All's Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath is an entertaining historical romance that is the first in a new series.

Henry and Georgina were fun and enjoyable main characters and played off one another quite well. The banter, wit, humor, and over the top scenarios and events made this Regency historical romance fun, playful, and a quick read.


4/5 stars

Thank you NG and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/28/24.

The start of another great series by Virginia Heath!

Georgie is used to the military brat life -- and she hates it. Dumped at Ms. Prentice's School for Governesses at sixteen by a cold and uncaring stepfather, she finds new friends and a new home among the other selected students. The only problem is she can't seem to find a job.

Captain Kincaid is as desperate as a man can get. Saddled with three rebellious young children, his nephew and nieces, while his sister and her husband are off on another adventure, he needs someone to restore order and decorum to his home. Because there is nothing he values more than order and decorum. He gives Georgie her first post as governess -- and immediately realizes they have very different philosophies about educating children.

On paper, they are as different as could be. But the Captain has been feeling a discontent with his surging Navy career for quite some time, and the siren that is Georgie might be the thing that convinces him to take a leap of faith into something new, if he can find the courage to dream a new dream.

Had some serious "Sound of Music" vibes and Virginia's signature style of chaos, comedy, and excellent characters. The children and all of the other players in this love story were fantastic additions as well. A bit long at points and I do wish the captain would haven spoken less of "sowing his wild oats" but overall the start of a very enjoyable new series from an excellent author!

A charming romance between a governess and a former naval officer. Georgie is a highly trained governess with no practical experience. Harry is an orderly, regimented workaholic whose life is interrupted when his sister temporarily leaves her three rowdy children in his care. Georgie and Harry seem to have nothing in common but find themselves slowly falling in love as they work to ensure Harry’s two nieces and one nephew get a good education.

This was fun, I do wish there was a little less of the instant love/attraction element on Harry’s part but found him and Georgie to be a lovely match. For fans of opposites attract and Regency romance.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This was a great start a brand new series by Virginia Heath. This story did start off pretty slow to me and it did feel repetitive at times, but I did enjoy this overall. The banter between the MCs was top notch and they were both likeable and unique. I love when characters have good development. I’m looking forward to the next books in this series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and to the publishers for granting me access to this eArc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

A few of the scenes in the novel were greatly crafted. I found that the first half of the book was really good and then it kind of lost steam in the middle, but then it picked up again, closer to the end of the book.

I really liked the main girl character in the story, but I found the love interest, super insufferable. I found his point of view extremely annoying and this is just personal preference but I found his personality not a great fit with the main girl character. I felt like she had to put herself into his box so that he could love her and even at the end there was a misunderstanding and I felt that he still did not learn his lesson from that misunderstanding so it made me not feel as connected with the characters. I felt that he had no development as a character.

Personally, this is a very specific type of romance book that you have to be a fan of to really enjoy like if you love really flowery speech, as well as Victorian era talk and descriptions, then this is the book for you, but I found a lot of the times that it was just going on and on and by the middle of the book I felt like nothing happened.

Overall I enjoyed aspects of this books, the main woman character and the children.

This is my first book by Virginia Heath, but it was enjoyable enough that I will go back and read some of her backlist for sure. I love a good Regency Romance, especially one with enemies to lovers elements, and I LOVE an awkward hero/heroine combo. I liked a lot about this one - the kids were a fun addition, not grating at all. The traveling aspect kept things moving along. And I love a dual POV in 3rd person.

What I didn't like came towards the end - there was so much build up to Harry and Georgie getting together and then it was all told and then we're at the end! Kind of irregular pacing, IMO, which definitely impacted my enjoyment.

All in all, it was a fun read! 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’ll rate this one 3.75 stars. I do love how historical romance slows the burn of relationships and even though this book’s not a prime example of this aspect, I had a nice time reading it.

My biggest issue with this book was the writing style. The author spent too much time repeating information in long paragraphs, with overemotional reactions from the characters (especially the male protagonist) to minor complications. And this time spent going around in circles with the characters’ musings was costly to the development of the story, taking up space in the pages that could’ve been used to better explore the conclusion of the main conflict.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed all the banter between both protagonists and the supporting characters. The female protagonist was genuinely nice and interesting, while the disproportionate explosive temper of the male protagonist made him a bit annoying (even though his character arc was quite interesting, albeit poorly developed). All things considered, it’s an entertaining story with compelling characters.

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

I reviewed this as an ARC for NetGalley

This historical romp was everything I needed. I read it in a couple of days, I laughed out loud multiple times, and my husband caught me cheering for Simpkins of all people. I loved so much about this book, but my favorite was that no character was left behind in their development. They ALL got a happy ending. Which could be a bit unrealistic if it were to happen today, but I enjoyed it so much in a book.

Other favorites:
- I loved ‘the grovel’ from Henry, every good romance has one.
- The right sprinkling of spice so that I could a) recommend this to my mother and b) read this in public. I like books with a bit of spice where I can enjoy them without it interrupting my day because of how raucously smutty they are and this book, while the characters were horny, was not erotic, which just makes it such a great weekday read. And ooooh was the romantic tension and the spice soooo good.
- The amount of historical research done was apparent without being showy, This felt very historically grounded.
- Fairly well developed characters with conflicting interests, mmm gotta love that.

The only thing I wasn’t obsessed with was the reveal about his grandpa was super quick. But truly the only thing I didn’t like is that the next book in the series is not out yet. Like…I need more of the characters from Miss Pendleton’s.

An orderly Harry who hates chaos has to hire an governess to ensure his sister's three unruly children and giant dog are taken of. Everyone loves Georgina because she believes in cultivating the kids. The uncle and her crashes....

A fun historical rom-com. Sparkling dialogue... fun scenes... Great scene stealing kids. Totally enjoy it. Terrific chemistry.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I received an early copy of this book and I am so grateful I did. This was such a fun book and I enjoyed the dual setting of London and the seaside. I loved Georgie and Harry. As this is the first book in the series, there is a lot of exposition, so in the beginning, it is a bit slow. However, once the story goes it is phenomenal. The banter between the two is fabulous and it ratchets up the romance in the story. Once they start down that path, though you cannot imagine them with anyone else. This is a well-crafted story, with a great deal of well-placed humor and very little drama (hooray!). I look forward to more in this series!

I absolutely loved this regency romance. The setting was perfect! I feel in love with the main characters. I would highly recommend this book!

3,5⭐A charming Historical Romance novel. The characters were sweet and the children in the book were fantastic. I noticed the chemistry between the lead characters, Harry and Georgie. I found myself enjoying the humor in the book, and I think there was a good balance between the historical romance and romantic comedy aspects of the story.

When Henry Kincaid's impulsive older sister decides to join her explorer husband on a trip to Egypt, she leaves behind her three mischievous children and a large, unpredictable dog for Harry to take care of. Harry, a former naval captain now busy with his career at the Admiralty, has no idea when his sister is coming back. He has to hire an emergency governess to take care of the children and ensure that everything in his well-ordered house continues to run smoothly.

Overall, it was an okay read. However, the long and repetitive internal dialogue between the main characters made the story slow and a bit tedious. While it may not have been a perfect match for my preferences, I believe it could certainly appeal to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC.

All is Fair in Love and War
Virginia Heath
Publication date: May 28th 2024 by St Martins Press

Historical Romance is not new to me, but nothing I have read in a couple
Of years. So why not dip my toes into a genre I have not read in a while.

This is my first book by Virginia Heath.
The story goes like this:

Progressive opinions are great, but if you’re the one who brings them forward, it can be problematic. Not everyone will agree with you. This is what Georgina experience. She’s been training to be a governess for quite a while now. But as she has a hard time keeping her views to herself, the interviews haven’t gotten her very far.

That’s when Harry comes into play, who urgently needs a governess for his moves and nephew. Of course the two are bound to clash….

The characters in this story are really sweet and definitely unique. I found myself laughing quite a bit. This definitely has Rom com aspects, brought to life in a historical setting.

I would have wished for a bit faster pacing, that would have helped the storyline to progress in a better way.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press and Virgina Heath for my free copy. I was in no obligation to review, all my opinions are my own.

All’s Fair was a delightful introduction to Virginia Heath’s newest regency romcom series. This newest series being set up to follow the adventures…or misadventures of the protégés of Miss Prentice’s School For Girls, young women who have been handpicked and carefully trained to be high quality governesses.

For this first book we follow Georgina (Georgie) Rowe as she gets her first governess job and meets her match in naval officer Harry and his three rambunctious young charges.

As always Ms. Heath writes delightful characters, both our main hero and heroine, as well as the secondary cast including the very energetic trio of young charges - and their large and overly enthusiastic dog.

I had a lot of fun getting swept up in this story. My experience is that her books always read in this lovely balance between HR and RomCom which make them all the more fun for me.

The story is just what I look for in a romcom with some good tension, pining and the fun of seeing a happy ever after unfolding. I was charmed and eager to find some time away to get lost in the pages.

The ending was a satisfying one, though bittersweet now that I’ll have to wait. I’m hopeful based on appearances in this one, that perhaps the lively and independent Lottie (fellow protege and governess) will get her own story and HEA next. 🤞🥰

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the invitation to read an early copy. I can’t wait to buy a physical edition for my shelves and the next book in the series 😊 All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely offered.

I picked up this book because the little blurb tickled my fancy and boy was I not disappointed.
What I found really impressive about this book right off the bat is that you can tell it’s very extensively researched. This is reflected in the vividly described setting (in both place and time), and also in the deliciously rich character development. You’d swear Georgie’s POV was written by an actual teacher with at least a bachelors in education. And I felt the author was even more intimately acquainted with the workings of ships and the army and the navy and I thoroughly enjoyed the depth it added to the book.
Then, this book is so very well written. I loved the sailing analogies and metaphors that flowed (hehe) throughout – it gave the book a very cohesive feel. I cried multiple times, but also laughed and got palpitations and sometimes butterflies so definitely pick this book up if you’re looking to feel something.
The romance and chemistry were certainly not lacking – it started pretty strong right from the initial meet-cute and only went up. There are mischievous little children involved and cute dogs and puppies so it’s super wholesome and fuzzy. My only gripe is that the ending felt rather abrupt and too convenient. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for happy endings, but the conflict was developed so well throughout the book only to get very neatly wrapped up and tucked away at the end you know?
Overall, 4.5/5 would recommend :)

Virginia Heath is fast becoming one of my favorite historical romance authors. I’ve enjoyed her Merriwell Sisters books and I’m looking forward to what I’m assuming will be another great series; after all, Georgie has 3 best friends that could use adventures of their own.

Georgina has trained to become a governess since she was 16 years old, but can’t seem to stay her progressive opinions long enough to get past the interview process. And Harry is a desperate officer and gentleman who needs a governess for his nephew and nieces he was forced to care for while his sister and her husband go on an adventure.

The two personalities clash spectacularly and create undeniable sparks. Then you combine 3 spirited children, a giant dog, and some tight trousers, and you get a highly entertaining story with lots of laughs. I look forward to the next story…perhaps Lottie’s?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for releasing this arc to me in exchange for an honest review.

I stopped after chapter 2 (7%). The writing style and prose felt a bit more modern than the traditional historical fiction (despite “old” words), so it’s a bit niche in that regard. It feels like a solid three stars for the target audience and four to five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

A cute and fun story filled with great characters and plot line! I enjoyed this book immensely! It kept the tone from the other books! I really liked the regency setting!X

Really charming and unique story! This refreshed my interest in historical romance. It was a story I hadn’t read more (uncle needs governess). Characters were charming and funny but also very human. Loved it.

This book was such a wonderful historical romance. Cute, funny and romantic. There were also some laugh out loud moments! This a series, so I’m interested to see where it goes!