Harry Kincaid is a Navy captain who was grounded for a youthful indiscretion he's been working hard to correct. He's well on his way to doing that when his flighty sister suddenly drops her three unruly children in his care before running off to Egypt with her husband. In desperate need of a governess who can put the hellions in tip-top shape, he goes to Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies prepared to pay and do anything for some help. He finds fledgling governess Georgie Rowe, who grew up with a Navy stepfather and hated every minute of the strict and regimented life she was forced to lead. They clash instantly, but seeing the kids bloom under Ms. Rowe's tutelage and seeing how Cpt. Kincaid dotes on them makes them both rethink their first impressions. Can there be more on the horizon for these two contrary souls than just a quick acquaintance and a sad goodbye?

This book is everything I look for in a historical romance. It's so good that I'm even ignoring the fact that I tend to dislike stories that use children as a jumping-off point for the romance. The fact that they're nieces and nephews helps a little bit, but it's mostly that Heath handles them as actual characters that have a role in the story rather than plot devices to push the leads together.

The plot is packed while somehow still feeling fresh and light. Everything that happens feels like it was planned and a natural progression of the story developing, which is a nice change to some of the romance I've read of late.

Overall, it's a romantic romp that mixes schooldays with Navy precision to create a delightfully entertaining read.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the wonderful read!

Unfortunately, after multiple attempts I have been unable to get into this book. It felt very slow for me and the characters were not likable which made it hard to root for them and enjoy the story. Due to that I have decided to soft DNF the book and potentially pick it up at a later date.

I loved this historical romance. I usually dont gravitate towards them but this was so much fun. I look forward to more from virginia.

This was just the most precious romance reminiscent of Captain Von Trapp and Maria I think I've ever read!

When the flighty older sister of former naval captain, Henry Kincaid, decides on a whim to accompany her explorer husband on an expedition to Egypt, he finds himself unwittingly left in the lurch with her three unruly children and her giant, mad dog. With no clue how to manage the little rascals, a busy career at the Admiralty that requires all of his attention, and no idea when his sister is coming back, Harry has to hire an emergency governess to ensure that everything in his ordered house continues to run shipshape. In desperation, he goes to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls prepared to pay whatever it takes to get a governess quick sharp to bring order to the chaos.

Thanks to her miserable, strict upbringing, fledgling governess Georgina Rowe does not subscribe to the ethos that children should be seen and not heard. She believes childhood should be everything that hers wasn’t, filled with laughter, adventure, and discovery. Thankfully, the three Pendleton children she has been tasked with looking after are already delightfully bohemian and instantly embrace her unconventional educational ethos. Their staid, stickler-for-the-rules uncle, however, is another matter entirely

Read this if you love:
opposites attract
MMC who loves the children
heartwarming romance
the cutest kiddos
a mischievous pup
governess/captain relationship
a fantastic set up for future books
a little bit of spice

All in all this was absolutely delightful! Heath is already an author I recommend and I know this new series of hers will be no exception! I can't wait for more!

My first time reading Virginia Heath and I really enjoyed this! I love a regency romance and this one was too fun. Can't wait to see what's next.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Net Galley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Georgina Rowe is sent to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls to become a governess when she’s 16 years old. She’s essentially an orphan at that point, after both of her birth parents died and her step father essentially washed his hands of her. Six years later, Georgie has graduated but has been unable to find gainful employment. Miss Prentice feels this is because she speaks her mind too freely 😬. When Captain Harry Kincaid’s sister drops her three young children and their large dog at his estate for the summer, he is NOT pleased. He loves the kids but is busy prepping for a promotion and can’t handle being a full-time care giver. He seeks help from Miss Prentice who, sensing his urgent need, knows he won’t be able to refuse Georgie. Things get off to a rocky start but will Georgie be able to win over the kids and Henry by the end of the summer?

This was such a charming book! I am especially excited because it’s going to be a series. We met some of Georgie’s friends from the school in this book so I’m thinking they’ll each get their own story! Georgie and Harry are both funny and quirky in their own ways and it’s fun to see them both realize that there’s a spark. The kids and the dog are an adorable bonus as well! This is a slow-burn, regency style romance, but it was not in any way stuffy or too buttoned up! I definitely recommend this one and I’m looking forward to the next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Funny, well written and sweet. I immediately likes both FMC Georgie and MMC Harry, both were perfectly flawed and well developed. The book dragged on a bit - with the first 10% great and the last 80% enjoyable, the middle was a little boring.

I think this is my first governess romance. I love the cover!
Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

An adorable regency romp that hits on a number of fan-favorite tropes that still felt fresh and interesting. I quibble with how sudden and jarring the third act tension came on, and wish we got to have a little more time with the characters after the resolution, but overall was an enjoyable read.

A lovely regency-era novel. It isn't as dialogue heavy as I prefer and took the majority of the book to get me interested. A pretty middle of the road historical romance.

I loved Harry and Georgie!!!! I absolutely adore Regency Romance Books and I love Virginia Heaths Books. She has a way with her writing to transport me to Regency England and live in the story. This was so good!! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!! I have already bought a hard copy to keep forever!!! 6 stars if I could.

This delightful book transported me back to England, in the year 1820. I definitely experienced the joy of reading as I became absorbed into Georgie and Harry’s world.

Having been groomed to be a career Navy man, Harry was a bit of a stickler. Schedules and order kept his life humming. Georgie was a newly trained governess, who was a bit unconventional.

Through unplanned events and desperate need, Georgie found herself employed by Harry. Let the fun begin!

And, this book was loaded with fun. I lost count as to how many times I had laughed out loud while reading it. I laughed through all of chapter 13. I loved Norbert and won’t soon forget him. What a rascal!

This book was filled with charm, lovable characters, tenderness, much hilarity, satisfying romance and really good storytelling. I really enjoyed it!

I received complimentary copies of this delightful book from St. Martin’s Griffin through UpLitReads and NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I have been such a fan of Virginia Heath since her first Merriwell Sisters novel. All's Fair in Love and War was such a fun read. Georgie Rowe has just been hired as the governess for naval captain Henry "Harry" Kincaid's nieces and nephew. The only problem is that both have very differing opinions of what will be the best course of action when it comes to the education of Henry's young chargers. Harry is ever the stickler to structure and order, and believes that his unruly nieces and nephews could benefit from more structure in their lives, while Georgie absolutely disagrees. Georgie believes that childhood should be filled with laughter and adventure, that learning should be fun. I adored getting to know all the characters, and getting to see Georgie and Harry go from butting heads to falling in love was such a pleasure to read. This story is a true opposites-attract, and Georgie and Harry bring out the best in each other. Reading the shenanigans that Georgie and the children get into was also such a fun part of the story. This story is perfect for anyone that loves a good historical romance.

This book is an interesting take on the governess genre, which is almost always highly inspired by The Sound of Music. As expected, we have a fussy naval officer in need of a governess for three children and one large dog. These are not his children, but nonetheless, he is responsible for their care and therefore needs a governess.

Harry is not impressed with the fact that Georgie teaches the children by taking them out in nature rather than lecturing for hours in the classroom he set up. Georgie is not impressed by his two– yes, two– pocketwatches. Norbert the dog steals the show (and sausages) at every possible opportunity.

Governess novels can be a bit tricky nowadays because of the power differential but Heath deals with the issue fairly well until the “Dark Moment” when Harry acts like a complete idiot instead of standing up for what he believes in. Thankfully, he comes to his senses, and everyone ends up happy in the end.

There is, however, a minor plot point that bothered me. It’s not even a full plot point, more of an aside, but nonetheless, here we go: there’s a mention of a local lothario who is suspected of being behind a recent surge in the birth of twins in the area. Now, I know that Regency-era people were unaware of the science behind twins, but modern readers know that twins are formed either by the splitting of a single egg into two or the fertilization of two eggs. Neither involve distinctive sperm. Therefore, I remain unconvinced by this lothario being the father of all the local twins.

I would recommend All’s Fair in Love and War. This was a wonderful beginning of a new series, and based on the interactions that Georgie had with her cohort of friends from governess school, I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.


I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley.

4⭐️
1🔥

Quick Breakdown

Historical Romance
Opposites Attract
Class Difference
Single Uncle
Military Captain x Governess
Dual POV
Open Door - Mild Details

Big thanks to @smpromance for the eARC & @prhaudio for the gifted ALC.

When Captain Harry Kincaid’s sister suddenly drops her three children off with their uncle to sail off on an expedition to Egypt, he becomes desperate. He needs a governess for his wild temporary charges ASAP, so he heads to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls given their reputation for excellence. It’s the perfect circumstances for Miss Georgina Rowe. She’s had a difficult time securing a position, primarily because she can’t stifle her enthusiasm for embracing unconventional methods & encouraging joy in the classroom.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! All’s Fair in Love and War is an opposites attract romance at its finest. I loved the delicious banter brought on between our waring MCs. Captain Harry believing in precision & structure & Georgie, once raised on a militant setting, trying to show him the benefits of throwing traditional methods out the window.

The kids & the chaos they brought delivers so many hilarious moments. The slow burn tension kept me addicted to the story. Top it off with an adorable pup. Another Virginia Heath success!

Another delightful Virginia Heath adventure! I love the way she writes historical romance and this book is no exception! A grumpy Captain Henry, uncle to three unruly charges, hires Georgie, a governess with an unusual teaching methods. A historical romcom adventure, you might have to suspend reality a bit for this one but you’ll be glad you did!

it’s a sweet slow burn with rambunctious kids and adorable dogs. The main characters are complete opposites, which makes their dynamic particularly engaging. Georgie is a governess struggling to find a job, while Harry is a former naval captain working for the Admiralty and is exceedingly competent at his job. Georgie is an unconventional free spirit, whereas Harry is a rule follower who does what is expected of him.

The children's role in bringing the main characters together is charming. Harry shows his care for them in every action, despite his annoyance that his sister left them on his doorstep before fleeing on her next adventure. The kids play significant roles in the story, keeping it light and entertaining while further developing each main character's personality and backstory.

The romance takes a while to develop since both Georgie and Harry doubt it could ever work out, but there’s good tension between them. The writing is fantastic, and while focusing entirely on this couple's story, the author naturally introduces readers to Georgie's friends, making you eager to know more about them and look forward to the next book in the series.

Georgina Rowe, our female protagonist, had a strict upbringing and doesn’t believe in the idea that children should be seen and not heard. This has been challenging for her as a fledgling governess since she can’t help but share her true feelings about childhood during job interviews. When a position unexpectedly becomes available, Georgina has the opportunity to follow her heart and give the children the freedom they need to learn and grow—if only she can get their uncle to leave them alone.

Henry Kincaid has a problem. His older sister decides to go on an expedition with her husband, leaving her three children (and their unruly dog) in his care. Needing to manage everything with his demanding career at the Admiralty, Henry decides to hire a governess. When he shows up at Miss Prentice's School for Girls, willing to pay whatever it takes to get a governess, Georgina gets placed in a house where she can make a difference.

I loved these two characters. They were such opposites, and seeing Henry loosen up along the way was great. I enjoyed how Heath developed their relationship. It truly was an opposites-attract situation as Georgina had zero patience for Henry and his overbearing ways, and Henry couldn’t believe how disorganized Georgina was (at least from his perspective). She just had a different approach to meeting the children’s needs. I loved every second of this story.

"All’s Fair in Love and War" is the first book in the new series Miss Prentice’s Protegees by Virginia Heath. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I found it interesting and at times humorous. Miss Prentice has created a program for young women with few prospects, teaching and training them to be governesses in the homes of the rich and tonnish. Miss Prentice acts as a fairy godmother for the students selected for her program.

Georgina Rowe was brought up in difficult circumstances, feeling crushed and abandoned by her stepfather. She was left on the doorstep of Miss Prentice as one of “her girls,” where she learned the four D’s but tended to speak her mind, leading to her being “let go.” When Henry Kincaid came to Miss Prentice, Georgina was given another chance.

Henry’s nieces and nephew are very active and love being outside with their dog, whereas Henry wants them to sit at desks and learn properly. Georgina was put in a difficult position, not helped by the unmanageable dog who destroyed the schoolroom and howled unhappily.

The story follows Georgina helping the captain with his nieces and nephew. While I’ve enjoyed Virginia Heath’s books in the past, this one missed its spark compared to the others. It was still a great read, with the children adding cuteness to the story. The pacing was fast at the beginning but slowed towards the middle. I liked the setting and the historical accuracy of the book. The story is told from both Harry’s and Georgina’s perspectives.

Georgina is a sweet but conflicted governess taking care of three children for Harry. While I liked Harry at the beginning, I began to like him less towards the end. There are several side chapters, but the children, who were fun and dramatic, made this book. My least favorite aspect was the romance; I just couldn’t feel the chemistry, and there wasn’t enough focus on the two of them together.

The ending was okay, but I wanted more from the romance. It wasn’t a bad book; the story was good, and the kids made it enjoyable. However, if the romance had been more compelling.

Overall, "All’s Fair in Love and War" is a charming historical romance. Henry and Georgina have great chemistry and entertaining banter. Their sweet slow-burn romance unfolds as they spend more time together and learn about each other. The secondary characters, including the children, provide a lot of entertainment. The book includes many sailor jokes and puns that made me chuckle. Although the pacing was slow and repetitive at times, I enjoyed the story overall and look forward to the next book in the series.

This was a fun story. It reminded me a bit of The Governess Game by Tessa Dare. I enjoyed the children in this story a bit more than the romance.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I felt that it was a bit slow at the beginning and the descriptions of how the main MCs thought of each other were repeated maybe a bit too often (like we get it, they’re totally opposites!), but once I got to about 60% of the way in I think the relationship really started to develop and the plot picked up and from that point on I couldn’t put it down!

My introduction to Virginia Heath was with the Merriwell sisters trilogy, which is one of my favorite historical romance series (I recommend those to everyone I know). When I was sent the eARC for All's Fair in Love and War, the first in a new Virginia Heath series centered around the protégées of a governess academy ran by a lady known as Miss Prentice, I was ecstatic! I devoured this book in three days, and I will also be recommending this one to my friends and loved ones. It has everything I love about a Virginia Heath novel: witty dialogue, a swooning romance, and a writing style that transports me directly into the book. Georgina Rowe and Captain Harry Kincaid's romance is very reminiscent of Fraulein Maria and Captain Von Trapp's in The Sound of Music, as well as Charlotte Heywood and Alexander Colbourne's in seasons 2 and 3 of Sanditon, so I was beyond delighted to read their story. I think of all the Virginia Heath leading ladies I've read about, Georgie was the one I connected with the most, as I am also a teacher, and despite the two centuries between us, the struggles and joys of the job never really change. With such a promising first book, I can't wait to read the next installment of Miss Prentice's Protégées.