Publication: 7th November 2023 – Headline Eternal
The sainted Miss Venus was up to something – and he was damned if that didn’t intrigue him.
Venus Merriwell knows exactly what she wants in a husband: a selfless academic, free from all the wretched vices of her gambling father. Unfortunately, at twenty-three and after several romantic disappointments, the one true love of her life is a bursting-at-the-seams Covent Garden orphanage that desperately needs to expand into the empty building next door.
Gambling isn’t just Galahad Sinclair’s life, it’s in his blood. Following a childhood in a New York tavern, he’s spent the last five years making a success out of his East End gaming hall and saving for the pleasure palace of his dreams in Covent Garden. The only fly in his ointment? His perfect building just happens to be right next door to Venus’s orphanage.
With Venus’s malevolent orphans doing their darndest to sabotage Galahad’s lifelong dream, the two soon find themselves locking horns. Will either of them ever take the ultimate gamble and learn to love their neighbour?
I loved the Merriwell Sisters series from the very beginning and I have been looking forward to the final book, Never Wager with a Wallflower, whose protagonist is the youngest sister, Venus “Vee”.
When she was 14 years old, Vee had dreams of romance and a husband who would love her above everything else. But after many failures and disappointments, Vee has had enough. She is no longer looking for love and she would happily settle for a husband she could have good conversations with and who loves books as much as her. Unfortunately, the only option seems to be a boring and pompous viscount. Luckily, her work at the orphanage keeps her busy and distracted, especially since Galahad Sinclair is always around to goad her and challenge her.
Never Wager with a Wallflower is a fantastic ending to a brilliant series. I have been waiting for Vee and Gal’s book since their first disastrous and hilarious meeting in Never Rescue a Rogue. I expected sparkles to fly between these two characters and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved how well Venus, who loves books and is a master at card games, has developed since the first book. Just like her sisters, she’s been burnt by their father’s abandonment and betrayal, but she’s found her foot volunteering in the orphanage. On the other hand, after the death of his grandfather and his mother, Gal hasn’t found a place to call home, but he’s determined to make a success of his gaming hall, even if it means to collide with Vee. As they exchange witty banter and challenge each other at card games, they realize they have more in common than they expected.
An enemies-to-lovers romance, a meddling found family, and an ending that left me slightly emotional, Never Wager with a Wallflower is engaging and immersive and I couldn’t recommend it enough!
A huge thank you to Headline Eternal and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Twenty-one books and two Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, and it still takes her forever to fall asleep.
Book After Book 