Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book was refreshing. Loved the pride and prejudice feel with a modern approach. The characters were well written and interesting. I loved the little bit of spice, definitely could have had more.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience. Note: I ended up purchasing a final copy to read in the future.

I'm not normally a big regency romance reader, but I do love the fake dating/engagement trope, so thought I would give this one a shot. I did end up enjoying it! It was funny and I loved the slow burn of the romance. I did get a little frustrated with the miscommunication that caused the third act conflict, but at least they eventually did communicate and work it all out.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration! Shane East is one of my all time favorite narrators and I've never heard Shakira Shute before, but she did great as well. It definitely added to my enjoyment of the book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

<strong>If it can go wrong it did. </strong>

3.8⭐️

Enjoyable. Sweet. Funny. Over the top extremes of the what can go wrong variety. But you get your HEA and it has good side characters. Payne is top notch grumpy butler. I could use more Giles.

I have always loved fake dating - especially mixed with some regency shenanigans. I really enjoyed this book when I read it and was thrilled to be able to hand-sell it to customers when they were looking for something new to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I hate to say I didn't love this. I felt slightly bored and couldn't get through it. May pick it up again soon but couldn't really finish because of the language. It was hard to get engrossed in as most romances can do for me.

Due to some health issues, I was unable to get this book read and reviewed in a timely manner. I apologize.

4.5 stars rounded up: recently read the second book in The Merriwell Sisters series, Never Rescue a Rogue, and knew that I wanted to go back and read Minerva's story. In Never Fall For Your Fiancée, we meet Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham. He is a rakish bachelor, with no desire to marry. His mother has other ideas and is determined to find him a match, even from the Americas. To make her happy and not hurt her feelings, he creates a fiancée, Minerva, with a history and a fake mother. Minerva was thrust into the role of mother/guardian to her two younger sisters when their father abandoned them. Their mother had died when they were young and he was a drinker, gambler and ne'er-do-well. She is trying to support them by working as a woodcut, but the jobs are few and far between, so they are becoming desperate. When fate brings Minerva and Hugh together, with him getting the opportunity to help her out, she is very grateful. Hugh believes it is fate to meet a Minerva as he has just found out that his mother is on the way to London to see him and meet his fiancée. He offers to pay Minerva to be his fake fiancée for the two weeks while his mother is there. Agreeing as long as her sisters can also come and stay, the plan is put into action.

It's no secret that I enjoy a Virginia Heath regency romance. She creates wonderful characters and the banter is always entertaining. This one is a regency rom-com, because once the Merriwell sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, the laughs come often. The character of Hugh is wonderful. He plays the cad and playboy, but underneath he has a soft heart and ended up in this situation when he tried to make his mother happy. He has secrets that he tries to keep from Minerva, but gradually she draws him out. Minerva is a loyal, caring woman who does what she needs to keep her family together and safe. She cares for Hugh, but can't give in to those feelings, although it would be best for her and her sisters if she did. Lucretia, the woman hired to be their mother was over the top and had me laughing almost every time she opened her mouth. I found all the characters, however minor, to be well developed and added to the story. I enjoyed this story with it's twist and some complications along the way. There were some predictable plot points, but Virginia Heath gave them a bit of a twist to mix it up. There were times that things got a bit frustrating for this reader and I wanted to shake Hugh, but overall, this was a fun story, not overly complicated, but definitely enjoyable.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press to review, but I'm not a big historical romance fan. I tried reading it, but it wasn't for me.

*Thank you @stmartinspress for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

I’ve been super stressed out at work lately, so when my boss told me I could duck out a little early on a dreary Friday, I leapt at the chance. After changing into cozy sweatpants (I’m solidly team no pants with buttons), I was looking for something easy and comforting because my brain and my anxiety have been on high alert lately. I’m trying to work my way through my tremendous backlog of ARCs, so I settled on Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath (generously provided by NetGalley many a moon ago) that has been sitting on my TBR forever.

Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath is a historical romance novel that tells the story of Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, who, for “reasons”, has no desire to marry. With his newly remarried mother eager to see him happily ensconced in marital bliss, Hugh invents a fake fiancée named Minerva, whom he describes in detailed letters over the course of two years. When his mother announces her intention to visit and finally meet Hugh's intended, he hires Minerva Merriwell, a young woman who is desperate for money to set up herself and her sisters, to pose as his fiancée. Predictably, comedy ensues.

This was a charming, if a little cliche, historical romcom. It’s hard to make the fake dating/fiancee trope feel fresh (and it’s admittedly not my favorite) but Heath does a nice of job of including just enough twists and turns to keep the reader invested. The characters were well-fleshed out, the dialogue was witty and fresh, and the ending left me fully satisfied. Having telegraphed the next pairing in the series (Miranda’s sister and Hugh’s ne’er do well best friend), I’m excited to pick up the next installment.

All in all, this book was exactly what I was looking for to cozy up with on a rainy, dreary night. A solid 4 star read.

This was a cute book. It was great to see strong female characters. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I enjoyed the chemistry between Hugh & Minerva.

3.5 Stars.

I received a reviewer copy of Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath from the publisher St. Martin's Press from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, never wants to get married. Unfortunately for him, he made up an elaborate lie to stop his mother's matchmaking schemes, and now she is back and wants to meet his fiancee. So when he runs in to Minerva Merriwell (who's name matches the fake fiancee name), he convinces her to play a role for some money. Minerva is struggling to support herself and her two younger sisters after their father abandoned them and the scheme isn't something she can refuse. But once they arrive the lies become harder to love.

What I Loved: I really loved the sister relationship and the premise of this book. I really was rooting for these sisters and seeing them kind of get into this situation that was nothing like they knew and the joy and safety they felt while also struggling to get used to this lifestyle and also being scared of getting support was really well done. Hugh's mom is a delight! I loved the premise and the characters were well defined.

What I didn’t like so much: I didn't love the romance or Hugh. I didn't find that these two had amazing chemistry but once they had fallen in love there were things that came in to play here that did touch me. So even that was okay. I just was more invested in the side characters.

Who Should Read It: People who love regency romances that play with class and station and also have a lot of found family vibes.

Summary: A deal was made to fake fiancees but could feelings get in the way?

Never Fall For Your Fiancé is a regency romance with one of my favorite tropes, the fake fiancé. Unfortunately, this book was not a favorite of mine. The author's style of writing was too modern for me to be transported to the time period that the characters lived in and she commonly used language that would never be used in that time. This could be overlooked if the story was interesting and pulled me in, but I found it was more of a push to just try and finish the novel. The last 10% of the book went quickly since that is where ALL the action was, 90% dull, 10% interesting. I find now that I don’t care enough about any of the other characters to even attempt reading the other books in this series.

I don't normally read historical romances but this one intrigued me -- and unfortunately it fell flat. The chemistry between the main characters wasn't really happening for me, and the first section of the book dragged-- it was a lot of *telling* and not *showing* and it took a lot of energy to resist giving up.

This one just wasn’t for me. The language felt forced and I found myself skimming a lot. I also felt no connection to the hero.

This book was really cute. I loved the main characters, the premise, the plot - all of it. I have several friends who will enjoy this book.

Hugh needs a fiancee because he lied to his mother and made one up. Enter Minerva. Taking care of her sisters and low on cash, she agrees to pose as Hugh's fiancee during a visit from his mother. Hilarity ensues. These characters were so much fun and I very much enjoy the writing style of this author. I can't wait to continue reading more about the Merriwell sisters!

This is such a cute book! One of my favorite tropes combined with historical romance is top tier. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh take on historical romance

Apologies for the late response on this title, and apologies for clogging up an inbox on old titles.

While I am aware it's obvious, I have chosen not to read/review this title.

As always, I appreciate access to titles and look forward to the next one...which I have likely already read based on how long ago this title was published.

Thanks, again.