An adorable read that had me enjoying the characters and the friendship between Jeremy and Diana. I loved the character development and backstory that the author used in the telling of this story.

5 swoonworthy + incredibly witty + charming + steamy stars to this fun Regency England romp! Book 2 in her Regency Vows series, this novel tells the love story of the widowed Lady Diana Templeton and Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham. Fans of To Have and to Hoax will remember these two sassy + fiercely independent friends of Lady Violet and Lord James Audley. The two have known each other almost their whole lives as Jeremy is a friend of Diana’s older brother. They harbor thinly veiled passion for each other that typically presents as annoyance and sharp tongued insults. However, Jeremy has a unusual proposition for Diana...and she isn’t one to ever back down from a challenge. Their passion culminates and secrets galore are exposed during a two week house party at Jeremy’s country estate amongst their friends and family.

This book was delightfully + cleverly written. So much of the dialogue and descriptions had me laughing out loud. The author spun a fresh take on standard romance tropes which resulted in a smart, fun love story. Told from dual perspectives, it engaged me right away and when I finished I had a huge smile on my face. I love this series and all the character so much and already can’t wait for the next book! Adding to my list of favorite historical romance novels!

Thank you to Netgalley + Atria Books for this advanced reader copy!! This was one of my most anticipated book releases of 2021 and I’m pinching myself I got to read an early copy.

This is a historical rom-com fiction. It is just so fun! You know just what’s going to happen when two long time friends who spend most of their time bickering make a bet about when one of them will get married. This book contains all the best rom-com and historical fiction tropes. There are the fabulous best friends. An intrusive grandmother. Some personal demons. And the romantic tension. This was my first introduction to Martha Waters. I’m going to have to go back and read the first book, To Have and to Hoax.

Such a fun and fresh historical romantic comedy - the only escape read I needed.

I laughed out loud, gasped at the constant bickering and flirting of the main characters, and rooted for them like mad. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, so I'm compelled to give it 5 shining stars!

This book is a second installment in a series, but it worked well as a standalone as I haven't read the first book. It's a regency era comance (this was a typo but so accurate for romance + comedy) between Diana and Jeremy. They can't stand each other, but Jeremy can't think of a better person to ask for an unusual favor; he gets constant complaints about his skills in bed, so he needs someone who could help him get better under the sheets.

Historical frenemies romance? This was totally unique, cute, funny and memorable. I also appreciated the serious parts in which our main characters learned the importance of open communication and honesty, especially when it comes to intimate problems. This book. put a smile on my face and took me out of a reading slump. Big five star yes from me!

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was charming. Diana and Jeremy are now my favorite couple. Their relationship is full of sarcasm and them being a smart ass to each other. I found myself rooting for them from the beginning.

Martha's first book To Have and To Hoax was one of my favorite reads of 2020, so of course I was super excited to pick up her next one, especially because I loved these two characters already from their appearances in THATH.

Jeremy and Diana are constantly making digs at each other. Their circle of friends is forever intertwined, but that doesn't mean the two of them ever have to like spending time with one another, and they make their feelings known. Diana pressures Jeremy into a wager--that he'll be married within a year's time--and he accepts because he can't ever back down from a fight with Diana. But Jeremy doesn't want to get married, content to live his bachelor life, sleeping with as many women as possible, leaving a trail of satisfied lovers in his wake. Until one of said lovers isn't quite so satisfied. Jeremy begins to doubt his sexual prowess, and goes to the one person who he knows will give him the truth: Diana. Since Diana is a widow, she is free to take discreet lovers if she wants, she just isn't so sure how to go about it. So when Jeremy comes to her and proposes they help each other out, she agrees. The two of them strike up their affair while spending two weeks at a country party with all of their friends, and lots of entanglements ensue. Diana is enjoying her hook ups with Jeremy, while also trying to win her bet and see him married. Jeremy is falling for Diana, while also trying to figure out his true feelings about love, marriage, and duty. Of course, we know it all works out in the end.

One of the things I loved the most about THATH was Martha's incredible sense of humor and wit, and I was really looking forward to that same humor in this new book, and I was not disappointed. Diana and Jeremy have fantastic banter from the moment we first see them together. I really loved how this felt like a true enemies to lovers, they really went after one another, and I for one, thought it was delightful. This book was also super hot and steamy. I am a big fan of the teach me how to be good at sex, whoops now we're in love trope and it worked perfectly between these two. There was steam, hijinks, banter, and love, and honestly those are all of my favorite things.

The second book in the series is as good as the first. Diana and Jeremy are known for bickering over everything. They make a wager that Jeremy will marry within a year’s time. If he does Diana loses one hundred pounds. Diana is in it to win so when Jeremy shows up at her house with a different proposal, she knows will help her win she is all for it. He proposes that they start an affair while at a house party at his estate so that he can get reassurance that his skills are up to par, and she can let the gossips know that she is interested in an affair. What seems like a winning idea for both parties ends up as so much more that they did not bargain for. Great dialogue and characters.

I loved loved loved this book so much! Martha is such a wonderful writer and she's made historical romance feel so accessible and modern! I adored her widow heroine who wants nothing more than the same freedom her male counterparts have.

Additionally, loved that her hero, unlike most romances, needed to learn how to make her feel good. He needed to learn how to listen.

It was adorable and so fun! And I'm so excited to read whatever Martha writes next!

Thanks to Net Galley and Atria for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable and quick read. I rated this 3 stars, as I found the characters lacking much depth. Additionally, I found that the storyline delves into the plot too quickly, preventing the reader from learning much about any of the characters. I'd recommend this to anyone looking to fill the void after finishing Bridgerton on Netflix, as the Regency period setting were very immersive.

I have always loved historical romances set and the regency time period and this one does a good job. Overall, I quite enjoyed the plot, at times it was a bit overkill. The characters were fun and the liked their back in forth. I would recommend this novel for fans of Bridgerton, it was a fun read.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for this e-ARC in return for an honest review. Anyone searching for a book to scratch that Regency romance itch after watching Bridgerton can look forward to reading To Love and to Loathe. This book is witty and filled with lots of banter between not only our romantic leads, but between many of the other characters as well. While the flaws of each of our romantic characters are on full display, they are still each loveable and I appreciated having both of their perspectives throughout the novel. The only reason I do not give this book full marks is due to the constant outing of the queer character. While at first I was excited to see a queer character featured in a regency romance, she was outed multiple times even after asking for discretion and secrecy. The way her identity featured as a way to further the plot and connection of our two main romantic leads seemed a bit off-putting to me.

3/ 5 stars

Bridgerton but in a book (and yes I'm aware it's already a book).

Diana has already gone through the horrors of the marriage season in London. She got married, solve her financial problems, and is living a comfortable life as a beautiful widow. However, she's looking for a little bit of spice. In comes the Marquess of Willingham, also known as Jeremy, her extremely attractive womanizer of a childhood friend. After the two strike a deal to become lovers, they start to struggle with the new emotions that suddenly start to appear, Will they be able to keep whatever is going on between them as a casual arrangement or will these new feelings cause more trouble than they expected?

If you know me, then you know I'm an absolute sucker for enemies-lovers. I mean the tension it creates, the wonderful flirtatious banter, and those scenes where you don't know if they're going to either kill or each other or attack their face is WHAT I LIVE FOR. So, you can imagine I was very excited for this book. Sadly, I was disappointed, but we'll get to that later on.

OMG I FREAKING LOVE DIANA. We love a sassy, doesn't care about anything, strong-minded woman. Diana was honestly such a great character. She was super easy to relate to and the entire time I was OBSESSED with her great little, scheming mind. She was always concocting some sort of plan and it was refreshing to see a female character in a regency era book who wasn't just throwing herself at every man because she was this "demure flower" whose only aspiration in life was to get married. Despite her circumstances, she was a very independent woman who didn't take crap from anyone and I for one loved it.
Ahhh, Jeremy. My man Jeremy. I loved how he was a sensible man who was willing to open up his eyes and see his own mistakes. Finally, a male character who talks about their insecurities and has a level of depth to them that surpasses just the basic sexual level.

My favorite scene in the entire book was them apologizing to each other. There was just such wisdom in both the characters and it was great to see two people put aside their stubbornness and be willing to understand the other person's point of view. They were both in the wrong and instead of pitting the blame on the other person, they both were upfront about their mistakes. There also wasn't a whole lot of "hiding their feelings" and all that crappy stuff people do to throw others off. It was a very mature relationship and I adored that.

To be honest, I wasn't really a fan of all the long, fancy descriptions about everything. It felt like every time the plot was picking up or the characters were placed in an interesting situation, there was always some long description about something that just took you right out of the scene and it got very distracting. That was really the one thing about the book I didn't like. I also just struggled to fully connect with the plot. It all kind of fell flat and didn't intrigue me the entire time. I found myself getting bored at different points and just not wanting to carry on.

There was a lot of potential, it just didn't live up to my expectations. There are still some really good scenes in here and I was definitely laughing throughout the novel but this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

While I enjoyed this book in the series, I was a little underwhelmed by the romance. Diana and Jeremy have an arrangement, yet there is very little documentation of said arrangement so it was bit lackluster there. I would say that it was a tiny bit confusing tracking all of the characters with both their proper and Christian names. I also found Diana’s lady maid to be strangely named.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

After reading To Have and to Hoax last year, I was thrilled to discover a new book by Martha Waters!

To Love and to Loathe follows a widow, Diana, and an infamous rake, Jeremy. They have known each other for years and have been unable to keep their disdain for the other hidden. It is well known in their circle that they do not get along.

After Jeremy receives a complaint from a woman in the bedroom, Jeremy propositions Diana to become his lover in order for him to learn what he is doing wrong.

Set in the beautiful English countryside, we then follow Diana and Jeremy's journey learning more about each other while fighting their true attraction to one another.

Will two people who have sworn they never to marry decide that their first impressions may have been wrong?

I loved the strong friendships Diana shared with her friends. Also, seeing the main characters from To Have and to Hoax and their chemistry was great as well!

I really enjoyed this book. It was heart warming, funny, and swoon-worthy!

I haven't read Martha Waters' previous book so I went into To Love and to Loathe blind. What truly drew me to it (besides the cute cover) was the premise. I really wanted to like it but I just had a hard time connecting to Diana from the get-go. I also feel like the plot was not flowing. And too much time was devoted to backstory, especially that of side characters, that I found myself skimming paragraphs before I was a quarter of they way into the book. I skipped pages because I kept getting bored. I keep thinking that I was supposed to like and enjoy the main couple, except I didn't, they were both insufferable. I didn't hate them but I didn't like them either. I liked some of the ways they handled their relationship though but before the halfway mark I was already skimming in hope of getting to something interesting again. This story line had so much potential and I so desperately wanted to like it. Worst of all this book did not feel like a regency romance at all. To Love and to Loathe felt very anachronistic. Apart from a few indications, you can honestly not tell what time this book is supposed to be set in.
I tried, I really tried but this one just didn't do it for me. It didn’t quite excite me as much as I had hoped it would.

I have wanted to read “To Have and To Hoax” since it came out and I still haven’t read it but “To Love and To Loathe” became available in Net Galley and I couldn’t resist!
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This can be read as a stand alone which was great. There’s a nice group of friends. Diana is widowed which is exactly as she wants! She has a title, money, comfortable home and freedom. Before she never had such relief. And she wouldn’t be foolish again to ever remarry and lose it all.
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Diana and her friends go to the Marquess of Willingham, Jeremy and known rake, country estate for a house party. Diana enters a wager with Willingham that she can get him married within a year. He agrees knowing he won’t marry.
He’s worked tirelessly for years to overturn the estate to earning a profit, hasn’t come to terms with the passing of his brother, he doesn’t need to worry about pleasing a wife. Especially because he pleases his mistresses until one complains. This throws off his game.
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Diana keeps throwing Willingham with another guest hoping it ends with them forming an attachment but somehow it never works how she envisioned. There’s a crotchety old grandma, Diana and Jeremy enter into an agreement to help each other out.
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I really liked this and it kept my interest from the beginning. There is quite a few mentions of sex with a few intimate scenes but I did enjoy the sweet romance and character growth. I definitely want to read the first book now and can’t wait for the third! It kind of reminded me of a Regency “Sex in the City” (I haven’t watched it to know) so maybe like a Regency “Friends” as you do get Jeremy’s POV too.
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Thank you to Atria Books, the publisher, for the arc copy.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC. Where do I begin.... I adored the first book in the series, but this one, Its my new favorite... I just found Jeremy and Diana to be so enthralling, fun, and the dynamic between both characters was spectacular. I could not stop reading the book.
This enemies to lovers story begins with a bet and it ends with two individuals falling madly in love with each other. It is a slow burn, but worth the read!

First things first, I have quite a few sentences highlighted that I wanted to bring up in this review as I tend to do with most of my reviews. However, because this is an unpublished book (which normally doesn't stop me but my copy stated no use of quotes), I can't really do that until it comes out April 6th, 2021. So just ... take my word for things until I can give y'all evidence.

What truly drew me to the book (besides the cute cover!) was the premise. Well, the first of the plot especially. I am a big sucker for the enemies to lovers trope (this isn't to say I'm also not 100% here for a soft friends to lovers romance either) and ... this just wasn't it. I was sort of promised at least some of that and I got none of it. Honestly, it felt like the less interesting parts of both the enemies and friends to lover tropes sort of mixed into one. All of that heat from being enemies was cooled off by the sort of friendship the two characters have had over time (and I use the word friendship lightly, but honestly friends applies more than enemies does to this) and I was left feeling confused. I think that's the issue, really. There is no single tone that the book seems to stick with. At times it tries to be sad and emotional while other moments it almost feels as if it isn't taking itself too seriously (which, when I'm reading romance especially, I'm okay with! If done well, I welcome it. Worst of all for me, and what kept me from ever fully becoming engrossed was, this book did not feel like a regency romance at all. To Love and to Loathe felt very anachronistic. Apart from a few indications, you can honestly not tell what time this book is supposed to be set in and for someone who picked this up hoping for a regency (or just ... older) romance, as it was implied to be, this was jarring. I really hated how many times my mind wandered off while reading this book. This has never happened to me - I was reading, the words were still being read, but my mind was 100000% somewhere else to a degree I've never experienced. I get being distracted sometimes but this happened several times even when I was sitting in my room without any distractions around me.

This kind of brings me to my next point: The plot. I mean, we can already tell that if my mind was wandering off, I was bored. Honestly, so little happened in so many pages that I can't even tell you what really happened. Does that even make sense? I feel like a ton of the book could have been shortened or condensed. Or, some of the filler parts could have been removed and given us more proper interactions between our two main characters. I feel like too little happened not just in the book but between our two main characters. Apart from one scene that happens in chapter nineteen (of twenty four!), I barely felt anything, let alone sparks. If I wasn't so intent on giving an honest review, I probably would have skimmed a lot of this book. Also, there was one interesting storyline that was so new and unique and something fresh in this genre I was excited to see (I'm being vague because spoilers) but I just really disliked how it was executed (or really, how it was dealt with by our main character(s)). Really, I cared more for one of the side characters (Emily) than I did any of the main characters/plot.

Someone: Here is this super important secret that could ruin my life that I am trusting you with. Please don't tell a soul. I have worked so hard to preserve this secret.
Diana: Of course.
Also Diana literally two pages later: So I know this really big secret...


The writing was cute. It was light and fluffy and very easy to read. Despite the book feeling like it was long, I was still able to finish it very quickly. Typically I highlight passages or quotes I love — sometimes I write them down, other times I quote them on my Goodreads updates, that sort of thing. With this book, there weren’t many specific passages that truly stuck out to me. It did make reading it easier and the book fly by I guess but I was left wanting more. One thing I did notice that also bothered me was how often the main character's breasts were emphasized. Like, I get it, she's hot, sure, good for you, but it got to the point where it was truly grating. I can't quote some of these ... really interestingly worded passages but I can tell you there are eleven exaggerated mentions of her "breast," eight of her "bosom," and about ten or so of her "chest" (I say about because there's 34 mentions in the book but obviously not all of them are in reference to her). What I mean to say is, we barely know who Diana is, I don't truly remember what she looks like, but I guess I know she is ... well-endowed? Yay? I really didn't care for any of the characters besides Emily okay.

All this to say, I came here for the plot, the setting/time period, and hopefully some banter and I think I was more or less let down on all fronts. The writing isn't bad, it's a light read, but it isn't one I'll revisit.

Please note that I received an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

fantastic story! funny characters, lovely plot and wonderful writing. I really enjoyed my experience with this book. I hope more people read it.

Bridgerton has really sent me on a historical romance kick...
This book wastes no time jumping into business.
I liked that it started fast paced and we didn’t have to wait around for the plot to unfold....
And then it stills and suddenly we are trudging through the story.
I do wish we would have gotten to see the characters more on their own to get to know them better.
And I could’ve done with more “will they/ won’t they” tension.
I also feel like I’ve read this exact plot before... I can’t remember which book (I read too much apparently), but it just didn’t feel terribly unique.
It lags at some places, but overall it was a fun romp!