An adorable regency romp that hits on a number of fan-favorite tropes that still felt fresh and interesting. I quibble with how sudden and jarring the third act tension came on, and wish we got to have a little more time with the characters after the resolution, but overall was an enjoyable read.

A lovely regency-era novel. It isn't as dialogue heavy as I prefer and took the majority of the book to get me interested. A pretty middle of the road historical romance.

I loved Harry and Georgie!!!! I absolutely adore Regency Romance Books and I love Virginia Heaths Books. She has a way with her writing to transport me to Regency England and live in the story. This was so good!! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!! I have already bought a hard copy to keep forever!!! 6 stars if I could.

This delightful book transported me back to England, in the year 1820. I definitely experienced the joy of reading as I became absorbed into Georgie and Harry’s world.

Having been groomed to be a career Navy man, Harry was a bit of a stickler. Schedules and order kept his life humming. Georgie was a newly trained governess, who was a bit unconventional.

Through unplanned events and desperate need, Georgie found herself employed by Harry. Let the fun begin!

And, this book was loaded with fun. I lost count as to how many times I had laughed out loud while reading it. I laughed through all of chapter 13. I loved Norbert and won’t soon forget him. What a rascal!

This book was filled with charm, lovable characters, tenderness, much hilarity, satisfying romance and really good storytelling. I really enjoyed it!

I received complimentary copies of this delightful book from St. Martin’s Griffin through UpLitReads and NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I have been such a fan of Virginia Heath since her first Merriwell Sisters novel. All's Fair in Love and War was such a fun read. Georgie Rowe has just been hired as the governess for naval captain Henry "Harry" Kincaid's nieces and nephew. The only problem is that both have very differing opinions of what will be the best course of action when it comes to the education of Henry's young chargers. Harry is ever the stickler to structure and order, and believes that his unruly nieces and nephews could benefit from more structure in their lives, while Georgie absolutely disagrees. Georgie believes that childhood should be filled with laughter and adventure, that learning should be fun. I adored getting to know all the characters, and getting to see Georgie and Harry go from butting heads to falling in love was such a pleasure to read. This story is a true opposites-attract, and Georgie and Harry bring out the best in each other. Reading the shenanigans that Georgie and the children get into was also such a fun part of the story. This story is perfect for anyone that loves a good historical romance.

This book is an interesting take on the governess genre, which is almost always highly inspired by The Sound of Music. As expected, we have a fussy naval officer in need of a governess for three children and one large dog. These are not his children, but nonetheless, he is responsible for their care and therefore needs a governess.

Harry is not impressed with the fact that Georgie teaches the children by taking them out in nature rather than lecturing for hours in the classroom he set up. Georgie is not impressed by his two– yes, two– pocketwatches. Norbert the dog steals the show (and sausages) at every possible opportunity.

Governess novels can be a bit tricky nowadays because of the power differential but Heath deals with the issue fairly well until the “Dark Moment” when Harry acts like a complete idiot instead of standing up for what he believes in. Thankfully, he comes to his senses, and everyone ends up happy in the end.

There is, however, a minor plot point that bothered me. It’s not even a full plot point, more of an aside, but nonetheless, here we go: there’s a mention of a local lothario who is suspected of being behind a recent surge in the birth of twins in the area. Now, I know that Regency-era people were unaware of the science behind twins, but modern readers know that twins are formed either by the splitting of a single egg into two or the fertilization of two eggs. Neither involve distinctive sperm. Therefore, I remain unconvinced by this lothario being the father of all the local twins.

I would recommend All’s Fair in Love and War. This was a wonderful beginning of a new series, and based on the interactions that Georgie had with her cohort of friends from governess school, I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.


I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley.

4⭐️
1🔥

Quick Breakdown

Historical Romance
Opposites Attract
Class Difference
Single Uncle
Military Captain x Governess
Dual POV
Open Door - Mild Details

Big thanks to @smpromance for the eARC & @prhaudio for the gifted ALC.

When Captain Harry Kincaid’s sister suddenly drops her three children off with their uncle to sail off on an expedition to Egypt, he becomes desperate. He needs a governess for his wild temporary charges ASAP, so he heads to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls given their reputation for excellence. It’s the perfect circumstances for Miss Georgina Rowe. She’s had a difficult time securing a position, primarily because she can’t stifle her enthusiasm for embracing unconventional methods & encouraging joy in the classroom.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! All’s Fair in Love and War is an opposites attract romance at its finest. I loved the delicious banter brought on between our waring MCs. Captain Harry believing in precision & structure & Georgie, once raised on a militant setting, trying to show him the benefits of throwing traditional methods out the window.

The kids & the chaos they brought delivers so many hilarious moments. The slow burn tension kept me addicted to the story. Top it off with an adorable pup. Another Virginia Heath success!

Another delightful Virginia Heath adventure! I love the way she writes historical romance and this book is no exception! A grumpy Captain Henry, uncle to three unruly charges, hires Georgie, a governess with an unusual teaching methods. A historical romcom adventure, you might have to suspend reality a bit for this one but you’ll be glad you did!

it’s a sweet slow burn with rambunctious kids and adorable dogs. The main characters are complete opposites, which makes their dynamic particularly engaging. Georgie is a governess struggling to find a job, while Harry is a former naval captain working for the Admiralty and is exceedingly competent at his job. Georgie is an unconventional free spirit, whereas Harry is a rule follower who does what is expected of him.

The children's role in bringing the main characters together is charming. Harry shows his care for them in every action, despite his annoyance that his sister left them on his doorstep before fleeing on her next adventure. The kids play significant roles in the story, keeping it light and entertaining while further developing each main character's personality and backstory.

The romance takes a while to develop since both Georgie and Harry doubt it could ever work out, but there’s good tension between them. The writing is fantastic, and while focusing entirely on this couple's story, the author naturally introduces readers to Georgie's friends, making you eager to know more about them and look forward to the next book in the series.

Georgina Rowe, our female protagonist, had a strict upbringing and doesn’t believe in the idea that children should be seen and not heard. This has been challenging for her as a fledgling governess since she can’t help but share her true feelings about childhood during job interviews. When a position unexpectedly becomes available, Georgina has the opportunity to follow her heart and give the children the freedom they need to learn and grow—if only she can get their uncle to leave them alone.

Henry Kincaid has a problem. His older sister decides to go on an expedition with her husband, leaving her three children (and their unruly dog) in his care. Needing to manage everything with his demanding career at the Admiralty, Henry decides to hire a governess. When he shows up at Miss Prentice's School for Girls, willing to pay whatever it takes to get a governess, Georgina gets placed in a house where she can make a difference.

I loved these two characters. They were such opposites, and seeing Henry loosen up along the way was great. I enjoyed how Heath developed their relationship. It truly was an opposites-attract situation as Georgina had zero patience for Henry and his overbearing ways, and Henry couldn’t believe how disorganized Georgina was (at least from his perspective). She just had a different approach to meeting the children’s needs. I loved every second of this story.

"All’s Fair in Love and War" is the first book in the new series Miss Prentice’s Protegees by Virginia Heath. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I found it interesting and at times humorous. Miss Prentice has created a program for young women with few prospects, teaching and training them to be governesses in the homes of the rich and tonnish. Miss Prentice acts as a fairy godmother for the students selected for her program.

Georgina Rowe was brought up in difficult circumstances, feeling crushed and abandoned by her stepfather. She was left on the doorstep of Miss Prentice as one of “her girls,” where she learned the four D’s but tended to speak her mind, leading to her being “let go.” When Henry Kincaid came to Miss Prentice, Georgina was given another chance.

Henry’s nieces and nephew are very active and love being outside with their dog, whereas Henry wants them to sit at desks and learn properly. Georgina was put in a difficult position, not helped by the unmanageable dog who destroyed the schoolroom and howled unhappily.

The story follows Georgina helping the captain with his nieces and nephew. While I’ve enjoyed Virginia Heath’s books in the past, this one missed its spark compared to the others. It was still a great read, with the children adding cuteness to the story. The pacing was fast at the beginning but slowed towards the middle. I liked the setting and the historical accuracy of the book. The story is told from both Harry’s and Georgina’s perspectives.

Georgina is a sweet but conflicted governess taking care of three children for Harry. While I liked Harry at the beginning, I began to like him less towards the end. There are several side chapters, but the children, who were fun and dramatic, made this book. My least favorite aspect was the romance; I just couldn’t feel the chemistry, and there wasn’t enough focus on the two of them together.

The ending was okay, but I wanted more from the romance. It wasn’t a bad book; the story was good, and the kids made it enjoyable. However, if the romance had been more compelling.

Overall, "All’s Fair in Love and War" is a charming historical romance. Henry and Georgina have great chemistry and entertaining banter. Their sweet slow-burn romance unfolds as they spend more time together and learn about each other. The secondary characters, including the children, provide a lot of entertainment. The book includes many sailor jokes and puns that made me chuckle. Although the pacing was slow and repetitive at times, I enjoyed the story overall and look forward to the next book in the series.

This was a fun story. It reminded me a bit of The Governess Game by Tessa Dare. I enjoyed the children in this story a bit more than the romance.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I felt that it was a bit slow at the beginning and the descriptions of how the main MCs thought of each other were repeated maybe a bit too often (like we get it, they’re totally opposites!), but once I got to about 60% of the way in I think the relationship really started to develop and the plot picked up and from that point on I couldn’t put it down!

My introduction to Virginia Heath was with the Merriwell sisters trilogy, which is one of my favorite historical romance series (I recommend those to everyone I know). When I was sent the eARC for All's Fair in Love and War, the first in a new Virginia Heath series centered around the protégées of a governess academy ran by a lady known as Miss Prentice, I was ecstatic! I devoured this book in three days, and I will also be recommending this one to my friends and loved ones. It has everything I love about a Virginia Heath novel: witty dialogue, a swooning romance, and a writing style that transports me directly into the book. Georgina Rowe and Captain Harry Kincaid's romance is very reminiscent of Fraulein Maria and Captain Von Trapp's in The Sound of Music, as well as Charlotte Heywood and Alexander Colbourne's in seasons 2 and 3 of Sanditon, so I was beyond delighted to read their story. I think of all the Virginia Heath leading ladies I've read about, Georgie was the one I connected with the most, as I am also a teacher, and despite the two centuries between us, the struggles and joys of the job never really change. With such a promising first book, I can't wait to read the next installment of Miss Prentice's Protégées.

I fell in love with Virginia Heath's writing through The Merriwell Sisters series and I am SO excited that All's Fair in Love and War kicks off another series with witty, sharp, and funny women at the lead. This book was a breath of fresh air - light when it needed to be with just enough drama to keep the story intriguing. I really enjoyed this book, start to finish, and loved getting to know the characters, especially the multi-layered Harry.

“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘯.”

Georgie is such a fun character whose tenacity and tendency to speak her mind was one of the highlights of the book. she’s such a fantastic teacher for Harry's nieces & nephew and I loved reading about them playing at the creek or doing math lessons outside in the garden. I would have thrived as a kid if my teacher had let us learn outside!

then we get mister rigidity himself, captain harry. his tough exterior while melting for all the animals and his family was hot. but the way he cherished and looked at Georgie?! 🥵

I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a heartwarming, yet spicy!!, historical romance!

I love Virginia heaths never rescue a rogue so I was excited to jump into this new historical romance from her but something was just lacking and it wasn't able to keep my attention. I wanted to like it but it didn’t work for me!

A sweet governess romance! There’s a lot of yearning and internal monologues, which did slow down my reading of book in the middle. That said, I adored all of Georgie’s teaching moments with the kids. The romance wraps up nicely despite the Captain being indecisive about everything. He finally gets a reality check and became the hero I felt Georgie deserved.

I enjoyed this fun regency romance; it's a sweet slow burn with rambunctious kids and cute dogs. I like that the MCs are pretty much complete opposites. Georgie is a governess who can't get a job as one and Harry is a former naval captain who works for the Admiralty and is exceedingly good at his job. She's an unconventional free spirit and he is very much a rule follower that does what is expected of him. I love the role the children play in bringing the MCs together and that Harry shows his care for them in every action while seemingly annoyed that his sister just dropped them on his doorstep and fled on her next adventure. The kids have big roles in the story which keeps it light and entertaining but further develops each MC's personality and reasons for being the way they are. The romance aspect takes a long time to develop since both Georgie and Harry don't think it could ever work out, but there's definitely some good tension. The writing is fantastic and while focusing entirely on this couple's story, the author still manages to introduce readers to Georgie's friends in a completely natural way that will lead you to want to know more about them and see what will happen in the next book of the series. It's a fun/humorous story but both MCs have some trauma from their pasts that provides context for their current situations. There's a little bit of miscommunication but nothing overwhelming! Overall, it's an easy, light, romantic read with lots of humor and a great start to a new regency romance series. I look forward to the next book!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one was fun! An unlikely pair - one a straight-laced, ruthlessly organized Naval officer, the other a newly minted governess who has good reason to try to avoid any form of military life and all of that structure - can they find a way to work together for the good of his sister's three children, who've been unexpectedly thrust upon him for a few months? Well it's a romance, so you can guess. But the journey to where we know they'll end up is delightful, with introductions to other characters that will show up in future books in this new series. I thoroughly enjoyed this Regency romance - it had heart and humor and left me happy to know there's a series about other protegees of Miss Prentice to look forward to. And since this is my first read from Virginia Heath, I'm happy to know I have quite a few of her books to catch up on while waiting!
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

All's Fair in Love and War is the first book in a new series by Virginia Heath. This one is called Miss Prentice's Protegees and it was a solid book one. To be fair, when I see a new Virginia Heath title, I pretty much add it to my TBR immediately as I know I will enjoy it.

Georgina Rowe is our fmc. Having a strict upbringing, she does not believe in the ethos that children should be seen and not heard. This has created a bit of a challenge for her as a fledgling governess as when she interviews for positions, she can't help to share her true feelings about how she believes childhood should be. When a position lands in her lap, Georgina has the opportunity to follow her heart and give these children the freedom they need to learn and grow...if only she can get their uncle to leave them all alone.

Henry Kincaid has a slight problem. When his older sister decides to go on an expedition with her husband and leave her three children in his care (along with their unruly dog), he needs to figure out how to manage it all. With a career at the Admiralty that requires all of his attention, he decides to hire a governess to make sure that everything runs smoothly. When Henry shows up at Miss Prentice's School for Girls willing to pay whatever it take to get a governess, this becomes an opportunity for Georgina to get placed in a house where she can make a difference.

I loved these two characters. They were such opposites and seeing Henry loosen up along the way was great. I enjoyed how Heath developed their relationship too. It truly was an opposites attract situation as Georgina had zero patience for Henry and his overbearing ways and Henry couldn't believe how disorganized Georgina was...at least from his perspective. When truly she just had a different approach to meeting the children's needs. I loved every second of this story.

If you're looking for a new historical romance, I recommend picking this one up. It's a quick and easy read with a good story and likable characters. This is the start of what I expect to be a great new series by Heath and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Read if you like: enemies to lovers, the nanny/governess
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Georgie is hired by Harry as a governess to his nieces and nephew when his sister leaves them with Harry to go off adventuring with her husband. Harry has an important job with the admiralty, so he can't look after them all day. When Georgie starts working for him, the two clash and seem to be total opposites, but the more they get to know each other, the more they learn that they actually balance each other well.
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I really liked this book. The tension as well done, the conflict made sense, and I really loved Harry and Georgie as their own characters. They were super cute!