I enjoyed this book more that To Have and to Hoax. The character dynamic just felt better to me. There were still times when I got frustrated with Diana, Jeremy and the lot. I do look forward to a third book in the series and will keep an eye out for new titles from Martha.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

This is my first time reading a novel by Martha Waters and is the second book in the series. This is a historical romance with a twist of humor dropped into the story. I thought the author was witty and fun to read. Both of the main characters are very head-strong and I absolutely loved the chemistry they had between each other and the minor characters in this story. I really enjoy reading historical romance novels and to have a bit of humor written into it is a breath of fresh air. If you enjoy reading authors like Tessa Dare you will really enjoy this book. You can read this book without reading the first novel but I can promise you will want to read it after this book.

First we meet Diana Bourne who is smart and beautiful and has just made her debut in search of a husband with a title and money in the bank. She knows that she will not find a love match but is looking to fill her purse for the future. She and her brother were raised by her aunt and uncle and she was constantly reminded what a burden she had been. She wants nothing more than to never worry about money or being a burden ever again. Her situation really pulled at my heartstrings. She was giving up a love match with someone just to have financial security in her life.

Then we are introduced to Marquess Jeremy Willingham. A tall, golden-haired enticing gentleman who could make all the ladies heads turn and swoon over his devilish smile. He refused to get married and loved his life of eternal bachelorhood. He was rumored to be a rake of the town bedding all ladies single and married. He came off a bit arrogant in my opinion but did have the charming quality to make me look past his rumored rakish ways.

The story picks up after Diana has become a widow and has attended a ball where Marquess Willingham is in attendance. Of course they start to bicker and at the height of the quarrel a wager is made. I found their banter more on the flirtatious side and really enjoyed their constant back and forth between each other. Then after the ball Jeremy had quite a let down by one of his mistresses. So he approaches Diana with a new proposition. Something that would benefit them both and could start at the weekend party he was hosting at his residence. That was where the real steamy moments started happening and I couldn’t read through the chapters fast enough wondering if they would get caught by the rest of the party or would they go all the way. With the help of the Dowager, Jeremy’s grandmother, who looked to get her grandson wed to any lady attendee who was single. I thought that the grandmother was a great addition in helping Diana try to win the wager but I knew the dowager had ulterior motives. I could feel myself willing Diana to just let down her walls and pick love and for Jeremy to just bare himself to Diana throughout the whole book. I got wrapped up in if the wager or the proposition would win out for both characters. I will be getting the first book in this series and l look forward to the next in the series.

~ Brooke

Oh my goodness this book is fun! There are so many things I appreciated about this book:

-Great friendships
-Witty banter
-A heroine who isn’t afraid to say what she thinks
-A rake who is having issues satisfying women.

So many fun tropes in this one and I’m just blown away by how Martha Waters delivers so much heart and joy in this book.

I love a good “rake and widow” and “friends with benefits” and “pining for a friends’ sister” trope and I felt like the take on these were so different and refreshing.

I had so much fun reading this one!

I mainly just appreciate reading a historical romance where the hero wasn’t instantly the best and most mind blowing lover that’s ever graced the entire world! 🤣🤣 I was literally cheering when Diana was correcting Jeremy.

“Yes girl! Yes!!!”

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this book. The review is my own!

A feisty regency romance with a secret relationship between Diana, a headstrong and clever widow, and her brother’s best friend. Filled with witty comebacks and headstrong females, this is a delightful romp through the English countryside full of gossip, sex, and relationship scheming. An entertaining and clever story with similarities to Bridgerton and Emma!

Jeremy and Lady Templeton strike up an agreement to help each other out in the physical department, but vow to never marry. They hope to learn a thing or two from each other in the bedroom and in the meantime figure out how to win a bet about marriage prospects.

This feels a lot like reading an 1800’s gossip magazine. It’s so much fun wondering what type of scheming Diana is going to come up with next and it reminded me so much of a naughtier version of a Jane Austen novel. There are loads of quirky characters, tons of parties and jaunts through the countryside, and a group of women who love to bond over some spilled tea. Such a delightful and amusing read!

Unfortunately this just wasn’t my thing. I do love a good historical romance but I find the new modernization of the genre just really hard to get into. This would be a hit for fans of the modernization of Bridgerton I’m just a lover of more historical historical romance if you know what I mean?

I really liked the first book in this series, To Have and To Hoax, and was so excited to read this one. Luckily, To Love and To Loathe was just as funny and enjoyable as the first one!

I loved how Martha Waters used the enemies to lovers trope (and even included a fun bet!). I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Diana and Jeremy evolve throughout the book as they challenged each other and themselves. It was also fun to see the characters from the first book pop up again.

It’s hard to say much about this one without spoilers but it’s definitely an enjoyable, light-hearted read! To Love and to Loathe is a delightful historical romantic comedy and I’m already looking forward to the next book in this series.

This was a really fun book. I never read the first book so I need to go back and do that. I really enjoyed the cast of characters, especially Jeremy. He was the the classic soft hearted rake. Those get me every time in historicals. Diana was a good lead though I didn't love some of her matchmaking. Her and jeremy had great chemistry and this read was very entertaining and enjoyable. A fast, fun read. I definitely want to read all the books in the series!

This book was so entertaining! For fans of Bridgerton and other Regency-era romances, this is the book for you! I definitely would've loved a little more development of Diana and Jeremy's relationship. I liked them as a couple, but I think there could've been some areas more fleshed out specifically with Jeremy's handling of his grief. I really appreciated the dialogue as there were some VERY funny lines throughout the whole book. This is a companion novel, so you don't really need to read the first one as there is context for all of the characters mentioned.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker or a good enemies to lovers story and this book does not disappoint. The writing of the book was good as was the setting and the character building. In terms of the plot, I found it to be interesting (nothing that was too special) but it kept me intrigued to what would happen next.

To Love and to Loathe was a nice quick read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cute historical romance that you can read in a sitting.

Thanks to Atria Books and Net Galley for my e-ARC!

This book was really fun! If you're a Bridgerton or regency-romance fan then this book has a lot to enjoy! I loved the witty banter, female friendships and ~tension,~ however, this book seemed a bit rushed. I think the author could have taken a lot more time developing the character arcs, relationships and setting/time period to really put readers in the world and connect us with the characters. A fun book but it didn't feel fully fleshed out to me.

Ugh this is a “it’s me, not you” situation. I enjoyed the banter but I just didn’t enjoy the lead heroine, Diana’s personality. I couldn’t relate or find her attractive. She was bold, but almost too bold. I didn’t feel like she had any real weaknesses and that’s usually how characters endear themselves to me. The hero, I enjoyed him more, but I didn’t feel like he was a good, even match for the heroine. I think most other readers will be delighted by the forthright personalities, though. The writing itself was good. I just didn’t care to see the hero and heroine together.

I really liked this second book in the series. Diana & Jeremy had so much sexual tension in the first book, and it continued in the second. I found myself laughing at times. Hopefully there’s another book in the series.

[Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reading copy of "To Love and To Loathe," available everywhere now!]

I had high hopes for the second installment of The Regency Vows series after enjoying the first one. While this novel was quite funny in certain parts and I enjoyed all of the characters again, I was left feeling uncomfortable at the last quarter of the book. The use of a character and her sexuality to bring the two characters together was not something I agreed with.

This Regency romp was an absolute delight to read. It will easily find a spot on our library shelves and I can picture many patrons that I will be recommending this to.

This was an amusing and lovely book and I am glad I read it as I didn't quite enjoy the antics in the first book of the series.

Diana as a female lead was a character I really liked. I appreciated her independent spirit, meddling, smarts, and most of all, her self awareness. Once she realizes something she doesn't like about herself, she takes care to try and be better and that was awesome. Jeremy was a fun flirt and I liked how the book peeled off his layers to make him more 3-dimensional (though not quite enough).
Anyway, these two firecrackers have always had a bit of frenemies vibe and a truly amusing proposition later, find themselves entangled. Everything finally comes to a head in a 2 week house party.

One thing I really appreciate is although they make their arrangement for "lessons" pretty early on, the actual act doesn't come till much later in the book and I indeed feel they had had time to build their relationship by then. I was so happy they did get their HEA and the end scene was pretty swoony, different, and felt authentic.

The supporting cast was also stellar especially Helen (who made me laugh so much).
I am now excited for Emily and Belfry!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

A delightful, fun read. Enjoyable, and quick paced, get me interested and looking forward to more from this author.

Right off the bat, I'll say that I love the cover. I think the title is clever as well. It's appealing and a modern twist on a classic we all seem to love (mostly). However, I will admit that I am approaching this book as someone who doesn't really like romance. It's true. But why did I request to read this? First, I think I enjoy anything with classic-proximate relevance, historicals set in Regency/England, right up my alley. I read Jane In Love by another author last year and actually was surprised that I liked it. So, I thought I'd give this a go.

It's a cute book. I can see why it is appealing. I thought its strength was in its funny exchanges between the characters. However, I was mostly bored and thought the development of some parts of the plot (no spoilers) was just unrealistic and contrived. Felt like I skimmed more than I was engaged with the reading.

" For all you know, you've never left a woman truly satisfied in all your years of raking? Rakedom? Rakehood? Is there a proper word to use to describe this activity?"

First off thank you to Simon and Schuster for my ARC of TLATL.

Martha Waters does an amazing job writing regency romance with a dash of a few modern topics.

Diana and Jeremy are ready to strike a deal. 1oo pounds he is married within the year and he pays up.
But neither of these bullheaded individuals expected their own arrangement come to fruition.

By my chosen quote you can presume that Jeremy is... oh how would we modern women say?... A
PLAYA
With his nice jawline, gorgeous hair and insufferable confidence, Diana rolls her eyes more often than night at his side smirks.
We all know what makes a good Regency Romance is the "I'm a man with baggage who cannot give you all of himself outside of my body" theme and MW nailed it.
Well... until she gets to be the women to set Jeremy straight and show him what it is to truly "care" for a woman.


Also I've always wanted to use this GIF in a review.... and now is the TIME TO SHINE




What I Loved:
-the BANTER, enemies to lovers... that's all you need
-the side characters and "girl talks"
-the time period
-easy, quick and full and smiles
- 🏳️‍🌈 side story
- Diana thinks feelings are icky... therefore Diana is me.

What was missing:
-ummmm more 🔥🔥🔥

Rating:
Trope- enemies to lovers
Characters-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam level- I would call it educational... 🔥🔥/5
song- Close to You- DayGlow

To Love and To Loathe is an opulent tale that is sparkly and bright. Who doesn’t love a fiery kiss against a ginormous tree with a gorgeous man who just dismounted his sweaty horse. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand…mine is way up high. I am talking callous hands cupping your face, a few nibbles on your neck, hair askew, dress ruffled in all the right places, and panting from the sheer thrill of getting caught….you get my drift. Place this scenario in the early 1800s on a grassy estate with nosy maids lingering around every corner and a few two a.m. booty calls (very classy mind you), and you have the key ingredients to a regency romance.

Water’s story has a gorgeous atmosphere bubbling over with schemes and desire. One thing I adored was how forward thinking the women in her book were during this male dominated time. Waters weaved in contemporary themes of love, relationships and independence in a vivacious way. Instead of keeping her innermost thoughts and desires stifled out of ear of polite society, her female protagonist expressed them using a paintbrush on canvas and in the bedroom with her “Misteress”, Jeremy. I absolutely love the evolving relationship between Diana and Jeremy. Their constant wordplay with one another and coy foreplay left me short of breath. The plot was straightforward, but the main characters’ pasts and individual hankering for intimacy and love kept me not only intrigued, but highly entertained. To Love and to Loathe is a quick and chucklesome read that is heartfelt and down right a blast. I hope this book brings you as much joy as it brought me.

To Love and to Loathe is hard to describe, I suppose it’s enemies to lovers, but more like frenemies to lovers.
Diana and Jeremey were fun to read. The two of them had some great banter, and I enjoyed seeing their interactions. I did feel like their relationship took a little longer than I would like to progress, especially given the arrangement. I did like Diana’s feminism and her taking charge of her sexual needs. Jeremey was, of course, meant to be charming, but I enjoyed that the author showed signs of him being more than a rake. I honestly wish that was something that was brought to light.
As I said, I felt like the pacing was a little off, and I wish the story had progressed a little faster than it did. There were also a lot of side characters in this book. Many of them were also in To Have and to Hoax, which was fun to see. However, there were so many of them I did have a hard time keeping them straight. I also would have like to see more time spent on Diana and Jeremey.
I enjoyed this story and the characters, and I hope the next book is about Emily and Julian, cause I have all sorts of questions about them!