There was a lot I ended up liking about this book- the easy discussion of the disparity in power and freedom between men and women during the time, the clear talks of consent and desire, strong, independent women, and lots of humorous moments as well.

However, I had trouble getting into the book, you're introduced to so many characters all at once at a house party, it was impossible to keep them straight. Paragraph after paragraph was full of who was dating who or used to date who or was related to who and I just couldn't keep track and found I didn't really care. Eventually, probably 50% of the way in to the story, I finally was able to keep the characters outside the main ones straight.

While I love an enemies to lovers type story, the banter in this one just seemed plain mean to me. It wasn't witty repartee so much as it started as direct deep insults about Jeremy's very being. I get that it was supposed to be funny but it just came across as nasty to me, at least for the first part of the book. It got better as the book went on.

For a book that is supposed to be about a widow teaching a rake (a rake, by the way, who was bemoaning the fact that it had been nearly a fortnight since he had been laid) how to pleasure a woman, it was exceptionally slow burning with very little steam. The premise would indicate there would be a lot more going on than one brief scene.

I did like Jeremy for the most part, aside from the fact that he was a player, and found the end of the book to be super romantic. Overall it was fine but not for me.

Possible spoilers ahead. This book was very hard to get into. It says that it takes place in 1850s but I can't picture this happening in that era. A woman whose husband died wants society to know she is ready to date again, a man who gets around wants to prove that he doesn't want to get married. They make a wager and who who will lose. There are too many characters to keep track of in the this story. Some have described it as Bridgerton but I don't see it. It is totally missing Mrs. Whistledown! I have never read any book by this author but the writing did not draw me in. I was disappointed in this book. I wanted to like it.

This was almost a 4 star. It was so close to being a 4 star!!!

I haven't read the first installment to the <i> Regency Vows </i> series, but I was still able to enjoy this book without any issues in relation to that, and it even made me want to read it - as well as the likely next installments, as these seem like the fun, fluffy, light reads that I am sure to enjoy.

This book follows the perspectives of Diana and Jeremy during a fortnight-long house party at the Marquess' house. During this time, we watch these two place a bet on Diana being able to find Jeremy a wife in a year, and Jeremy seek Diana's assistance <i> in the boudoir </i> as he has recently been informed of his lackluster skills. In short, we have ourselves a Regency-era friends with benefits.

I am not one to enjoy historical fiction very much, but this book provided a light and funny take on it, which was perfect for me. The characters are likeable and not difficult to care about. As I mentioned above, I was very close to giving it 4 stars because, although it wasn't becoming one of my favorite books ever, it was providing me with good entertainment.

And then came the plot twist, and I simply wouldn't feel comfortable not taking out a star. There is a side-character who we find out is a lesbian about 60% into the book, and this changes the course of the story. Aside from that, our main character tells her best friends this shortly after finding out, without getting permission from the other character, who she had just been speaking to, and could have easily asked. Granted, the author is portraying queerness in such a homophobic age in a light manner, as nothing negative comes from this reveal, but the execution definitely could have used more tact.

Overall, I came out of this book with mixed feelings, but as I mentioned, I am still interested in reading the other installments, and I hope the issue will be brought up with the author so that it isn't repeated in the future.

<i> Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this e-ARC. </i>

After absolutely adoring the Bridgerton Netflix series, I was definitely ready for some 1800s England romance.⁣
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I loved how feisty Diana was throughout the story and loved the enemies to lovers banter, she and Jeremy had between each other. ⁣
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I loved the hilarious chats between Violet, Emily and Diana reading anatomy books to figure out sex, since Emily was a virgin. ⁣
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I enjoyed this story, and liked that it was modernized, but I don’t think it’s going to be very memorable. The lack of communication between Diana and Jeremy at times got a bit frustrating. Overall, I liked the characters, banter and scenery.⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @simonbooks and @netgalley for an ARC for my honest review. ⁣
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This book starts as all good party stories do, with a bet of epic proportions. What is this bet you ask? Jeremy, Marques of Willingham, will marry within a year or The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton, will give up 100 pounds, which Diana thinks is easy enough, both intelligent and clever she knows how to play the fiddle of high society and matchmaking.

However, then things get complicated.

After a mistress brings down Jeremy's confidence in his bedroom skills he proposes that he and Diana embark on a brief affair while at his house party--- he can get reassurances about his bedroom "skills," and she can use the gossip to single men she's interested in a lover. Can these enemies keep it strictly physical or do feelings arise?

What could have been better?
Sometimes, it felt like the pacing of the story dragged in sections and I felt like I was "pushing through" to read. Also, I wish there were more moments where Jeremy and Diana were intimate or by themselves in the story or that it extended beyond the party.

What I did like?
I liked the enemies to lovers trope. I thought it was well done and the revelation of their feelings was timed well and felt like a natural evolution. Going off of that, the banter between them? It was excellent. I always enjoy when characters dialogue can make me laugh and the quips between them felt and sounded natural.

What did I love?
I loved Diana, and I, also, loved Jeremy's grandmother. Both of them were strong, calculating, intelligent, and always scheming. They felt like strong women for the time period and I loved seeing that and the way, not just the two of them, but all the women seemed to have their own manipulations and schemes going on in a time period where they did not hold a lot of power.

Overall, I found the read enjoyable and would suggest it to anyone who loves enemies to lovers reads and likes period pieces!

3.75 stars rounded to 4 for netgalley.

I want to thank Netgalley, Martha Waters and Atria Books. for sending me an advance digital copy of this book. All opinions will remain my own, as always.

If you’re someone who loves a regency era story and a romantic comedy then this might be a great book for you. I enjoyed a lot of aspects about this story - the two main characters have some intense chemistry and their love to tease relationship was full of flirtatious fun. It’s also a rom-com with a good amount of steam too.

I also loved the way this book delved into the topic of marriage and how it can be so many different things to women of that era - whether it grants them freedom, constrains them, whether its done for money or love, or whether its a forced fate or a dream some will never have.

(Spoiler ahead) One aspect of the book that I didn’t love came near the end of the book when one of the main characters is told something in confidence regarding the sexual orientation of another character and very quickly tells the revelation to many of her friends. I really wished this part of the story was changed or left out as sharing this sort of information should never happen or be encouraged. It really made me dislike this character when I was really liking them until then.

Aside from that part, I did enjoy the writing style of this author and the story as a whole.

Usually, I'm a big fan of period romances, and while this one provided plenty of humor and sharp dialogue between our two leads, it just wasn't for me. It feels done before.

This was a fun read !

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria for my advanced copy.

To Love and to Loathe was just as entertaining as Martha Water's previous book To Have and To Hoax.
You do not need to read this series in order. They are more like companions.

I love a good enemies to lovers romance. Diana and Jeremy make a great couple. There was great banter, amazing chemistry and a good amount of tension.

Why This Book Lost a Star- The writing took a minute to get into.

Overall- I definitely recommend this book to other romance readers. I look forward to news on a third installment in this series.

This was a super fun read, though it brought to mind Evie Dunmore's 'A Rogue of One's Own.' But I adored Diana and her sass and independence and her and Jeremey's banter made my weekend speed away. It sometimes had some YA elements in there (reminded a bit of almost a summer camp-y vibe), but it was a cute read.

This book was a nice read. The heroine is a widowed lady who has been attracted to her brother's friend, but he is a wastrel who hops from.one bed to another. The hero has always been attracted to the heroine and when she turned 18, he became very interested. He stays in the background and watches her get married to an old man. He continues his bed bouncing ways when he ends a relationship and his partner denounces his romantic moves, he feels off course and turns to his friend's sister to see if she would be interested in helping him. She's a widow, doesn't want to get remarried and is interested in entering the discreet affair field. She wagers that she can get him married within the year.
This story was about two society people who are the best looking and no one can compare. They party their nights away. The hero works on his estates to save them from the previous lords spending. He looks up all the half brothers he has and is helping to support them and their mothers. The heroine and her friends have a discussion of how sapphic love is performed that really didn't add to the story. The premise of the story is good, but I am removing a star for the sapphic love description it was not needed and didn't add to the story. 4 stars with slight recommendation to read. This is a story that you don't expect any historical references or settings.

What an AMAZING BOOK! I loved the Widow heroine giving lessons of seduction to the rake. This book was amazing.

I really loved chatting with Martha about her book, her recommendations. Her episode will air publication week.

2.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

After the polarizing mess of To Have and to Hoax, To Love and to Loathe is more understated. But it didn’t do anything for me and is much more likely to sink into the recesses of my memory.

Diana seems like exactly the sort of character I’d like: the widow who doesn’t want to marry again seeking to shake off her staid lifestyle with a bit of fun. But I never really warmed up to her, and not to mention she does some really questionable things, liking outing a queer side character to her friends (the historical context compounds the already icky action).

And Jeremy was just another rake ready to make good, and I just never really felt like there was a reason to care. And for a pair who apparently had a somewhat antagonistic relationship in the past, the banter is shockingly banal. Even THatH, as in bad taste as I found some of it, at least seemed to try. These “rom-com” books really aren’t as funny as they promise to be, and it sucks.

And with setups like the widow and the rake in an affair, there really needs to be convincing stakes to make me care if they get together long-term, much less marry. It felt like Diana changed her mind so suddenly without a convincing reason. What is with most historical romances feeling the need to be conventional and have the characters end up married or declare intent to marry just because? I loved the books I read last year that didn’t feel the need to do that, and the affection was actually more obvious there! And it‘s not like they never have to get married! If they care about the legitimacy of their children (and as a peer, he probably does), they can marry if and when that happens, but I just didn’t think this was genuine, and would have been totally fine with the two just remaining committed lovers for the time being.

So, in spite of my hopes, I’ve found that Martha Waters is likely not for me. I do think that there is objective improvement so anyone who didn’t like the first book due to the immense pettiness, but was interested in Waters; style overall might like this better than I did. And if you happened to like the first in all its over-the-top nature, this book is a bit different, but I still think you’ll be satisfied with this book.

Diana and Jeremy have great chemistry! Their banter and flirting is enjoyable to the reader but cringe-worthy to the poor side characters who are forced to bare witness to it.

I liked the fun and flirty writing, I liked the plot and the scheming, but it still moved too slow for me. The games that Jeremy and Diana played got a little tiresome and it took too long (almost the entire book) for them to sleep together. While this is normal for a historical fiction, it was still too much tension and wasn’t believable when the plot line of the book started when they made a deal to do just that.

Love, love this book. If you loved watching Bridgerton, you will love this! It’s basically if Bridgerton was a comedy, it would be this. It’s the second book of a series but can be read as a standalone. Definitely would recommend also beautiful cover

I read To Love and to Loathe, not realizing it was a sequel! However, I will say this book works very well as a stand-alone book. I will probably go back and read the 1st book in the series to get to know the characters on a deeper level.

This book was very cute and fans of Bridgerton will love this one!

This was witty and funny, just not the right book for me. Well written and I would read more by Martha Waters

While I did enjoy Diana and Jeremy’s love story, there were a few aspects that I had trouble with.

I realize this is the second in a series, and that some referencing to the previous book and characters is expected, but I felt like we were being reminded of the story of the “previously estranged” and “newly reunited” violet and Audley every chapter. Not to mention the clear setting up of future books for Emily and Sophia. I don’t mind the references but they were too frequent and often distracting from the main story.

Also I adore a strong female character, but willfully stubborn ones for no reason are frustrating. Diana frustrated me until she finally acknowledged her feelings for Jeremy, which wasn’t until 3/4 of the book had gone.

However it did have a slow burn with a touch of spice and Jeremy and Diana, once they got their act together, were actually a great couple to root for.

Okay, let me start with what I loved because overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book, but there was just something towards the end that just... it was a big no.

What I liked:
Enemies to lovers
Lots of banter
So much scheming
Lots of sexual tension
Cocky, yet troubled love interests
It was so easy to binge read!!
If you’re looking for a historical romance that’s easy to binge, then this might be for you.

Now onto the thing that left an awful taste in my mouth. The way a certain side characters sexuality was handled was done very poorly. Outing someone who came out to you in confidence -even if it is just to your best friends- is NOT okay. I really don’t know how this was included in the book, otherwise it would have gotten a higher rating

This book comes out April 6th, thank you Atria for the gifted book in exchange for an honest review!

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS! I am loving the trope of regency romance of sleeping with someone to "learn" and then them falling for each other. Just filled with so much angst I can't handle it. Also a great book to get someone into reading historical romance! I haven't even read the first book of this series and understood most of what was happening. Great book!

There is no doubt Martha Waters is a good writer. She does an excellent job capturing the time period and engaging her characters in that fast paced dialogue indicative of the genre. This is a fun book with witty banter and there were definitely times that I did laugh out loud. Diana makes a bet with Jeremy that he will wed within the next year and he propositions her to help him improve his “bedroom skills.” I love a book with an enemies-to-lovers trope and I am ALL about the ANGST. But I will say I did have a hard time liking the heroine, Diana. I found her insufferable at times and she engaged in just way too much gossip for me. But overall, it was a cute story, a great distraction, and a quick read. And if you love regency romances I think you will really enjoy this one!