Title: Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath
The Merriwell Sisters Series Book One
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Historical, Romance
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: C
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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 with a lie? The first book in the Merriwell Sisters series, Never Fall for Your Fiancée is a hilarious, sparkling historical romantic comedy from Virginia Heath.
Review:
Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath is a lovely historical romance.
Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, evades his mother’s matchmaking by fabricating a romance with the mythical Minerva. He is able to keep the fake romance going only because she lives in America with her second husband. Hugh is charming and easygoing, but he does not reveal much about himself even to his best friend, Giles Sinclair. When Hugh receives a letter from his mother announcing she is coming for a visit, he is in a panic about finding someone to play his fake fiancée. A chance encounter with Minerva Merriwell is an unexpected gift if only he can convince her to take him up on his offer.
Minerva has sole responsibility of her two younger sisters, Diana and Vee. They are barely making ends meet but she is initially reluctant to become involved in Hugh’s scheme. Although she eventually agrees, Minerva is uncertain she made the right choice. She is a sensible young woman with a strong moral compass and it does not feel right to carry out such a charade. Additionally, her sisters are not exactly fully on board with her decision.
Minerva, Diana and Vee are fish out of water once they arrive at Hugh’s estate. But Minerva is committed to following through with her agreement so she gamely readies herself for Hugh’s mother’s arrival. Minerva and Hugh are unexpectedly attracted to each other, but there is no future for them. But as they spend weeks together, will their growing feelings for one another turn their fake engagement into a real one?
Never Fall for Your Fiancée is an engaging historical romance with great cast of characters. Hugh and Minerva are a marvelous couple. Diana and Vee are a bit annoying but the secondary cast of characters more than make up for their irritating tendencies. The storyline is interesting but predictable and relies on miscommunication for the conflict between Hugh and Minerva. The pacing is a little uneven due to some long, meandering passages. Virginia Heath brings this first installment in The Merriwell Sisters series to a heartwarming conclusion.
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