Look before you leap A novel

Review by Booklist Review

Charlotte "Lottie" Travers knows she is better at being a governess than a lady's companion, but given her recent scandal-tinged employment record, Lady Almeria Winthrop is the only person interested in hiring her. Lottie is fully prepared to paste a smile on her face as she accompanies her crotchety new employer on a trip to Scotland, when everything changes. Instead of Scotland, Lady Almeria is traveling to Kent, where she is helping plan a secret birthday celebration-matchmaking party for her nephew, Guy Harrowby. Holding on to her new job could now be a problem for Lottie, however, because she has already met Guy. Several weeks earlier, she read him the riot act after he collided with her on the riding path at Hyde Park. With the second sparkling addition to her Miss Prentice's Protegees series (after All's Fair in Love and War, 2024), Heath puts her own wit-infused Regency spin on the grumpy-sunshine trope with a particularly delightful pair of protagonists who trade plenty of sharp quips and a few steamy kisses while bonding over their shared love of horses and riding.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

A reticent lord falls for a spirited lady below his station in Heath's sparkling second Miss Prentice's Protégées romance (after All's Fair in Love and War). In 1820 London, Lord Guy Harrowby, the Viscount Wennington, is both irked by and attracted to the woman who berates him for nearly colliding with her while they're both riding in Hyde Park. He's shocked when that same woman, Lottie Travers, arrives at his estate in Kent as the paid companion to his curmudgeonly aunt, Lady Frinton. Lady Frinton is there to organize a 30th birthday party for Guy, who is still averse to socializing after the very public rejection of a marriage proposal he made nine years prior left him humiliated and heartbroken. He's not exactly keen on romance, either, but Lottie gradually earns his admiration by demonstrating her expertise with horses. With the house party underway, the pair go from comical sparring to sizzling attraction as Guy dodges the efforts of scheming society women to ensnare him in marriage. Down-to-earth Guy and resilient Lottie prove an endearing match and Heath puts in the work to make their cross-class romance believable. With a plot as rollicking as it is sweetly romantic, this is Regency-era romantic comedy done right. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (June)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount of Wennington, much prefers his estate in Kent to the crowded streets of London. Nearing his 30th birthday, however, Guy concedes to his mother that a small party can be thrown in his honor, as her concerns about his eligibility and her lack of grandchildren finally guilt him into putting up with the ordeal. Meanwhile, impetuous Lottie Travers finds herself back at Miss Prentice's School for Young Ladies, in search of a new job, and accepts a role as a companion to Guy's mother, Lady Almeria Winthrop. Lady Winthrop is as demanding as Lottie expected, but she's far from dull, and Lottie is soon put in charge of the Viscount's birthday party. Lottie's stubbornness quickly rears its head against Guy's own, but as their guards begin to fall, the two find themselves in cahoots as they attempt to navigate society's shark-infested waters and their own growing attraction. VERDICT Heath returns with the second installment of the "Miss Prentice's Protégées" series (after All's Fair in Love and War), featuring a grumpy Viscount and an outspoken optimist who collide in funny and heartfelt ways in their quest to secure the futures they each want.--Kellie Tilton

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