All's Fair in Love and War

February 1, 2024

After a busy day working towards a long-sought promotion in the Royal Navy, Captain Henry Kincaid arrives home to find his sister has left her three rambunctious children in his care while she adventures to the Nile. He adores his nieces and nephew, but caring for them is a full-time job that puts his regimented house out of joint. In a panic, he goes to Miss Prentice's School for Girls to request the assistance of an emergency governess. Miss Georgina Rowe knows that she is an excellent teacher, but getting placed with a family has taken far longer than she expected. Being a temporary governess for the Kincaid household is the perfect chance for her to earn a letter of recommendation, but her own awful history with rigidity and order immediately puts her and the handsome but meticulous Henry at odds. As affection and lust continue to grow between Henry and Georgina, his promotion forces both to consider their futures and whether there is a path they can pursue together. VERDICT Heath (the "Wild Warriners" and "Merriwell Sisters" romances) starts an enjoyable new Regency series featuring a determined governess who knows exactly how she wants to live her life and a naval captain who is realizing that he doesn't.--Kellie Tilton

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 4, 2024
Heath (A Wedding to Stop a Scandal) launches a new Regency series with a paint-by-numbers love story that leans heavily on The Sound of Music, with dog antics substituted for musical interludes. Georgina Rowe, the literal redheaded stepchild of a nasty colonel, is sent away to Miss Prentice’s academy to prepare for working life as a governess. Though lauded as the school’s best-ever graduate, the independent-minded Georgie is incapable of passing a job interview. Enter desperate Captain Henry Kincaid, with two nieces and a nephew in immediate need of care. Miss Prentice foists Georgie on him; Georgie immediately radicalizes his schoolroom; and Henry is “effortlessly beguiled.” Plot and characterization are minimal: the technique is to put stereotypes into a situation, run the simulation, and compile the after-action report. Events disproportionately occur offstage, and their reportage is static, even repetitive. Nor is the humor lively: a major schtick involves Henry misattributing classic military quotations, which requires explanation every time, since readers are tacitly understood not to have memorized Sun Tzu. This is formula with no fresh touch. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary.

May 1, 2024
A strong-willed new governess bowls over a stern naval captain. Georgina Rowe gets lucky when she's invited to become a student at Miss Prentice's School for Girls. As a penniless orphan whose stepfather wants nothing to do with her, receiving quality training as a governess is the best option available to her in Regency England. Unfortunately, her quick temper and strong opinions have kept her from being hired just yet. That changes when Captain Harry Kincaid, suddenly in need of a governess after his sister dumps three children and a dog on his doorstep, is too desperate to ask many questions before hiring her. And that's for the best because, as he discovers when she arrives at his house, his life of strict discipline and punctuality is the absolute opposite of Georgie's. But since she needs his reference to launch her career and he needs her help so he can focus on his high-pressure job with the Admiralty, they both do their best to get along. Harry is soon dismayed to find that he can't stop thinking about Georgie's fiery red hair and bold personality, as he is horrified to imagine taking advantage of the help. And though Georgie initially thinks Harry is pompous and "nine-tenths dislikable," after seeing how much he cares for his family, she realizes there's more to him than she first assumed. The concept of Heath's new Miss Prentice's Protegees series is intriguing, but the first book doesn't live up to the high standard set by her Merriwell Sisters books. Though there are many bright moments, especially with Georgie's young charges, and Georgie and Harry have good chemistry, the plot is often bogged down by interior monologues. Once the slow burn between the two finally starts smoldering, the story gains some momentum, but not enough to justify an unexpectedly abrupt ending. Fans may still enjoy this one, especially those who like a military hero, and the premise is intriguing enough to look forward to future volumes (presumably) devoted to the adventures of Georgie's three prot�g� friends, but it's not Heath's strongest. A historical romance that never quite lives up to its promise.

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