolutely excited to see what’s up next for this group of enterprising young women – which is the best compliment I can give any romance series.

All’s Fair in Love and War has all the elements of a delightful historical romance. A spunky governess in Georgie. A grumpy stickler with a heart of gold in Navy man Harry. Compelling backstories. Children we get to know. A funny big dog. A puppy! Yet, this book fell short. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly why. I enjoyed sections of the story. But it seems the way it was structured and a lack of conflict made this book slow to read. While Georgie and Harry clashed at first, they warmed to each other fairly quickly. Harry’s job was a source of tension but it never took off in driving the story. There definitely was a delay in the usual beats of a romance. But I think that could have been overcome if other story lines hadn’t dragged. I did enjoy Ms. Heath’s writing style so I will definitely try other books from her in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

This was a time period romance, which I haven't read this genre in awhile. I enjoyed this book because it had a good amount of angst. It took a little while to get there but once it did, I devoured the last part of the book. The characters were very likeable and I liked the love-hate relationship between Georgie and Harry. Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars, so I will round up to 4.

All's Fair in Love and War is an exciting new addition to the Regency genre. This captivating series follows the story of a governess who is determined to instill joy in her young charges. However, her beliefs clash with the children's uncle, who initially hired her. Little did they know that their constant clashes would lead to an unexpected love blossoming between them.

This novel is a perfect blend of wit and romance, making it a true page-turner. The slow-burn romance between the meticulous captain and the spirited governess is thoroughly charming. Their journey is accompanied by a trio of lively children and a mischievous pup, adding an extra layer of delight to the story.

All's Fair in Love and War is a delightful read that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. With its Regency charm and captivating storyline, it is sure to captivate any reader.

3.5⭐️

This was a cute regency era romance between a governess and a Navy captain. I really enjoyed this in the first half, but found myself rolling my eyes towards the end due to the poor decisions made by both MC’s and the cheesiness of it all. There were also a few plot holes and errors with the timing of things that I noticed (this may or may not have been fixed for published copies, as the copy I received was an ARC).

Such a wonderful story. I highly enjoyed the characters and settings in this book and I now have to read anything by this author.

What a delight to read this slow burn romance. I loved that the main characters lives were very descript and I felt like I knew where they were coming from and why things were happening. I also really enjoyed the aspect of Harry, the main male character, realizing that the life he was living was manufactured by someone else, and it wasn't where his happiness grew. Also another very fun aspect of the story for me was the governess and how she chose to school the children. Excellent writing, and I can't wait to continue on in the series to see where the training of another of Miss Prentices protegees will go.

Grumpy to sunshine, enemies to lovers, dogs in the story, romantic tension, a tad bit spicy in the most unexpected times....all my favorites in one story. Thank you Virginia Heath!

Thank you to NetGalley, Virginia Heath and St Martin's Griffin for allowing me this eversion arc to read.

With a title like this, we really need more waring- enemies to lovers- but sadly, the wars are happening internally. Our MC’s both spend the majority of the book in their heads and misunderstanding the situations they’re in. So much was told and not shown, so the relationship development felt clunky and unnatural. I want to imagine the scene, nurtured by good banter. Sadly, this book felt like a dumping ground for tropes. We have single dad (uncle but same), nanny, military, enemies to lovers, fake engagement, animals being chaotic to bring humor, forced proximity, and more. It felt too forced at times, and at other times underdeveloped. The chemistry just wasn’t there for me.

Also, and this is a very specific irk, her lack of support for his military career annoyed me. Especially historically. Why did his Naval career need to be a burden vice when she’s a strong, independent woman?! I did enjoy Georgie’s views on how children should be treated, and the children’s characterizations were spot on.
3 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book is a bit of a slow burn but it is delightful. I loved Harry and his lightbulb moment of living life to the fullest on his terms. It’s easy to get caught up in leading a life we don’t want to be living.

“All’s fair and love and war” was an adorable love story set in the 1820s in England, and the main characters Georgie, the governess, and Harry, the navy officer, slowly fall in love after Georgie is given the responsibility of teaching Harry’s nieces and nephew while Harry’s sister is off on her own adventure. The characters are well written and it was fun to see the two butt heads at first while both wanting what was best for the children. All the characters were so likable and realistic, it made it easy to get into the story and root for everyone in it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a sweet regency romance.

All’s Fair in Love and War was my very first Virigina Heath read and I was utterly charmed.

Captain Harry Kincaid is a serious man who leads a serious life and aspires to achieve greatness in his navy career. He is also the reluctant temporary guardian to his sister’s unruly children: Felix, Marianne, and Grace.

Georgina Rowe was left devastated by the loss of her mother; the person she loved most in the world and her fiercest protector. At age 16 Georgie was sent off to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls by her cruel stepfather, there she found her dearest friends who became her family.

Harry visits Miss Prentice’s in desperate need of a governess and immediately hires Miss Georgina Rowe. Georgie finds Captain Kincaid to be too rigid and far too handsome; Harry finds Miss Rowe to be too unstructured and far too tempting; a siren set on his destruction.

Harry and Georgie’s attraction grows as they spend time together and Georgie realizes that behind his serious military facade, Harry really is a kind and doting uncle. Harry in turns realizes that Georgie is everything he never knew he needed in his life. There are serious obstacles on their road to a happy ending, but true love conquers all.

All’s Fair in Love and War was a wonderfully charming read and I cannot wait to read more of the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series.

Witty and charming! Three rambunctious children and their equally rambunctious dog; A regimented naval officer who wears two pocket watches; A free-spirited governess; all of it adds up to an entertaining and enchanting book!

This was a very angsty read with some laugh out loud parts. My favorite scene was with the frog! I also enjoyed the scenes with the children. The quotes and mis-quotes of famous battle commanders were interesting and on point. While I liked the 2 MC’s, I felt their tortured unworthiness for the Other a bit trying so, quite honestly, I was not fully invested in their relationship. I have enjoyed other books by this author but this one missed the mark for me.

All's Fair in Love and War is a delightful start to a new historical romance series. Henry Kincaid has had his life laid out and his career goals set since he was young. So when he is left to take care of his sister's three children and their large dog while she travels to Egypt with her husband, he finds himself needing immediate help. He quickly turns to the highly regarded Miss Prentice's School for Girls to find a governess. Georgina Rowe is quickly brought in to fill the spot. Her views on how children should be treated differ from Henry's and thus begins this sweet opposites attract slow burn romance story. The children add a delightful element to the story and create endless need for the two to interact. There is fun banter and situations, so I was engaged throughout the entire story. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I think the premise has a lot of potential and the author has a enjoyable voice.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just ok to me. I can see in the comments that people really like it, which I am happy to hear. I just couldn't stay engaged in the story. It wasnt for me, but I definitely think others might like it.