5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What an absolutely sweet book. The kids really stole my heart, but I loved Georgie and Harry as well. Their awkward bits and Harry's "ums" made me giggly. Great backstories, great chemistry, and a third act that wasn't painful to get through.

I'll definitely be looking forward to the other books in the series, as I'm already sold on Lottie, Portia, and Kitty!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy!

When his whimsical sister abandons him with her three unruly children and a giant dog, naval captain Harry desperately seeks a governess. Enter Georgina, a spirited novice determined to give the children the joyful childhood she never had. Sparks fly as Georgina’s unconventional approach clashes with Harry’s strict nature. Can her infectious spirit melt his heart?

This fun and heartwarming novel has everything I’m looking for in a romance. It’s funny and emotional with endearing characters, a well-paced plot, and strong obstacles. Harry and Georgina clash at first but gradually find a sense of belonging together.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Delightful! This adorable romance perfectly uses the enemies-to-lovers trope with a smart and sassy governess and a put-upon, precise uncle who must undertake the care of his nieces and nephew unexpectedly. I loved following their twisting path, and I appreciated Heath's believable, flawed, but still lovable heroes. I also found the children wholly realistic, charming, and fun to read about. The addition of a mad dog adds the perfect level of hijink. Overall, this is an excellent regency romance, and I really enjoyed it!

Despite its slow start and incredibly slow burn for about 60% of this book, I ended up really enjoying it by the end! I just think the pacing wasn’t done the best, but the character development was amazing with Harry discovering what mattered to him and Georgie reimagining her predictable life after the children (and dogs) got under her skin. I really enjoyed the sailor/siren trope and the whole idea of a captain of an important ship and governess of some chaotic children. I also adored how smart and beautiful Georgie was described, and I loved that she and Harry could quote famous war generals and leaders and he respected her for her knowledge. This was a cute and eventually spicy Bridgerton-era romance!

3.25/5 Stars

All's Fair in Love in War is a slow-burn historical romance between a governess and a Navy Captain uncle who is unexpectedly saddled with his sister's children.

What I loved: I loved the warring ideologies of the main characters--it was a refreshing take on internal conflict in a couple. The situations of a single-dad romance, without it being a single dad sad story. How Georgie got to watch Harry's nieces and nephews love him, and found herself seeing him through their eyes as well. The dogs.

What I didn't love: The burn was so slow, it was really only in the last hour or so. We didn't get to see much of their actual relationship. We also spent much of the book with both characters mentally cataloging the reasons why their relationship wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't work. It ended up being more tell than show. Also, Georgie's note seemed VERY out of character for her and that has burrowed it's way under my skin.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This book was a cute new take on the regency sub-genre, but it ultimately was just very fluffy for me. The pacing felt off, leading to the book never truly pulling me in. Overall, a fine light read but not one I would highly recommend.

All’s Fair in Love and War 🐶🕰️⚓️

In All’s Fair in Love and War, we meet Georgie, an unsuccessful, somewhat radical (like, she doesn’t believe in physical discipline or the patriarchy which is radical for the time period) governess who yearns for family of her own. Enter, Captain Henry (Harry) Kincaid. Harry’s flighty sister has left the country and left her three unruly children with their dear uncle who desperately despises mess, tardiness, flights of fancy, and plenty of other things that describe his sister and her brood. Harry hires Georgie to be his temporary governess and just the sight of her stray tendrils of red hair, her short stature, and voluptuous curves nearly does him in! As such, he becomes extremely strict with his expectations of school room behavior, not that Georgie lets that get in her way! 🏏📚🐸🐶

Oh, Harry. I love a starchy, no nonsense hero!! And one who is practically undone by just the thought of the heroine?! Swoon. 🥰😮‍💨 However, the same cannot be said for Georgie who pretty much despised Harry for the first third of the book because she has a turbulent history with military men. I’ll be honest, I struggled to like Georgie at first due to her not liking Harry, and in my opinion, not even giving him a chance to show who he was, but I came around. The third act conflict may have some feeling frustrated, but to me, it made sense and helped with character growth, specifically Harry. I wish we’d gotten a bit more of Harry and Georgie together, but as this is first in a new series, I expect they’ll pop up as side characters in future books!

🐶 Unexpected guardian
🕰️Starchy hero-Secret softie
⚓️Governess heroine
🐶Wild pups
🕰️Spirited children
⚓️Nosy servants (this is like, one of my top three fave histrom micro tropes!)

Thanks to net and the publisher for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.

Am I a sucker for a he falls first and pines/yearns for her? Yes, yes I am. Did Harry have a hard time looking at Georgie because he worried she would see all the yearning? 🥹🥹 yes he did.

I am not always a fan of children as a driving force plot wise but this is a governess romance so the kids are a given and I instantly fell for the three Pendleton children. And how easily they blackmailed their beloved uncle. And I fell head over heels in fictional love with Harry for how much he adored his nieces and nephew. I would have been sandwiched up against Lottie & Portia to ogle against the window at Gunther’s shamelessly objectifying Harry as he spoiled/rewarded the kiddos.

Oh I loved Georgie! The way she wanted to teach according to how best the children would learn and not based on what Harry believed was the best regimented way. How it put her in a tough place, yet she strove to balance both. Even if it meant going slightly head to head with Harry. How his interaction with her and the interactions she witnessed of him with the children battled the preconceived notion of who he was in her head. And how the more she got to know him, she understood and fell for the man beneath the regimented rules & regulations he used to guard a chaotic childhood of his own and a broken heart.

I cannot forget to give an honourable mention to the ill fitting dress breeches that finally gave out at the most inopportune time but made me actually cackle with glee at the following scenes. They truly were a character unto themselves. As well as for Norbert and Cuthbert who also were the perfect furry paw plot devices that caused the best kind of havoc.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and St. Martin's Griffith"p for this advanced copy. You can pick up All's Fair in Love and War on May 28, 2024.

This was a fun read! Lots of shenanigans, and I love a good governess/guardian romance. The children were adorable, and I loved Georgie's relationship with them (as well as Harry's). The main romance was a bit stilted, however. The circumstances didn't feel too difficult to overcome, and his outright lust for her was a bit offputting. I also didn't expect so much talk of the Admiracly/Navy, and I wish we had spent more time with the main couple spending time together.

If you're a Regency romance lover, you'll likely enjoy this one! It's like Bridgerton meets the Sound of Music, but with lower stakes.

the most bog standard of bog standard regency romances. not great, not terrible, tragically not interesting. i think if you're looking for free-spirited governess and buttoned up military man, with a side of precocious children you could do worse? my major issue with it is virginia heath's adjective-heavy prose, which i do not care for. bottom line: it's neither good nor bad, you won't be mad reading it but you probably won't remember reading it either.

This was a great start to a new series by Virginia Heath. This Regency romp follows Georgie, who is a governess with her own ideas of how to educate children that include laughter, discovery, and adventure. She gets a position helping the uncle of 3 children, Harry Kincaid, in his desperate need of help.

Here’s all the reasons why you need to read this book:
*A spirited, intelligent, vivacious FMC. It was impossible not to root for Georgie.
* An adorable MMC that even though frustrating at times, you knew there was a good heart in there.
*The children! I found myself laughing out loud numerous times with the things that came out if their mouths.
*The premise of this book. I have read many historical/Regency novels and this was a unique plotline. I was so invested!
*The slow burn of it all!

All and all, a great start to a new series. I will definitely be reading the next novel of the Governness women!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

I have really liked other Virginia Heath books but this one really didn't work for me! It's a slowwwww burn and I ultimately just didn't buy the connection between Georgie and Harry. I think Harry was supposed to come off as starchy and I usually love a starchy hero but instead he just came across as kind of aloof and rigid. Even when he changed his behavior (sort of), I still couldn't separate him from that rigidness he had shown earlier. This book took me a week to read which could partially be due to my mood but I also think was because I just was not connecting with this book no matter what I did. The pacing was so slow in addition to the slow burn that it just felt like a slog to get through unfortunately.

I liked the writing itself fine and I actually didn't hate the kids, which is saying something because I'm very picky about kids in my romance books. I think that the humor that Virginia writes with is lovely and her books are true Regency RomComs along the lines of Martha Waters' books.

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Georgiana Rowe is a governess in search of a position after thirty-three of failed interviews, and Captain Harry Kincaid is desperate for help after his sister leaves him with her three children while she’s gone for a holiday. A mutually beneficial arrangement for two polar opposites: the “Everything in its place” Captain and the “New Age” governess. Will they make it work?

I thought this would be a home run. Who doesn’t love a Sound of Music (1965) meets Yours, Mine, and Ours (2005), but I hate to say that I struggled. The characters seemed like such caricatures of themselves, that it felt like I was watching a high school theatre production. Everything was a bit too overdone, too over dramatized, and too over explained. You don’t have to spoon feed it to me. Trust the readers to be able to pick up on context.

Did you miss how absolutely tiny Georgie is? How stumpy, how diminutive, how petite? Don’t worry Virginia Heath references it twenty-three times, so just wait a couple pages and she’ll remind you. Don’t worry, Georgie is also redheaded (and hates it), freckled (and hates it), and is beautiful without realizing it. The trifecta. And she’s convinced that Captain Kincaid can’t keep his eyes off of her because he hates her (barf. Come on. Seriously?)

The writing was unnecessarily verbose. If you miss placed an adjective or an exclamation mark, this book found them. At times, the dialogue was difficult to get through because it didn’t have a natural flow, and the characters’ inner monologue was so long that you’d lose what the characters were talking about by the time they responded.

I’m never a fan of “this is an uncommonly relaxed household” in period pieces because I think it lends itself toward lazy writing. The servants are calling the Captain by his first name? Talking back in front of company and questioning how the household is run? The Captain and the governess are eating together and living on the same floor? At this point, just write a contemporary romance.

I’ve read Heath’s work in the past and enjoyed it, so I’ll keep trying.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC.

I enjoyed Virginia Heath’s other books, so I was super excited to read this one and it did not disappoint!! This is such a fun romance with some depth to it. I would recommend this to fans of Bridgerton.

Virginia Heath’s new historical romance series follows graduates of Miss Prentice’s School for Girls, a training academy for girls of good families but few connections/prospects to help them find respectable positions as governesses for the best families. Alls Fair in Love and War focuses on Georgie Rowe, a young woman who was unceremoniously dumped on the steps of Miss Prentice’s academy 7 years prior by her rigid stepfather who wanted nothing to do with his spirited stepdaughter after her mother died. Despite having been one of Miss P’s best students, Georgie is having trouble finding a position given her outspoken opinions on child rearing/discipline (more than a little informed by her own spirit-crushing childhood). But she gets a lucky break when naval captain Harry Kincaid arrives at Miss P’s desperate for a temporary governess after his bohemian sister abruptly left him in charge of his rather feral nieces and nephew for the summer. Soon Georgie finds herself trying to implement her own brand of discipline with her unruly charges under the watchful eyes of her rigid and initially disapproving (not to mention handsome) new employer. It’s a very Maria/Captain von Trapp in the Sound of Music situation.

I thought this was a really fun start to the series, full of Heath’s signature blend of romance, humor, and charm. I really liked the set up here—it was great to read a historical that wasn’t centered on the aristocracy, and class differences that weren’t as stark as you often find. I also thought it was interesting to see two very different people (he’s a bit starchy and craves order thanks to his chaotic parents while she’s free spirited) ultimately raised in similar fashion (by rigid military men) and how that impacted them differently. All in all this was a very sweet romance, made more fun by the inclusion of adorable, precocious children and ridiculous dogs. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series!

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Copper-haired Georgie has been trained to be a governess but has trouble with her fiery tongue. Clueless Admiral Harry needs a babysitter- and a dog walker- ASAP. Though at first they vex each other to no end, soon Georgie and Harry bond . Regency era romcoms are all the rage and this first in a series (from the same author as Never Fall For Your Fiance) has been a fun way to kick-it off. Not the most memorable read but enjoyable nonetheless. Read in between the next seasons of Bridgerton.

I wish I liked this more than I did, but it grated on my nerves. The male main character constantly referred to his sister as his "blasted" sister, and his internal thoughts were just negative. "Wretched" this and "blasted" that, with some "bloody" thrown in for good measure. It read like an American trying to write a British novel and I was shocked to find out the author was, in fact, British. The female main character was more likable but overall, this just really didn't appeal to me. It was a very slow burn, not very steamy romance so if that is to your liking you may enjoy this one more than I did. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

👩🏻‍🏫💡 I received this book to read as an Advanced Reader/Review Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.


📈Final Rating: 2.7 out of 5 🌟🌟🌟


💕Would you recommend this book?
Honestly, I would pass on this one. It was too slow for me to thoroughly enjoy it.


🪶Favorite Quote:
“But in a strange twist of fate they had met, like ships passing in the night, and they both had to accept that that was all they could ever be. ”


🌶️ Spice Level: 🔥
Very mild. The words used to describe intimate scenes were romantic and passionate.


——
Rating Rubric:
🌟 Horrible - “Why did I even waste my time?”
🌟🌟 Unimpressed - It could have been better.
🌟🌟🌟 Good/Average- I would recommend this, but nothing was too out of the ordinary; it’s what’s expected.
🌟🌟🌟🌟 Great! - There were some good surprises, but not enough to blow my mind.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Outstanding - Above & Beyond, It left me wanting more and thinking more about it.
——


📝Writing Style: 3/5
The story is told all in third person point-of-view, but I thoroughly enjoyed how the author used dual perspectives.
The only concern I had with the author’s writing style was the balance between the choice of diction; I was confused at her eloquent choice of vocabulary, but in conversations, the chosen set of words seem off putting in comparison to the written era of the book. Example: Would a person from the 1800s say “cringeworthy” in a sentence? I don’t know about that.


🗺️Plot: 2/5
The story was very slow in the first half of the book- I almost did not want to continue reading. The plot reminds me of the beginnings of the movie “The Sound of Music.” So yes, there are children in the storyline (the nieces and nephew). I’ve watched enough Rom-Coms and read enough romance to find this plot nothing out of the ordinary. There were no major conflicts or villains; the story is as straightforward as it is. The setting occurs in the 1800s in the U.K./Europe.

Plot Tropes-
* Employer x Employee (Naval Captain vs. Governess/Nanny)
* “Rich” x “Poor”
* Slow Burn



👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Characters: 3/5
Every character in the book is captivating, including the children, the family/servants, the friends, and even the dogs.

Female Main Character (FMC):
I liked Georgie’s straightforwardness and her ability to prove herself as a Governess to the Pendleton kids. She also gained confidence in herself throughout the book and blossomed by the end.

Male Main Character (MMC):
Harry was definitely written as a sweetheart, soft but also stern as a Naval Captain, but he was also a lost/trapped soul not-knowing he’s been a puppet half of his life.

I did like how we get to see the FMC and MMC get to “know” each other initially and build a solid impersonation rather than dive straight into lust.

——

🗯️Overall Impression:
I wish the pacing was faster in the beginning; only the second half of the book was tolerable. I did enjoy their love story, but the dialogue confused me at times to where I almost have to remind myself, “Oh wait. This was set in the 1800’s in the U.K.” It felt like not everything was well written to solely encompass that era. The ending also left me craving for more. I would have loved to see the MMC’s perspective of the actual “soul searching” so his thoughts lay bare and genuine to the reader. Overall, glad it was a happy ending! I’m interested to know where and how their adventure begins.

"In the first installment of a Regency romp of a series, a governess who believes in cultivating joy in her charges clashes with the children's uncle who hired her, only to find herself falling in love.

When Harry Kincaid's flighty older sister decides to join her husband on an Egyptian expedition, Harry, a former naval captain, is left in the lurch, minding her three unruly children and giant, mad dog. But Harry has a busy career at the Admiralty that requires all his attention, and he has no clue how to manage the little rascals or when his sister is coming back. In desperation, he goes to Miss Prentice's School for Young Ladies prepared to pay whatever it takes to hire an emergency governess quick sharp to ensure everything in his formerly ordered house is run shipshape again.

Thanks to her miserable, strict upbringing, fledgling governess Georgie Rowe does not subscribe to the ethos that children should be seen and not heard. She believes childhood should be everything hers wasn't - filled with laughter, adventure, and discovery. Thankfully, the three Pendleton children she has been tasked with looking after are already delightfully bohemian and instantly embrace her unconventional educational approach. Their staid, stickler-for-the-rules uncle, however, is another matter entirely.

Georgie and Harry continue to butt heads over their differences, but with time it seems that in this case, their attraction is undeniable - and all is indeed fair in love and war."

Here's me making a list of what should be in my next "Regency Romp" and those exact words are used to describe this book... It's fate!