This book was great! I couldn't put it down! The premise was fresh and new, which is hard for me to say as I read so much each year! Sometimes it feels as though I keep reading similar stories, but this was a so original!

I love this series by Martha Waters! It's nice catching up with the couples from past books! Can't wait for the next one!!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of TO SWOON AND TO SPAR by Martha Waters. I've thoroughly enjoyed all of Waters's previous books, so it wasn't too surprising that I enjoyed this one as well. It did feel a little bit calmer, tamer than her other books—I got less caught up in it. But that's either the calmer personalities of the main characters or just my mood and expectations, I think. I will say that the personality of the female main character, Jane, was the closest representation to my own personality that I've ever read in a book before and I felt almost too seen. That was pretty cool. The Northanger Abbey-like antics, which hearkened back to the first book in this series with its farcical moments, were enjoyable. I also enjoyed the non-London setting, especially a particular scene in the ocean. I had a good time and I'm excited to hopefully, finally get the West and Sophie story next? Maybe I need to send Waters an email.

In order to regain ownership of his family home in Cornwall from his nasty uncle, Penvale must marry Jane, his uncle’s ward. Penvale is likable, friendly and easy going. His goal for many years was to return to his childhood home with its memories of a happier time with his family. Jane is shy and uncomfortable around strangers. She is obnoxious, irritating and cold supposedly in reaction to feeling awkward. In order to keep her sanctuary away from London and people, she agrees to the marriage. Without caring why Penvale wants to live far from his friends and sister, Jane comes up with a plan to drive Penvale back to London. Since her plan of frightening the nasty uncle with a haunted house was successful, it should work on Pervale. Thankfully Penvale is amused by his wife’s sharp personality or the book would have been unreadable.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

To Swoon and to Spar is book four in The Regency Vows by Martha Waters and it is an utterly heartwarming and hilarious romp regency story.
This book is truly entertaining! I liked the chemistry and connection of Viscount and Jane.
I also loved supporting characters
Humorous and marvelously witty Martha Waters crafts another delightful romp for all historical romance fans.
This story was a very fun and flowed very smoothly. I loved all of the characters and cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
I was entertained, impressed, and completely satisfied by this amazing new historical rom-com.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I love this series they are always so good. They are highly entertaining Regency Rom-Com. This book had me hooked from the very first page til the very end. I loved this!! Please keep this series going I so look forward to it.
I just reviewed To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters. #NetGalley
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An enemies-to-lovers story as two people are maneuvered into marriage in order to settle a land deal, which is a heck of a lot more realistic than most Regency fiction.

Its also hilarious as Jane uses the old fake-haunted-house ploy (i.e. that episode of the Brady Bunch when the kids dress up as ghosts to stop a house sale) in order to try and reclaim some agency in her life.

I loved how both characters grew throughout the book, learning they didn't know everything, and, to know one's surprise, fall adorably in love with each other.

Having now read all 4 of Martha Waters's books, I can now conclude with authority that her books are just...fine. They're fairly low heat (I would feel comfortable keeping these in my high school classroom library), which is not a problem. Everyone has different comfort levels with sexual content!
But, the lack of spice is not made up for anywhere else. The banter is witty, but it doesn't happen nearly enough. Waters's plots are always campy, but they don't lean into the absurdity enough ("commit to the bit," etc). Waters has potential, but I need to see her up the ante to be invested in reading her work further.

This was such a charming read and my new favorite from Martha Waters! It had great whimsical gothic vibes and a sweet slow burn romance.

Penvale has been on a mission to purchase his family home for most of his life. His uncle, who owns the house, finally agrees as long as Penvale will also marry his ward. Jane is tired of her life being controlled by men and decides to take matters into her own hands. She figures she can “haunt” her house and scare Penvale into returning to London and leaving her in peace. But as they get to know each other, is that really what she wants?

This book was so swoony! I loved Jane and Penvale’s slow burn relationship. I liked the pacing of them learning more about each other and falling slowly in love. Jane was such a great grumpy, introverted character. I loved how she grew throughout the book while maintaining her core self. Penvale was a wonderful hero and his journey to discovering that more than just the house matters was well done. If there was one thing I would offer, it would be to have more romance. This book was heavy on character development and house related antics, but the spicy scenes were short and glazed over.

This book really was so charming and fun. I didn’t want to put it down. Martha Waters did a wonderful job bringing these characters and this house to life. I have super high hopes for West and Sophie’s book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-book in exchange for my honest review!

To Swoon and To Spar, the fourth book in the Regency Vows series, focuses on Lord Peter Penvale, who lost his ancestral home when his parents died. For years he has been unsuccessfully trying to buy it back from his uncle, when to his surprise the uncle shows up in London offering to sell it, if Penvale marries his uncle's beautiful ward Jane. Marrying Jane seems a small price to pay to get his home back. Unbeknownst to Penvale, Jane drove the uncle to sell by making the estate seem haunted. With the help of the servants she continues the "haunting," hoping to send Penvale running back to London, but he is not so easily duped. As they get to know each other, their sparring gets to be more good natured, and they find themselves in love. But will they get out of their own ways to let the romance bloom? Characters from the previous Regency Vows books appear in this one as well, as they are Penvale's friends. This series is for mature readers, as there are steamy romantic moments.

3.5/5 stars!

To Swoon and to Spar is the fourth book in The Regency Vows series. While it could be read as a standalone, if you have read any of the earlier books in the series you will appreciate updates on some of the characters from the other books. This book focuses on Penvale and Jane’s story. It was a cute read and I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication: April 11, 2023.

I would like to thank Atria Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I have read the first 3 volumes of this series, and am pleased to say that To Swoon and To Spar is a fine companion to the first 3. This is a darling series of books. The Regency Vows, as they are called, are a delightful ser of romances set in Regency England. They are not political, but more a comedy of manners. Each book is the story of a set of lovers, or would be lovers, and their path to happiness. They are well written and fun to read. The story of To Swoon and to Spar, is that of Penvale and Jane. We have seen Penvale the first 3 books.He is a friend to all and brother to Diana.He dearly wants to regain the family country estate, and is working to that end. He is trying to make enough money to buy the estate from his uncle. At the beginning of this book, the uncle makes him an offer- marry Jane, a ward of the uncle's and he can buy the house back. one small caveat, the house may be haunted. Jane, the uncles ward, also loves the country house and has been staging "hauntings" to get the uncle out so she can live there in quiet peace.She agrees to marry Penvale, but secretly decides to continue the "hauntings. The story line is a bit predictable, but less fun.It is a good fun book to read and enjoy-I look forward to the next volume.

This book is my favorite in the series by Martha Waters. While they are all charming and full of banter, I found the relationship between Penhaven and Jane the most realistic and admirable, Jane is shy, and the way she copes with that shyness is to snap and bite at people. She marries Penhaven because she wants to continue to live in the house that he's bought where she used to be a ward. The two don't marry for love, but what's lovely about the book is that they slowly become friends, and come to understand each other. The buildup is slow, and also really fun to watch unfold. The friend group that has now grown across this series of books has developed beautifully; they are funny, they scold each other, they support each other. I highly recommend this delightful book.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

In this fourth book of the "Regency Vows" series, we follow Penvale as he does whatever it takes to regain ownership of his family's ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey. Unbeknownst to him, that will include agreeing to marry his uncle's ward, Jane Spencer. When they first meet in London, neither has a good first impression of the other, though they do agree to a marriage of convenience with each other. As they return to Trethwick Abbey, Jane launches her plan to run Penvale from the house and to leave her alone - by staging a fake haunting. As their time together increases, Jane realizes, much to her surprise, that she actually enjoys spending time with Penvale. And Penvale subsequently realizes that what he understood as rudeness from Jane is actually her shyness around strangers.

Martha Waters continues to be one of my favorite Historical Romance writers based on the banter and chemistry she is able to create between characters. Her characters literally jump off the page and this book made me laugh out loud multiple times. And not just the main characters! Though certainly the focus is on Penvale and Jane, we still get to see the other members of the friend group and their banter with each other as well. I've never wanted to be part of a friend group more than I do this one.

This plot is ridiculous but in the BEST way. I love a marriage of convenience and you'd perhaps think that because the third book in this series is also a marriage of convenience that it may have some of the same tones but truly this book is so unique from the third. There is only one bed (swoon), a fake haunting, a delightful small town. The shenanigans are top notch and so so funny - just truly such a romp of a book.

The only ONLY thing I could say as a 'criticism' is that I would have really liked one more spicy scene to help move their relationship forward. The one full scene we did get, though? INCREDIBLE, up against-a-wall, deliciousness.

Overall this was the perfect continuation to this series and I truly CANNOT WAIT for West and Sophie's story. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love historical romances so much. Every book is this series has just gotten better and better. This one involved a newly married couple (they met like once before getting married and it was so he could get his family house back) where the wife was faking their country house being haunted to scare away her husband and have him return to London but (spoiler) they fall in love. It was just very fun and cute and I loved it.

If you are looking for a delightful regency rom-com full of banter and clever energy, I have just the book for you. Out on the frigid moors of Cornwall, Jane and Penvale will, in fact, steal your heart, as they will just as well steal the hearts of each other. To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters was a delightful romp full of (fake?) estate hauntings, a man in serious need of spectacles, a clever heroine with a love for our favorite, the one and only Miss Jane Austen, and much, much more. This book was clever and sharp, with a very atmospheric gothic surrounding and characters you just can't help but love.
To Swoon and to Spar is the next novel within Waters' Regency Vows series about none other than Penvale. For readers of her past novels, Penvale is the older brother to the beloved Diana and a cherished friend to the other cast of characters Waters has brought us to love through her delightfully written romances. This book introduces a new character Jane, whom I promise you will love equally as much as everyone else in the story! When Penvale is given the opportunity to buy back his father's estate from his uncle, he jumps at the chance. Yet, there is a catch. (Isn't there always?) To do so, he must marry his uncle's ward, Jane. Jane, a clever and strong-willed young woman, has no use for the men who always have a hand in controlling her life, as she so rightfully should. While she has no use for marriage to Penvale, she loves the estate, which is soon to be his, so she devises a plan. She will "haunt" the house and, in turn, drive Penvale away, leaving her to spend her days in the house which she loves so much.
As an avid romance reader, as I am sure many people who may be reading this are, we all know this plan will not go as expected. This is, after all, a romance. So spoilers ahead for those who wish to go in with none other than a description, but for those who want to share with me in the delight of this novel, read on to see what I loved so much about this book!
Something that I really like about Waters' romances is that she gives the characters time to develop and the readers to watch as we get to know them. So often in a historical romance, I feel things move at lightning speed, often leaving readers to wonder what the two even really know about each other. This book gives the readers time; we actually get to see why these two want to be with each other, and I appreciate that. Jane is a rather shy woman, and so rightfully, for a woman in her position, it takes time for her to warm up to Penvale. Penvale, on the other hand, is not used to forming relationships outside of his small circle, and it is nice to watch him grow on Jane as she grows on him. This is a meaningful relationship; we understand why they love each other and what they see in each other.
Well, maybe not Penvale, for the man simply cannot see. He desperately needs some "spectacles," as Jane often teases him about. Which, yes, dear readers, is very often. As the title suggests, these two tend to spar very often, and it is highly entertaining. There is nothing better than watching two characters jest with each other, each trying to hide a slight smirk or pretend they are not totally falling in love.
Now, as for the "haunting," which makes up a significant part of the gothic atmospheric vibes that are going on in this novel, it was a very clever and entertaining thing to watch play out. Jane is, as you may imagine by now, whip-smart and clever. Her haunting skills are top-notch, and they can put on quite a show with the help of many household staff. It is highly entertaining watching Penvale scamper around with Jane trying to find the ghost and watching him let it scare him the slightest bit. There is something so admirable about a man who is rightfully scared of the household ghoul.
Some of my honorable mentions of this book were when Penvale is caught in the library, crying while reading Persuasion (I mean, we have all been there, so I get it, my dude, I get it) as well as when Jane creates a library for the town out of her own books. Watching Diana and Jane interact was a bit painful and very entertaining, and we can't forget about the moment when at the end of the novel, Jane makes a grand dinner party entrance. Oh, how I love a grand entrance.
Overall this book was simply delightful. It had the perfect mix of romantic comedy and gothic vibes. The scenery was perfect for the plot, and Penvale and Jane were simply too adorable. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a clever, feminist, and rewarding regency romance! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review; this book was highly enjoyable!

Martha Waters has done it again - I swear every book gets better!! I will read anything she writes at this points.

Here’s what to expect:
💖 regency romance perfect for Bridgerton fans
💖 marriage of convenience
💖 a “haunted” estate
💖 bookish FMC
💖 stubborn MMC
💖 slowwwwww burn

The uniqueness of this book was just such a fun escape - the amount of times I laughed out loud with the attempted hauntings and also swooned from the sweetness of their relationship development was 🤌🤌

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

I am finding that I enjoy each Martha Waters book more than the last. This one was such a delight. The author is at her best in creating truly flawed characters that are not particularly loveable from the outset and the helping the reader love them, flaws and all. In all ways, I felt like the author really understood the characters and presented them with care.

The book was also cleverly funny throughout. And if the conditions of the ARC program didn’t restrict it, I would provide quotes to prove it!

My only frustration was that there were several frustrating time jumps between chapters near the end of the novel that came after moments where it felt like we were missing out on some of the well-deserved happy moments between Penvale and Jane.

I am not usually a fan of the grand gesture but found the ending here to be so tender and authentic. And I’m booking forward to book 5 which was very subtly foreshadowed in this book.

I was elated to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

To Swoon and to Spar is the fourth book by Martha Waters in her Regency Vows series. You don’t need to have read the first three books to read this one, as they are not direct sequels but rather companion novels. I only read this fourth book and didn’t feel lost (though I’m probably missing some context in the way of the other relationships that were formed).

The seventh Viscount of Penvale, Peter Bourne, seeks only one thing: to reclaim his childhood home, Trethwick Abbey. His uncle is willing to sell it to him on the condition that Penvale marry his ward, Jane Spencer. Penvale finds this to be an acceptable condition as he is not looking for a love match. Jane is attached to the house herself, having grown up in it as a ward. She is shy and reclusive, yet sassy and abrasive… and has concocted plans to drive out controlling men in her life—staring w Penvale’s uncle and the Penvale himself. How does she do this? By making the house seem haunted with wailing ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Penvale and Jane are married very early on in the book, but will Jane succeed in scaring Penvale away or can they learn to love one another?

If you’re a fan of the Bridgerton novels, you’ll probably like this book. It’s a romance novel set in the regency era with gentlemen and ladies of the ton seeking their perfect match during the Season, but with an added twist of a haunted house. I’d say the spice level is on the lower side, but it’s still a sweet, funny, entertaining read.

Personally, I don’t think I’ll go back at read books 1-3, but I did enjoy this one and I’m glad I got to read this ARC. I will be recommending this book to my friends/followers!

This historical romance novel is the fourth in the Regency Vows series, set around the same group of young aristocrats and upper class people living in the early 19th century. This book is the first that I've read in the series, and I was struck by the witty tone of the novel. It had me smiling often, and occasionally laughing aloud.
The book opens with a tense scene with the two main characters looking for the source of a suspiciously ghost-like series of noises and then jumps back to a few months earlier.
This book's male lead is Penvale, a viscount who has dreamed of regaining his family's ancestral home in Cornwall, Trethwick Abbey, ever since it was sold at his father's death. Penvale's paternal uncle bought it at the time, but the brothers were estranged and Penvale and his younger sister Diana were farmed out to family on their mother's side until they came of age.
Penvale became a viscount as a child at the age of ten, and had grown up at Trethwick Abbey, and thus the dream of regaining the home had become a driving force for him. Since he'd moved to London to take his seat as a Lord after finishing at Oxford, Penvale has been investing the money he has won at the gaming table to rebuild his finances, hoping to convince his uncle to sell Trethwick Abbey back to him. As we discover, his uncle has approached him unexpectedly to sell the home to him, on one condition. That condition is that he marry his uncle's ward, Jane Spencer, a refined but untitled young woman of twenty-one. Penvale insists on meeting her first to ascertain that she isn't being coerced into this arrangement, but as we see from the prologue, wastes no time in going through with the marriage.
Part of this story is told from Jane's point of view as we see how she has had a hand in bringing the opening circumstances about. Jane is not interested in a husband, but she loves the home, and enjoys the extensive library there. She sets in motion a plan to drive Penvale away through various happenings that indicate the house is haunted. But Penvale isn't that easy to scare away, and he instead tries to determine the cause of these odd events.
As the two main characters spend time together at Trethwick Abbey as newlyweds, they begin to get to know each other slowly. Penvale spends a great deal of time getting to know the details of the estate, its finances, and his tenants and servants. Jane gradually ventures beyond the grounds of the Abbey and gets to know the wider community. I enjoyed watching them getting to know each other's secrets and quirks, and find themselves increasingly drawn to each other's company. I also appreciated Jane's enjoyment and curiosity when it came to reading.
This is not your typical Regency romance, and I liked seeing how they defied the stereotypes and revealed some surprising pastimes. The writing is unexpected yet somehow perfect. The romance has underlying sexual tension and several surprising moments. If you like historical romance with believable characters and a bit of spice this series is for you.