3.5⭐️

This was a cute regency era romance between a governess and a Navy captain. I really enjoyed this in the first half, but found myself rolling my eyes towards the end due to the poor decisions made by both MC’s and the cheesiness of it all. There were also a few plot holes and errors with the timing of things that I noticed (this may or may not have been fixed for published copies, as the copy I received was an ARC).

Such a wonderful story. I highly enjoyed the characters and settings in this book and I now have to read anything by this author.

What a delight to read this slow burn romance. I loved that the main characters lives were very descript and I felt like I knew where they were coming from and why things were happening. I also really enjoyed the aspect of Harry, the main male character, realizing that the life he was living was manufactured by someone else, and it wasn't where his happiness grew. Also another very fun aspect of the story for me was the governess and how she chose to school the children. Excellent writing, and I can't wait to continue on in the series to see where the training of another of Miss Prentices protegees will go.

Grumpy to sunshine, enemies to lovers, dogs in the story, romantic tension, a tad bit spicy in the most unexpected times....all my favorites in one story. Thank you Virginia Heath!

Thank you to NetGalley, Virginia Heath and St Martin's Griffin for allowing me this eversion arc to read.

With a title like this, we really need more waring- enemies to lovers- but sadly, the wars are happening internally. Our MC’s both spend the majority of the book in their heads and misunderstanding the situations they’re in. So much was told and not shown, so the relationship development felt clunky and unnatural. I want to imagine the scene, nurtured by good banter. Sadly, this book felt like a dumping ground for tropes. We have single dad (uncle but same), nanny, military, enemies to lovers, fake engagement, animals being chaotic to bring humor, forced proximity, and more. It felt too forced at times, and at other times underdeveloped. The chemistry just wasn’t there for me.

Also, and this is a very specific irk, her lack of support for his military career annoyed me. Especially historically. Why did his Naval career need to be a burden vice when she’s a strong, independent woman?! I did enjoy Georgie’s views on how children should be treated, and the children’s characterizations were spot on.
3 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book is a bit of a slow burn but it is delightful. I loved Harry and his lightbulb moment of living life to the fullest on his terms. It’s easy to get caught up in leading a life we don’t want to be living.

“All’s fair and love and war” was an adorable love story set in the 1820s in England, and the main characters Georgie, the governess, and Harry, the navy officer, slowly fall in love after Georgie is given the responsibility of teaching Harry’s nieces and nephew while Harry’s sister is off on her own adventure. The characters are well written and it was fun to see the two butt heads at first while both wanting what was best for the children. All the characters were so likable and realistic, it made it easy to get into the story and root for everyone in it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a sweet regency romance.

All’s Fair in Love and War was my very first Virigina Heath read and I was utterly charmed.

Captain Harry Kincaid is a serious man who leads a serious life and aspires to achieve greatness in his navy career. He is also the reluctant temporary guardian to his sister’s unruly children: Felix, Marianne, and Grace.

Georgina Rowe was left devastated by the loss of her mother; the person she loved most in the world and her fiercest protector. At age 16 Georgie was sent off to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls by her cruel stepfather, there she found her dearest friends who became her family.

Harry visits Miss Prentice’s in desperate need of a governess and immediately hires Miss Georgina Rowe. Georgie finds Captain Kincaid to be too rigid and far too handsome; Harry finds Miss Rowe to be too unstructured and far too tempting; a siren set on his destruction.

Harry and Georgie’s attraction grows as they spend time together and Georgie realizes that behind his serious military facade, Harry really is a kind and doting uncle. Harry in turns realizes that Georgie is everything he never knew he needed in his life. There are serious obstacles on their road to a happy ending, but true love conquers all.

All’s Fair in Love and War was a wonderfully charming read and I cannot wait to read more of the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series.

Witty and charming! Three rambunctious children and their equally rambunctious dog; A regimented naval officer who wears two pocket watches; A free-spirited governess; all of it adds up to an entertaining and enchanting book!

This was a very angsty read with some laugh out loud parts. My favorite scene was with the frog! I also enjoyed the scenes with the children. The quotes and mis-quotes of famous battle commanders were interesting and on point. While I liked the 2 MC’s, I felt their tortured unworthiness for the Other a bit trying so, quite honestly, I was not fully invested in their relationship. I have enjoyed other books by this author but this one missed the mark for me.

All's Fair in Love and War is a delightful start to a new historical romance series. Henry Kincaid has had his life laid out and his career goals set since he was young. So when he is left to take care of his sister's three children and their large dog while she travels to Egypt with her husband, he finds himself needing immediate help. He quickly turns to the highly regarded Miss Prentice's School for Girls to find a governess. Georgina Rowe is quickly brought in to fill the spot. Her views on how children should be treated differ from Henry's and thus begins this sweet opposites attract slow burn romance story. The children add a delightful element to the story and create endless need for the two to interact. There is fun banter and situations, so I was engaged throughout the entire story. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I think the premise has a lot of potential and the author has a enjoyable voice.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just ok to me. I can see in the comments that people really like it, which I am happy to hear. I just couldn't stay engaged in the story. It wasnt for me, but I definitely think others might like it.

This was a cute story. Overall, I thought the pacing was really slow and it took me a while to get through. There were a lot of parts that dragged on and other parts that I thought were too rushed. I would have loved to have seen more of Flora, I loved her character. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract.

I enjoy Ms. Heath's books, and this one was no different, although I did have a few issues with it. Mostly with Flora, Harry's sister. She seemed more than a bit slightly to me, as that's how she's been described throughout the book. But that bothered me because what mother would go and abandon her children to go on an adventure. How very selfish, especially since she didn't even have the decency to tell Harry or write to him.

I did very much like Harry and Georgie. At the beginning of the story they were like oil and water, but through a series of misadventures, Georgie begins to see Harry in a different light. He's not the uptight, strait-laced man she thought he was when he hired her. This story was also about Georgie's realization that her self-doubts and loathing about the way she looked were not really true anymore. Granted, she was probably an awkward 16-year-old, but now she was a full-grown, desirable woman. I loved it when she finally realized that.

The children's characters were cute, and, of course, Norbert was the star and the bane of Harry's existence. I thought the ending was just a little rushed, but finally, Harry and Georgie got their HEA.

Sweet, heart-warming, and steamy, All's Fair in Love and War brings the best of Virginia Heath to light.

I adored this book, and found it to be brilliant! All of the characters truly were so well developed, and the children each had such interesting traits. The only thing I found sketchy was Grace, the 5-year-old. My baby brother is six and has no such struggles with balance, nor do most children that age do. If she had some sort of disability, it should have been better acknowledged. Also, I feel like the ending was especially abrupt, with little closure. Elizabeth was a loose thread that irritated me till the aforementioned ending, and I wish we could have had a better understanding of her. I loved Harry, even though his sister was awful. They tried to pass her as a flighty, but loving sister, yet honestly, I felt like that was a tad bit of a stretch. What kind of sister ditches her kids with her brother without warning, despite the fact she knows he has literal mental issues with messes, and her children are one of the world's leading causes of them? Not gonna lie, I was a little pissed. But, I loved this story regardless. The plot was weak, as it was more character-driven, and while some characters were a tad shallow, many were bright, and funny, and made me smile.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read in one sitting and hope you love it as much as I did.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the E-ARC of this book.

I loved this regency romp filled with joy and unexpected love. The writing is engaging and the characters come alive on the page. It is a great start to a new series.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This new historical romance series from Virginia Heath was a fun read, but the insta-love never seemed to get on track with the characters. I love her previous writing and I think this series will be a fun one to continue with periodically, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters overall.

II've decided to DNF this title. Review witheld due to the SMP boycott. I will not be releasing a review until SMP makes a statement. Thank you.

This is the first book in Virginia Heath's new historical romance series, and I was excited to read it after enjoying her Merriwell Sisters series. Heath writes such lovely romances, and I really enjoyed this one! It kind of reminds me of The Sound of Music with the military and ordered MMC and the free-spirited governess, as well as the slow-burn, opposites attract feel to their romance.

A governess who hasn't made it past the interview stage, Georgie is too opinionated and not traditional enough in her educational philosophies. Luckily, Henry is a bit desperate for a governess since his sister dropped her children off for an extended stay with him, and he needs to hire someone immediately. And luckily for Georgie, Henry's impetuous charges thrive under her instruction. I liked Georgie a lot. She is intelligent and firm in her beliefs about teaching and interacting with children. She's very different from the conservative military man who hired her. Henry is a good man, kind and caring, but he is very structured and controlled, which clashes with Georgie's more relaxed attitude.

The banter between Georgie and Henry is great, and I liked all of their conversations about education, philosophy, what the kids were learning, and more. They have a ton of chemistry even though they are very different, and I think their differences and their growing closeness changes both of them for the better. And the kids are great! They're wild and inquisitive and funny, and they bring a lot of life to Henry's home, as does Georgie.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It's entertaining and fun, and the characters and romance are lovely. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

All’s Fair in Love and War was a little too insta-love for me. The rest of the story was fun but the romance fell a little flat for me. I think perhaps others will really enjoy the book, it’s more of a “not for me” thing.

3 Stars.

🐕 The vibes:
- Temporary guardian and governess
- Wild children
- Regency romance
- Enemies to lovers
- Military MMC / governess FMC

🐕 My thoughts:
Georgie - a governess protege has been declined from 33 governess interviews. She’s too opinionated and untraditional for most families. But when Captain Henry Kincaid is desperate for a governess for his nieces and nephew, he snatches Georgie up.

🐕 While I do think this was more focused on Georgie and the kids and Norbert the family dog- it was still a fun read. The romance was there but did feel a bit instalove for me because of how few interactions there was overall. The romance did feel a bit of a side plot for most of the book and I wish for a little bit more interactions between Georgie and Harry throughout so that I could feel a bit more invested in their journey together. But even so, I did enjoy both characters and their individual journeys.

🐕 I’m so interested in this new series from Virginia Heath. I’m a big fan of her Merriwell Sisters series so I was thrilled to see more from her. The fact that this series is called Miss Prentice’s Protégées makes me SO EXCITED because when the other protégées were introduced in this book, I was thinking how I wanted books on each of them. Little did I know that’s what the whole series follows. So I’ll definitely be checking those out in the future.

Release date: May 28, 2024

Thank you so much to Virgina Heath, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*note- posted on Storygraph, Instagram stories on 4/23/24 & saved permanently on Story Reviews highlights, goodreads, and barnes and noble. Links provided. Will be posted on Amazon after release date when Amazon allows me to.