I’m a simple girl. Give me a starchy potato that has some big time unstarching to do, put that together with a hellion that has impulse control issues, give them 2 horses, make them crash into each other, resulting in a shouting match, and I am content.
Okay, not so much the horses, since I don’t care for the beasts, but while this book has a LOT of horses, it certainly didn’t take away from these 2 fantastic characters getting their happy ending. Throw in a meddling mother, a scheming dragon of an aunt (seriously though, I want to be aunt Almeria when I grow up), an exasperated butler, a houseparty with desperate debutantes, some tomatosoup, a mother goose and you have got yourself an old fashioned Regency Romp.
Have I mentioned that Guy calls Lottie a minx multiple times? Or that whenever an MMC calls the FMC a minx it makes me feral? No? Well, now you know.
I am actually sad that I finished this book, it’s one of those that you just don’t want to end. Thankfully this is only the second book in the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series, because I need more.
(We’d better get a novella for Miss P too, because those hints at the end there are the perfect potential for a second chance romance, and I will raise pitchforks if we don’t get it)

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I like historical fiction and I love that this author made her female main character such a strong, opinionated woman with a backbone, not just another female leading looking for a man to marry. For anyone who likes romance books, especially historical romance, I would recommend this book very highly.

Look Before You Leap, the second book in the Miss Prentice's Protegees is a delightful regency romance brimming with humour, fun and classic tropes set against a historical backdrop.

Title: Look Before You Leap   
Author: Virginia Heath         
Genre: Romance    
Rating: 4 out of 5

Nine years ago, Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount of Wennington, was publicly humiliated when a reckless romantic gesture went very wrong. Despite that, his mother held tight to the promise he made her then: that she would have a house full of grandchildren by his thirtieth birthday. Still single, embittered, and swiftly approaching that milestone birthday, there’s not a grandchild in sight. His heart now lies with his land and work is his life. In desperation, his mother decides that if he refuses to venture back into society to find her future daughter-in-law, the only solution is to bring society to him via a weeklong houseparty so that she can find one for him. The first Guy knows about her plan is when her hand-picked gaggle of debutantes arrive at his estate, all competing to be his wife.

After failing miserably as a governess, Lottie Travers isn’t proving to be any better at being a lady’s companion. As the only girl in an all-male household growing up, she’s developed several bad habits she can’t shake and keep getting her dismissed. Even after years of Miss Prentice’s teachings, Lottie still climbs a tree better than she embroiders, and still cannot seem to curb the desire to gallop astride a horse in breeches whenever an opportunity arises. But with the family farm in trouble, and her father now in dire need of her wages to keep it afloat, she’s determined to conquer her wildness once and for all and concentrate on her career.

Even with his home full of eligible women, there is only one that catches Guy’s eye, as much as he tries to deny it. And succeeding in her new role is easier said than done for Lottie when the Wennington Estate is filled with horses and she can’t help but feel a spark around the grumpy Lord. By the end of the week, will the two of them remain stuck in their ways, or will they learn that they may just be the perfect match?

I really liked Lottie and found her a lot of fun. Guy was fine, but nothing that stood out to me. Now his aunt, on the other hand, was quite a trip, and when she started scheming with his mother, I wanted to run away. I can’t imagine being held hostage in my own home and surrounded by a gaggle of husband-hunting ditzes. This was a cute, fun read.

Virginia Heath is from London. Look Before You Leap is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 6/26).

I really enjoyed reading this. The espionage addition was great! Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

Charlotte "Lottie" Travers no es la típica dama refinada de la época: criada en una granja entre cinco hombres, Lottie es impulsiva, valiente y mucho más hábil con una rienda que con una reverencia. Su llegada a la prestigiosa Escuela de Señoritas de la Señorita Prentice marca el inicio de una transformación forzada: deberá dominar las "Cuatro D" (Deber, Decoro, Diligencia y Discreción) si quiere convertirse en una institutriz de élite y ayudar económicamente a su familia.

Su mundo da un giro inesperado cuando, en una de sus cabalgatas prohibidas al amanecer, choca –literalmente– con Guy Harrowby, un hombre tan terco y cerrado al amor como ella lo es al decoro. Lo que comienza como un enfrentamiento lleno de sarcasmo y orgullo se convierte poco a poco en una relación donde ambos aprenderán que no siempre se trata de frenar sus impulsos, sino de encontrar a alguien que se atreva a galopar a su lado.



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Me sorprendió mucho la parte final, cuando ciertas personas no apoyaron a Lottie. Me quedé en shock porque pensé que estaban de su lado, pero después todo tuvo sentido… aunque se pasaron un poco.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

ARC Review: Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath
Pub Date: June 24

Thank you @youhadmeathea for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wow, folks! I absolutely loved this one!! I've been reading Virginia Heath's books since 2021 (Never Fall for Your Fiancée was one of my first ARCs!) and have always really enjoyed her writing and her characters.

Lottie Travers has been recently dismissed from her role as a governess for the second time (she has a penchant for "borrowing" horses to gallop around on) and her teacher, Miss Prentice, is unable to find her another governess role due to her reputation. Instead, Lottie finds herself as a ladies maid to the very exacting aunt of Lord Guy Harrowby. Lord Guy's aunt and mother have concocted a scheme to throw a house party for Guy's birthday to try to entice him to marry an eligible lady. Lottie finds herself roped into helping pull off the house party and spending a lot of time with Guy - they initially disliked each other upon first meeting but could those sparks of annoyance lead to sparks of chemistry?

I loved the timeline of their relationship! From going to hating each other and being adversaries to coming to a better understanding - this happened very gradually over time which worked really well for me.

Read this for:
- Grumpy Sunshine
- Class Difference
- A strong willed and competent FMC
- Meddling Family
- Banter

This is a book I highly recommend picking up and can definitely be read as a standalone!

This one took some time to get into but once I did it was so fun and difficult to put down.

I need to applaud Heath for giving Lottie and Guy just enough time to hate each other before burying the hatchet and allowing a friendship to develop and allowing the story and relationship to keep moving. They were also very sympathetic and even when I started to get annoyed with them, the writing made me check myself and realize I would act the same in their shoes and not all authors do that for me!

The plot, the tropes (house party, grumpy-sunshine), the antics, were all light, fun, and overall enjoyable. Sometimes the pace felt off, but the payoff is worth it.

4.25 stars! A but of a slow start, but once it got there, this was such fun! We have two ultra-competent MC — one eternal optimist FMC, Lottie, and a curmudgeonly MMC, Guy. Guy falls first and fast for Lottie, but, boy, does this man put his foot in his mouth so many times before he can say something right. As a result, Lottie’s perception of Guy is all wrong. Add in Guy’s scheming mother and aunt, and we have a series of fun hijinks that throws these two together. I had a great time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC!

This is a fun, entertaining read. Guy and Lottie are interesting, complex, wounded, strong, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance. I really like Guy and enjoyed getting to know him as Lottie did. Lottie is a hoyden who grew on me. The secondary characters each added to the fabric of the story – especially the horses – in their own way. The story is easy to read and get into.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This was another well written book by Virginia Heath. This book has many feels, happy, sadness, anger, and annoyance. There us romance, drama, and mystery in the story line. Lottie tries to best the best version of herself but really all she wants to do is ride horses all day. Will she ever get that wish. Guy is someone who wants to be left alone and not bothered. But when his aunt and mom try to help him does it work or create more problems ? Sometimes we have to experience not happy moments to find your happy moment in life. This book is for a mature audience but can be read anywhere.

Virginia Heath delivers another story that grabbed me from the start. Lottie and Guy were such a great grumpy-sunshine couple (I also enjoyed that they called it out themselves in the book. Also as a former horse girl, I loved how much of the story revolved around riding and training horses. I had to knock the book one star as Guy's mother and aunt got on my nerves with their constant plotting and not listening to what Guy actually wanted. I will continue to seek out more titles in this series.

I liked this book even more than the first in the series! Virginia Heath is quickly becoming one of my new favorite historical romance authors.

The writing is witty and charming! Overall quite an enjoyable read other than the somewhat jarring use of “menfolk” throughout the book.

The MCs were absolutely delightful! The grumpy-sunshine trope with the class mismatch helped to create some depth to the characters’ story. The chemistry between Lottie and Guy was undeniable and I looked forward to all of their interactions.

The only reasons I couldn’t rate this book higher was that more was told and not shown in the book and that the MCs listing after each other took away from the romance.

Thank you to the author, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

4.25 stars

Lord Guy Harrowby is turning 30 and his mother desperately wants grandchildren. She decides to throw a surprise birthday party inviting all eligible women hoping he will find a bride. Charlotte is in a School for Young Ladies but somehow is more of a tomboy than a genteel lady. She ends up as a companion to Guy’s aunt, a rude matriarch, who plans the party with her sister. Charlotte loves to ride horses and Guy trains and breeds horses. They have horses in common and begin to have feelings for each other. This book is a lot of fun. Charlotte speaks her mind and kind of enjoys Guy’s aunt because his aunt likes her to express her opinion. I enjoyed Charlotte’s family; her brothers and her proud father who all struggled with their farm. Guy had a kind heart and rallied for the farmers who were struggling. Great book with lots of laughs as Guy realizes he may have found a bride after all.

Thank you to Uplit Reads and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath. All opinions are my own.

Look Before You Leap is book two in a series following a group of friends that met during their time at Miss Prentice’s boarding school where they were taught to be upstanding young ladies in order to get good jobs in the future. While this book can easily be read as a standalone, book one in the series is good too. It follows a different girl from this friend group.

One thing that stood out in this book and the other book in this series is the humor. There were lots of scenes that made me laugh out loud, and the main characters had such great banter from the very beginning.

Lottie, the main character in this story, was so intelligent and adventurous, and I loved that she didn’t follow the standards of society. Because she grew up on a farm with four brothers, a lot of her habits and interests did not appear ladylike to some of the other characters in this story.

Guy, the love interest, was an interesting character. He slowly realized that he never dealt well with the grief of losing his father. He also had a hard time getting over his embarrassment of a failed proposal in front of other high society members.

The chemistry between Guy and Lottie was great. I enjoyed how many scenes they had where they shared their love of horses and how they both were against society standards.

My biggest issue with this book was Guy’s aunt and mother. While they could be entertaining at times, I had a hard time getting past the gaslighting. The whole book both of them repeatedly did things that they knew Guy would hate, yet they made themselves out to be the victim when Guy was the victim time and time again. I hated how there wasn’t any consequences for how they treated him.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it was very entertaining. There is a couple open door scenes and lustful language throughout if you’re wondering.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the
E-ARC! Really cute! Loved the setting & the characters. Another good book by this author.

Look Before You Leap is an entertaining and engaging book! I loved Lottie and Guy, the ultimate grumpy/sunshine duo! Their banter is so much fun to read, their intelligence and stubbornness on display in full force! I loved the behind-the-scenes machinations between his conniving mother and aunt, and the scenes with the other women vying for his attention were often hilarious! This is a lovely felt historical romance with all the saucy dialogue and spicy moments, an endearing couple, and many fun supporting characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I have enjoyed other books by this author, I just could not get into this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! I loved the characters and the banter between the male and female main characters. The meddling mom and aunt were also great characters. It's been awhile since I read a historical romance and this one was a really good one.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Virginia Heath for a free eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a treat! I'm no stranger to Virginia Heath and have enjoyed each of the regency romance novels that Heath has written and she has the genre down to a T. While using relatively predictable tropes, Heath's novels have never felt stale to me. This is a mix between grumpy-sunshine and enemies to lovers. The novel centres around Charlotte (Lottie) Travers, one of Miss Prentice's (who readers meet in the last instalment but you don't need to know much more than that to enjoy this novel) proteges, who grew up on a farm, rides horses, and possesses generally feisty traits that get her discharged in her jobs as governess. She needs money urgently to help her family farm, which is in financial trouble, and accepts a position as a lady's companion to an extremely cranky woman, Lady Frinton. The job takes her to a house party of a notable Viscount, Guy Harrowby where Guy's mother is looking to throw a party to introduce him to eligible young debutantes. Our main male character, Guy isn't interested in marriage. His job is his main focus and his humiliation years ago at the hands of a tactless paramour left him scarred. What follows is a number of hilarious interactions between the main characters where they eventually fall in love (no spoiler there - it's a regency romance after all).

Heath creates believable and interesting main characters even if the romance seems a bit insta-lovey rather than rational. Her supporting characters are the highlight of the book for me - Lady Frinton and her curmudgeonly butler, Longbottom, being among the best. The debutantes are sufficiently insufferable to make us want to root for our main characters. Heath's books are always so entertaining, filled with great characters and surprises, and can be relied on for a breezy and quick yet enjoyable read.