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.
