I didn't realize that this was actually book #2 but it's not entirely necessary to read the first before this one. The dialogue and plot were enjoyable and made this a quick and easy read.

To Love and to Loathe is a hilarious historical romcom set in the Regency period in England. Diana and Jeremy were frequently in each other’s company due to the pairing of their very close friends, and were well known among the ton for their bickering. After an argument at a ball, they wagered that Jeremy would marry within the year or Diana would owe him one hundred pounds. Jeremy then received an unfavorable critique of his bedroom skills from his mistress. He approached Diana, a widow, with a counter proposal. He trusted her to give him honest feedback on his prowess during a brief affair during a house party, and Diana could use the gossip from their liaison to signal to other gentlemen that she was interested in taking a lover. Diana somehow believed that accepting this scheme would increase the likelihood of winning her wager. However, while the two were each focused on winning, they might have won something even better. I adored this book. The witty banter between these two resulted in a lively read with plenty to laugh about. It was interesting to see how the constant bickering between Diana and Jeremy translated into red hot chemistry and two people who fit together better than anyone can expect. I couldn’t put this book down and couldn’t wait for the next book in the series. This author has made me a bonafide fan. I recommend this book for lovers of regency romance. It is not one to miss! I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books.

I have read books 1, 3 and 4 and wanted to catch up on this one before reading book 5.
Well, I didn't expect to not like it as much as the rest of the series (that I have read). It seemed that there was a lot going on without actually anything profound going on. There were a LOT of musings in this one, one of my least favorite things.
Sadly I did not enjoy this one as much.

In the captivating historical romance 'To Love and to Loathe' by Martha Waters, the witty banter and flirtation between the widowed Diana, Lady Templeton, and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham, add a delightful layer to their notorious reputation in English high society. What begins as a lighthearted wager escalates into an unexpected proposition, leading to a unique arrangement between the two characters.

Amid the lush backdrop of Jeremy's country estate, Elderwild, the narrative takes a twist when Jeremy seeks reassurance from Diana after a critique of his bedroom skills. The ensuing proposal for a brief affair intertwines with Diana's strategic use of gossip to signal her interest in taking a lover, setting the stage for a complex game of hearts and wagers.

As the characters navigate the intricacies of their arrangement, Martha Waters weaves a tale where the pursuit of victory in wagers becomes a catalyst for unexpected emotions. Against the backdrop of matchmaking grandmothers and the allure of a house party, the stakes are raised not only for the wager at hand but for the vulnerable hearts of the protagonists.

'To Love and to Loathe' unfolds with a blend of humor, sensuality, and unexpected twists, making it a compelling exploration of love, trust, and the unpredictable nature of the heart.

I’ve been on a historical fiction kick and when you throw in romance I can’t get enough!!

Lady Diana Templeton and Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham, have been childhood friends, they are known for their quarreling and jabbing at one another. Now, Diana is a wealthy young widow who has no intentions of marrying ever again, and Jeremy is a player who has gotten some bad reviews in the bedroom. A group of family and friends meet at Elderwild, which is also Jeremy’s estate, for a two-week-long party. As usual Diana and Jeremy are going back and forth with each other, which then turns into a wager on whether Jeremy will marry in the next year or not. But Jeremy decides to take it further with an illicit proposal. Jeremey and Diana should become lovers, but only to help each other’s cause. Diana can offer Jeremy some tips in the bedroom and Diana will look like she’s ready to see to other gentleman suitors. Diana agrees, but she continues to push suitors Jeremy’s way to win her bet. Everyone seems to have their own motives here, but can emotions be controlled in this tangled predicament?

I decided to read To Love and to Loathe because the premise sounded fun considering the time period and I want to get more into historical romance. After becoming a widow Diana had no desire to remarried and just wanted to relish in her newfound freedom and just have casual lovers. Enter the Marquess of Willingham, who is known for his horde of lovers and aversion to getting married. When one of The Marquess’s lovers left with a less than stellar review of his bedroom skills he proposes Diana a deal. Sleep together and get Diana’s honest opinion on his skills and she gets the word out that she’s open to no strings attached bedroom fun.

I did like the banter between Jeremy and Diana, they were more like reluctant lovers than enemies. Diana more so in trying to deny the attraction she felt for him. Some parts dragged a bit much, with secondary characters that dind’t add much to the plot. Definitely a slow burn but the anticipation of them getting together sets for a nice ending. Overall it was an ok and easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Martha Waters for the opportunity to read this book.

“To Love and to Loathe” by Martha Waters is the second book in The Regency Vows series. This book can be read as a stand-alone. This book was okay. There were some great lines by the main female character, Diana, and some great retorts by the main male character, Jeremy. But this book had so many odd twists - or maybe convoluted twists - that at times I felt underwhelmed. However, that being said, the plot of this book wasn’t as far-fetched as the first book, so that is a positive.

I got a free copy of this from Netgalley and Atria books, along with the first novel in this series. I think I somewhat preferred the hijinks and the angst in the first book compared to this one, but this was still very enjoyable. As usual, Martha Waters is great at putting the com in romcom, and I did get a bit choked up at the end at Diana being so brave to admit her feelings to Jeremy. Love my independent queen.

Such a fun regency romance! I can't wait to read her new one: TO WOO AND TO WED and I'm also sad that this series is coming to an end.

To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters is super cute and such an awesome book.
This book is light-hearted and fun and the perfect read for Regency romance readers who are looking for witty, fun and delightful story.
All of Martha Waters's books in this series is simply the best!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Entertaining and sweet - I really enjoyed the witty banter in this one! Enemies Diana and Jeremy, who can barely say three sentences to each other before one of them riles up the other, make an agreement. Diana will help Jeremy in the bedroom and by being his lover will help Diana attract more suitors. They both are against marriage. After being a widow, Diana wants her independence and Jeremy with is insecurity doesn't believe he would make a good husband. What could possibly go wrong? Seems like the perfect arrangement to involve no drama and feelings... and yet..... I loved the playfulness but also the seriousness in Diana and Jeremy's relationship.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

They annoy each other. Diana is Jeremy’s friend younger sister. They make an arrangement, Diana would critique his moves in the bedroom and Jeremy would act as her lover to attract men. It’s a very entertaining read, lighthearted and a bit of humor.

I wasn't sure if I would like regency romance, but I decided to give this one a shot because who doesn't love banter-y enemies to lovers with a sex pact??!!

Overall, it was fun, but there were times when I felt like it was dragging. I usually don't really care about how realistic a story is, but I was really laughing at some of the girlbossification of the women in this book. It takes place in the freaking 1800s, like I promise you no woman was acting like this.

I loved the sex positivity and communication between the two main characters.

Regardless, like I said, it was fun! I enjoyed it for the most part, and the ending made me feel good, so that's really all I can ask for.

Also, I wish men had thought processes like this in real life because he was so sweet and just went on and on about the littlest things he loved about her. GOD PLEASE GIVE ME A MAN LIKE HIM!!!!!!!!

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the free copy!

I ended up DNF’ing this book around 30%. This is completely a me thing, but it was during this book where I realized I am not a historical romance girly.

The writing was good, but I’m just not into this particularly subgenre.

This book hook and ropes you in so quickly. You really find yourself picking it up and then not putting it down until its over. I really loved the banter between Diana and Jeremy not to mention this book was just hilarious as well. I am a real sucker for regency romance so not only did I love the characters but the way that Martha Waters described the setting of this really made me fall in love with the book.

I can't believe I forgot to review this one????

It was delightful??????

Y'all know I love some good banter and, gollyyyyyyyy Diana and Jeremy were full of it. Not quite enemies-to-lovers, but also not quite friends-to-lovers, these two were absolutely hilarious and I had a great time while they went through their "we're going to just keep this physical" delusions and realized instead they loved each other.

It was so precious. I love this cast of characters, I loved the open communication in the bedroom, I loved how vocal these characters were about the bullshit boxes women were thrown in, and I just had a great time being with these fools again.

Of course, I wanted to bash their heads in a few times, but they're dumb so it's okay. I knew it was coming.

So freaking fun and cannot wait to get to the next one. Emily and Julian are going to be *chef's kiss* I can already tell.

This book was wonderful. It was fun, sweet, and entertaining. I enjoyed the two main characters and their banter. They were both well developed for a historical novel and had more to them than you originally think. Sure there were some moments in the novel that made me question the character but what would a romance noel be without those moments of why would you do make that choice?

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes! I found the humor quite delightful in this one.
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
Percentage which mains are first on page together: 1%
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: No

Should I read in order?
You may want to. I didn’t and I found this one fine as a stand alone but the group of friends is established and there’s quite a few mentions of prior events.

Basic plot:
After Diana challenges Jeremy that he will marry by the end of the year, they attend a house party where he proposes a new bargain.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (1817)
- London/house party
- childhood friends to lovers
- widow heroine
- unrequited love (might be a bit of a stretch – more like a light crush?)
- artist heroine
- heroine paints the hero
- fun banter
- LGBT positive
- emotionally strong hero (hero cries)
- wager – heroine wagers that the hero will be married within a year
- lower steam – I have it as 1 open door scene but I could have missed something?

Ages:
- I think the heroine is 23, I want to say the hero is late 20s?

My thoughts:
I really, really loved Waters writing style. I found it such a joy to fall into. I loved her bright characters, her dialogue and her humor so much!

Overall I think this would have been such a favorite if there was more steam. I think I was expecting more with the whole plot line being all ‘am I a bad lover?” and I really wanted more from the bedroom scenes in this one. I went back through my notes and I only see one (I guess I could have missed one??) but either way, it was way more of a slow burn and lighter than you would think with this plot.

Jeremy I found to be kind of a unique hero. I rather loved how he wasn’t as legendary in bed as he thought and Diana helps him along with that. I really enjoyed all the characters here.

I think I would try more by this author just because I loved her writing style so much. I’m not sure if all of her books are on the light side – at least I’ll be more prepared for the next one if that’s the case :)

Diana, the widowed Lady Templeton, and Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham often argue and flirt in ton society. One evening a wager is made that Willingham will marry before the end of the season. At a house party in the country, a counter-proposal occurs. Willingham’s latest mistress criticized his skills in the bed chamber so he proposes a brief affair with Diana to help him gain confidence and stir gossip that Diana is ready to take a lover. However, will their affair help or hurt the wager?

While I’ve liked Diana, and Willingham, in the other books of the series, I didn’t love their story. Their book had too much going on with both plot points and side characters who have storylines then disappear. It seemed a bit rushed overall.

⭐️⭐️💫/5

THE BANTER!

i love this series for the banter alone. this enemies to friends to lovers story was so great! i loved diana and jeremy. you can tell from the very beginning that they're not really enemies so much as two people who love to needle each other and can easily get under each other's skin. when they finally admit their feelings, it's glorious!

i think this one resolved way too quickly and simply. and i definitely didn't like it as much as the first because there was never really that angst and tension. but this was still so great! i know i'm going to continue to love this series and can't wait to jump into book 3!