Never Rescue a Rogue

Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath (2022) 361 pages

In book two about the Merriwell sisters, set in the early 1800s, we learn that Diana Merriwell has no interest in tying herself down to a man; only she and her boss know that she is the writer of a column that investigates wrong-doers in London. They keep her identity secret to protect her, and to allow her to continue collecting information that people assume is for the newspaper's gossip column.

Meanwhile, Giles, the best friend of Diana's brother-in-law, finds himself in a bad situtation. Giles is the son of a Duke and he has the reputation of a rogue. His heritage is in doubt, which puts his inheritance and his ability to be a quiet do-gooder at risk. Diana decides to help him, since she is so good at fact-finding.

Their friends and family have been trying to get them together for a while, but they keep resisting, which leads to a number of humorous moments as they meet regularly to share progress on their project. The outcome might be somewhat predictable, but the path is filled with blockades, as well as humor.

Never Fall for Your Fiancée

Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath (2021) 358 pages

This book is the first of three books about the Merriwell Sisters, all set in the early 1800s in England. (Of course, doing things backwards as I often do, I read the third book first, but I liked it well enough to want to read the first two.) In this book, Minerva Merriwell, the oldest of three sisters, is noticed by a wealthy young Earl, Hugh Standish, when he sees her trying to get an employer to pay her for her work and being rebuffed. He intervenes successfully and she is grateful for his help. 

Hugh's mother and her friends have been sending many young women to him in an attempt to find him a suitable wife. In order to get them off his back, he tells his mother that he has found a young woman named Minerva, who is quite fictional. When Hugh learns that the young woman he has assisted just happens to be named Minerva, he takes her into his confidence. Now that his mother is coming to visit, he asks the real Minerva to pose as his fiancée for a few weeks, and that he'll pay her for her help.

Minerva has two younger sisters, and it is a package deal. Hugh even sends for a team of seamstresses to outfit the young women properly, and along with his butler, he tries to teach them how to behave so that they pass as young women of upper class. Hugh coaches Minerva on the fictional details that he has included in his letters to his mother. Will Minerva (and her sisters) be convincing enough to satisfy Hugh's mother?

This book is a fast, enjoyable read.

Never Wager with a Wallflower

Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath (2023) 308 pages

In England in 1830, Venus Merriwell has given up on love at the spinsterly age of 22 after a few bad experiences, and she decides to focus on the orphans she teaches, and perhaps snare a man who is older and less interested in her body. However, she keeps running into young and handsome Galahad Sinclair, who is a cousin of one of her sisters' husbands. Venus and Galahad have never gotten along. Galahad came to England from New York City after a rough early life, deserted by his father. When his mother dies when he is still a child, his life is hard, but he makes the best of it, and now owns a few hotels and bars. He's set his sights upon expanding his business and buys three rowhouses that he plans to turn into a huge lounge by knocking down walls between the buildings. When he discovers that the buildings are directly next door to the rundown orphanage that Venus works at, he decides to mend his ways and work to be polite to Venus. Venus is not sure that she can really trust him. Who is the real Galahad? One reason Venus can't trust him is that her own father had been rather a cad himself.

This is book three in a trilogy about Venus and her sisters, which (of course!) I didn't realize until the end. However, the book stands alone well. But I might just want to go back and read the others.