Never Wager with a Wallflower

A Novel (The Merriwell Sisters, Book 3)

By: Virginia Heath

Narrated by: Sebastian Brown, Sasha Higgins

Never Wager with a Wallflower is the third and final delightful installment in the Merriwell Sister's Regency rom-com series.

Miss Venus Merriwell has been waiting for her prince to come since the tender age of fourteen. She wants a man who is selfless, academic like her, and free from all the wretched vices her gambler father enjoyed far too much before he left the Merriwell sisters practically destitute. Unfortunately, after a slew of romantic disappointments, there is still no sign of that prince at twenty-three and the only one true love of her life is the bursting-at-the-seams orphanage in Covent Garden that she works tirelessly for. An orphanage that desperately needs to expand into the empty building next door.

For Galahad Sinclair, gambling isn’t just his life, it’s in his blood. He grew up and learned the trade at his grandfather’s knee in a tavern on the far away banks of the Hudson in New York. But when fate took all that away and dragged him across the sea to London, it made sense to set up shop here. He’s spent five years making a success out of his gaming hell in the sleazy docks of the East End. Enough that he can finally afford to buy the pleasure palace of his dreams—and where better than in the capital’s sinful heart, Covent Garden? The only fly in his ointment is the perfect building he’s just bought to put it in also happens to be right next door to the orphanage run by his cousin’s wife’s youngest sister. A pious, disapproving and unsettling siren he has avoided like the plague since she flattened him five years ago…

While Venus and Galahad lock horns over practically everything, and while her malevolent orphans do their darndest to sabotage his lifelong dream, can either of them take the ultimate gamble—and learn to love thy neighbor?

©2023 Virginia Heath (P)2023 Random House Audio

Venus is insufferable

I did not like Ve’s character or the woman narrating her parts. The rest of the series was a delight though.

Female narrator disappointing

I made it through to chapter 9 but I can't stand the female narrator's attempt on speaking the male role. Very poorly done and unbearable.

Annoying heroine

I liked the hero enough and there were aspects of the heroine that I appreciated, but the first half of the book was pretty annoying becausejj of the heroine’s sanctimonious and unbending nature. The second half of the book was much better. I still really like Virginia Heath, and the series as a whole but this was my least favorite of the series.

ADORABLE

Such a cute conclusion to the Merriwell Sisters' series! Adored Venus and Gal's witty banter and fun flirting - there was mutual pining, loved how the orphan's played a big part in the story, and just overall enjoyed this easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP Romance for an e-ARC of this book - all opinions are my own!

Thoroughly entertaining!

I loved the first two books in the series and I found this book so enjoyable as well. Dear reader, please don’t be swayed by some of the negative reviews here! I found nothing wrong with the narrator and I found the story and the characters charming. But then again, I listen to books as stress relief, not to poke holes! So if you want a book that will make you smile, I recommend this!

Thrilling conclusion to a lovely series

I devoured this novel in a day and loved it immensely. I read the series from the beginning and found all the characters' growth and the conclusion to be very fulfilling and wholesome.
The male narrator, Sebastian Brown, took time to get used to, but as the chapters progressed, he sounded much more confident and "one" with Galahad as a character.
Even though the action was tame, and cards not so intense, I found myself at the edge of my seat still.

I don't usually leave reviews, but I thought the very first review left here was lacking in some charity and grace. Vee is a dynamic character, meaning she changes, so of course she could be seen as quite bull-headed in the beginning. She reminds me a lot of some young women I know and found myself empathizing with her many times. She's only 22 for goodness sake-- She acts her age and in general, Heath does an amazing job of writing consistent characters that reflect their personal experience, trauma, and nature, as sometimes, their reactions no matter how infuriating make absolute sense for the characters and that is exactly the point.

It's difficult for me to decide a favorite from the series between this book or the previous novel following Giles and Diana. I would reread both gladly (sorry, Minerva, I loved the first book but I am not besotted enough) I definitely look forward to Virginia Heath's next books and hope they are just as satisfying as these ones.

Read, don’t listen

Though Venus is a bit frustrating at times, the story was still a fun way to end the trilogy, but the narration was tough to listen to. The female narrator didn’t do a good male voice and the male narrator kept slipping back into a British accent (especially on his “o” vowels) when reading for an American protagonist. I recommend just reading it as a traditional novel.

Narrators disappointing but cute series

I love this series, but this was my least favorite story (not much suspense) and narration (both narrators had trouble voicing the opposite sex).

Female narrator was not good!!

The female narrator in this was so bad at her accents. If it had not been the third and final book in this series. I’m not sure I could have finished it! while this was not my favorite of the series it was a cute book Venus was a bit hard to like at times, but still liked the story.

An absolute delight!

I adored Venus. The last of the Merriwell sisters left unwed, but she is also perhaps the busiest. What with her career at the orphanage. Her children come first, and they are enough for her. Except when Galahad is around. Seeing these two battle their attraction was fun and witty. The battle of wills oft across the family dinner table providing good laughs and the will they/won’t they nature of the story built great tension. This story is lighthearted, witty and just plain fun!