REVIEW: All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath
A new Regency romp of a series, about 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 the flighty older sister of former naval captain, Henry Kincaid, decides on a whim to accompany her explorer husband on an expedition to Egypt, he finds himself unwittingly left in the lurch with her three unruly children and her giant, mad dog. With no clue how to manage the little rascals, a busy career at the Admiralty that requires all of his attention, and no idea when his sister is coming back, Harry has to hire an emergency governess to ensure that everything in his ordered house continues to run shipshape. In desperation, he goes to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls prepared to pay whatever it takes to get a governess quick sharp to bring order to the chaos.
Thanks to her miserable, strict upbringing, fledgling governess Georgina Rowe does not subscribe to the ethos that children should be seen and not heard. She believes childhood should be everything that 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 ethos. Their staid, stickler-for-the-rules uncle, however, is another matter entirely…
Dear Virginia Heath,
I have a soft spot for a governess romance so I thought I’d give this a try. I believe it’s my first of your books.
All’s Fair in Love and War begins with a prologue of Georgie Rowe arriving at Miss Prentice’s School for Girls after her military stepfather sends her away (Georgie’s mother had previously died and she and her stepfather were far from close). There is some mystery about exactly how Miss Prentice finds the girls she decides to offer a place in her school to – perhaps more will be revealed in future books in the series but I still had a few questions about it by the end of this one.
However, Georgie’s arrival at the school has little to do with the main story. It introduces the school and the four girls who started at the same time and became firm and immediate friends, as well as the eponymous matriarch of the school who becomes something of a non-religious mother superior-type figure to her charges. The book picks up some years later, when Georgie has finished her studies but has still not found employment – she doesn’t get past the interview because she’s too outspoken. Fairly miraculously in the circumstances, Georgie is occupied at the school teaching some classes and still lives there. It’s a very unusual school.
Captain Henry (Harry) Kincaid is most put out when his flighty sister and brother-in-law decide to travel to Egypt to try and find the source of the Nile and before doing so, deposit their three children and very large dog in Harry’s care. Harry grew up in chaos and is not a big fan of it in his life. He prides himself on order and routine and discipline. He does however love his sister and his nieces and nephew even though they challenge most of what he holds dear. I admit I found it a little bit of a strange juxtaposition because he clearly does adore these children but the rest of the character we are introduced to doesn’t quite fit with that affection. Harry is extremely busy in his work at the Admiralty and is working very long hours – he obviously needs urgent help with the children so he calls on Miss Prentice for a temporary governess.
And that’s how Georgie comes to be the governess of the Pendleton children in Harry’s care. Miss Prentice has long since been urging Georgie to keep her mouth shut about her progressive ideas on education and go along to get along. As trust builds between her and her employer (or as her employer ignores her after a while, whichever comes first), she can then implement her educational strategies quietly behind the scenes. Georgie, desperate to actually get a job after years of searching, determines to bite her tongue. A lot.
She is immediately challenged by the strict routine Harry has crafted for the children and the exacting standards he appears to expect. Her own experience with a rigid and unloving military stepfather also impact her initial feeling for Harry but over the course of the book, Harry relaxes and Georgie, while getting her way in most all things, comes to understand why Harry is the way he is.
There is increasing accord and attraction between Harry and Georgie, who are aided by benevolently interfering servants and friends to help them find their HEA. Along the way, there are also various hijinks involving the children and the dog.
Harry is ultimately, a big ole’ softie and, it turns out, much of his rigidity came from fear and also from learned behaviours from his strict and exacting grandfather. Georgie’s ideas aren’t all that radical (albeit they may have been for the time); make learning fun, use the outdoors and art and excursions to add interest, no corporal punishment, treat the children well, etc. Ultimately, there’s nothing there for Harry to disagree with.
There’s a certain humour to the book which I think will mean that some readers will love this and others, not as much. For me, I fell somewhere into the middle ground. I enjoyed the book well enough but I found the comedy of it a little too cute most of the time, based as it was on too-tight breeches, unruly nipples and set pieces involving the dog, frogs and bathtubs. The cover, gives a very good idea for readers about what to expect from All’s Fair in Love and War actually.
Grade: C+
Regards,
Kaetrin
“Unruly nipples” made me laugh! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this book, @Kaetrin.
@Kareni: That made me laugh, too.
@Kareni: @Jayne: The humour may work well for you – that’s a direct quote!