With TO LOVE AND TO LOATHE, the second in the REGENCY VOWS series by Martha Waters, follows widowed Diana and the infamous rake Jeremy as they embark on a mutual agreement: for Jeremy to receive feedback about his…performance…white Diana gets to explore her sexuality (as her older husband didn’t seem to interested in the martial bed). However, these two have bickered for as long as they’ve known each other. Does that make this enemies to lovers…friends to lovers? Who knows.

This was a cute novel - a standalone, even if part of a larger series. I loved how this regency-era woman was taking charge of her life and her sexuality, even if the ton frowned on her flirtatious nature.

And the ending y’all. It is cute. It is swoon-worthy.

TO LOVE AND TO LOATHE is out April 6, but you can grab the first novel in the series, TO HAVE AND TO HOAX, now! Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the eARC to review!

CW // death of a family member; death of a spouse

There is a lot to enjoy with this story. It’s a fun enemies to lovers romance filled to the brim with lots of delicious banter. Plus the side characters are delightful additions that help enrich the story and the main characters. But the best part is the gorgeous writing. The prose is crisp and witty and kept the story flowing beautifully.

Not as fun as the first one and I couldn't bring myself to finish. I think I struggled with the pact premise. DNF.

Maybe 2.5 stars

After reading the first book in the series and thinking it was pretty good, I was looking forward to the next book – especially since both Jeremy and Diana seemed likable in that book.

Basically, Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham has been told by his former mistress that he isn’t up to snuff in the bedroom and as a rake with a reputation to uphold, he needs to find out if this true or just his ex being spiteful. Enter Diana, the widowed Lady Templeton, she is thinking that she might be ready to take a lover and an affair at a house party with Jeremy will alert other men that Diana is fair game. As an added twist, Jeremy and Diana have made a bet that Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will fess up £100 – so while she is engaged in this affair, she is also trying to win the bet – by means fair or foul.

The writing was good and the premise was fun, so I really wanted to like the book, but OMG – Diana was such a nasty, rotten person for most of the book that I wanted Jeremy to fall in love with someone else! And when he fell in love with her I just had to wonder about his mental acuity. Diana did so many things that were just plain mean and hurtful, the greatest of these being outing a friend who shared a secret that had the potential of not only ruining them but possibly causing legal ramifications or even death. After that, I was done and didn’t want her to get her HEA and nothing thereafter changed my mind. This is the second book in the series and honestly, I am not sure if I would read another book in this series. But that is just my personal opinion and the writing was good – so by all means, read the book and decide for yourself.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

3.5/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I have a few mixed feelings about this book. I did enjoy my time reading it. The chemestry was good, The characters were ok. I just feel like the story went on a little too long. I found that after a little while I got a little bored because there wasnt much happening plot wise. Overall it was an cute, easy to read and I had a great time.

I am so sad to report that this book didn't click with me, whatsoever. I hate leaving bad reviews, especially for new authors. I really appreciate the amount of work that went into this book and I hate to be disparaging about it for that reason. However, I can't in good conscience give this book more than two stars based on my reviewing system to date, based on the following reasons:

*I wasn't invested in the characters.
This was a big one. I was half-heartedly (at best) rooting for the two main characters the entire time. They're just not that sympathetic OR captivating. I think the author tried her best to make them both "victims of their time" but I also felt like they were WAY too self-aware of that fact, as well. It felt too unbelievable.

*I have read A Rogue of One's Own.
Another big one. This story felt like a really watered down version of that book. I loved that one and this just didn't come close to hooking me or making me feel what I did while reading that one. The characters, the setting, the love scenes, none of it came close to what A Rogue of One's Own accomplished, unfortunately.

*FILLER.
Another big one. I think this might actually be the biggest reason why I didn't connect with this book. There was SO much filler. It felt so boring and repetitive to be in Diana's head (And Jeremy's, too, honestly.) I actually skimmed some pages and that's basically sacrilege to me.

*Side characters.
This one was less important, but it was irksome when I was trying my hardest to care about the characters. It was entirely too clear that they were all there simply to facilitate the "love story" of Diana and Jeremy. They didn't feel important, special, or even very interesting. And I actually can't believe they were all still invested in the boring thing happening between Diana and Jeremy, to be honest.. It sounded like most of them had more important things to think about, really. I think Emily's story sounded a lot more interesting than this one! Or even Penvale, trying to win back his ancestral land! That genuinely sounded more interesting, too.

Which leads me to..

*There's no actual conflict.
This happens quite a bit in romance and it's always disappointing. They are the only ones standing in their way! In fact, everyone around them is encouraging. They are of equal enough station. Nobody has to overcome anything to make it happen. Just their own stubbornness, that is based in.... nothing. They have just decided to be pseudo-enemies, which even *they* recognize as flirting.


To be fair, I think a lot of people will enjoy this book. I just read a lot of similar books, so the bar has basically been set already. I felt similarly about "The Heiress Gets a Duke." They're not inherently bad, they just don't compare to Evie Dunmore's series for me personally.


Thank you to #Netgalley and #Atria for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book will be released on April 6th, 2021.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. Historical romance is not my usual genre, but this one was enjoyable! This book follows Diana and Jeremy. He was friends with her brother growing up so they've known each other forever and had a flirtatious relationship but it never became anything. Now they're adults and she had the goal of marrying for money because she came from humble beginnings and she was successful in doing so, but then a couple years later was widowed. Jeremy has yet to take a wife and so one night they strike up a bet. She says he'll be married within a year or she will give him 100 pounds. He has no desire to marry so he's eager to take the bet. Shortly thereafter he propositions her to start a physical relationship because one of his last escapades said he was bad in bed. She agrees because she wants to establish the precedent that she's ready "open for business" and ready to gain experience. I thought that was a little interesting, but didn't pull me out of the story. I liked our main character and thought she was very empowered. Both of the characters felt very modern in a historical setting so it made this book easy to read as a non-historical lover. The rest of the book follows as you'd assume. They've got these bets and start a physical relationship that turns to love and voila! It's got good banter and a fun tone. Overall I'd recommend this book if you're into the series or this author!

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book by @netgalley and @atriabooks in exchange for my honest review.
About a year ago I read @marthabwaters first book, To Have and To Hoax, and really enjoyed it, so when I was invited to read this one, I was super excited! This one again was filled with great banter and fun characters! It's a light hearted, quick romance story! It is a sequel of sorts to her first book, although the main characters are different. Both books follow the same core group of friends. I don't think you NEED to read the first to enjoy this, but I gave both of them four stars!
If you enjoy fun romance stories, you'll enjoy this one! It doesn't come out until April 6th, so you still have time to read the first book beforehand! 😁
#NetGalley

This book was a BLAST. I loved it. I did not read the first in the series and for that I am very sad, because I can already tell I'm going to love it (trust me, it's on my tbr).

This book was sweet, steamy, laugh out loud funny, and feminist without feeling like forced feminism. This trend (although to call it a trend makes me feel like it will end, and I truly hope it never goes away) of feminist, consent-seeking period heroes and heroines is so REFRESHING, Too many romance books of old have consent that is questionable at best (esp. where half of the couple says no but like.....really enjoys it so they MUST HAVE IMPLIED CONSENT), and more and more romance books now have scenes where consent is gained and I. LOVE. IT. I also really appreciated that the impact of power and it's effects on a relationship (and the ability of a woman to say no) was explored.

The humor in this book was delivered with perfect timing, and I am not kidding when I said I laughed out loud, I legit was lying in bed laughing like a loon. It's just on point.

I don't want to write any more because I just loved it so much and I really think that Waters is going on my auto-buy list.

I loved the first book in the series, To Love and to Hoax, and this was just as good - light-hearted and funny m/f historical romance with a serious core.

This romance features a house party and a marriage, frenemies-to-lovers and it all worked great for me. There is also lovely minor f/f subplot. I appreciate how queer relationships were discussed in the text, no homophobia but easy acceptance instead. Initially I was worried about the representation of the marriage obsessed over-eager noble lady and how misogynistic it came across but I am happy to say that the truth about her turned out to be rather different and I loved it.

I really liked a lot of the story elements, besides the romance - the exploration of roles of men and women in Victorian society, how they play them and can use them to subvert the norms, how power and freedom intersect. I liked seeing both the men and women carving a place for their happiness in a very strictly regulated world. The story says a lot about the masks people wear in society and how the real person behind the mask can be much more interesting and real.

Both MCs were wonderful in their own way. Diana and Jeremy are both currently in a situation of privilege but also aware of it and trying to use it to care for themselves and for others.

Very much like the first book in the series, there is a strong element of playfulness here, Diana and Jeremy expressing their feelings for each other through pushing each other's button, lots of witty banter and play pretend.

I loved the element in their intimacy where she teaches him how to give her pleasure. There was fun and joking in the bedroom but also deeply honest and somewhat awkward conversations around pleasure and desire.

The ending felt a bit rushed and his proposal was too public for my taste though I have to admit it was a good fit for them.

I loved the glimpses of Emily and Belfry and can't wait for their (I hope) story.

A decent historical romance! This is my first time reading this author- I have not read the other book in the series. I enjoyed the chemistry and witty banter between the two leads. Their connection was palpable and really easy to read. While this didn’t blow me away, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

To Love and to Loathe is the first book I’ve read by this author. To Love and to Loathe is full of witty banter which I love. Witty banter is my kryptonite. However, it wasn’t enough to sway me to give this book a higher rating.

To Love and to Loathe has all of the necessary ingredients to be a 5 star read, but, for me, it fell a bit flat. There wasn’t enough depth to the main characters and their romance. Don’t get me wrong, I found the characters to be entertaining and likable. I just needed more. I wanted more from them and the story.

Diana is an independent, headstrong widow who never plans to remarry since she now has true freedom for the first time in her life. Meanwhile, Jeremy is a rake and playboy who claims he will never marry. These two have always had a spark between them. A spark that causes them to snark at each other nonstop. They live for baiting each other and provoking the other to lose their temper--which is great for us readers, you’ll always be entertained when they’re on the page together.

If you’re looking for a book full of banter, rivals to lovers, headstrong heroines, and historical romance then you should definitely check out this book. I’ll definitely be checking out To Have and to Hoax, the predecessor to this book.

This was such a fun read. This is my favorite time period to read historical romance in and this did not disappoint. What I liked was how she much thought she put into the side characters which was as much as the main characters and it just adds so much more depth to the story. For me sometimes the side characters make the story. Then banter between Diane and Jeremy is so much fun to read and how slowly their interactions change as they start falling for each other. Just a really great light, funny regency rom-com that pushed all the buttons for me on what I enjoy to read.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this story, and I would say I really enjoyed the first half of the book. There was pleasant banter, tension, fun side stories interwoven. However when the sapphic side character was then introduced and subsequently used in a really icky way by the main characters, it unfortunately soured the book for me. I did not like how this character was gossiped about by the hero, heroine and band of friends. Overall I do think the writing was good, the pacing of the story was good, I read the overall story with pleasure but the clumsy way a queer character was introduced and used changed my feelings about the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Martha Water’s To Have and To Hoax but I believe that To Love and to Loathe is even better, which is saying quite a lot because To Have and To Hoax was pretty freaking delightful. This regency romance was witty, joyful and funny. The writing is superb and kept me invested in the story and the characters. Something that I’ve come to appreciate from Water’s writing is that she puts as much thought into the side characters as she does to the main characters and it just adds so much to the story. Plus, it makes me look forward to reading about their own story when the time comes.

I think this book is the perfect recommendation for those who enjoyed watching Bridgerton and are looking to fill that hole. I also think it’s just a good regency romantic comedy and will be a delight to read.

I love a good enemies to lovers story! The plot and historical setting were perfect and the characters shined. Jeremy's insecurity in the bedroom was a fun twist and overall this book was very entertaining..

I have just finished reading four outstanding, exciting, thrilling, edge-of-your-seat, 5-star historical mysteries and I wanted something light, humorous, entertaining, and romantic to read next. From the description in the book blurb, I decided this would be the perfect book to read next. Unfortunately, for me, it fell far, far, far short of being light, humorous, entertaining, or romantic. I was okay with the male lead, Jeremy – I didn’t love him, but I didn’t dislike him either. The female lead, on the other hand, is one of the most despicable, conniving, and sly mean-girls I’ve ever read – and I’ve been reading a very long time. If you took this same story and made it about bullies in school who were picking on and conniving against someone who couldn’t really fight back because they didn’t know what was happening behind their back – you wouldn’t find it the least bit funny. To me, Diana is that lead bully and she does some very despicable things to Jeremy. I absolutely cannot believe he could come to love her.

I really struggled with how to rate the book. I was confident in my 2.5-star rating, but since I could only go with a 2 or a 3 on Goodreads, my conundrum was whether to round up or down. The only way I could convince myself to round up to 3 was because of the last 15% of the book and I just didn’t feel as if that made up for the first 85%. Diana was one person during the first 85% of the book and a totally different one during the last 15% of the book. The author tries to convince us that the person we met in the first 85% of the book was just a mask that Diana wore in order to ‘protect’ the real person. I could have almost bought some of that if she hadn’t done such hateful things to people who were not harming her in any way at all. It wasn’t only that she did hateful things – it was that she was gleeful and thoroughly enjoyed what she did and gave absolutely no care whatsoever about the life she was trying to sentence two innocent people to. I’m sorry – I couldn’t find even a little bit of liking for her. Her reason for needing to protect herself with a ‘mask’? She and her brother were orphaned and then raised by an aunt and uncle. Diana and her brother had no money, but they were well-clothed, well-fed, warm, and lived in a comfortable home where friends were welcome to visit. However, she felt ‘unwelcome’ though nobody ever actually said so – they did comment, however, on how expensive it was to raise her. She must have been a really insecure individual to have developed such complete trauma over being raised that way.

One of the despicable things she did was to try to trap Jeremy with a vile woman and force a marriage. Why would anybody want to do that to another person? Yet, not only was Diana slyly and gleefully trying to do that, her friends were going along with it – even Jeremy’s friends weren’t calling her on it.

Another despicable thing was that Lady Helen discussed a very, very private and dangerous secret with Diana – because Diana intimated she already knew the secret (she didn’t). This secret was one that could get Lady Helen hanged in that period. So, what does Diana do? Why she heads right in to share it with her friends – after swearing them to secrecy of course. Later, she tells Jeremy – though he already knew.

Another thing I disliked about Diana (and her friends) was their total disrespect and disregard for males. There are many, many, many mentions of how stupid and useless the males of the species are. It just goes against my grain because I think there are very intelligent females and very intelligent males – and I think there are also very unintelligent females and males as well. Why does it always have to be winners and losers rather than respect for each other?

Why did I think Diana was gleeful in the harm she was trying to cause? Here are only a couple of quotes, but keep in mind I had an ARC, so these may not all make it into the final cut of the book. There are LOTS of them, but here is a couple.

“Diana, being a naturally devious person by nature, occasionally took advantage of this fact in her conversations with Emily…”

“Lady Helen seemed to be just as odious as she appeared. Which, in turn, begged the question: how was Diana possibly going to convince Willingham to marry the lady?”

“Diana thought that it was a great shame she had been born female, for she would have made an admirable general. All the people around her were players on a chessboard, moving about the board according to her plans.”

I really, really wanted to love this book because I was in need of a lighthearted, humorous, happy, and romantic read. I just couldn’t get there no matter how hard I tried. I definitely wouldn’t read this book a second time – and even though Emily seems like an interesting character, I won’t be reading her book either.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, my gratitude for this ARC provided by Atria Books through NetGalley. It's always a joy to read a new book! To Love and to Loathe is a fun, light, historical romance novel. I had a bit of trouble getting into this novel and I think it is because I recently finished watching Bridgerton and I still had those characters in my mind. Had I read this book first I think I would have enjoyed it more. Here is the main jest of what the novel is about: "a man and woman who never agree on anything—until they agree to a no-strings-attached affair in this Regency-era romp." The writing has a good flow and the novel is easy to read and who doesn't like a happy ending?

To Love and to Loathe started out giving me a lot of Bridgerton vibes. I love a romance set in the Regency era and had super high hopes. I absolutely adored the characters of Diana and Jeremy and their banter. I liked how they pulled out the best in each other. Also, the presence of LGBTQ+ representation was a home run, especially identifying what lengths individuals had to go through to be their true selves. It's a testament to how far we've come, even thought we still have plenty of room for improvement. However, the book felt a little slow to get into, but it felt like it was being set up for more steam than we got. Overall, the story is extremely cute, made me laugh, and made me smile a lot. It's a good book to pick up when you've been reading too many heavy books, which played a role in my liking of it.

Jeremy and Diana have known each other since they were children, and they've been bickering almost as long. She's a young widow, determined never to remarry, and he's as averse to the institution as she is. But they can't deny that, for as much as they loathe each other, there's a powerful attraction between them. For the duration of a house party, they agree to become lovers—yet all the while, she goads him to court an innocent young lady and set up his nursery. But does her ploy work too well? What happens when the feelings between them grow?

This is a witty, exuberant, joyful story. I loved the banter between Diana and Jeremy, and their constant attempts to one-up each other. But of course they're both battling demons from their past and driven to hide their true feelings. It was poignant to see how they were able to finally become vulnerable with each other and provide a soft landing. Their HEA was well-earned and perfect for the story.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.