This is an entirely delightful and delectable book, and it melted by heart. I hope other readers enjoy it as well.

There’s not a single moment I didn’t like about this book. Everything from their first meeting till the last page was perfection. Lottie and Guy were perfect together. She’s a ray of sunshine and he’s a grumpy rain cloud, but together they make rainbows. Their banter and moments together were on point. Guy’s mother, his aunt, his aunt’s butler, and all the other side characters added humor and warmth to this story. One of my favorites so far this year.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. Lottie the main fmc was so witty, strong and likeable. Guy, the mmc was adorable and so sweet. He was a terrible communicator sometimes (which stressed me out) but he was also just so romantic. If you know me I'm a sucker for slow burns when done right, and I absolutely loved the slow burn love story going on in this book! One thing I love about a good book is when the side characters are just as good or if not better than the main characters. I loved the funny side characters in this one, they made me laugh quite a few times.

Read this if you like:

Historical romance
Forced proximity
Grumpy x Sunshine
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
He falls first
Hilarious side characters

I’ve read almost of all of Heath’s back catalogue and I have to say this one is competing hard for my absolute favorite. The giggling and feet kicking started with the scheming mother and the fmc giving the mic a verbal dressing down from the start and only intensified with every chapter. The pining and yearning were only outmatched the banter and ridiculous events. I loved every minute.

I recently reviewed All's Fair in Love and War and commented that Virginia Heath was a new favorite author. This book cemented that opinion. It did take me a little while to warm up to Guy (he is quite the grumpy grump) but once I did, I adored him. Lottie though, she made the book. She is fierce and funny and not afraid to yell at someone while threatening them with a riding crop. My kind of woman!

What an adorable, fun read! If you like historical romcoms, this is going to be a treat for you.

The characters are delightful, the humor slaps and the dialogue is witty. The romance is great for fans of grumpy x sunshine trope. These two seem liked total opposites but actually have a lot in common. We have a disaster meet-cute that's quite unique (horses colliding). I liked this pairing and two main characters a lot.

Would recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this copy of "Look Before You Leap."

You don't need to read "All's Fair in Love and War" first (although I did because I wasn't sure what characters or settings were explained) but LBYL is almost a stand-alone book, plus I liked it even better.

Charlotte "Lottie" is a tomboy at Miss Prentice's School for Girls. She was raised with brothers on a farm, so she loves to ride fast horses and this has cost her a couple of governess positions.

But her family needs financial help with the farm, so when she's offered the companion position to Guy's difficult and cantankerous Aunt Almeria, she's determined to do her best.

Guy fled London 9 years ago after being humiliated (we later learn why) but he's turning 30 and his mother is throwing him a party so he can finally choose a wife. And of course, Aunt Almeria will be helping with the arrangements.

The characters were so delightful - "storm cloud and ray of sunshine" - and Aunt Almeria and Guy's mother are wonderful!

Another fun and witty romance by this author! The main and side characters were fantastic and really made the story fun and read in one sitting!

Look Before You Leap is a sweet and light-hearted Regency rom com that is a great way to spend a cosy afternoon. Guy and Lottie are both very likeable characters, and I appreciated how upfront they were with themselves - not with each other, of course - about their feelings, as it's refreshing to see characters who are self-aware enough to recognise that they're falling in love rather than being all "oh no what is this strange feeling". I had a few niggles with the writing, as I often do with Virginia Heath (too many exclamation marks, not enough commas, and a frustrating misuse of "discrete" where she means "discreet") but the main reason I've knocked a star off here is because Guy's mother goes from straight-up emotionally abusive to cute meddling matron in the blink of an eye between scenes. There's no comeuppance for the awful things she says to him, and no development in their relationship to move them towards more of an understanding; he just gets a dressing down from his aunt mid-book for not respecting his mother and then suddenly the narrative no longer makes her out to be horrible and manipulative? It's a bit of a mess - either character archetype would have been great, but the abrupt change felt really wrong. Apart from that, this was a good read.

In Look Before You Leap, the second book in Virginia Heath's delightful Regency romance series, readers are treated to a charming tale of love, wit, and unexpected sparks. This book expertly balances humor and heart, with a grumpy lord and an adventurous lady’s companion who are both forced to confront their own preconceived notions about life and love.

Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount Wennington, has lived a life of self-imposed solitude and work since a public romantic debacle nearly a decade ago. As his thirtieth birthday approaches, his mother insists that he fulfill the promise he made to her years ago—having a house full of grandchildren by his milestone birthday. His response? A weeklong house party full of eager debutantes vying for his attention, all of whom Guy would rather avoid. Enter Lottie Travers, a spirited lady’s companion with a wild streak and a strong sense of independence.

Lottie, who struggles with fitting into the constraints of proper society, is a breath of fresh air. Raised in an all-male household, she’s a woman ahead of her time, more comfortable riding horses in breeches than attending to embroidery. Her journey to conquer her "wildness" and find stability for her family is a deeply engaging one, filled with moments of both humor and emotional depth. Lottie’s quirky nature and unyielding spirit make her a standout character, and the chemistry between her and the reluctant Guy is undeniably magnetic.

The relationship between Guy and Lottie is a slow burn, filled with tension, misunderstandings, and moments of genuine tenderness. As Guy tries to resist his growing attraction to her, he slowly unravels his own heart and learns that love doesn’t always follow the path one expects. Their dynamic is both entertaining and heartwarming, as they challenge one another to grow and embrace change.

Virginia Heath’s writing shines with wit and warmth. The dialogue sparkles, and the Regency setting provides the perfect backdrop for this lighthearted yet emotionally rich story. The house party itself is the perfect setting for chaos, comedy, and romantic tension, and it’s impossible not to root for Guy and Lottie to overcome their differences and find happiness together.

Look Before You Leap is a delightful, feel-good read that will leave you smiling long after the last page. With its wonderful characters, humorous moments, and heartwarming romance, it’s a must-read for fans of Regency romance. Virginia Heath continues to prove herself as a master of blending humor and heart, and this book is sure to be a favorite among readers.

I absolutely adored Look Before You Leap!! From beginning to end, it is a humorous, zippy, champagne bubble of read. I am a huge fan of Virginia Heath's books, and Look Before You Leap is up there in my favorites of her's.

Lottie, our FMC, is a farmer's youngest and only daughter, who has been chosen to attend Miss Prentice's School for Young Ladies. She is impulsive, prone to being outdoors and riding rather than demurely pursuing more ladylike pursuits, and therefore has struggled her entire time as a student and as a young governess. After being dismissed for her latest riding debacle, she is hired by Lady Fenton, a sassy, curmudgeon of an older lady to be her companion. Lady Fenton decides to make a last-minute decision to go and help her sister plan her nephew's birthday party, where Lottie meets Guy. Or rather-- meets Guy again, for they had a chaotic not-so-meet-cute a few days prior after their horses collide.

Guy, our MMC is a viscount, who for the last nine years has been burying himself in estate work, after being publicly humiliated at his 21st birthday ball. He begrudgingly lets his mother plan a birthday dinner for him, He is equally as curmudgeonly as his aunt, and has built walls up to protect his heart from ever being hurt and humiliated again. Lottie's sunshiny personality and Guy's dark raincloud personality collide, and we get a funny, wonderful romcom of a story!!

From start to finish, Look Before You Leap is such a fun read! The chemistry between Lottie and Guy is fantastic, the dialogue is fantastic, and all the side characters are so much fun. Lottie's friends from MPSYL are hilarious (can't wait for more of their stories), dragon Lady Fenton's one-liners, her irascible butler's comebacks-- the surrounding characters are so humorous and so much fun to read, I kept reading pages and paragraphs over because I they were so good and I didn't want the book to end!

I highly recommend Look Before You Leap if you enjoy historical romance, romcoms, or anything with fast-paced, full-of-descriptive-adjective writing, this book will be for you. I received this book as an ARC for my honest opinion, and I can't stop raving about it!

Thank you for providing this copy for me to read and review. I love regency romance, especially when it is a bit of a comedy as well. The leading female is a bit reckless but it suits her. Historical romance with a bit of humor made for an enjoyable evening read.

This book was so fun! I just adore Virginia Heath's MMCs, they are so addicting! Guy was so romantic, he was slightly clueless and kind of terrible at communicating for a good portion of the book, but was so obsessed with Lottie and so in love with her that it terrified him. Lottie was headstrong and witty, a very lovable FMC. I liked her relationship with her family and Guy's family, too. The yearning between them was everything! I loved the slow burn nature of it. Both of them were so stubborn which led to Guy's hilarious mama and aunt meddling, meddling, and meddling some more. This entire cast of characters were so entertaining! I laughed out loud multiple times due to their antics.

The only critique I have for this book was that there was a ton of dialogue, especially in the beginning, that was a bit repetitive. There was one chapter which was basically just a conversation between Guy and his mother in which they discussed how much of a hermit he'd become, except the conversation seemed to go in circles for about 10 pages and I was like, "WE GET IT! HIS LIFE IS BORING, CAN WE MOVE ON NOW?" So I think it just needed a teensy bit more editing there. Other than that, this book was an absolute joy!

Read if you love:
- Historical romance
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Enemies to lovers
- Slow burn
- Boy obsessed/he falls first
- Forced proximity
- Hilarious side characters

Thank you so much to Virginia Heath, St. Martins, and NetGalley for the ARC! Congrats on the upcoming release. :)

Does Virginia Heath ever miss? Perhaps, but if she has, I haven't ever caught her slipping.

I do hate these covers, though. HR publishers, please. Let's do better.

This was fun!! I thought the relationship between our two main characters progressed really well, and there were no pacing issues. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for other titles by this author in the future.

This book was SO FUN TO READ! I have never read a Virginia Heath regency romance and this will not be my last. Lottie was such a fun, refreshing character. This is about Lottie, a ladies companion(Guy's aunt's) and Guy a viscount who is jaded from a previous romantic entanglement. His mother guilts him into a party for his 30th birthday and use it as a matchmaking opportunity.

In regency romance, I feel like you either have a very aristocratic heroine or someone in poverty or who comes from poverty(I enjoy both). Lottie was fun because she was more of a middle class character. I loved her spirit and the way she just couldn't keep herself out of trouble. Guy was also a delightful grump and I loved watching his character transform from. This book was such a blast to read that I could not put it down. I didn't want to stop reading because I wanted to know what trouble Lottie would get into next and how guy would react. Guy's mother and aunt are a hoot and make this even more fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Publishing for the ARC!

so cutesy!!!! i read this in no time! if you are in the mood for a quick, fast paced, and atmospheric romcom look no further!!! i think i finished this in a solid sitting and it was very bingeable! i think that speaks to the writing and as this was my first book by heath, i quite enjoyed the romantic development- i can’t wait to read more!

It took a little for me to get into, but once I got about 40% of the way in I didn’t want to stop. I think it just took me a while to warm up to the vernacular, but overall It was a fun read! Loved the characters and their families.

This was a cute little palate cleanser for me! Really enjoyed the characters, and found Lottie to be incredibly relatable.

Virginia Heath is always a request for me. Look Before You Leap is another of Heath's regency romance books that is just at cozy, fun read. Not a huge amount of tension, easy weekend read for me. Love a grump love interest against a tough protagonist.