Never Fall For Your Fake Fiancée by Virgina Heath

The first in a new historical rom-com series, a handsome earl hires a fake fiancée to keep his matchmaking mother at bay, but hilarity ensues when love threatens to complicate everything.

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?

 

 

Review

 

I absolutely adored this book that went straight onto my list of keepers. I'll definitely need a print copy of it as well. I loved Hugh and Minerva, even though Hugh made me scream in frustration a couple of times (when I wasn't laughing or giggling) but he was just too lovable to stay mad at him.
Minerva is amazing, sweet, competent, caring and all of her flaws make her even more perfect. Her ability not to take herself too seriously (in a good way) and to laugh about herself, is one of the things that I love most about her.

Between Hugh, Minerva, Drury Lane and his mother, there are so many imaginative and funny things happening, so many wonderful characters to meet and fall in love with, that I just kept on reading till the end. And I must admit that I will never be able to listen to Mozart with a straight face again...

Minerva's sisters, his butler, and his best friend, all of the minor characters are lovingly described and I can't wait to learn more about them in the books to come. And I already know that I haven't read Minerva and Hugh's story for the last time. Well-written, funny, and captivating, this book is simply amazing!