I typically enjoy enemies to lovers romance so was excited to pick this one up. I rarely read regency romance but got Bridgerton vibes early on which got me into it. Overall it was kind of boring. There was never a lot happening and it felt a bit repetitive with multiple references to Jeremy’s reputation, a friend’s reconciliation with her husband, and scheming to push Jeremy into a marriage.

There is some good banter between Diana and Jeremy and I liked seeing them bring out the vulnerable side in one another. I also appreciated Diana’s commentary around women’s roles in society and the sex-positive conversations. If you read regency romances this may be up your alley but not a memorable one for me.

DNF this one at 38%. Although I am a huge fan of the enemies to lovers troupe, this plot is all over the place and a little pedestrian.

I’m sorry. I had such high hopes for this one.

Diana intentionally married an older wealthy man and is now enjoying the freedom that has come with being a widow. Jeremy is Diana’s brother’s best friend. Since Diana’s coming out, they are at each other's throats more often than not, which leads to a bet between the two that Jeremy will be married within the year. Later, when Jeremy, a known rake, receives a poor review on his bedroom performance, he propositions Diana. He knows she will give him an honest response and give him pointers - if he needs them!

The set up of this book is fantastic. Diana and Jeremy are classic enemies to lovers who refuse to acknowledge that their love for arguing could actually be masking their attraction for one another. I really loved how sex positive this book is. Diana is unwilling to let Jeremy off the hook and has to explain to him why women have most likely not been willing to vocalize their physical needs. The revelation shocks Jeremy, but he is willing to put aside his hurt pride and learn.

This book lost me a little in the middle. I loved every aspect of Jeremy and Diana getting to know each other, but Diana’s mission to push Jeremy into a marriage with someone else became very frustrating to me at times. With that being said, this book is very charming and the ending is everything a romance reader could hope for! Thank you Net Galley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy for an honest review!

If you love witty banter and Regency romances, definitely check this out. With tons of Bridgerton vibes and lovable characters, it was a fun and light read and a great escape! Plus, I love this book cover!

However, if you are looking for a more historically accurate Regency romance this probably isn’t the book for you. The characters are enjoyable by 2021 standards but would have been socially unacceptable in the time period.

3.5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy.

It started with a wager between two frenemies. As you know, I love enemies-to-lovers tropes and as a first-time reader of Martha Waters' works, I am a new fan. Her characters are smart, playful, and honest.

Widowed Lady Diana Templeton secretly enjoys her banters with long-time frenemy and rakehell Jeremy Overington, Marquess of Willingham, but he knows how to push her buttons. She is determined to find a woman for him to marry as she takes him up on his proposition to work with him on his skills as a lover. But the more time they spend with each other, the more they reveal their true selves making the attraction all the more difficult to deny.

The dynamic between Diana and Jeremy is volatile, frustrating, and very hot. Their vulnerability and honesty with each other are very refreshing. Watching them pretend to hate each other while trying to keep their hands off each other is what makes a good romance for me. The supporting characters are a great addition that brings that cozy family-like feel to the whole story. I can't wait to read more of this series.

I recommend this engaging Regency romance to those readers who love quick repartee, complex characters, and an enjoyable stay at a beautiful estate.

Thank you to Ms. Waters, Netgalley, and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

This book was way too slow paced for me and it took me forever to finish because I just could not get into it. The romance of the main characters takes a back seat to constant rehashes of what I assume to be the first book and all the antics at the house party to push Jeremy towards another woman. There was a lot going on and so many characters, I’m not sure I kept them all straight.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

tw: death of a sibling

As someone who hasn't read a lot of historically, I'm not sure if this was meant to be more over-the-top than most of them are but it definitely had that tongue in cheek feel to it. This is a bantering almost rivals to lovers, including a fake (but actually real) tryst meant to help out the both of them. While there is a lot of what feels like over the top behavior from some of the characters, it was overall enjoyable. There is a side character who is a lesbian and it is used a bit as a twist but overall I think the character is handled fairly well for the time period the story is set in. Cute but surface level for sure.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters.

If you're a regency era fan and love witty banter and enemies to lovers you'll enjoy this book!

I'm not the biggest regency era fan, but this was funny enough to keep me entertained.

To Love and to Loathe is the second book by Martha Waters in The Regency Vows series. After the first novel I compared this series to be Downton Abby meets a Jasmine Guillory series ... and after this second book I would still agree.

Diana is a widow at the age of 23, after marrying young, for the freedom that it brought her. Jeremy is the heir to his families title, after the death of his brother, despite never wanting it. They are always at odds with each other. So when Diana decides to bet that Jeremy will be married in a year he takes her up on it, knowing he wants to be a bachelor for life. The bet comes with complications as they head to Jeremy’s summer house for a two week closing season party with friends. They both are surprised by what takes place when they finally get to know each other after all these years.

I love this group of friends. I love the era of these novels and when they take place. I love that the banter and fun than you don’t normally see with a historical romance book. I was so glad this book was about Diana and Jeremy, I loved their banter and friendship in the first book. There are so many other characters that deserve a story, I cannot wait to see which book is

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is super cute. It's light, it's funny, the two main characters have fantastic chemistry, and I read it quite quickly. It's a nice salve for *gestures at everything.* To Love and to Loathe is the second book in The Regency Vows series. I did not know this! It makes me want to pick up To Have and to Hoax, but you don't need to in order to understand the plot of this story.

Is it the best romance you'll read? Probably not. It felt like the love child of Evie Dunmore's League of Extraordinary Women series and Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series (but way less steamy than either of those). However, Dunmore's and Quinn's are more captivating.

I totally recommend this book, but I also want to note that you'll see some pretty familiar tropes throughout the story.

Lady Diana is now a widow with little worries. She can finally be free and have the means to do so. She is a quick witted force of nature.

Jeremy Willingham has a title and many lovers. He has no desire to marry. He just wants to have fun.

Read this fun book to see what happens when Diana wagers with Jeremy that he will be married within a year, what Jeremy propositions Diana to scratch their itch, and to see some of the fun characters from Waters first book.

Thank you Atria and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts are my own.

In this historical romance, Diana, Lady Templeton, and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are known amongst their circle of friends as two hot heads who thrive on trying to best each other. Diana, now a widow, makes a bet with Jeremy that within a year he’ll be married, and if she wins, he’ll give her 100 pounds.

But hey…..Jeremy has something else in mind….Because Diana is seen to be sexually experienced since she was married, Jeremy goes to her for guidance in the affairs of the bedroom since he was told from a previous “liaison” that his bedroom skills weren’t up to par., so the two make an agreement that they’ll have a brief affair for the sake of “lessons and feedback”, and what Diana will get back in return is the reputation that she simply wants a lover and not another husband.

There were so many intricacies, background, and side characters involved in the story of course but to be honest I wasn’t really swept away until the last few chapters. It could have been just me but I feel there was soooo much narration when there could have been more dialogue. Like on one page Jeremy would say something and then appeared 2-3 paragraphs of backstory or his thoughts and then a page or so later he would finally continue. I’m all for slow burns, but it seemed way too slow for me.

Nevertheless, this was a good story with great flirting and banter, an interesting jaw-dropping twist (no pregnancy I promise), 2-3 sex scenes, and the last four chapters were sweet “n” swoony leading to an HEA.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this hilarious and heartfelt story. The characters fun and charming. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

To Love and To Loathe was a perfect return to Regency England for fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton or Pride and Prejudice. Featuring the trope of enemies to lovers, the story follows the aftermath of a fateful evening between the widowed Diana and the rakish Lord Willingham. From balls to barrooms, this book was chock full of wit, romance, and delightful references to Martha Waters’s To Have and To Hoax (not needed to enjoy this work).

I remembered liking Diana from To Have and To Hoax and so I had been looking forward to reading her enemies to lovers story here but oof, this was way off the mark for me. For some reason it takes so many words to have anything happen ever in this book so the plot (what there is of it) absolutely drags. The dialogue is all over the place as well - it feels most real when Diana and her friends are talking, and her banter with Jeremy can be fun at times, but the rest of the time it often felt overly stilted.

Other reviewers have mentioned this as well but I'm gonna hop on the absolute yikes train of "why would you have your main character out the only queer character in the book twice and still expect us to think she's great." It also felt a little gross in general to have said queer character's storyline used to advance our main characters' plot.

TL;DR - good concept, poor execution.

Ahhh what a great romance. I loved Diana and Jeremy and their fun, witty, banter. The tension that comes with the enemies to lovers trope is such a fun addition and it was so well done. I am slowly becoming a historical romance fan, one book at a time! This was such a fun one to read and get started on this journey with!

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC!
I liked this better than book one. I loved the banter between Jeremy and Diana. I love the house party setting. I can’t decide if the next book is about Emily or west and Sophie.
I didn’t adore the last minute drama but whatever hahahaha

Read if you like: enemies to lovers, fun and witty romance.
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I absolutely loved this one. I typically enjoy the enemies to lovers trope in romance, and this one did not disappoint. We have two main characters, Diana and Jeremy, and they make a bet that Jeremy, a notorious rake, will marry within the year. The two have a history of arguing with each other, but this bet brings them a bit closer together.
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I loved Diana as the protagonist. She is a widow who married during her first season because she knew that this was the only way for a woman to gain any semblance of freedom in society. Now that she is truly free, she is reluctant to give up those freedoms by marrying again. Jeremy was also an interesting character as he was not quite what he seemed on the outside.
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Overall, I loved the witty banter, and it was a bit silly but a great read.

I loved this book! The enemies to lovers trope is such a fun one, and it’s hard not to get caught up in the relationship between Diana and Jeremy. Their banter is delicious and the heat built up between them throughout the novel is so good; just enough of a wait to make the resulting love story satisfying without it feeling like it lagged! I hope there is a continuation of their story because I would love more!!!

3.5 STARS
Lady Diana Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham, have known each other since they were children and even now, they both tend to behave as such in each others' company. Diana and Jeremy are known throughout the upper crust English society for their verbal battles as well as their flirtation. As a widow, Diana has a lot more freedom to do as she pleases within the rules of her Regency Society. While attending another of the numerous balls that is part of their life, the saucy adversaries enter into a wager that Jeremy will marry within the year, or Diana loses one hundred pounds (about four thousand dollars in today’s money).

Diana already has plans to attend a two week house party at Lord Willingham’s country estate where she is presented with an improper proposition by him. Jeremy’s reputation as a rake has taken a hit from an unsatisfied mistress who spread the word of his lacking bedroom skills. He wants to have an affair with Diana to prove or improve his prowess because he believes her to be truthful. Diana is interested because she wants to have lovers but feels inexperienced since her marriage only lasted two years.

The house party comprises family and close friends including Jeremy’s daunting grandmother who is determined to see him married. She has her own plans in play pitting Jeremy against an eligible lady he cannot abide. Diana is determined to help the Dowager Marchioness in order to win her bet. When Jeremy and Diana begin their complicated dance of an illicit affair, their feelings become more than causal though neither wants to admit it. Diana chaffs at the freedom men of her society have to do whatever the heck they please with little to no repercussions because of their power and money. She vows never to marry again so as not to be ruled by a husband.

The dialogue this enemies to lovers is witty, and the situations are comical at times. I find it challenging to get past how worthless Jeremy and his ilk seem as their reprobate lives are spent going to fancy balls, bed-hopping, hunting, and having numerous illegitimate children with the household staff and mistresses. Jeremy has some hidden qualities that help to make him more likeable. Diana is in the minority for women of her times having the ability to live her life mostly on her own terms. Second in the Regency Vows series, this story which is called a historical rom-com, can be read as a standalone.