Title: Never Fall for Your Fiancée
(The Merriwell Sisters #1)
Author: Virginia Heath
Published: November 2021
Genre: Historical Romance, Romance-Comedy

Blurb:

The first in a new historical rom-com series, a handsome earl hires a fake fiancée to keep his matchmaking mother at bay, but hilarity ensues when love threatens to complicate everything.

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.

Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up.

Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh’s estate, of course, nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue, while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other, when their relationship started a lie?

My Review:

What an excellent historical rom-com! Virginia Heath did it again! When Hugh is in despair to fix the mess he has created, he coincidentally finds a perfect candidate for a fake fiancée whom has very similar name like his fabrication, Minerva. Apart from the similarity, Hugh is quite astonished at her beauty which has black hair and green eyes that they mesmerize him. Being refused for the money she has earned from Mr. Pinkerton, Minerva is practically begging for it because she is totally penniless thus when Hugh offers her a considerable amount of money, Minerva couldn’t turn down the offer despite her conscience therefore she agrees.

I love how smitten when Hugh and Giles, Hugh’s good friend are with the Merriwell sisters, Hugh matter-of-factly has fallen for Minerva since the first meeting even though he always denies it because he is convinced that his ancestors are bad and he also has it within his vein. I enormously enjoyed all part of this book, Hugh begins teaching the Merriwell sisters etiquettes, and forms the Minerva he wants yet the real Minerva seems hopeless at whatever skills she has to posses. The scene when his mother arrives is beyond hilarious especially when Hugh and Minerva are in dispute and Payne, his butler tells him that men should apologize to women because it’s women’s law.

Never Fall for Your Fiancée is an absolute joy despite its little drama, unpredicted revelation and the flaw characters that kept me laughing, and the ending couldn’t be better! Thank you, Virginia Heath, for this ARC which I voluntary reviewed. I totally and thoroughly enjoyed reading this!

Rate: 5 of 5

About the author

 When Virginia Heath was a little girl, it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated – sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. One day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Twenty books and two Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, and it still takes her forever to fall asleep. Follow her at https://www.virginiaheathromance.com/ or her facebook page Virginia Heath.