Lady Violet Gray and Lord James Audley, although married and still love each other, have not been on speaking terms for four years due to a misunderstanding and miscommunication. When Violet receives notice of her husbands accident, she immediately gets her carriage to go see him. James, on the other hand heads for home. They meet half way and Violet is less than please to see that he is well and she was not informed. Thus starts a wonderfully comedic set of instances where Violet is determined to make James think she is very ill so he will experience the worry that she had, thinking he was dying. Needless to say, all does not go smoothly. Great fun.

This rom-com is set in Regency England. Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley meet, fall in love and get married. Unfortunately with 5 years of marriage "under their belt" in truth they only had one good year of matrimonial bliss. The next 4 years produced each of them trying to outdo the other,with battles, revenge and not talking to one another. Was this premise a good one? Did I enjoy this "rom-com" from Merry Old England? The answer is no. Where was the "rom" in this rom-com. In fact, I didn't find it amusing either. I waited a long time for this book after I requested it, it wasn't worth it. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A husband and wife that have been forced into a marriage after being discovered on a balcony alone engage in a one up battle with each other after an argument. After once being truly in love early on in their marriage, they have spent four year barely acknowledging each others existence. It all comes to a head as they try to out-do each other in a battle of making the other person regret their actions.

I had such high hopes for To Have and To Hoax, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I wanted it to be witty batter between a husband and wife, however I found myself cringing everytime Violet thought to herself about how she would want to stab her husband. I understand that this was meant tongue-in-cheek but it left me wincing nonetheless. Four years seems like a long time for them to barely be civil without trying to work out their differences like adults all while living under the same roof. Even their friends were pointing out how childish their actions were throughout the whole story.

I did enjoy Martha Water’s writing and enjoyed the ending. She did a great job writing the steamy scenes. This is her debut novel and I will be excited to read more books from her. I think perhaps the arguing was a bit triggering for me. I give this a 3 out of 5 stars. Look for this one out on April 7th 2020. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A really fun story - liked this lovers to enemies to lovers arc a lot, and I'd love to read more from this author. She did a great job of building up all the characters, including the side characters. The writing felt fresh and was enjoyable.

Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea. I didn't get very attached to the characters and the story. The writing style was great but it just was not for me.

Super cute! This was a nice twist on a romance since the main characters were already married. I hope to see more books with these characters.

3.5 stars. My first time reading this author. I really wanted to like this book much more than I actually did, found it a little slow and lacking substance and left me wondering about other secondary characters and their promises.

This was a lively romp through the ridiculous game engaged in by this couple. As ridiculous and childish as the game was, the reader longs for these two basically charming, sane, husband and wife to find their HEA. But they keep digging themselves in a deeper and deeper hole.

I truly enjoyed every melodrama that turned up on almost every page. This plot was well written and I would have given it more than 5-stars (if I could) if not for wanting to shake the heroine out of her machinations. At about 60% I was tired of the games. The characters were well drawn. Violet and James were easy to like and to understand their ongoing feud. The side characters were ripe for future books of their own. I can highly recommend this first book by Martha Waters and I hope for more fun HR's in the future..

Had the publisher not reached out to me about this book, it probably would have missed my radar altogether. I haven’t seen the title on any upcoming lists, I hadn’t hear of this debut author, and in all honesty, one look at that cover and I would have skipped right over this (please can it get a makeover?). That being said, I am extremely thankful that I received that email about this upcoming rom-com, otherwise I would have missed out on this brilliantly written, laugh-out-loud funny, hate-to-love story.

What is this book about? To Love and to Hoax is a the best of two genres: rom-com meets historical romance. After an argument led to a falling out between them and cold detachment between the couple for the past four years, James and Violet begin a series of hoaxes and manipulation in the attempt to up-stage one another while insisting there are no feelings left between them. To Love and to Hoax is a second-chance romance story full of pranks, miscommunication, and a plethora of angst and sexual tension. Basically, everything I love best.

What did I like? Everything. I found both James and Violet to be delightful characters, each with their own problems that need to be worked through, and I loved watching their character growth both separately and has a couple. The antics the two of them create with the intention of vexing the other spouse were childish, yet totally believable. Although I am not married myself, I have heard from others on more than one occasion the kind of immaturity people get up to with their spouses that stem from a place of miscommunication and frustration.

The book also had a cast of lovely side characters! I’m really hoping the author decides to continue writing stories about James and Violet’s friends; I’d especially love a story about West and Sophie or Jeremy and Diana! Martha Waters is a debut author, but her writing was absolutely spectacular. I really look forward to reading more from her in the future.

What didn’t I like? Honestly, the only thing I didn’t enjoy about the novel is the cover. Literally that’s it.

Overall thoughts: I loved everything about this: the clever plot, the superb writing, the steamy romance, and the the humor. Martha Waters has written a fantastic hate-to-love rekindled romance that I’m so thankful was brought to my attention by the publisher. I really do think the book needs a new cover however, if only because a lot of people judge books by the cover (even though we swear we don’t) and I truly believe a revamped cover will up this book get the attention that it deserves.

Nietzsche said, “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” To Have and to Hoax does not lack for friendship, alas it is not between the marriage between Violet and James. However, the camaraderie between Violet and James' gaggle of friends are perfect examples of squad goals. But, the star of this tome is the back and forth between the main characters. The banter is quick and light, but with enough zip that will have you tucking a few zingers away for later. This book is heralded as a romantic comedy, but the snark is not of the laugh out loud variety and the charade not absurd enough to fall into camp. It provides enough eye gazing and chemistry to hit all the romantic notes and the "together times" are satisfying without being too graphic, but still delivers the heat. Nonetheless, the premise of marital discord is a bit too ridiculous, even by rom-com standards, the conclusion is a bit too prolonged to be satisfyingly succinct (it's like enough already), also there is a whole lotta sniffing going on (once is different, twice is okay keep things even, three times, that's weird).
Still, for a first novel, To Have and to Hoax is a pleasurable read that will hopefully yield more from this author.

For fans of Julia Quinn and Jasmine Guillory? Sign me up! I have been skewing more towards contemporary fiction lately, but this pulled me right back to my Regency roots. I have been in a bit of a reading rut lately... having a hard time feeling emotionally connected to characters, not feeling invested, etc. Not with this one though! I immediately wanted to know James and Violet's story, and could not put the book down. I loved following their hijinks and tricks even though I wanted to scream at them to talk to each other. Lots of laughs, cringeworthy embarrassing moments, interesting supporting characters, and of course a fantastic love story make this a highly recommend from me.

I received an email from the publisher inviting me to download an advance copy of this book, despite the fact that I have only ever reviewed contemporary romances; I am by no means an expert on Regencies, so I went with the assumption that this meant "To Have and to Hoax" is not just going to be aimed at readers who are already big Regency fans. And indeed, the book & the characters in "To Have and to Hoax" do feel quite contemporary, despite the 19th century setting. That was fine with me; I will leave it to others to determine if the novel contains historical inaccuracies!

"To Have and to Hoax" takes the well-worn "enemies to lovers" trope and applies it to a young married couple, James & Violet, who have barely spoken in the past four years, following a huge fight. It takes a while for the reader to discover just what led to this estrangement, but it quickly becomes obvious that there were a lot of misunderstandings involved. Perhaps in a novel set in modern day, the pair would simply split up, but that wasn't really an option for a couple of aristocrats. When Violet receives a letter stating that James was injured in a horseback riding accident, she rushes to his side, only to find him in perfect health (the result of yet another misunderstanding!). So then she decides she'll pretend she's ill in order to get back at him. It's all a rather childish game, but Waters does do an effective job of digging into James' past and showing how his difficult relationship with his father ultimately caused him to lose trust in his wife.

The prose is frequently rather clichéd ("he felt ready to burst out of his own skin," "her body [was] drawn to his like a moth to a flame," etc.), but overall, I found the book to be a fun and cozy read, and I genuinely wanted Violet & James to overcome their challenges and rekindle their relationship.

An additional purchase in public libraries where regency/historical romances are popular. I thought the premise of the story sounded fun, but it took a while to get going, and it wasn't really until the final third to quarter of the book that I started to care about our protagonists, and then just as quickly I found their stubbornness to communicate tiresome. The steamy scenes (there were basically two) were well done but ultimately I had a hard time getting invested and rooting for these two.

This book was really adorable. Such a cute, lighthearted story where you wanted to find out what happened in the past and how it was all going to turn out. The antics of the main characters were engaging and exasperating. The boom was really clean as far as language, however while most of the boom was pretty closed door it took a turn halfway with a few fairly graphic scenes. Also, the book could have been about fifty pages shorter in my opinion. Overall though a quick, fun read that I'd recommend.

Some people will enjoy this book and other won’t have the patience for it. That is ok. I enjoyed it, but was also frequently asking myself why I kept on going. I was an addict that couldn’t stop. I think that shows some talent of the story. It’s about a married couple that basically just won’t talk to each other about what really is going on so shenanigans ensue. The characters were likable, but I also felt the need to shake them frequently. Secondary characters were on par. I would definitely read more books from this series.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this historical romance. Both Violet and James are fordable forces to be reckoned with. A misunderstanding draws them a part for 4 years and one Iill conceived accident prompts a hilarious and blood thirsty plot for revenge. While I did think that it dragged on a bit too much it had the effect it intended. They desperately craved the attention and love from the other and created arguments in order to stay connected. Plenty of angst and laughs. Bravo.

"To Have and to Hoax" is an adorable, sweet romance that was a delight to read! The chemistry between the main characters leaps off the page, and the variety of hilarious situations they find themselves in just makes this book so enjoyable. Even the supporting characters were delightful. I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one sitting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

TO HAVE AND TO HOAX was billed as an hilarious historical RomCom. While I didn’t find it laugh out loud hilarious, it was a good book and a fair Romantic Comedy set many moons ago.

Violet and James met on a balcony and as is in the way of many romance books, fell into instant attraction. Married quick, they had one blissful year before an argument neither could let go of destroyed their wedded bliss.

Fast forward 5 years and Violet hears word her husband has been thrown from a horse and in unconscious. Thoughts he may die with the fight looming between them send her traipsing off the countryside to his supposed deathbed. Well, he’s neither dying nor in bed. And to make matters worse, he doesn’t even understand how horrible she felt about him possibly going to his maker.

What to do, what to do? Violet sets out to make James feel as badly as she did when she thought he was dying by constructing a plot whereby he will think she has consumption ( a sure killer in the time period the book is set in).

If you’ve ever seen the episode of FRIENDS where They don’t know we know they know we know, you can guess James discovers fairly quick his wife’s plot. What ensues is a mix of revenge, remorse, and reconciliation only to have the two of them wind up even more confused and frustrated with the other than ever.

I did enjoy this book. A lot. In fact, I read it in one sitting because the writing was effortless and easy, the story told perfectly, and the characters real and full-fledged. Brava.

4 stars from me. Thank you to netgalley for allowing me a sneak peak at such a fun book!

DNF. I really tried, but I couldn't connect with the characters. I love historical romance and reunited lovers is a trope I enjoy. But because Violet and James came off as vapid, frivolous, privileged, spoiled children with bad dads, I found little enjoyment in this book.

This book is described as a rom-com though I didn't find it to be such. James and Violet were so petty and immature to each other I felt no sympathy for either of them and found little humor in their actions. Really, all they needed to do was sit down and TALK.

I read to relax and for escapism, but as I read further through this book I kept getting irritated and more annoyed, definitely not relaxing.

I loved the whole book from start to finish. Violet wants to teach her husband a lesson after she runs to his bed side, thinking he is near death only to find him up and about at the same inn she has stopped at. This leads to a humorous back and forth between husband and wife. I read it so quickly wanting to find out how their marriage would over come each mess the two seemed to put each other in. So funny and real!