Member Review
Review by
Susie G, Reviewer
Our man Penvale gets a house, a wife, and a wife playing a ghost in the house in this gothic RomCom romp.
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True Historical Romantic Comedy is a rarity. Sure, many historicals have the occasional quip or two, but cut the jokes and the narrative wouldn’t suffer.
In Martha Waters’ The Regency Vows series, however, humor and love are inextricably linked. Her characters tease, cajole, needle, and yes, spar their way into falling in love.
To Swoon and to Spar keeps up the tradition of bantering toward happily ever after, but throws in a curve –– a pinch of gothic romance.
Viscount Penvale has been a favorite secondary character in the series. Buttoned up, smart as a whip, and goal focused, he thinks that a love match isn’t something he requires. Enter Jane Spencer.
Jane shares far more in common with Penvale that she knows (or would ever admit). They both are cerebral, cagey, uninterested in events of the ton, and driven to find a home of their own.
In Penvale’s case, that means he’s willing to marry a woman he isn’t particularly interested in to get back his ancestral home. In Jane’s case, she’s up for a little light haunting to send her husband away long enough to get some quiet time to read.
To Swoon and to Spar pulls from some of the great gothic novels like Northanger Abbey. But the comedic elements bring to mind contemporary fare. In Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Heroes Are My Weakness, a quirky heroine and a reclusive writer tangle inside a creepy mansion on the Maine Coast. The heroine is a ventriloquist and she uses her skills of voice throwing to drive the hero half mad. In To Swoon… Jane employs secret passageways to the same effect. As expected, both women’s results do not match their plans, but are what drive them together with their great love in the end.
I’d recommend the Regency Vows series to contemporary romance readers looking to test the historical romance waters. While each can be read as a standalone, the characters appear in every book and reading in order means you get to visit with old friends. (And yes, Diana and Jeremy of To Love and to Loathe are still the most delightfully hot for each other couple ever.)
To Swoon and to Spar is perfect for fans of Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series, Manda Collins’ Ladies Most Scandalous series, and India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels.
Spice Level: 1/5, open door
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Forced Proximity, Gothic
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Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster - Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date April 11, 2023.
_________
True Historical Romantic Comedy is a rarity. Sure, many historicals have the occasional quip or two, but cut the jokes and the narrative wouldn’t suffer.
In Martha Waters’ The Regency Vows series, however, humor and love are inextricably linked. Her characters tease, cajole, needle, and yes, spar their way into falling in love.
To Swoon and to Spar keeps up the tradition of bantering toward happily ever after, but throws in a curve –– a pinch of gothic romance.
Viscount Penvale has been a favorite secondary character in the series. Buttoned up, smart as a whip, and goal focused, he thinks that a love match isn’t something he requires. Enter Jane Spencer.
Jane shares far more in common with Penvale that she knows (or would ever admit). They both are cerebral, cagey, uninterested in events of the ton, and driven to find a home of their own.
In Penvale’s case, that means he’s willing to marry a woman he isn’t particularly interested in to get back his ancestral home. In Jane’s case, she’s up for a little light haunting to send her husband away long enough to get some quiet time to read.
To Swoon and to Spar pulls from some of the great gothic novels like Northanger Abbey. But the comedic elements bring to mind contemporary fare. In Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Heroes Are My Weakness, a quirky heroine and a reclusive writer tangle inside a creepy mansion on the Maine Coast. The heroine is a ventriloquist and she uses her skills of voice throwing to drive the hero half mad. In To Swoon… Jane employs secret passageways to the same effect. As expected, both women’s results do not match their plans, but are what drive them together with their great love in the end.
I’d recommend the Regency Vows series to contemporary romance readers looking to test the historical romance waters. While each can be read as a standalone, the characters appear in every book and reading in order means you get to visit with old friends. (And yes, Diana and Jeremy of To Love and to Loathe are still the most delightfully hot for each other couple ever.)
To Swoon and to Spar is perfect for fans of Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series, Manda Collins’ Ladies Most Scandalous series, and India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels.
Spice Level: 1/5, open door
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Forced Proximity, Gothic
__________
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster - Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date April 11, 2023.
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