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!

To Love and to Loathe confirmed that my regency/historical romance obsession is real. This is the second book in the series but I have not read the first book so this is also perfect as a standalone. I am already hoping for a book three and will definitely be reading book one.

Why I loved this book:
-A strong, confident, talented and witty main female character.
-The plot and premise of the story. Always love a good frenemy story.
-The banter between Jeremy and Diana was great. I had many laugh out loud moments. Nothing beats insults and jabs delivered in the language of high society Britain.
-The secondary characters added depth and made it entertaining.
-The writing and language.
-A quick read that took my mind off a stressful week.

If you enjoy historical romance you will enjoy this for sure. It is similar to other historical fiction I have read so if you are looking for groundbreaking this won't be it. But will definitely be a fun and light read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC copy.

If you are desperately missing Bridgerton, give this series a try!

To Have and to Hoax was the first in this historical romance series followed up by To Love and to Loathe. The first follows Violet and James while the second follows Diana and Jeremy, who all belong to the same circle of friends. Two very different stories but I would say the second is my favorite (I love a good frenemies-to-lovers story)! Loved the writing, loved the stories, and a perfect escapist read if you’re feeling a little down this season.

Perfect books to satisfy that Bridgerton craving and hoping there is a third installment in the future (featuring either Emily or Penvale) - here’s to hoping 🤞!

Thank you to @atriabooks @netgalley and @marthabwaters for the ARC!

#toloveandtoloathe #tohaveandtohoax #booksiloved #historicalromance #historicalromancenovel #historicalromancereaders #romancereadersofinstagram #bridgertonvibes #romanceseries #minimalishbookreview #bookgram

As someone who hasn't read that many historical romance novels, this book felt like a great way to get further in my journey to explore the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between the two mains; they felt authentic while still being comical. I love the concept of a sexual bet between two people who are not quite enemies but aren't quite friends either, and I finished the book wishing I had more time to see what other hijinks these two would get into. However, while it was very fun and entertaining, the passion between the two mains wasn't as satisfying as it could be. There was some chemistry, but it didn't particularly stand out. Overall, the book was still a lot of fun and a great quick read!

An interesting take on the regency genre. I enjoyed the banter between the two characters. This book has me wanting to give other regency books a try, and I will pick up the other book by this author.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read

Loved the sass and snark in this one. I skipped book one in the series as I didn't care for the set up and characters, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of this one. This book sets up a couple possible sequels to focus on some other characters, and I would definitely pick those up based on how much I liked this. (Language, sex, LGBTQ+)

To Love and To Loathe is the first Martha Waters novel for me and I'm pretty smitten. Yes, I love Regency Romance, and yes I love a smart and witty heroine. And lo and behold, this book offers all the ingredients that I enjoy.

First off the heroine is a strong female who is done being dragged down by the ton. As a widower, she's afforded more leniency and the pressure to marry is greatly reduced.

Enter Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham. They have been long time friends and enter into a wager of when Jeremy will marry. Within the year of course, and she'll win 100 pounds. But here's the thing. Jeremy isn't really the lothario that precedes his reputation. And Diana agrees to help her friend figure out where he goes wrong in the wooing department.

Of course I know where this is going. And I know they will end up together. But the process is witty, swoon worthy, and just all around fun. Several moments of goosies and a much deserved Happily Ever After.

So this is my fourth historical romance and I’m not 💯 sure how I feel about them. This book was cute but it was very similar to Duke of Charm. It seems there can only be sex in these books if she’s a widow or they get married. Which is fine but makes some of them similar.

I liked the idea that Jeremy needed “lessons” in the bedroom. Very spicy. 🔥

Diana got on my nerves a little. They both were not able to see how they feel about each other. It was a slow burn for them to understand their own feelings.

But when they did it was pretty great 😊

Overall this was pretty typical spice up the night historical fiction. If that’s your thing you should pick it up! Or if you like Bridgerton- you’ll probs 💜💜💜

2.5/5 stars.

To Love and to Loathe had an interesting and fun premise, an interesting take on this time period with a salacious twist. Unfortunately, I found myself bored for the most of it. I was entertained by the banter, but everything else appeared to fall flat for me. A lot of the issues the characters experienced could have been dealt with more quickly, and it seemed to drag on for a while. Perhaps if I had liked the characters more I would have engaged a bit better with the slow-burning plot, but I couldn't find much to relate to. Overall, I think that the book will be enjoyed by those who love books set in this historical period, but ultimately was not for me.

📚 Book Review 📚

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the eARC in exchange for a review!

It’s been a while since I’ve read a regency romance, and honestly why don’t I read these more frequently? I love this time period and a good historical romance. To Love and To Loathe was fun and a delight!

There was a lot I enjoyed about this book:
-Diana and Jeremy’s banter is 💯
-Diana is a strong female character that knows what she wants
-The whole cast of eccentric, busybody characters
-I’m always here for a “falling for the friend of older brother” trope
-Jeremy’s grandma reminded me of Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) from Downton Abby

I was surprised at how it was a pretty slow burn. This is not a bad thing at all. I just expected the steam sooner 😂. I really enjoyed this one, and I already have her previous book, To Have and To Hoax, at the library.

I had enjoyed the previous book in this series, so I was pretty eager to get to this one.

I liked Diana and Jeremy. They’re both good, delightful people, who are struggling with the role they have to show society. Together they have button pushing and antagonizing and a good amount of chemistry. There are several characters here and it was most delightful to see Violet and her husband again.

Plot wise, there are a lot of threads here. I really wanted to see more of Diana and Jeremy talking openly. The small snippets we get of real conversation are supposed to be enough to show them falling in love, yet it wasn’t quite there for me.

Overall, it was a quick read, and even though I really wanted some sort of a future take, it was a fun read.

**Huge thanks to Atria Books for providing the arc free of charge**

3.5
Thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for providing me with an eARC. This is the second book in a historical romance series but I felt like it worked fine as a stand alone.
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This is a combo of friends to lovers and enemies to lovers but much more of enemies. The banter was so much fun. Diana is a widow and Jeremy is a rake (playboy). They have always been going head to head when they interact but then Diana bets for Jeremy to be wed within a year and everything changes. Jeremy goes to Diana with a friends w/benefits type of situation that would benefit them both since he was told he might uhhhh have some issues in the bedroom and Diana would be open to taking a lover.
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The banter was fun and I loved her friendships but I was frustrated at times with Diana and how she kept putting a young woman in Jeremys path. I also wasn’t a fan of how a certain storyline was played out. Overall, I still enjoyed it and it had great themes like taking a chance on love and how independent she was but I was just more invested in Jeremy and the lives of her friends.
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This was a super cute romcom! I’m always here for a good romcom and I really enjoyed it. Not my absolutle favorite but also not a waste of time. I highly recommend if you like books like the duke and I or the heiress gets a duke.

BANTER HAS ENTERED THE GROUP CHAT.
Take a weekend to settle down in a nice warm bath with this book and let Diana and Jeremy warm your cold little hearts. We’ve got witty repertoire, we’ve got mysterious debts, we’ve got *gasp* LGBTQ representation in a REGENCY ROMANCE.
This was such a fun read - between grinning everytime Diana and Jeremy got the chance to match wits, and genuinely being impressed with the normalization of teaching your partner what you like in the bedroom, I sped through this book in a day! Looking back, I do wish I had read the first book in this series (The Regency Vows), just so I was more familiar with the cast of characters - it’s a lot of people to keep track of. But you definitely can read this as a standalone as well!
I plan to immediately go back and read “To Have and to Hoax,” and to eagerly wait in my bubble bath until the next installment comes out!

First off I have to say that I absolutely adored this book! I wished I have read To Have and To Hoax but I was not lost at all I just think it would of been a bonus, but hey at least I know what to read next. Banter is seriously my favorite thing about RomComs and let me just tell the banter in To Love and To Loathe is on point! As is the steamy romance! I can not wait to read more from Martha Waters! This is def a fav book of 2021!

Final Score - 4 Stars!

I definitely enjoyed the banter between Diana & Jeremy. This was a super cute and dare I say witty novel. I thoroughly liked the plot, the setting, the writing and dialogue - all which helped to make this a quick and entertaining read. I breezed through this book.

If your looking for a heroine who knows her mind, and isn't afraid to speak it - or a gentlemen hero who lives for making the heroine feel constantly on edge - look no further! This is a fun and enjoyable story for you to read. Especially perfect if you are looking for a easy going historical romance on a lazy weekend/Sunday afternoon. This can definitely be read a standalone.

I absolutely loved this book! While it can be read as a standalone, I went back and read To Have and To Hoax because I didn't want to miss anything. I was so excited when I found out this book was about Diana and Jeremy, they were my favorite side characters in the first book. The chemistry between them in this book is so cute and just perfect for them. I wouldn't have changed a thing except made it longer because I didn't want it to end! I really hope Emily's story is next!!

Completely swooned over this whole book! I loved the banter back and forth as well as the steamy humor and romance that this book has! Loved To Have and to Hoax.... but To Love and to Loathe may bust be my favorite yet!

We first meet Lady Diana Templeton, a widow, and Jeremy, the Marquess of Wellingham, in To Have and to Hoax, the first book in The Regency Vows series. While you can read this book as a standalone, you might enjoy the bit of background that the first book provides before diving into To Love and to Loathe.

Jeremy and Diana are known among their friends for their witty barbs towards each other. They love to needle each other. This escalates to a wager that Jeremy, a renowned rake, will be married within 12 months. Diana makes it her mission to get him wed. She has an opportunity to throw an eligible female at him during a lengthy house party that he is hosting at his country estate. However, Jeremy has other ideas- he recently received a negative performance review (ahem) and is hoping that Diana might be willing to be go to bed with him and provide some honest feedback. It sounds both risqué and risky, and Diana is intrigued.

While this may seem like an enemies to lovers romance, Jeremy and Diana always had a bit of spark between them. It was fun to watch them slowly work through the multiple protective layers (like an onion) they both have as they figure each other (and themselves) out. It was also enjoyable to see many characters from the first book, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to the St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.