This was a very fun, if mildly forgettable, read.

All’s Fair in Love and War follows Georgie, a young woman who attended a prestigious school for governesses. For her first job, she is hired by Harry Kincaid, a navy captain whose flighty older sister has just dumped her three children on him while she goes on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Egypt. As Georgie and Harry clash over the best approach to raising three children unaccustomed to structure, sparks fly between them and they (of course) end up falling for each other).

Going into this, there were a lot of aspects that I was looking forward to. I love regency romances, I thought that the conflicting attitudes between Georgie and the captain sounded so fun, and I always adore books with children as significant characters (especially when romance book protagonists are thrust together to take care of children, à la The Long Game and Things We Never Got Over). It definitely did deliver on all of those points, and there certainly wasn’t much that I disliked about the book. My only real complaint is that the romance is a little insta-love-y for my taste, but even that didn’t bother me as much as it usually does.

Georgie is a wonderful protagonist—I loved her values, her conviction and confidence, and her rebellious streak. I also ended up really enjoying Captain Kincaid—he grew on me a lot more than I expected, and becomes much more likable once you understand how his childhood made him the way that he is. The children are all adorable and established as distinct characters, and I really enjoyed the dog character as well.

I think that my primary issue here is just that I can’t with all honesty say that I will ever think about this book again. It’s an enjoyable read, and I certainly had fun with it, but it’s just not going to stick with me. There wasn’t quite enough chemistry between the protagonists, character development, or plot to make this book something I will return to. I would still definitely recommend it if it sounds up your alley—I truly do not have any real complaints about it. It just did not click with me enough to make it memorable, and for that I can’t give it any more than 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.