ARC Review: All's Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath

All's Fair in Love and War
Author: Virginia Heath
Series: Miss Prentice's Protegees (Book 1)
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (May 28, 2024)

Description: In the first installment of a Regency romp of a series, a governess who believes in cultivating joy in her charges clashes with the children’s uncle who hired her, only to find herself falling in love.

When Harry Kincaid’s flighty older sister decides to join her husband on an Egyptian expedition, Harry, a former naval captain, is left in the lurch, minding her three unruly children and giant, mad dog. But Harry has a busy career at the Admiralty that requires all his attention, and he has no clue how to manage the little rascals or when his sister is coming back. In desperation, he goes to Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies prepared to pay whatever it takes to hire an emergency governess quick sharp to ensure everything in his formerly ordered house is run shipshape again.

Thanks to her miserable, strict upbringing, fledgling governess Georgie Rowe does not subscribe to the ethos that children should be seen and not heard. She believes childhood should be everything hers wasn’t―filled with laughter, adventure, and discovery. Thankfully, the three Pendleton children she has been tasked with looking after are already delightfully bohemian and instantly embrace her unconventional educational approach. Their staid, stickler-for-the-rules uncle, however, is another matter entirely.

Georgie and Harry continue to butt heads over their differences, but with time it seems that in this case, their attraction is undeniable―and all is indeed fair in love and war.

My Thoughts: This book was an entertaining historical romance. Georgie Rowe is a governess. Well, she would be if someone would hire her. She has had 33 unsuccessful interviews so far. Her outspokenness has been her downfall.

Harry Kincaid is a busy naval officer. He is busy working for the admiralty as a problem solver. One of his biggest problems is getting the HMS Boadicea ready for sailing but there are construction delays after construction delays. 

Then Harry's sister decides to go with her husband to look for the source of the Nile and leave her three mischievous children and their monster dog in Harry's care. He loves his nephew and nieces, but they are too much for a busy man to deal with. He hires Georgie out of desperation to be their temporary governess until their parents return. 

 Harry has been in love before, and it almost cost him his career. He doesn't need to be attracted to this feisty governess who doesn't follow his precisely laid down schedule. And Georgie doesn't need to fall in love with a rigid military man who seems so like the stepfather who made her mother's life and her own life so miserable. 

These two mismatched souls fall in love. But can they ever be together?

Fun romance with well-developed characters. 

Favorite Quote:

"What!" It was a bloody miracle the top of Harry's head didn't explode with the volcanic fury of his anger. "Suddenly, after thirty-one years of possessing absolutely no common sense whatsoever, my sister has the gall to become prudent?" He began to stomp in outrage.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.