Look Before You Leap
A Novel
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this hilarious second installment of a Regency romance series, a single lord is forced to settle down...and when a houseparty brings a happy-go-lucky lady's companion his way, his grumpy heart is unexpectedly warmed.
Nine years ago, Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount Wennington, was publicly humiliated by a failed and reckless romantic gesture. Despite this, his mother clings to the promise he made her then: that she would have a house full of grandchildren by his thirtieth birthday. Still single, embittered, and swiftly approaching thirty, Guy's work is his life. In desperation, his mother blindsides Guy with a weeklong house party at his estate filled with annoying debutantes, all competing to be his wife.
After failing as a governess, Lottie Travers is struggling as a lady’s companion. Raised in an all-male household, she’s developed habits that get her dismissed. Even after years of Miss Prentice’s teachings of how to be a lady, she climbs trees better than she embroiders and can’t resist riding horses astride, in breeches. But with the family farm in trouble, and her father now in dire need of her wages, she’s determined to conquer her wildness once and for all.
Even with his home full of eligible women, there is only one who catches Guy’s eye—though he tries to deny it. For Lottie, succeeding in her new role proves difficult when the Wennington estate is filled with horses, and a spark ignites between her and the grumpy lord. Will they remain stuck in their ways, or learn that they may just be the perfect match?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
Customer Reviews
A Joy to Read!
“Look Before You Leap” is book 2 of Virginia Heath’s Miss Prentice’s Protegees series. This book can be read as a standalone, and if you haven’t read book 1 yet, just go ahead and read this book first anyway because it is utterly delightful! The characters are so much fun, and the author has a wonderful sense of humor. The story is set in Regency England. Lottie Travers has been trained by Miss Prentice as a governess, but due to her unconventional spirit she has been fired from her last 2 jobs as governess. Now she is a newly hired paid companion to the curmudgeonly aunt to Guy, who is also Viscount Wennington. Almost a decade earlier, Guy had his heart broken in a publicly humiliating way and has since shunned public occasions as well as avoided finding love again. But his despairing mother and the aforementioned curmudgeonly aunt conspire to have him meet over a dozen eligible young ladies at a surprise birthday party in honor of his 30th birthday. Well, our spirited heroine can’t help catching Guy’s notice, and that’s when the fireworks and laughs begin! I enjoyed this book so much that I’m already wondering when the next book will be released! I am grateful for this opportunity to read this ARC from Netgalley.