To Woo and to Wed: ★ ★ ★ ★

Martha Waters (The Regency Vows, #5)

“I’ve tried to forget you—I’ve tried to move on—I’ve tried to convince myself that I’d be just as happy without you, eventually. But I can never quite manage it. I only want you—I’ve only ever wanted you.”

When Sophie's sister is hesitant about getting married because Sophie's still single, she plans a fake engagement with none other than the man she was supposed to marry seven years ago, and the one she still loves.

Tropes
– Historical romance
– Fake engagement
– Second chance

The grand finale of The Regency Vows series! I know there was so much build up for this book with all the Sophie and West teases and ugh, I really liked this one. It was the perfect balance of angst, love, and banter not only between the main characters but with everyone in the families. I loved how meddling everyone was (to an extent) and how much they all were so very happy to see Sophie and West work it all out. I am also just a sucker for fake dating/engagement/marriage and second chance so when you put them both together, it's no doubt I'm a fan.

Sophie sometimes got on my nerves with her "rationale" sometimes even though I do understand the oldest sister stress but West West West <3 What a sweet, golden retriever, boy obsessed, lovely man. I adored him and his wit. He was such a sweetheart and he loved Sophie so much, willing to do literally anything for her and to prove to her that she was it for him. I adored him to the moon and back.

Such an enjoyable conclusion to this series and one I adored very much!

ARC kindly shared by Netgalley for an honest review.

Too Woo and To Wed
By Martha Waters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

From the first mention of West and Sophie in To Have and To Hoax, their story is one I’ve been looking forward to most! So I was utterly delighted when Atria Books sent me the ARC!!

🫶🏻Things I loved:
The tension between West and Sophie has been building for four books and they finally do something about it!! Sophie is a strong female lead, and West is a swoony, tortured male lead. I love these characters and their chemistry!! Not to mention we get more of their quirky friend group, which in itself is a great story. To Woo and To We’d was the perfect finale to the Regency Vies series!

📖Read if you like:
- Fake fiancés
- Second-chance romance
- Found family/close friend groups
- Lots of romantic tension and chemistry

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc!

I can't believe this series is over. I've loved every second of it. Martha Waters has become my favorite historical romcom author. She's one of my favorite authors, period. I can't wait for her next series.

We've been waiting for this book for years, and it did not disappoint. Sophie and West's story was every bit as amazing as I'd hoped.

Perfect end to this series so wonderful love Sophie and West.A really well written story characters that kept me entertained from book to book.#netgalley #atriabooks

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher Atria Books, and Martha Waters for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

To Woo and to Wed follows the story of Sophie and West at their second chance at love. Nearly betrothed when both were much younger, misunderstandings and West’s meddlesome father tore them apart. Sophie married another, while West recovered from a tragic injury. Years later, with Sophie now widowed, the pair fabricate an engagement in order to benefit Sophie’s sister’s marriage prospects. Old feelings and hurts resurface as they navigate a possible rekindling of their love for one another.

To Woo and to Wed was a very slow story, not a slow burn, but simply a slog. Misunderstanding took much too long to be resolved. It was nearly halfway through the book before Sophie and West finally hashed out said misunderstandings. Nothing peeves me more than when a simple conversation could have resolved so much confusion. More so the plot was repetitive, and simply put tedious. Very little occurred to move the story along.

To add to this, the main characters were both quite dull. West was a strait-laced boorish fellow. He was not a rake bandying about town, nor was he particularly joyful. He lacked all manner of personality. Sophie was a better-carved character; I enjoyed her love for her family. Being the eldest daughter, she was often much more subdued and accustomed to keeping her temper in check. The result was unfortunately an uninteresting heroine. Nowhere in the story do we truly get to know these characters; their passions, desires, and interests. I couldn’t understand what drove them. And as such, I could not grasp what they say in one another. They were in love but I couldn’t understand why.

This is not a high-steam romance novel. Although the s*ex scenes are well written, they are simply not ample. And most upsetting for me is that a very important sexual encounter occurs completely off the page. We were told it occurred but given few details. I believe this could have added to the overall plot but also to the chemistry and lust between them.

Overall, this book was simply not to my taste. The slow start, lack of character development, absence of chemistry between the hero and heroine, stagnant plot, and low steam did not appeal to me.

I must say that Martha Waters is an excellent writer. Her banter between characters is some of the best I’ve ever read. Her books are well-researched and historically enchanting. Although I was disappointed with this book, I would definitely read more from Waters if I were in the mood for well well-written low-steam romance novel.

I've read and loved this entire series and was so excited to get an ARC of the final book! I read it within three days and it was everything a good historical romance should be.

I love a well-done second chance romance, and the angst was off the charts in both the flashback chapters and the current day chapters. Sophie and West had great banter and chemistry, and the angst was off the charts. This was easily my favorite book of the whole series.

My one annoyance was that Sophie seemed just so stubborn, but I thought her stubbornness was very fitting with the rest of her character, even if it grated on my nerves a little bit.

I especially enjoyed the epilogue, where we got to see all of Martha Waters' couples from the series together. It tied both the book and the series up nicely.

I'm sad that this is the end of the series, but I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic finale to this series. Just like with the others, I was hooked and couldn’t put this book down once I started it.

I did get a bit frustrated with Sophie at times for the whole paternalistic ignoring what he says he wants and deciding she will make noble sacrifices because she knows what’s best for him thing, but she definitely came around and saw reason very clearly and admitted that she was wrong in doing that (which is a refreshing change of pace from a lot of HRs)

Spoiler ahead: I love that this book had a FMC that didn’t want kids. There is nothing wrong with the characters’ HEA involving pregnancy/children, and I have seen a fair amount of couples with fertility problems and I think representation of that is SO important. But it is very rare to see a FMC who just straight up isn’t interested—doesn’t have the yearning when she sees someone else’s baby, doesn’t feel like her life will never be complete without one. I LOVED that aspect of this book.

Seven years ago, West and Sophie were about to walk down the aisle, but now they can't stand to be in the same room. The pair were giddy in love, but thanks to West's father's meddling and an almost fatal curricle accident, things fizzled out, and Sophie married another. Now, Sophie is widowed and not looking for romance, but when her younger sister mentions a hesitance at getting re-married due to Sophie's situation, Sophie concocts a plan. Sophie knows the only way her sister will go through with a wedding is if she's also settled down, so Sophie enlists West's help to fake an engagement. The only problem? Neither can ignore the real feelings that still simmer between them.

I've been waiting for West and Sophie's story to play out since the first book, and I feel like Waters saved the best for last. West is probably my favorite love interest in the whole series. He comes off a bit dark and broody but has this teasing, dry humor that always gets me. It was so fun watching him and Sophie push each other's buttons. He's also so gone for Sophie, and I love it. I liked the flashbacks and thought they helped give us insight into their relationship. The writing was also brimming with Waters' signature wit and charm. I read the whole thing in almost one sitting because I was so into it. My only complaints were that Sophie was, at times, way too stubborn for my liking, and I thought the plot lost a bit of steam towards the end. Other than that, I thought this was a solid ending to a series, and I can't wait to see what Waters comes out with next.

This book was a fun read but the heroine was not to my liking.

She is bossy, makes decisions for everyone, decides to ruin her life and Wests by impetuously jumping into a marriage and acts the ultimate matyr. I loved that she received setdowns from both West and Alex on not making decisions for them, and actually communicating.

West on the other hand is so lovely. Staunch in his love, and he must have the patience of a Saint to deal with Sophie.

Overall, I also felt there were a bit too many characters. It could have been limited to immediate siblings instead of all the extended friends and siblings not involved in the plot.

I did enjoy the read, but at some points had to muddle through.

A good conclusion to a fun series. I loved Sophie and West, their slow burn romance, and the antics they got up to. It was nice to check in with the other characters. I'm excited to see what Martha Waters writes next.

I love this authors writing! She does an exceptional job at pulling readers in and i love the experience of reading her books.

The romance was sweet and I did root for the two characters at the beginning, but as the book kept going I was just not invested in them anymore.

The tangled web of friends, who has slept with who, and affairs was so unregency like that I was just annoyed. There needed to be a balance of that historical feel that was lost in this book.

However, this book got so modern it was ridiculous. All the agendas she pushed pulled me out of the story and the miscommunication lasted SO long and the resolution was lackluster.

AHHHH FINALLY WES AND SOPH!!!!! I have been waiting for this story since the very first time i realized the author was laying the ground work for an eventual story for the pair.

Martha Waters could simply never disappoint me so it comes as no surprise that i am smitten with to woo and wed. as someone who isnt typically a fan of more than one POV (im impatient, okay!) i find that Waters writing style allows the reader to fully enjoy the contrasting view points.

I am sad that this is the conclusion to the series and im not getting another one any time soon. i simply cant choose a favorite couple from the series because i loved them so much that its definitely safe to say ill be reading everything this author publishes.

This was a charming end to the series. I thought the characters were great and had good chemistry, and the plot was interesting, I especially loved all the references to the insane meddling from the previous 4 books.

I'm personally not a big fan of dual timelines so it took me out of it a little bit at first. I thought the first few flashbacks were a little boring but they did pick up as the story went on. If you like dual timeline this probably won't be an issue for you. I also felt like the miscommunication/sheer lack of communication between the two main characters was a little over the top at times. It felt like they were having the same arguments over and over again and I just wanted to shake them at times.

Overall, I thought this was a cute, fun read. I really fell for both the main characters and was really rooting for them. If you love historical fiction and lighthearted reads with just a sprinkle of angst, give this one a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book!

Hello Book friends!

Today I’m reviewing the final book in The Regency Vows series, To Woo and to Wed by Martha Waters. In this last book we follow the heir to a dukedom and a young widow, who seven years prior came close to their own happily ever after.

Do you have any favorite romance tropes?

My absolute favorite from this year is second chance romance. Where would-be lovers find each other again, given one last chance at finding happiness.

A character driven story, To Woo and to Wed features past characters we’ve come to love while enjoying the pining of a brooding heir, who will stop at nothing to get the girl. The only draw back for me with this one was our female MC, Sophie, Lady Fitzwilliam Bridewell. She just wasn’t likable. She plays the martyr far too often, even when circumstances wouldn’t necessitate her to do so.

As a widow, Sophie has more freedom and choice. While some in her same position, would prefer to keep their fortunes and autonomy than remarry, for Sophie, it’s pretty clear, if she worked things out with her second chance romance, she could be very happy with West.

Plus with her and West’s history, his persistence in proving what sometimes feels like unrequited love, it becomes obvious very early on that he’s committed and that it’s her stubbornness that’s keeping her from what they both want. Towards the end, I almost felt like West should save his losses (and heartache) and walk away. Though, he’s a keeper with his grand gesture, laying bare his claim for Sophie's heart.

Check mark all those fan favorites: spice, fake engagement, and second chance love, romance readers should add the final book of The Regency Vows series to their TBR.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

I feel like I've been waiting for West and Sophie's story since the first time I read one of Martha Waters' historical romances, and this didn't disappoint for me. A delightful combo of tropes - second chance and fake dating, specifically - which worked really well for me. Sophie is a young widow, but years ago, before her first marriage, she was almost-betrothed to West. Sophie's family is newly titled and earned their wealth in trade, so some of the snobbier members of the ton are not fans, including West's father. Years ago, he threatened to ruin the future prospects of Sophie's younger sisters if she didn't break things off with West. The next day, West was involved in a devastating curricle accident that leaves him permanently injured and kills his best friends. When he recovered, Sophie was already married and he had no idea why. For the past year or so (during the events of the prior three novels in this series), Sophie and West have been pushed together by their circle of friends, and the spark still seems to be there. So when Sophie's younger sister, also a widow, indicates that she won't marry her new suitor until Sophie herself plans to remarry, West seems like the perfect person with whom she can have a fake betrothal. I don't always like second chance romances, but this was done so well, and the addition of the fake relationship trope freshened it up for me, so I really enjoyed it. I also loved Sophie's sisters and would be happy to read a series about them.

This is the final book in the series and the one I’ve been waiting for. This book did not disappoint. There is so much history between west and Sophie that needed to be reveled and worked thru. They are both cautious people that don’t trust easily for good reason. Just one careless wager can change everything in an instant. I had to stop after every chapter to take in where their paths were leading. Their journey to their HEA had a lot of bumps in the road but thru hard work and open communication it was achieved.

*i was given an arc in exchange for an honest review*

cant believe i’ve finally finished this whirlwind of a series!! this book is more of a 3.5 stars moment compared to the others. i think because west and sophie have been built up so much in the previous four books i was expecting more.

One of my favorite books from the series. It is hard to keep the stories all entertaining when switching between couples but Waters does quite a good job. I have been waiting for this one for a while and it did not disappoint. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARCs.

This series has been a little hit or miss for me--I loved book 1, struggled with books 2 and 3, liked 4 a lot, and felt like this last book was back to being as strong as book 1! A very cute and fun end to the series. There was a little bit more serious emotion to Sophie and West, which I liked, and the hurdles they faced felt believable (with a little bit of unnecessary miscommunication). They definitely both showed growth from 7 years ago to present, and there was lots of good yearning all the way through. Recommend!

Martha has done it again. It's such a bitter sweet moment. The end of an era but well worth it. Loved every moment of this book. Another well written story with all the feels.