All’s Fair in Love and War

In the past few years, I’ve been enjoying reading Virginia Heath‘s historical romances. I finished her Merriwell Sisters trilogy last fall, and so was excited to dive into her new Miss Prentice’s Protégées series with its first installment, All’s Fair in Love and War. It’s off to a fun start, and I already look forward to reading the following books.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book!

Summary

Captain Harry Kincaid is a busy man on the cusp of being promoted in his naval career, so when his sister Flora unexpectedly leaves her three children (and a giant dog!) in his care, he must scramble to find a governess to look after them. He ends up hiring Georgie Rowe, from the illustrious Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies. But Harry and Georgie instantly clash with their differing views on how best to teach young minds, and with the kids and dog constantly causing chaos, there is a lot for the two adults to contend with. Then there’s the growing attraction between them… even though, with their careers, a relationship could never work. How will they manage their feelings and the hearts of all involved?

Review

All’s Fair in Love and War has been compared to both The Sound of Music and Pride and Prejudice, and while it’s been many years since I last saw the former, the comparisons do seem apt. Captain Harry Kincaid loves his nephew and two nieces, but it’s a complete surprise when his sister leaves the three of them and their dog in his care. Much as he adores them, he’s overwhelmed with his job at the Admiralty and can’t devote his time to the kids. So he hires Georgie Rowe, an outspoken and highly opinionated new governess who goes against all his punctuality and militaristic ways. But the differences between them are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the chaos that will ensue in the couple of months they have together. The three rambunctious kids and their dog bring more than enough energy, emergencies, lies, and shenanigans to keep all the adults busy!

This book might look like an enemies-to-lovers situation, but Harry and Georgie are never really enemies. They have different views on how to teach and discipline kids, sure, and Georgie assumes the worst about Harry due to his unfortunate similarities with her horrible stepfather. But it’s not long before they start to see the merit in each others’ ways, as well as the way the kids themselves are influencing their behavior. Georgie and Harry become friends of a sort soon enough, but as their attraction grows, so do their worries about the kind of future they could possibly have together. His naval career would make a marriage nearly impossible, wouldn’t it?

I love how All’s Fair in Love and War gets into the ways family can alter us, even without us realizing it. Both Georgie and Harry have been negatively influenced by their parents, step-parents, and grandparents in unique ways. Are they in the career they actually want, or just one that was pushed on them? Are they judging others fairly, or forming prejudices because of someone else who had a similar background? Then there are the three children: Felix, Marianne, and Grace. They’re good kids overall… but they’ve learned how to get certain reactions out of people, and it’s not always the best behavior. Sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to see what’s really going on!

Both Georgie and Harry are likable in their own ways. Georgie is opinionated and outspoken, making her fun to spend time with in All’s Fair in Love and War. She knows how to make learning enjoyable, but she’s also not afraid to put Harry in his place when needed. For his part, Harry may seem like a boring, regimented stickler, but he’s actually very kind, generous, and sweet. Georgie and Harry have a good contrast and bring out the best in each other.

And of course, I enjoyed seeing the kids and dogs (yes, plural) in action here. They bring a lot of fun and unpredictability. There is sometimes too much distraction from the romance, but it is an action-packed and enjoyable book.

Final Thoughts

All’s Fair in Love and War is a light and diverting romance about family, career, and love. From dogs and kids to military men’s (mis)quotes and career problems, it offers both fun and more serious insights. Harry and Georgie are an adorable couple of opposites, and I’m already all in on this new series. Georgie has three friends from Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies, and something tells me that Lottie may be the star of the next book… at least I hope she is!

Get the Book

You can buy All’s Fair in Love and War here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath
Series	Miss Prentice’s Protégées (#1)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	384
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	May 28, 2024
Publisher	St. Martin’s Griffin

Official Summary

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.