Review: Never Fall for Your Fiancée

I never thought much about historical romance in the past. I’m sure I’ve said that before but I still feel…well, I suppose I feel new to the subgenre and want to state that up front. The latest historical romance I read was Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath, the first book in the Merriwell Sisters series. I’m still not sure if I’d really call it a rom com but there is a lot of amusing banter and hijinks that take place over the course of this romance novel that’s set in the 1800s. It was a really fun book to read over a weekend and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Here’s the book’s description:

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.
Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up.
Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, of course, nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue, while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other, when their relationship started with a lie?

The actual premise of this novel is absolutely bonkers. You have to know that going in and you have to accept it. Otherwise, you’ll get super frustrated with the elaborate lies Hugh is making up just to fool his mother into thinking he’s changed and has finally found a woman to settle down with. They hire an actress to play the girls’ mother for crying out loud. *rolls eyes* Hugh’s a smart man who’s acting like a total idiot. Luckily, he does wise up and realize that he needs to think about other people, not just himself, otherwise he’s going to hurt everyone around him, including himself.

Sidebar: I know times were different and men were allowed to be frolicking about, sleeping with whomever they chose while women were held to very different standards. But I’m kind of sick of the “reformed rake” trope. I can believe that people can change, that’s not the main issue, it just seems so overdone and uninspiring.

The book is really funny. I enjoyed the banter between Hugh and Minerva and between the side characters as well. Which bodes well for a series! I think the next book will be about Hugh’s best friend, Giles, and Minerva’s younger sister, Diana, which should be good fun.

Minerva made this book for me. Hugh was fine. But she was smart and strong and was trying desperately to raise her sisters and provide for them after their father took off on them. She was out of options when she met Hugh and even though she does have her pride, she knew the offer from him would help the three of them get back on their feet. I can admire her for going through all of the madness to help her family.

Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath was a fun escape that kept me entertained throughout, even when I wanted to shout at the characters for being so silly! The next book in the Merriwell Sisters series should be just as entertaining and I look forward to it being published.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, SMP Romance (St. Martin’s Press), via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*