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somelady's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. I liked Georgie's character and the banter between her and Harry. I also loved the dog, Norbert, and his antics. I thought there was a good balance of humor added to the story. The only critique I have is that there were times when in the middle of a conversation there would be a sidebar of information and background given that completely takes you out of the conversation and then by the end when you read the other character's response, you have to go back to see what they are even responding to. Otherwise, I thought the story was well done and I enjoyed reading it.
Just FYI, I received an ARC via NetGalley and this is my honest review of the book.
Just FYI, I received an ARC via NetGalley and this is my honest review of the book.
reading_historical_romance's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love reading new authors who reconfirm for me that the historical romance genre isn’t dead!
All’s Fair In Love and War is the delightful love story of an outspoken governess and a strait-laced naval captain stuck in a dead-end desk job in the Admiralty office. All of Georgie’s training at Ms. Prentice’s School for Girls may be for naught if she can’t keep her frank opinions about children and teaching to herself in job interviews. Harry might lose all hope for his dream promotion if he can’t find someone to discipline his nephew and nieces left temporarily under his care. Neither can decide if the other will be their destiny or doom as they spend more and more time together playing at parenting.
The author makes great fun with classic tropes like governess/employer and forced proximity from meet-cute to HEA, with lighthearted banter, sexual tension, and emotional obstacles that aren’t too serious but serve up a satisfying conclusion for the star-crossed lovers. I love the main characters, especially Harry, who is so tightly wound he can’t help but come undone when Georgie attempts to reign in the household havoc. I love Norbert and Cuthbert and that they’re just as responsible for making love come to pass as Harry’s family and household staff.
This is a perfect beach read for the summer as it’s light and predictable in that comforting way that regular hist-rom readers look for. It's also a great book for new readers to historical romance who are looking for something to satisfy that post-Bridgerton craving. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
All’s Fair In Love and War is the delightful love story of an outspoken governess and a strait-laced naval captain stuck in a dead-end desk job in the Admiralty office. All of Georgie’s training at Ms. Prentice’s School for Girls may be for naught if she can’t keep her frank opinions about children and teaching to herself in job interviews. Harry might lose all hope for his dream promotion if he can’t find someone to discipline his nephew and nieces left temporarily under his care. Neither can decide if the other will be their destiny or doom as they spend more and more time together playing at parenting.
The author makes great fun with classic tropes like governess/employer and forced proximity from meet-cute to HEA, with lighthearted banter, sexual tension, and emotional obstacles that aren’t too serious but serve up a satisfying conclusion for the star-crossed lovers. I love the main characters, especially Harry, who is so tightly wound he can’t help but come undone when Georgie attempts to reign in the household havoc. I love Norbert and Cuthbert and that they’re just as responsible for making love come to pass as Harry’s family and household staff.
This is a perfect beach read for the summer as it’s light and predictable in that comforting way that regular hist-rom readers look for. It's also a great book for new readers to historical romance who are looking for something to satisfy that post-Bridgerton craving. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
yoloxokotl_xolos's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
All's Fair in Love and War is such a fun sweet lil story. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between both Georgie and the children and Georgie and Harry. It was such a heartfelt story that encompassed many types of love.
This is the first in a series so there is a little set up of characters, friends of Georgia who I assume will be the main female characters of subsequent books, and that extra set up gives the story additional emotional depth. Seeing Georgie struggle to find her footing in the world and the found family she discovered at school really set the tone for her time at the Captain's house.
Lastly I have to commend Heath on such well written and age appropriate children. As a teacher and mom I often struggle with children who do not match their ages or development levels and it often takes me completely out of a story but all of the children really added to my enjoyment of the story and helped to move along the plot and set up the relationship between Harry and Georgie. I will definitely continue this series.
Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy.
This is the first in a series so there is a little set up of characters, friends of Georgia who I assume will be the main female characters of subsequent books, and that extra set up gives the story additional emotional depth. Seeing Georgie struggle to find her footing in the world and the found family she discovered at school really set the tone for her time at the Captain's house.
Lastly I have to commend Heath on such well written and age appropriate children. As a teacher and mom I often struggle with children who do not match their ages or development levels and it often takes me completely out of a story but all of the children really added to my enjoyment of the story and helped to move along the plot and set up the relationship between Harry and Georgie. I will definitely continue this series.
Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy.
excel_spreadsheet_book_nerd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lisaluvsliterature's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’ve wanted to read this author for a bit now, and when the publisher sent me a widget to read an advance copy I immediately grabbed it! It took me a little longer to read than it should have, but that is by no fault of the story itself. I just had too many things going on and not enough reading time. Not to mention being tired from said things.
I don’t read a ton of historical romance, but have been picking up a few here and there as they grab my attention. For one thing of course is enjoying Bridgerton, another is that these are rom-coms as well and I really do like a rom-com more than a series romance almost every single time. I think that I just need more fun in my life and don’t want to read too serious of stories most of the time.
The characters were really enjoyable in this too. I loved Georgie’s fun teaching methods as I feel like some of them were similar to how I liked to teach back when I was in the classroom. Henry’s issues with not falling in love made sense from what he’d experienced, and I like the way the break up at the end happened. Georgie was much smarter than I might have been in that situation, realizing what his asking her to “ask him” would end up becoming in the end. And his nephew and nieces were adorable! I loved all of their little quirks and they made such a fun story.
As this is going to be a series, I think following the other governesses from the school that Georgie went to, I will be very excited to see how their stories go, especially Lottie who was close friends with Georgie.
I don’t read a ton of historical romance, but have been picking up a few here and there as they grab my attention. For one thing of course is enjoying Bridgerton, another is that these are rom-coms as well and I really do like a rom-com more than a series romance almost every single time. I think that I just need more fun in my life and don’t want to read too serious of stories most of the time.
The characters were really enjoyable in this too. I loved Georgie’s fun teaching methods as I feel like some of them were similar to how I liked to teach back when I was in the classroom. Henry’s issues with not falling in love made sense from what he’d experienced, and I like the way the break up at the end happened. Georgie was much smarter than I might have been in that situation, realizing what his asking her to “ask him” would end up becoming in the end. And his nephew and nieces were adorable! I loved all of their little quirks and they made such a fun story.
As this is going to be a series, I think following the other governesses from the school that Georgie went to, I will be very excited to see how their stories go, especially Lottie who was close friends with Georgie.
pages_and_papercrafts's review
4.0
Harry, an admiral in the navy, hires Georgina, a trained governess, to watch over his nieces and nephew. Many scenes of banter and tension between Harry and Georgie make up this enemies to lovers, forced proximity regency romance. I also appreciated the addition of the plot lines involving the children and their very large dog-it added a familial depth to the main characters and humor to the story. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a regency romance with a contemporary writing style…I am so happy to have spent a few days with these characters and be reintroduced to the lifestyle back then.
This book is available now! Many thanks to the author and Uplit Reads for the gifted e-book.
bucolicbookshelf's review
4.0
Virginia Heath has become one of my favorite regency romance authors. After loving the Merriwell Sisters series I was very happy to be invited to read the first read in her new series. My hopes for this one were high and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
Georgie was a terrific MFC, and Harry (though a little dense) was a wonderful MMC. The secondary characters here give even more heart to the novel. I adored this series starter and look forward to reading more 😍
Recommended.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC!
ofpensandswords's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was a very fun, if mildly forgettable, read.
All's Fair in Love and War follows Georgie, a young woman who attended a prestigious school for governesses. For her first job, she is hired by Harry Kincaid, a navy captain whose flighty older sister has just dumped her three children on him while she goes on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Egypt. As Georgie and Harry clash over the best approach to raising three children unaccustomed to structure, sparks fly between them and they (of course) end up falling for each other).
Going into this, there were a lot of aspects that I was looking forward to. I love regency romances, I thought that the conflicting attitudes between Georgie and the captain sounded so fun, and I always adore books with children as significant characters (especially when romance book protagonists are thrust together to take care of children, à la The Long Game and Things We Never Got Over). It definitely did deliver on all of those points, and there certainly wasn't much that I disliked about the book. My only real complaint is that the romance is a little insta-love-y for my taste, but even that didn't bother me as much as it usually does.
Georgie is a wonderful protagonist—I loved her values, her conviction and confidence, and her rebellious streak. I also ended up really enjoying Captain Kincaid—he grew on me a lot more than I expected, and becomes much more likable once you understand how his childhood made him the way that he is. The children are all adorable and established as distinct characters, and I really enjoyed the dog character as well.
I think that my primary issue here is just that I can't with all honesty say that I will ever think about this book again. It's an enjoyable read, and I certainly had fun with it, but it's just not going to stick with me. There wasn't quite enough chemistry between the protagonists, character development, or plot to make this book something I will return to. I would still definitely recommend it if it sounds up your alley—I truly do not have any real complaints about it. It just did not click with me enough to make it memorable, and for that I can't give it any more than 3.5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
All's Fair in Love and War follows Georgie, a young woman who attended a prestigious school for governesses. For her first job, she is hired by Harry Kincaid, a navy captain whose flighty older sister has just dumped her three children on him while she goes on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Egypt. As Georgie and Harry clash over the best approach to raising three children unaccustomed to structure, sparks fly between them and they (of course) end up falling for each other).
Going into this, there were a lot of aspects that I was looking forward to. I love regency romances, I thought that the conflicting attitudes between Georgie and the captain sounded so fun, and I always adore books with children as significant characters (especially when romance book protagonists are thrust together to take care of children, à la The Long Game and Things We Never Got Over). It definitely did deliver on all of those points, and there certainly wasn't much that I disliked about the book. My only real complaint is that the romance is a little insta-love-y for my taste, but even that didn't bother me as much as it usually does.
Georgie is a wonderful protagonist—I loved her values, her conviction and confidence, and her rebellious streak. I also ended up really enjoying Captain Kincaid—he grew on me a lot more than I expected, and becomes much more likable once you understand how his childhood made him the way that he is. The children are all adorable and established as distinct characters, and I really enjoyed the dog character as well.
I think that my primary issue here is just that I can't with all honesty say that I will ever think about this book again. It's an enjoyable read, and I certainly had fun with it, but it's just not going to stick with me. There wasn't quite enough chemistry between the protagonists, character development, or plot to make this book something I will return to. I would still definitely recommend it if it sounds up your alley—I truly do not have any real complaints about it. It just did not click with me enough to make it memorable, and for that I can't give it any more than 3.5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
allingoodtime's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The burn in this book was a bit too slow for my taste, but there was great yearning so it helped to make up for the wait. This story did a wonderful job of being a series opener. The women this series is focused on are introduced, some briefly and some a little more. I did wish there had been more of the beginning of their friendship. However, that could have made this book too bulky if it had been included.
Georgie is loving, smart, witty, and strong. She knows her mind and doesn’t hesitate to speak it, which can be a huge problem when you are a governess. Harry likes order and is, at first glance, a cold slab of immovable marble. Turns out there is actually a very gooey center to Harry, especially when it comes to his family. These two have an instant spark, but both realize it is ridiculous to even think about such things when they are so different. Harry represents something Georgie hates after her upbringing, and Harry has no time for distractions if he wants to keep his career on the right path. Of course, they cannot resist each other forever.
When Harry and Georgie are working together they are fantastic. Whether it’s getting on the same page regarding the children or attending an important dinner together, they have each other’s backs and work well off each other. Those are my favorite parts of this book. Like I said, this is a very slow burn and there were times during the first half of the book that I wished they weren’t so adversarial. The deep longing was phenomenal though.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent