Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. I really needed a light, playful, easy read and this fit the bill!

Diana and Jeremy cannot have a conversation without arguing. They both equally enjoy and are frustrated by the constant banter between them and the need to one-up each other. One such conversation causes Diana to make a wager that Jeremy, a determined bachelor and rake, will marry within the year. He accepts thinking it will be the easiest money he's ever made. Shortly afterward, Jeremy comes to Diana with his own proposal for an intimate agreement. After ended his latest affair, Jeremy received some unenthusiastic feedback about his love-making and needs someone he can trust and who will be honest with him to give him an unbiased opinion. They are both determined that this be nothing more than a short affair but they quickly find it difficult to resist the feelings tugging at both of them.

I loved the witty banter in this book. Diana is sharp, cutting, and funny while Jeremy perfectly plays the role of carefree rake. Diana is calculated in everything she does and says. She avoids emotion and entanglements and I appreciated seeing those traits in a female character, especially in a romance novel. It isn't something I've encountered often and there were definitely aspects of Diana I could relate to.

However, the best part of this book to me was when Diana and Jeremy actually discussed what he was doing sexually. There were honest conversations about sex, about how to know what a woman likes, and how little men like Jeremy have ever had to think about their partners. This is the first time I've read a romance with frank talk about sex and pleasure. There are definitely no magical orgasms in this book.

Despite the premise there was less sex than I thought there would be. I do wish there had been at least on more intimate scene but the lack and build up definitely made the major scene in the book more exciting.

This was a fun, cheeky read that I enjoyed because that was exactly what I wanted in the moment. This would be a great beach or summer read - light and easy.

Be still my heart. I'm very thankful to Bridgerton for bringing in a new love to regency-era novels. I loved To Have and to Hoax so I was very excited when I learned about To Love and to Loathe. It met my expectations and I'm hopeful for more!

It was goodish? Not great? Not bad? A teensy, tinesy bit boring in parts? Not as good as the first book?

I enjoyed the first novel in The Regency Vows series - meeting the group of friends that feature in each of the books; laughing at Violet and Audley's antics and hijinks; the splendid and fun repartee; trying to guess which couple would be paired up next - all of those things were great. And since it played on one of my most favorite Friends episodes "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" featuring one of my favorite lines of dialogue ever

God, they thought they can mess with us! They're trying to mess with us?! They don't know that we know they know we know!

I was predisposed to like it even more. I gave it 4.5 stars.

This time out...the friends' smug looks and insider knowledge about each other's quirks and tells didn't feel quite as fresh, and neither did the set-up. Look, right off the bat, the name of this book annoyed me (sorry to the person the author thanks in her end-notes). Nobody loathes each other. They don't! So why is that part of the title? Moving on.

This time out we find friends and newishly widowed Diana, Lady Templeton, and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham, trying to ignore the attraction they've felt for each other almost since the moment they both entered adulthood. But because this is a full length romance novel, they ignore it and pretend they don't actually want to rip each other's clothes off. For years. So there's that.

Anywho. Diana, who grew up always feeling like a burden to her aunt and uncle (who were forced to care for her and her brother after the sudden death of their parents), used her first season to find a husband who could provide for her. She wasn't looking for love - or even really companionship, she just wanted to never have to worry about money ever again.

Jeremy - newly a marquess after the sudden death of his brother - doesn't understand or like Diana's mercenary search for a husband. But he likes her. Wink, wink. So, during a ballroom dance, he proposes. Diana treats the proposal like the joke it appears to be and soundly rejects him. Even though she secretly has the hots for him. Yep.

Unfortunately, for "reasons" (Jeremy will someday learn) Diana can't mess around with Jeremy even if she might want to. It isn't personal. Everyone knows the Willingham estate is nearly bankrupt after his father's mismanagement, and besides, Jeremy is a famous rake who vowed he would never marry. Diana needs financial security and a life free of worry. Marriage to Jeremy isn't in the cards.

Flash forward several years. Diana is widowed and rich and has had the sex and knows what she wants in a bed partner...just not how to go about getting some. Meanwhile, Jeremy is still a rake - just a bit more famous for it - and is having all the sex. He’s happily single and committed to bachelorhood forever, and has managed to restore the finances of the estate. Mamas want him to marry their daughters, but Jeremy is committedly single and always ready to mingle. Somehow Diana decides he must marry and produce an heir - because she kind of gives off mom vibes when she's with him (Yes, yes, I know reader. You didn't feel this way when you read it. We're different.) - so she bets him he'll be married within the year. Uh oh.

Then, not too long afterwards, Jeremy pays Diana a surprise visit and confesses that his last lover said he wasn't all that in the sack and perhaps Diana could help him out and make him a better lover and in return he’ll make her irresistible to all the men looking for all the widow sexy times. (side note: marrying a much older man for money doesn’t shout sexpert to me but you do you Jeremy) And because this is a light and fluffy and silly and oh, so fun romance novel, they agree to this plan.

So that’s the set-up. Then they go to a house party with all the friends, a couple of randoms whose names we hear every so often, and grandmama. Diana is going to win her bet, and meanwhile, these two are going to have all the sex, and everyone is going to be a winner in the end. Possible problems: all the friends who are everywhere all the time exchanging smug looks and smirks and talking about sex; those pesky feelings they’ve both secretly had for each other for years; Jeremy’s marriage minded grandmama who has plans of her own; an oddly cast, brilliant and determined lesbian with plans of her own; and some other stuff.

The absolute best parts of this story are the scenes featuring Jeremy and Diana. Their banter is funny and smart; I loved the way they mercilessly teased and manipulated and flirted with each other, and even when they seem to drive each other crazy, it’s clear they’re crazy FOR each other. And their physical chemistry in the bedroom is equally good.

While I wish there was a LOT MORE SEX in this “let’s have sex to figure out if I’m good at it” story, the t0o few love scenes are nicely steamy and sexy. Kissing is a big deal for these two and they LOVE TO KISS AND ALL THE FEELS THEY GET WHEN THEY’RE KISSING. Jeremy is an excellent kisser - no sexpertise needed to master this skill. But he’s not as great at pleasuring a woman beyond penetrative sex, and while he initially resists the feedback (he’s a man), Diana quickly puts him on the path to success. He’s a quick learner so that helps, too.

Physical intimacy paves the way to emotional honesty and Jeremy and Diana slowly but surely begin to know the hidden sides they never revealed to each other - or anyone else. It makes them like each other even more. Diana’s reasons for seeking out a wealthy husband finally become clear to Jeremy, and predictably, he hates the aunt and uncle for being dicks; Diana eventually recognizes that Jeremy’s carefree persona masks the repressed anger and sadness he still feels about the death of his brother (in a reckless carriage race). So while they’re secretly eager for more sexy times (SO ARE WE MS. WATERS), they’re also pining for more of the emotional intimacy they enjoy when they're alone together. THEY LIKE EACH OTHER. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER. Jeremy is handsome, kind, and sweet; Diana is whip-smart, sharp, and beautiful. I liked the juxtaposition of these two and the not-so-subtle role reversal at play in this story; it works on every level.

Okay but there are some problems.

1. The bet. It’s obvious to everyone in this story (legit: EVERYONE) except Diana and Jeremy that they love each other. But because of the bet Diana has to become a sorta-desperate, machiavellian match-maker and I didn’t like this look on her.

2. The counterproposal. Because Diana is your frenemy/soulmate, you think it’s a good idea to have her assess your sexual prowess? She’s had ONE old man partner (Jeremy’s keeping track so we know he knows this), and maybe you should just pay a sex-worker for tips? I just wasn’t feeling this.

3. The “villain” of this story oh-so-conveniently turns out to be a badass, super smart and tricky lesbian. I have no problem with the sapphic love story or the badass quality, it just seemed super out of place in this mostly conventional Regency love story.

4. When Diana accidentally uncovers a BIG SECRET - in a super awkward scene wherein the secret keeper “accidentally” spills the beans - and then after promising not to tell anyone, immediately blabs the secret to her friends. Nice.

5. The friends. Enough of this group exchanging smirky, smuggy looks; Violet and Auldey eye-fucking; and everyone trying to teach Emily about sex while she blushes. We get it. They have inside jokes. V and A are DEEPLY IN LOVE AND LUST. Emily is a virgin. Jeesh.

The end is a bit of a mess and drags on too long.

To sum up: I liked the principal characters; thought the set-up and conclusion were clunky; wished there was A LOT more sex, and a lot less smugness and smirkness; enjoyed the female agency rep.

Recommended with reservations.

This romance was just what I needed to read right now. I enjoyed this one much more than the first, and it is not necessary to have read the first book to read this one. I loved feisty Diana and rakish Jeremy and all the sexual tension between them, but I also appreciated how they respected each other. Looking forward to the next book in this series!

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading TO HAVE AND TO HOAX by Martha Waters, I knew I would fall deeper in love with Diana in this book, but I didn’t anticipate how quickly I would feel tenderness towards Jeremy as a character. Martha Waters excels at creating rich characters with emotional backstories alongside her signature witty banter and amazing character chemistry (seriously, the banter in this book is fire). If you inhaled Bridgerton on Netflix this winter, then you need this book in your life. Return to the ton with an amazing set of side characters and a swoony enemies-to-lovers romance. I love the way Martha infuses Regency romance with modern sensibilities to create a world I want to escape to time and time again. Treat yourself to this book-- I can’t wait for the next one in the series!

Okay so this was absolutely what I needed in the midst of a very stressful and depressing spring! The general set up is that two attractive members of the ton who constantly snipe at one another place a bet that Jeremy will be married within a year (he doesn’t want to marry and is, of course, a notorious rake) while Diana (widow) agrees to be his mistress for a few weeks in order to assure Jeremy of his sexual prowess (a less than satisfied former lover made it know that she was less than satisfied and his ego had a hard time with that). The bet is unrelated to the mistress piece, at least at first...
What I enjoyed most was the banter and the humor (I love a book that makes me laugh!) and the way in which their relationship develops. I also appreciated that Jeremy wasn’t a perfect lover like so many romances make their male protagonists, and that Diana had her faults as well. They felt a lot more real than is typical of romance novel leads and I loved it more for that quality. I want to go read the first in the series to find out what on earth was going on with Violet and Audley and I very much hope that we will be getting more books about this group because I need to know more about Emily, Sophie, and Penvale (not all three together, each separate stories I really hope are coming). Martha Waters is an author I can’t wait to read more of!
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read To Love and to Loathe early in exchange for an honest review.

Regency romp

A bet, a house party, a philandering Marquess, and a not so Merry Widow. Lady Diana Templeton had fought battles with handsome rake and scoundrel Jeremy Overington, the Marquess of Willingham, since she was a child. Their latest scrimmage is a bet that Diana takes with Jeremy that he’ll be married before the year's out (even if she has to parade every young woman she knows before him, or have him caught in a compromising position.)
A disgruntled remark thrown at Jeremy by his last mistress as he disappeared from her life had him reviewing his performance as a lover. Meanwhile, determined never to marry again the widowed Diana is wondering if she should indeed take a lover. When Jeremy inquires about her openness to a liaison between the two of them, there’s an emphatic No! and a reconsidered Maybe!
All the marks of an excellent regency romp, with a wonderful grandmother to the Marquess who was so delightful I'd wished she'd been even more front and center, a rather desperate single woman who frequently strikes the wrong note, and whom Diana sees as the perfect opportunity for her to win her bet with Jeremy, and friends whose lives have visceral ups and downs.
I’m a tad nonplussed by Diana’s terrible maid Toogood. I can't decide if she's the perfect maid for Diana or if she have other uses. But as Diana muses, "It was refreshing to know exactly what one’s help thought of one, rather than having to guess."
And then there’s Diana’s painting abilities, a well kept secret.
There’s a whole lot thrumming along in the background, various relationship circling around, the buzzing so busy that it runs the risk of impinging on the main story in a distracting sort of way.
A pleasant romp with some great lines that never quite achieved the peaks it sought, or even ought.

An Atria Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This is book two in The Regency Vows series. There is no need to read book one to enjoy this, it works well as a standalone and I have not read book one. Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley from the first book are included but there is a bit of their backstory given so you feel up to date.

I have mix feelings about this one, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I am a big Jane Austen fan and her books are my favourite reads, especially Sense and Sensibility so I thought a regency read would be for me.. I found this a tad slow and the real romance parts didn't happen until half way through the book . I found Diana to be kind of a shrew and Jeremy was an ass. The writing was okay and there was some witty repartee throughout and I really love the cover. I would advise though that you read and come to your own conclusions it may be that I am just the wrong reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read To Love and To Loathe

To Have And To Hoax is definitely one of my favourite books of 2020. It came at a time, right at the beginning of the pandemic, when I needed something light and fun, and I laughed so much reading it .

To Love and To Loathe is the sequel and it will be coming out in April 2021 . It is a delightful romance and I really enjoyed this and read it in one afternoon ! I loved Jeremy and Diana. They were so fun to read about.

Diana and Jeremy have been friends almost all their lives. This is is the story of how they go from friends to lovers. Jeremy is a rake who enjoys the favors of the women of the Ton. He is handsome and has a devil may care attitude. Diana is beautiful and has a sharp biting wit. A bet and a plan sends them into each other’s arms and there is no turning back. The conversations are quite witty and fun.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the eARC of To Love and to Loathe.
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I was really excited to read this one because I absolutely adored the first book in this series, #tohaveandtohoax 💜
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This book follows widow Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham. These two have instant chemistry and their flirtation and banter is one the best parts of the book.
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One evening an argument between Diana and Jeremy turns into a wager. Jeremy will marry within a year or Diana will forfeit 100 pounds. What follows next is a proposition that Diana simply cannot refuse.🔥
But, will she lose her heart?
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This books has:
💛 enemies to lovers
💛lots of witty banter
💛fun cast of characters
💛slow burn
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In all honesty the slow burn part was my least favorite. I felt like it took a little time to get to the good parts. I’m not a fan of slow burn books, so that’s why I lowered my rating, it was 75% to 80% before anything really happened in this book.
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Overall, it was cute and I will definitely read on in this series!
You don’t need to read the first book to enjoy this one but I do recommend reading it as well!

Let me introduce you to my dear book friends Jeremy and Diana. They bicker constantly, they attend a country house party, and they make a bet that leads to lots of match-making shenanigans!

To Love and To Loathe is Martha Waters’s second book, and I just love her writing so much. She brings a fresh feel to Regency romance while staying true to the parts of the genre we know and love. To Love and To Loathe was a pure delight to read.

Also, this can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend her first book To Have and To Hoax as well. It’s basically a FRIENDS episode set in regency England AKA my dream book!

4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this! I love a good historical romance and this did not disappoint with its great premise, fantastic banter, great steamy times, and a solid mix of modern sensibilities mixed with historically accurate details. I've not read/consumed any historical romance media since Bridgerton and this definitely helped to remind me of how much I love them.

My one critique (and the only reason I didn't give this book a full five stars) is that there are just a few too many subplots, which makes the book a bit too long. I also will mention that I had not read the first one in this series, To Have and to Hoax, and while I don't think that's a requirement for reading this one, I assume Martha Waters must have introduced these characters and some of their backstory in the first novel, as she jumped right into their story without a lot of setup (but since this is a second in a series, I can't really blame the book for that). All in all, I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun Regency-era romance!

THIS WAS SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK!!

First of all, thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the review copy!

When I received this copy I first went about to read the first one in the series and was instantly in love with Martha's writing! I loved that book so much that I had devoured it in a day and the second one the very next!

To Love and to Loathe follows Lady Diana Templeton and Jermy, Marquess of Willingham with their banter from the first book and through which I had come to ship them so hard. I loved seeing their interactions and how they were completely true to themselves in the presence of the other.

I did feel that this book was filled with more innuendoes than the first one, and those made it outrageously hilarious! But I guess it all was expected when we are reading from Jeremy- aka the rakehole and Diana- the flirt's PoV!

I would also like to point out this book gave me a lot to think about. It portrayed so many issues in a positive light which I think need to be incorporated in some of our societies as well. I loved how she showed how a person might cope with grief and their subsequent healing, I also loved the part of teaching the carnal mechanisms to any utterly ignorant friend as well as instructing one's partner on what would bring them pleasure!

Suffice to say that I do not think that there was anything in this book that displeased me, there was sufficient humour, romance and angst which made me instantly fall in love with this book!

I recommend this to all who are lovers of historical fiction or even romance in general!

This was a bit of a letdown, unfortunately. Before going any further, let me say that I LOVED the first book. Like, it was my favorite romance book of last year loved it. And while some of the magic that I loved in the first book was in here, a lot of it was not.

The basic premise is that the young widow Diana and the charming rake Jeremy have been verbal sparring partners since their younger years - Jeremy is good friends with Diana's older brother, so they've known each other a long time. In their adult years, they started to feel an undeniable chemistry between them, but anything that could have been was put on hold because Diana married an older man (out of necessity).

Fast forward five years. Diana is now a widow and Jeremy has slept with scores of women, curating himself quite the reputation. On par with their normal gibes at one another, Diana bets £100 that she can get Jeremy married off in a year. Confusingly, shortly after making this bet, the two of them also enter into a mutually beneficial friends-with-benefits arrangement for the duration of a two-week-long hunting party at Jeremy's country estate.

So during this visit, Diana is simultaneously trying to fix Jeremy up with a woman who seems to be throwing herself at his feet, while lusting after him herself, and developing feelings for him as she starts to get to know him better. And those feelings are hardly one-sided.

It's a cute setup, but there's a lot going on. Too much, honestly. It's not even just that these two main characters are getting physically involved with one another while also being at odds because of this bet. That's confusing enough already, but there's also a lot going on on the sidelines: Diana's artistic ambitions are revealed, the previous book's couple (Violet and James) makes many appearances, James's brother West is rekindling an old flame, Diana and Violet's friend Emily is sort of/kind of being courted at this party but has a whole complicated thing going on because of her father's gambling debts, the woman throwing herself at Jeremy might not be as enthusiastic about him as she's letting on, Jeremy's spitfire grandmother is getting involved in Jeremy and Diana's mess...it's enough to make your head spin.

What I loved most about the first book was that the emotional aspect of the estrangement of Violet and James was played out over the whole book. There's not just one emotional dumping session in which you find out why a character has been feeling the way they've been feeling by means of one huge monologue. No, things are much more gradually revealed in a way that felt a lot more authentic. In this second book, there were so many other elements at play that I don't think we got enough time with the couple for the deep emotions to slowly creep out. Instead, we got an infodump-y climax and an ending that didn't even acknowledge the vast majority of the side plots that were introduced.

I was honestly hoping that this book would span a year's time since the timeframe for the bet was a year. I envisioned Diana hunting down suitors for Jeremy only for those suitors to get rejected over and over (a ploy by Jeremy so he could get time alone with Diana). The climax could have been when he finally likes one of the candidates, but then Diana starts to panic because she's gotten to know him so well over the previous months and now has feelings for him, right as he starts to show an interest in someone else. I personally would have found something like that a lot more effective than a close proximity setup and the side plot distraction galore.

All of that being said, the banter is almost as good as the first book and so many parts of this book are laugh-out-loud funny. The author is a great writer, but as her acknowledgement section seems to hint, she didn't have the time to focus on this book that she had with the first one. Sadly, it shows in the finished product. Not a bad book by any means, but an unsatisfying follow-up to a truly stellar first installment.

I loved this! Absolutely adored it, in fact. To Love and to Loathe is the second installment in The Regency Vow. I very much enjoyed To Have and to Hoax but I loved this one even more. Think Bridgerton with less sex but more emotion. I love a good regency romance and I love the strong willed women that are featured in this series. Diana is no doubt the most fearless of them all. Jeremy is the most rakish of the men in this series but with a hidden depth. There was a slight miscommunication that I almost knocked a star down for but all in all, I devoured this book, I smiled the entire time, and it is just one of those books that is good for the soul. I can’t wait to read more from this series and this author!

To Love and To Loathe is the second in a fun, historical romance by Martha Waters. While its not necessary to read book one, To Have & to Hoax, before you read this one. I do think you will enjoy it more if you do.
I love the Frenemies to lovers trope. The characters were well written and the banter between the two was fabulous! I highly recommend this series!

To start - you really should read the first book in this series (To Have & to Hoax) before you read this one- I think you will enjoy it more. Just saying.

To Love and to Loathe is a fluffy adorable historical romance. Now don't get me wrong there is a bit of seriousness to it too but just a bit.

Frenemies to lovers as a trope is tough to pull off in my opinion. Waters does a BRILLIANT job here with that regarding Diana & Jeremy. I found the growth of both their relationship and themselves as individuals to be smartly done. Plus I loved their banter - it's witty and well written.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters and hope a book 3 isn't to far behind.

To Love and To Loathe is author Martha Waters’s follow up to last year’s To Have and To Hoax, and I’m happy to report that the fun is back!

To Love and To Loathe is a fun, clever historical romance, and while some of the complications seemed a little more drawn-out than strictly needed, it’s quite an entertaining read. I really enjoyed the characters’ banter, as well as the witty/snarky/innuendo-laden moments.

If you’re looking for a light, romantic escape with charming characters, definitely check out To Have and To Hoax AND To Love and To Loathe. (TL&TL works just fine on its own, but might as well read them both!)

Diana, Lady Templeton has achieved the dream: she married a wealthy peer in her first season and now just a few years later, she is a widow with all the freedoms that affords. Now all she needs it a lover to complete her perfect life…

In walks her old nemesis, Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham. These two have been at odds since her first season when she needed to marry and he wanted nothing of the sort. Now he has a proposal for Diana. They have always had a spark between them, so he proposes that they become lovers for the span of his house party. This will let the men know Diana is open to taking a lover now and Jeremy will have Diana help dispel some rumours about his prowess.

In agreement about having a fling, Diana decides to up the anti and try to marry Jeremy off… this becomes troublesome when the fling starts feeling like a lot more…

I enjoyed this enemies to lovers plot a lot more that the plot the first book (marriage in trouble). This book felt more light hearted and the pranks being pulled on each other were more fun feeling. I liked the spark between Jeremy and Diana and the their shared fear of love and intimacy. These two were a cute pair to watch grow and accept their feelings.

To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters is scheduled to release April 6th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#ToLoveAndToLoathe #MarthaWaters #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads