Review by Booklist Review
Fans of Heath's category historicals will enjoy the first installment in her Merriwell Sisters series, an historical rom-com with refreshingly witty banter. Minerva Merriwell, a woodcut engraver and illustrator, has struggled to make ends meet for herself and her two sisters after their ne'er-do-well father abandoned them. Hugh Standish, the earl of Fareham, is convinced that he has inherited his father's hurtful, philandering ways and has concluded that he simply cannot have an honorable, committed relationship with a woman. To thwart his mother's matchmaking efforts, he invents a fiancée and elaborately embellishes the story. He is horrified when his mother decides to visit him, so he is considerably relieved when he meets Minerva, who is willing to pretend to be his fiancée. After much coaching and heated exchanges of words and looks, the dreaded meeting with his mother takes place, and a laugh-out-loud farce follows. The protagonists are alternately at daggers drawn and pining for each other amidst plenty of shenanigans. Heath has imbued this engrossing story with her customary humor and pathos. é
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Heath (How Not to Chaperone a Lady) launches a historical rom-com series with this fun, charming tale of a lie spun wildly out of control. Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, has resolved never to marry, but his headstrong mother is determined to find him a wife. To evade her long-distance matchmaking, Hugh invents a fiancée named Minerva, whom he describes in detailed letters over the course of two years. Then his mother announces her intention to visit and finally meet Hugh's intended. Luckily for him, he happens to meet the beautiful but impoverished artist Minerva Merriwell, who agrees to pose as Hugh's fiancée and, when the time is right, stage a broken engagement in exchange for 40 pounds. Unluckily for him, he and Minerva have a genuine connection, and his fake fiancée may wind up a greater threat to his independence than his meddling mother. Their ruse is also complicated by the delightful cast of supporting characters, including Hugh's disdainful butler, Minerva's difficult younger sisters, and the showboating actor Hugh hires to play their mother. Heath's sole misstep is an overreliance on miscommunication to drive the plot, but the farcical group scenes will have readers laughing out loud. This is well worth a look. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
You can't break someone's heart with your inevitable dalliances if you never get married. At least that's what Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, believes. He has done everything he can think of to dissuade potential matches, including playing the part of a rake and inventing a fiancé to appease his meddling mother. After two years of this increasingly convoluted charade, his mother is returning from America and Hugh is sure the jig is up. When he bumps into Minerva Merriwell, who shares a name and bearing with his invented betrothed, Hugh offers to pay her 40 pounds to pretend to be his fiancé. Minerva has her own reasons to not trust men, even ones as honest about their faults as Hugh, but she's down to her very last shilling and the money would be life-altering for her and her sisters. Between Hugh's determined mother and Minerva's outspoken sisters, keeping the charade afloat means frequent meetings between the pair to determine their next steps. As planning turns to flirting, Hugh begins to wonder if he can break the family history of philandering while Minerva remains unsure if Hugh can be better than the men in her past. VERDICT Readers will relish this engaging, late Regency romcom's witty duo as they navigate escalating mishaps and growing feelings. Heath ("The King's Elite" series) has set the stage for an enjoyable new series.--Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash
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