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.

First, thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this eARC!

I absolutely adored this book! I adored the first one in the series, and this one is even better. This grumpy sunshine historical romance will make you laugh and fall in love with the characters right from the jump. You will easily devour the whole story because it just keeps getting better. All the side characters are incredibly spirited and the perfect foils for our hero and heroine, and the banter is just A+. 5🌟s I will definitely be reading this again I loved it so much.

Absolutely loved it. Lottie was PERFECT, the right amount of headstrong and vulnerable as to not come off as jaded. I may have even enjoyed this book more than the first, this series is such a hit! I am more in love with the Prentice Girls with every story!

title: Look Before You Leap

author: Virginia Heath

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

publication date: June 24, 2025

pages: 320

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: none

summary: Lottie, a farmer's daughter from Kent, was raised by her father and four brothers. Rather than work as a farmer, she's brought into London to train as a governess. When she can't control her urges to ride horses, even after crashing into a Viscount and knocking him off his horse, or to defend her honor from her employer's jerky son, she gets fired...and then hired as a lady's companion to a grumpy older woman who actually appreciates Lottie's honesty and sass. Her new employer, who turns out to be the aunt of the viscount from her riding accident, ends up bringing Lottie with her to Kent to arrange an over-the-top house party to try to marry off her nephew, who, having been burned by love before, wants no part of the match-making scheme of his mother and aunt.

tropes:

grumpy-sunshine
grumpy older woman with a heart of gold
don't marry the wrong girl
mixed-level love
vapid suitors

what I liked: her sassiness and humor

what I didn’t like: none of it

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

I loved the sunshine, hope, and horses in this story. The love between family members and chosen family (e.g., Miss P and all of her girls; Lottie’s family) are my favorite parts of the book, and Almeria’s wisecracks were great sometimes. There are some funny moments and some heartwarming moments as well. However, some of the humor was too slapstick for me, and sometimes I found it hard to believe Lottie and Guy would be happy together (a habit of lying and unresolved anger issues, on top of knowing each other for a month, don't seem the most promising start to a marriage). Overall though, still a fun read! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free eARC! I post this review with my honest opinions.

Content notes for people who want to know: I did not know when I requested it, but this is a spicy book. There’s also profanity.

Set in the weeks ahead of his birthday on his estate in Kent, lady's companion Lottie Travers and Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount of Wennington, are drawn together, especially when his house is overrun with debutantes.

Loved the grand gesture! Just wish we got a little more afterwards. Hoping we see more from Lottie and Guy in the rest of the series!

🐎 Grumpy / Sunshine
🐎 7 year age gap (heroine 23 / hero turning 30)
🐎 Historical rom-com
🐎 Slow-burn
🐎 Horse training
🐎 "Peas"
🐎 Aug / Sept 1820 in Kent, England
🐎 Interfering mother
🐎 Youngest girl with four older brothers and father
🐎 Lady Frinton and her long suffering butler Longbottom
🐎 Second in series following four best friends (can't wait for Portia and Kitty)

4.5 / 5 stars

Open door / spicy (one main spicy scene with other smaller moments)

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this eARC!

I adore Virginia Heath's novels and this one was no different! I am a forever fan.

Guy and Lottie were two smart and stubborn individuals who had incredibly chemistry from day one. Despite her being a lady's companion with a wild streak and him being a Viscount who has sworn off the idea of any kind of relationship, they are drawn to one another like moths to a flame. And not even a household full of vapid debutantes looking to woo the lord of the manor will get in the way of their clandestine courtship.

As soon as I saw the set up for the final scene I gasped with delight. My only complaint is that it ended too soon!

CHEFS.KISS.

5⭐️

Wow! Wow! I absolutely adored this book! The grumpy-sunshine trope was executed perfectly, and I couldn’t get enough of Lottie and Guy’s banter.

Lottie’s warmth and charm was the perfect contrast to Guy’s broody, reluctant attitude, making their slow-burn romance all the more satisfying. The dialogue was witty, the tension was delicious, and the emotional depth caught me off guard in the best way.

If you love a romance filled with playful bickering, undeniable chemistry, and characters you can’t help but root for, this is the book for you.

One of my favorite historical romance authors for making historical scenes come alive. Love the characters, loved the romance, just a great book.

Aaah Bridgerton fans, this is a treat! Loved it! Fun and spicy. Just great!!! Get immersed in the Regency world and forget all the nonsense of the day.

Viscount Wennington promised his mother that she would have a house full of grandkids by his 3oth birthday. he's rapidly approaching 30 and not married and no kids. His mother decides to bring all the debutants at his estate... He falls for Lottie- a laday's companion. ..

Love the banter between Lottie and Guy. Lots of fun, sass and humour. Really enjoy the fun and romance. The side-characters were interesting and fun as well. A terrific book.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.,

This was a fun romance read. The spice was nicely portioned out and the side characters were perfection!

Regency romance books are all the rage. I just finished a great book.Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath is a must read.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

Virginia Heath delivers yet another delightful addition to the series! This installment was a joy to read, with Lottie's heartfelt relationship with her family and Aunt Almeria's hilariously unapologetic curmudgeonliness adding so much character and charm. The slow-burn pining from Guy was wonderfully done, even though his defensiveness early on made it a bit hard to fully connect with him at first. Thankfully, he redeemed himself beautifully, showing just how much Lottie truly meant to him. The ending was satisfying, and now I’m eagerly hoping that Portia or Kitty will get their story next. Fingers crossed!