Look Before You Leap is a fun Regency romp of a romance. I really liked Lottie, our main character, and appreciated that she was unapologetically herself. However, the pacing was off, and I struggled to get through parts of the book. Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC!

Lottie Travers grew up with four brothers and is a very unconventional young lady. By invitation, she attended Miss Prentice School For Young Ladies.
After seven years, Lottie has not outgrown her unlady-like behavior. Hired as a companion to an elderly lady, she ends up at a house party in Kent, for Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount Wennington. This is the same gentleman in which she had a confrontation in Hyde Park. He doesn't trust women and refuses to fall in love. Lottie with her competitive charm, starts to break down his barriers, until they are forced apart.
Humor, sweetness, passion and honesty, even though she might occasionally cross her fingers behind her back.
Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

4.5 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

This Regency Romance won me over. I think this is my first Virginia Heath book, and it will not be my last. I really liked it. I will now need to go back and read book 1 since I enjoyed this one so much.

Lottie (the FMC) was a gem. I loved that she was a tom boy with 4 older brothers (same same so I ouod relegate) and though Guy (the MMC) was insufferable, he did grow on me slowly. It’s rare that I like all the characters in a book, but I did in this one. My favorite was Lady Frinton. She was a true curmudgeon and I loved her character arc. I even enjoyed the arrogant and pompous debutantes Lady Lynette and Miss Maybury. Those two were the absolute worst 🤣 the way they were throwing themselves all over Guy was comical…poor Guy 😅

I didn’t give this 5 stars because at times Guy got on my last nerve with his insufferable behavior. He made way too big a deal about Lottie doing something she was forced to do by her employer. He knew her family history and that she was desperate for money so he was overacting for sure. He was constantly biting Lottie’s head off, even when she didn’t deserve it. All that asked de, he did win me over by the end.

There was a nice level of spice in this one, just the right amount for me. The romance was sweet and it was a win for me. So glad I had the opportunity to read this one! Highly recommend this one.






Portia and Kitty -

4.5 Stars. Lottie and Guy are a perfect example of opposites attract, like two magnets that can’t help but come together whenever they are near each others orbit. It was a perfect balance of realisation of feelings and still having that pull of tension keeping them apart. I am a huge Jane Austen fan, and traces of what I have always loved about those novels were woven into the fabric of this one… that it is not the heroine’s job to fix the guy but his own (though having a good influence that he needs to check himself is never amiss). If there were a dozen other books following them, I would likely read them all.

This second book in the Miss Pretices Protogees series was a very delightful and heartwarming slow burn enemies to lovers' class difference historical romance. The characters were interesting, strong-willed, stubborn, and likable. I really enjoyed how years of walls built high from fear of past romantic mistakes crumble when true love runs head long through them. I highly recommend reading!

This was such a sweet, comical novel to dive into. Lottie and Guy were a great FMC and MMC to follow along, and I love how Heath tackles these two characters. Lottie has spunk and heart, and Guy is a man previously scorned but ultimately earnest and grounded. They come together with some wonderful clashes of wit, plenty of tension, and gradually the heart and partnership you can expect from a Heath novel.

Lady Wennington and Lady Frinton were delightful side characters as well - they did not let up at all! The perfect fussy, all-knowing women in the lives of our FMC and MMC.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

I enjoyed the first book of this series so much, I was surprised to find this second book dragged for me. Lottie is a failed governess now Lady's companion to an elderly curmudgeon who happens to be Guy's aunt. She ends up at his home while his mother and aunt plan a surprise 30th birthday party full of debutantes so he'll finally find a wife. Guy's worst nightmare. He was humiliated years ago when his very public proposal went wrong. He's been hiding out at his country estate all this time. When he finds out Lottie knew about this party all along (while he's starting to like her) he thinks she's betrayed him. Mostly a lighthearted romp with Guy the grump and Lottie the sunshine. By the way, how does Miss Prentice make any money when she raises and trains these girls in her boarding school for years and they get married on their first job? 😊 I'm still looking forward to the next books of the series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This series has been cute since the beginning and continues to be so as Miss Prentice's Protegees find love in the most unexpected places. I did really enjoy the machinations of the older ladies in this one for getting Lottie and Guy to see more of each other and manipulate the situation to their own ends. It was a sweet morsel of a novel that kept me engaged and chucking throughout the book. 3.75 stars.

Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath
#historicalromcom
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.75)

VH has a fun historical romcom style. I have read a few of her books and I will continue to read her books. This is one of my favorites of hers. She is definitely an auto buy. OK, I'm still a sap for a harlequin once in a while. So sue me. LOL.

This book starts off with 2 very headstrong MCs. It's fun to watch them literally collide. And when they finally meet again and have to deal with the outcome of this collision of course they butt heads. It's very enjoyable to watch.

Guy is turning 30. His mom and aunt are plotting to get him married off to the most appropriate of ladies. Lottie is his very difficult aunt's companion. But she really kind of likes the old broad for speaking her truth. And some how these two seem to keep getting thrown together. And of course, hilarity ensues.

#lookbeforeyouleap #virginiaheath
#netgalley
#stmartinspress #stmartinsgriffin

I had never read one of Virginia Heath's books but as a Historical Romance fan I'm so glad to have received this ARC from the publisher! I didn't realize this was the second book of a series but I don't think it affected my experience in reading this one!
I loved the grumpy/sunshine dynamic of our main couple, Guy and Lottie. Their banter was so fun to read but I appreciated that Lottie actually had a backbone! This reminded me of the League of Extraordinary Women series which is one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to going back and reading book 1 and will definitely be keeping an eye out for upcoming releases!

I love Virginia Heath’s books! I had no idea I liked regency romance so much until I started reading her books, they’re addicting!

Guy and Lottie are such a perfect couple, they have such great chemistry, banter and plain fun together. Even though they drove each other crazy at first they have so many swoonworthy moments together, they’re perfect!

I didn’t read the first book in the series and don’t think I missed anything major without reading it, although I want to go back and read it now!

This was such a fun historical romcom about a viscount being inundated with eligible young ladies who instead falls in love with a lady’s companion. Is she the name of his existence or the love of his life? Why not both. It’s a fun read.

It is always a special treat to return to the tried and true. My first love is historical romance and I adore Virginia Heath’s books. Coming into book 2 of Miss. Prentice’s Protégées I am reminded how much I am loving this series. I was immediately brought back to that feeling. Fully engrossed, and eager for shenanigans. They did not disappoint. Between the curmudgeonly aunt, who our Lottie is now companion to and the gentle ribbing of the flirtatious head groom, Bill. Shenanigans were everywhere. In fact, there were enough machinations that they actually surprised me immensely and I can spot a ruse from a mile away. Lottie’s sunshine is magnificently paired with her smart mouth and quick wit as she verbally spars with Guy at every turn. Guy on the other hand is a walking thunder cloud who could use a little sun. Watching the combative foreplay of words from them was rousing good fun. This story is packed with outrageous entertainment, a truly memorable cast of characters (and that word is utterly accurate, as they are bursting with character) and a remarkable love story.

Audio: I actually went in blind and when chapter two started and Shane East’s fabulous voice was in my ear, I got a boost of delicious adrenaline. Like coming home. Shane never disappoints and his Guy was fabulous. At the pinnacle scene I was on the edge of my seat, giddy with goosebumps. He is a master at pulling out every drop of emotion from a story. Eva Fellar was equally entertaining in her rendition of Lottie. I adored the levity in her fully capturing the characters sunshine. Whenever she goaded Guy, her humour shone through and that happiness was utterly contagious. Together they poured emotion into the story completely bonding the listener to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Griffin for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am really finding myself to be in my Historical Fiction/Romance/Regency era lately and I'm loving it.

However - I'm not sure if it's because I hadn't read the first book in this series, or what - but it just wasn't as much of a hit as I had been expecting. I loved that Lottie has a true backbone - she's bold and she's easy to like. Guy is engaging and fun and together they have some top notch banter, and a really enjoyable romance. The secondary characters in this one are all really fun and I am hoping to see more from them in later books? Overall it was a satisfying book, just was missing some real Bridgerton vibes that I was hoping for.

Still one that I would recommend, especially to lovers of historical romance that love a female protagonist that was very strong and totally herself.

Virginia Heath is back with the second installment in the Miss Prentice’s Protégées series, and Look Before You Leap is every bit as fun, fizzy, and heartwarming as fans of historical romcoms could hope for!

This book was an absolute joy from start to finish. The banter, the hijinks, the chemistry! It had me smiling the whole way through. If you're looking for a cozy, romantic, and laugh-out-loud Regency romp, Look Before You Leap will absolutely hit the spot.

I already can’t wait to see what Virginia Heath delivers in book three.

“Look Before You Leap” by Virginia Heath
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🤓🤓🤓🤓

I REALLY enjoyed this! It reminded me of the League of Extraordinary Women series and I’ll definitely be reading more from this series. This is technically book #2, but I did fine coming in blind. I love a regency romance with a feminist lean and this WAS IT!!! Spicy, but not too over the top. Funny banter. It even warmed me to the grumpy/sunshine trope, which is usually a no go for me.

Second book in the Miss Prentice's Protégées series. Historical romance that works as a stand-alone.

Farm-raised Lottie Travers, surrounded by brothers during childhood, joins Miss Prentice's Protégées training program to expand her limited options. After two failed governess positions, she becomes a lady's companion tasked with collecting gossip. Comfortable with both men and horses from her upbringing, she regularly exchanges sharp words with Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount of Wennington. During a house party filled with marriage-minded debutantes, Guy gravitates toward Lottie as both a refuge and someone who increasingly catches his attention. He finds her directness refreshing compared to the calculated approaches of the other women pursuing him.

This historical romance effectively mixes humor and heat while taking readers beyond typical ballroom settings to explore farm life. The ending caused me some concern, but the elderly characters proved surprisingly strategic.

Guy's efforts to help a farmer by researching agricultural problems showcased his competence as a landowner, regardless of his romantic motivations. A successful read overall.

I received this book from NetGalley for review.

This was an enjoyable Regency romp in the countryside. Lottie was my favorite as we both love riding horses. The story did take a while to get going and Guy's mother and aunt conspiring to get him a wife was odd but it worked. Overall a good read with a bit of spice.

“Look Before You Leap” was a little bit ridiculous and a little bit cute. I’ve read a number of Virginia Heath’s regency era romances and while many are swoon worthy, I felt that this one was a bit too elaborate. I love meddling mothers, spirited FMCs, Mr. Darcy-esq men, but the writing did not take me into the time period. I thought there was a lot of modern day terminology that slunk its way into the writing that made it harder to immerse myself. I also felt that the while I want an FMC to go against the grain of society (the Elizabeth Bennett’s of literature.) It felt like some of Lottie’s ways were a bit outrageous.

I would have loved for the author to have dived deeper into the effect that Lottie had on Guy by having his mother and aunt notice more. I think it would have made the meddling seem more effective.

I've enjoyed many of virginia heath's books at this point - i think as far as historical romances go, she always takes a bit more time to build up the world, the individual characters, and the relationships - which means its not quite as bingeable as a bridgerton, persay, where characters fall into nonspecific tropes. but her books are always worthwhile, and I always love her heroines - which for me is a big must in a historical romance!