Review - - Pride Comes Before a Fall

Pride Comes Before a Fall

by Virginia Heath

Miss Prentice's Protegees - Book 3

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: July 28, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

Despite his many responsibilities, there is nothing Leopold Sloane, the 11th Duke of Debden, takes more seriously than the safety of those he loves. When one of his sisters is injured at a protest rally, he drags his family to Bath for the summer to keep his reckless and rebellious siblings out of harm’s way. The only flaw in his plan is his overwhelming but inexplicable attraction to the new chaperone he has hired to watch out for them. An outspoken conundrum of a woman who soon causes him more trouble than both his sisters combined...but who calls to his soul regardless.

From the moment Portia Kendall read her first revolutionary pamphlet beneath her bedcovers at Miss Prentice’s School for Girls, she realized that her true calling was to make the world a fairer place for the masses downtrodden by the aristocracy. A calling that led her to Equitas, a radical newspaper that champions reform. But as Portia discovers, writing doesn’t pay the bills. To make a living, she must push aside her principles and serve the very people she criticizes weekly in her column. A temporary position as a chaperone in the home of a pompous duke seems like the perfect way to earn enough to follow her heart. Unfortunately, the duke who hires her seems to be more dashing and noble than pompous and soon begins to call to her heart too—as much as she tries to deny it. But dare she risk her principles for love or will her pride always come before a fall?

PJ's Thoughts:

Pride Comes Before a Fall follows another graduate of Miss Prentice's School for Girls as she makes her way into the world, tumbling into unexpected love along the way. While this third book of the series has some humorous scenes, overall it's tone is decidedly more serious than the previous two. 

There's some snappy banter between Portia and Leo as well as chemistry but there's also plenty of conflict. Leo is an overprotective brother who believes his way is always the right way. Portia is a political reformer who pens opinion pieces for an underground newspaper taking the aristocracy to task for rampant inequality and unfair treatment of those citizens without the rights of the "quality." 

Both are obstinately set in their ways which leads to some tense situations and more than a few frustrating points in the book where I was tempted to give up on them but they do, eventually, unbend enough to finally work things out. 

Complicated family dynamics also play a part in the ongoing evolution of the main characters. Leo's mother was one of my favorite characters. I loved how she took her son to task and also how she supported and advocated for Portia. 

While the humor wasn't as pronounced in this book (no laugh out loud moments for me), there was considerable depth as Leo and Portia needed to grow as characters, opening their minds, hearts, and willingness to compromise before they could claim their happy ending. 

While Pride Comes Before a Fall isn't my favorite of the series, it's still a solid read with complex characters, intriguing history, complicated family dynamics, and a hard-won happy ending. 

Review - - Bottled Up

Bottled Up

by Liberty Stowe

Vogel Springs Collection - Book 2

Publisher: RubertBossier

Release Date: July 28, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

One canceled pastry chef.

One rising wine maker.

One savory scandal!

Just in time for summer—Steady Now author Liberty Stowe, brings you Bottled Up—an interconnected standalone and book two of the Vogel Springs Collection.

A slow-burn, high-heat, small-town romance where an infamous pastry chef and an international winemaker find themselves bound by one contract and the press they can’t avoid.

It’s been over nine months. I thought they were done with photos of me, at the very least. There’s got to be a more tragic story to print than mine.

I’m not hiding. I’m rebuilding. On my terms.

The headlines scream, World-Renowned Pastry Chef Delilah Mueller Flees Manhattan… but I’ve got one hell of a secret that won’t make it to print.

I’m going back home. To my roots. And they don’t know where home is - until the quiet reset awaiting me in Vogel Springs is interrupted by a swarm of media and everything I’ve been avoiding. Courtesy of world-renowned winemaker, August Montenegro.

What are the odds two planes from different continents would land in the same airport. Seeking the same Texas town. It’s not even on a proper map, and yet they’ve found me… and so has he.

A stranger with crystal pools for eyes that sparkle like the Caribbean under the sun when they meet mine. A man who is standing in the middle of a crowd of press I would do anything to avoid.

If I don’t keep my distance from August Montenegro, I’ll hurt everyone I love… him. I’ll hurt him, too.

PJ's Thoughts:

I've fallen hard for this small Texas town and its residents. With strong elements of community, friendship, complicated family dynamics, snappy banter, and unexpected romance, I was drawn into the lives of August and Delilah, eagerly turning pages from start to finish. 

The mystery of why Delilah returned home unfolds organically throughout the story, as does her relationship with August and her eventual healing. Both lead characters have emotional trauma to deal with which provides depth to their characters as well as the journeys they travel. 

The secondary characters give additional texture to the overall story, helping to move the plot forward while also injecting humor along with business conflict that morphs into solid friendship. I really enjoyed those friendships, both the ones that originated in childhood along with those that formed during the story. I especially liked the way they all came together to support August, Delilah, and Anderson (a key secondary character) working to outsmart the devious obstacles standing in the way of their business success and personal happy endings. 

The details about vineyards and winemaking were especially interesting to me. Stowe did a great job of offering the information naturally through August's actions without making it seem like a lecture or information dump. I felt like I was out there in the vineyard with him, learning the ins and outs right along with the other characters. 

Bottled Up is the second book in Liberty Stowe's Vogel Springs Collection. It stands well on its own but for readers who have already read book one, Steady Now (like me), it's also a fun reunion with several characters who featured in the earlier book and have significant roles in book two. It's always enjoyable to catch up with couples a few years down the road from their own happily ever after.

I'm already looking forward to the next Vogel Springs book. I have my eye on two particular secondary characters and have my fingers crossed that it will be their story.