Look Before You Leap is an excellent continuation of Virginia Heath’s series, just as strong and satisfying as the first installment. It’s rare to come across a historical romance where the plot feels genuinely fresh, but this series continues to stand out in all the best ways.

What I love most are the characters: they’re flawed, complex, and deeply human. Heath doesn’t shy away from letting her protagonists make mistakes, which makes their journeys—and eventual growth—all the more rewarding. The chemistry, the wit, and the emotional depth are all pitch-perfect.

I’m already eagerly awaiting the next one!

Ugh. I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. It has a promising premise but the writing is weird and I HATE Guys inner thoughts. He is so…. weird about how he thinks about women.

Review also shared on goodreads.

Virginia Heath‘s books are always a ton of fun, and that’s certainly true of her latest: Look Before You Leap, the second in her Miss Prentice’s Protégées series. This one follows Lottie after she’s been fired (again) and gets a new job for the famously cranky Lady Frinton. Together they go to Kent for Lady Frinton’s nephew’s 30th birthday celebration. The nephew, Guy, just happens to be the same man Lottie galloped into the week prior. While Guy is forced to entertain 15 debutantes hoping to win his hand in marriage, he has eyes only for his aunt’s lady’s companion…

What I Liked:
- Guy and Lottie! These two are such opposites: a grumpy, heart-broken man and a reckless ray of sunshine. They butt heads a lot and argue about the silliest things, and yet they’re well matched, too. They have excellent chemistry and just jump off the page from the beginning.
- Lady Frinton! Bill! I also enjoyed the many side characters, especially Lady Frinton (always scheming and cackling about something!) and Bill (the head groom who teases his employer, Guy, relentlessly).
- Horses! Both Lottie and Guy have a special love for horses and are good around them. In particular Guy has three Arabians, one of whom still needs training. Lottie and Guy spend much of the book riding horses, training them, and talking about them. As a lifelong horse lover myself, I enjoyed this aspect of the book.
- Farming! Lottie’s family—her father and four older brothers—are farmers in Kent (surprisingly close to where Guy lives). I liked seeing how Lottie wants to help them through hard times and how Guy steps up, too.
- Fun, humorous story-telling. This book is perfect escapism that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It flies by from start to finish, and I like that the narrative here is so distinct from most historical romances I read.

Final Thoughts
Look Before You Leap is so much fun with characters who leap off the pages (pun intended). This one is tied with Never Rescue a Rogue for my favorite Virginia Heath books. I’m so excited to continue the Miss Prentice’s Protégées series with Pride Comes Before a Fall (Portia’s story) and Practice Makes Perfect (Kitty’s).

I’ve read quite a few Virginia heath at this point and all I can say is that they are just solid reads and you won’t really ever be disappointed.

I adored Lottie and Guy together. Their chemistry, witty banter, and personality clashes made this historical romance so much fun to read. I loved Lottie's independent streak and her refusal to be someone she's not. Guy's big gesture was so sweet and I melted. I listened to the audiobook and it's the perfect way to enjoy this love story. Eva Feiler and Shane East do a fantastic job with the narration.

I was looking so forward to this book after enjoying the first in the series and it definitely didn’t disappoint. A fun love - hate storyline with a grumpy Viscount and a take no crap companion to a meddling demanding aunt to Mr. Grumpy. Who happens to be in cahoots with Guy’s mother in matchmaking. Having already one run in with the infuriating man Lottie couldn’t believe he is the reluctant host of his 30th birthday celebration house party her employer is invited to. And as she tries to apologize again so to be able to enjoy the visit. Guy doesn’t believe in forgive and forget and Lottie loves a challenge!
Once again a story with humor throughout, learning to overlook the past mistakes and live life to the fullness. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this throughly enjoyable book. Can’t wait for the next book. All opinions expressed are mine own.

A fantastic instalment in this series! I can’t wait for the next one. I hope it’s Kitty.

The FMC and the MMC were just so perfect for each other. It was so much fun watching them hate each other, then love each other, then fight, only to come back for a HEA.

The mother and the aunt were delightful! Amazing side characters. I really enjoyed them. There was no horrid back story, just some embarrassment in the past. No cheating and no reason to hate either character. There was still tension and plot and real, human emotions.

I truly loved this sweet romance. Highly recommend!

Lottie is an absolute hoyden and has a penchant for borrowing horses and riding recklessly through the park. Unfortunately, she runs into a very grumpy Guy one day in the park and they’re immediately at odds. Even more unfortunately, she’s his aunt’s new companion and she sees him again at his country estate. Guy is resistant to society after an embarrassing incident involving a public rejection many years ago, and is generally irritated at having house guests. Lottie and Guy spend most of the book hating each other, and then finally calling a truce, and finally giving into their attraction. But Lottie is always aware of their different social stations and doesn’t see a future with Guy. It’s messy and chaotic and full of meddling older women.

Charlotte (Lottie) Travers was lucky to be chosen to attend Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies. She was the only girl in a family with 4 brothers. Her mother passed away leaving Lottie to cook for the family and her father and brothers to work on their farm. Lottie’s one big thing she has always loved is to take a horseback ride at dawn.

Now, 7 years later, Lottie has just lost her position as a governess when she had to defend herself against her employer’s randy son. So, she takes an early morning ride through London’s parks.

Guy Harrowby, Viscount of Wennington, is also riding his Arabian horse through the park and collides with Lottie knocking him from the horse. Seeing it’s a beautiful young lady he collided with, he is taken aback when she chastises him for not being able to restrain his spirited horse better.

Miss Prentice insists that Lottie take a position as a companion to the curmudgeonly Lady Frinton. She is known for her sharp tongue and the fact that her companions don’t last long. Lottie agrees and, surprisingly, Lady Frinton likes her and her frankness.

Guy Harrowby is busy caring for his large estate in Kent. His mother wants to give him a 30th birthday party and after much haranguing him, he finally agrees. She wants him to get married and give her lots of grandchildren. It turns out that Lady Harrowby is the sister to Lady Frinton and they get together at the Harrowby estate to secretly plan a party with lots of people. This puts Lottie and Guy together again and they try to get along.

I really loved this story. There is a lot of humor as Guy and Lottie tend to clash but also cannot deny their attraction to one another. She of the young women invited to Guy’s birthday party are so funny in their attempt to snag him for a husband. Great characters and a fun read. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Although there are plenty of miscommunication issues between Lord Guy and Lottie, his aunt's companion, the two characters are remarkably straightforward, and manage to bridge their social gap. I really liked both of them, and found their interactions and banter amusing. The interference by Guy's mother and aunt was entertaining and kept the action going.

Although this is the second in the Miss Prentice series, it is perfectly readable as a standalone.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book. It was released on June 24, 2025.

Look before you leap is the 2nd book in the series, and I admit I think I would have liked it more if I had read the first book, first. However, I still enjoyed this book. A regency romance where house parties and balls are all the fashion, Lottie doesn’t fit in well. Raised by her dad and brothers in the country, she was sent to London to learn how to be a lady.
Guy was burned several years ago by the London marriage scene. His mother still wants him to be married with babies by his 30th birthday. She hosts a party at their estate, and surprises guy when he finds out that all the guests are available debutants. At this party, Guy and Lottie realize their love for horses may bleed over into having feelings for each other.
Slightly predictable, it’s still a pleasant and quick read. I feel when I read the first fool, and reread this book, I will rate this book higher!

My Pub Day Pick for Tuesday June 24 is the Historical Regency Romance, “Look Before you Leap “
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@stmartinspress

This is the second book in Heath’s series “Miss Prentice’s Protégées” which began last year with All’s Fair in Love and War. I adore this series.

Miss Prentice has the best reputation in town for training up the best ladies in her school. This time out, her student Lottie is need of a new placement after a misunderstanding with “borrowing” a horse, and now must work as a Lady’s companion for the fastidious Lady Frinton. Little does she know she will soon have to accompany her new employer to the estate of Lady Frinton’s nephew, and the rudest man Lottie has ever met. To make matters worse, she must also help his mother and aunt arrange a surprise birthday party for him, where inviting every eligible lady in the ton for a one week house party is the surprise! 😮

Did I mention he is a moody introvert? 😍

Oh the banter! The humor! The chemistry! The yearning! Oh, and did I mention the horses? This one had me grinning and kicking my feet from beginning to end. It’s Absolutely superb!

Thanks to #stmartinsgriffin for the free eARC via @netgalley. I can’t wait for more to come in this series.

Miss Prentice School for Young Ladies has served up another delightful graduate. Lottie manages to get fired from every job she takes due to her inability to stay away from the stables and the owners horses. She's picked up the moniker Galloping Governess of Hyde Park, she always manages to get caught. Lottie describes herself as a ray of sunshine and it's true. She will find a way around or through her problems and keep her sunny disposition intact. Her latest job as a companion to a gruff older lady takes her to a house party only a few miles from her home. Her father and brothers are farmers; Lottie loves the outdoors and working on the farm, especially the horses. Lottie is pretty, sweet, and having 4 brothers is a tomboy. Staying out of sight might keep her job intact.

Guy had a series of traumatic hurtful incidents hit him at one time when he was younger. I think today we'd say he had PTSD. Gruff bordering on rude and set in his ridged ways this house party is a complete nightmare. He runs off, hides, pretends to have important Viscount stuff to do all so he can avoid the 15 debutants his mother invited. As he keeps running into Lottie and they hide together he finds they have a lot in common. Like it or not his frozen heart starts to thaw. Quiet don't-rock-the-boat Guy has to rock the boat or lose the girl.

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

#NetGalley #LookBeforeYouLeap #MissPrentice'sProtegees #St.Martin'sGriffin #bookreview #historicalromance #romance #VirginiaHeath

The very best of tropes are deftly served up in the latest book by Virginia Heath. Enemies-to-lovers, class gap, a wonderfully strong FMC and a damaged, growly MMC with a marshmallow heart, this was a fun, romantic tale. Conspiratorial efforts abound in the efforts to have true love find its course and some truly slapstick moments keep the tale light and frothy. A very fun read.

4.5⭐️
2🔥

Quick Breakdown

Loath to Love
Grumpy x Sunshine
Viscount x Lady’s Companion
Forced Proximity
Meddling Family
Horse Girl Vibes
Dual POV
Open Door - Mild

I ADORED this & it’s no surprise. Virginia Heath has cemented herself as one of my favorite histrom authors. I love how well she balances heart & humor - & Look Before You Leap was no exception.

The romance between Lottie & Guy just 👏🏻 made 👏🏻 sense. The loathe to love aspect that started with their first meet disaster set the stage for phenomenal banter to come. Guy was a lovable curmudgeon. I fully believe his active avoidance of romance made it so he didn’t recognize his feelings for Lottie at first. He was the epitome of the “I’m mad at you because you make me want you & I can’t stop thinking of you” trope - & he repeated put his foot in his mouth because of it. But it’s okay, unapologetically herself Lottie could hold her own. While Guy was hiding away from London, his focus landed on working his family’s land & best serving his tenants. It worked that Lottie was originally a country farm / horse girl at heart. They were more like minded than they initially realized, which only made their pairing all the stronger. I LOVE them so much!

All of this banter & forming of feelings all while Guy’s mother had plotted a house party with the intention of matchmaking him with another woman made the forbidden aspect of their difference in station better. His scheming Mama & grouchy with a gooey center aunt made my meddling elders loving heart so happy. I also loved Lottie’s family & clearly how close they are. Guy’s inability to stay away & helping them when he could only further proved his soft heart under the crunchy exterior.

I primarily listened to Look Before You Leap & if you’re an audio lover I recommend you do the same. It’s narrated by Eva Feiler & Shane East (the accent 🫠) who both gave a stellar performance & IMO enhanced my experience.

For some reason, lately I have been in more of a historical romance vibe than in a romantasy vibe and there is something..,.kind of wholesome about it. Is it super problematic when you examine the double standard? Yes. Was most of history a horrible time to be anything other than a straight white man? Also yes. But this low stakes, sweetly cozy romance has a serious subplot about peas and the importance of legumes. It was exactly what I needed.

I know I'm getting older when I loved the mom and aunt of our hero, Guy. I wanted to follow them out of the room, with their matchmaking and their three dimensional chess and their disdain for snobbery. They were the stand out characters for me and I hope they appear in the rest of the Ms. Prentice series. But I did enjoy the sweet romance (even if Guy and Lottie are outdoorsy. I much more enjoy outdoors through the pages of a book) how cozy this book felt and I think this is the perfect read for a scary world outside my book.

I'd recommend this one for fans of Bridgerton or Lisa Kleypas.

1820

Lottie Travers was dismissed from yet another post for galloping across Rotten Row (there may have been some flirting and horse-borrowing involved as well). Her last chance at a job that pays well enough to support her father and brothers on their farm is to become a companion to an older woman with a difficult reputation, Lady Almeria Winthrop. Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount of Wennington, hates his birthday and despises public events even more. When his mother (sister of Lady Winthrop), insists on throwing him a party anyway, he begrudgingly agrees to a small affair. But suddenly, Lottie finds herself planning a house party with all of the neighboring eligible ladies alongside his mother and aunt, even knowing as Lottie and Guy get closer, that he'll despise it.

Of the books with horse training plots I've read lately, this was the most fun. Lottie grew up on a farm with four older brothers, so riding astride is in her blood. Guy trains Arabians, and his prize stallion has a temper (but seems to like Lottie). Some of the best scenes in the book are when Lottie thinks outside the box when it comes to horsebreaking. Viriginia Heath writes excellent on page chemistry, and the dynamic between Lottie and Guy is exactly what you want out of a historical romcom. Any time Guy pulls away from Lottie, the reasons are strongly rooted in his character.

I ended up listening to the audiobook, and it is excellent. I cannot recommend that reading experience enough. Eva Feiler and Shane East bring the humor and the emotion in a dual narration format that works extremely well for the writing style.

I enjoyed the first book in the Miss Prentice's series, so it was a no brainer to read Look Before You Leap.

I am loving the strong, fierce and fearless women coming out of Miss Prentice's offices. I love the our lovely lady is more of a tomboy who wants to ride horses than a prim and proper young woman who simpers and falls over every handsome man.

Lottie is all rainbows and butterflies. Guy is all dark and stormy.

It should be all sparks between them, and it was setting up to be a bit of a Bridgerton kind of love fest.

However, it took a long time for anything to really happen. Lots of longing looks across the room, a few stolen moments. But it took till about 75% for things to start to heat up and move along.

I love love love Lottie's employer, Lady Frinton. She is just wonderful,

I liked how they did both removed heads from sphincters and get on with it though.

I do look forward to Kitty and Portia's stories in the future.

I picked this up after a pause in Historical Romance, and it turned out to be the perfect pick-me-up!

I absolutely loved Lottie—headstrong, loyal, and delightfully unconventional, but still believable within her historical setting. Her pairing with Guy, the grump to her sunshine, is just fabulous. Their dynamic has great chemistry, and the buildup to them getting together is perfectly paced. That said, I would have loved to see a little more of them as a couple once they finally get there.

The house party setup is whimsical without being over the top—just the right backdrop for a romance like this. The only thing that truly irked me was Guy’s mother, who felt like a bit too much in her theatrics.

Otherwise, this is a perfect summer read for anyone in the mood for a light, funny, feel-good Historical Romance. And honestly, why wouldn’t you be? Just wait until you get to the ending!

I haven’t read the first book in the series yet, but I’ll be fixing that soon. Thankfully, Look Before You Leap stands completely on its own—and as someone who’s not always in the mood for children in the plot, I appreciated that.

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

Lottie, tomboy extraordinaire & sassy farm girl is training to become a governess but can’t give up her wild ways. She ends up as a ladies’ companion after one too many unsanctioned rides on a horse that isn’t hers.

Guy’s 30th birthday is coming up and his mother insists on throwing him a party with the goal of introducing him to a debutante to marry. He’s cynical about love because last time it didn’t work out so well…

Swoony Regency rom-com with
Tension
Grumpy/sunshine
Witty banter
Charming setting
Ridiculous scenarios and supporting characters
Tall characters (he’s 6’3”, she’s 5’11”)