Thank you Atria Books for providing an eARC for review.


The sharp banter between Jeremy and Diana is delightful. Diana makes this book most entertaining. She's whip smart, tenacious and she knows her own mind. Lady Helen is a smug pill. This is the best one yet! I highly recommend.

This novel takes the typical romance story and turns it on its head by putting th female in control of her destiny. I enjoyed the banter of the two main characters and the disconnect from the typical "woah is me. I have no choices as female" storyline. It was refereshing to read a more modern take on a period romance. It alternates between the couple's first person perspective. I feel this has a more truthful element to romances of the period as it provide a more emotional male insight rather then the "stiff upper lip". The romance scenes are moderately graphic but with tastefulness. I don't typically read romance but I did like the story as a fun diversion from reality.

Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham, have been duking it out for years, their childhood barbs slowly giving way to flirtatious banter - and it's this bickering banter that leads to a wager: Jeremy, a sworn bachelor who much prefers the company of numerous women rather than one wife, will wed within the year or Diana will hand over one hundred pounds. Now long after, while at a house party at Jeremy's country estate, he comes to Diana with a proposal of his own: his latest mistress did not handle their break-up well and insulted his...abilities. Now Jeremy's looking for a no strings attached affair, one just until the end of the house party, where Diana can assess his skills (or lack thereof).

What's meant to be a honest, almost clinical assessment turns out to be anything but - it's obvious to everyone at Elderwild the two are wild about each other...obvious to everyone but Diana and Jeremy, of course. Watching their relationship play out was so, so much and endlessly entertaining. This series truly is the definition of a rom-com, heavy on both the rom AND the com, I giggled and genuinely laughed out loud the entire time I was reading.

I did take issue with one part: Diana outed a character to THREE people almost immediately after swearing to keep the woman's secret.

A cute historical romance between widowed Lady Diana Templeton and Marquess of Willingham (Jeremy). What starts off from an argument at a ball to a wager where if Jeremy marries within a year or Diana will forfeit a hundred pounds.

Enemies to lovers and lots of sharp-tongued cheeky barbs with obvious flirtation going on.

Tried reading this one and it just was not meant for me. This does not mean that it is not a good book, I just was not in the right place to be reading it and have decided to not try picking it up anytime in the near future.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

I'm not gonna lie - this took a few false starts before I crossed the finish lines, but I'm glad I finally did and I look forward to continuing the series. I appreciated the nuanced and real way that women's (at least titled women) choices (if we can call them that) are guided and influenced in an effort to achieve any sort of freedom or agency. There's also a slight examination into the way childhood trauma and grief can affect a man's view of himself and the way that he carries himself in this setting. The banter is funny, there's some LGBTQ+ inclusion that's clever and real, and the steam is good. I'm actually excited for Julian and Emily's story now - and I hope it doesn't take me quite as long to ingest it!

3.5 out of 5 wine glasses

This book was ok. I usually like period piece kind of books but this one didn't give what I wanted it to.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. The exposition and world building was a bit exhausting and the characters were not that relatable.

I don’t particularly have a lot of strong feelings for this book, I think that it was alright and it was truly not a book for me.

DNF @35%

Martha Waters outdid herself with this one. The chemistry between Diana and Jeremy is so steamy. As inevitable as their love story seems, each obstacle along the way seems impossible to traverse, making the sweet, tear-inducing ending all the more worthwhile.

This was such a fun Regency era romance. The tone and humor just combined into such a fun voice, that somehow just really fits my idea of how they talked back then. Diana’s wit is just my favorite, and it was so clear in the beginning that she and Jeremy were in love, but the story of their bet leading to them realizing their love was so enjoyable to read. And their banter was my favorite, especially during the romantic and sex scenes. All the side characters were such fun, as well, and I just found out that both of Diana’s friends have their own books, so I will definitely have to read those, too. For anyone who enjoys a funny Regency era romance, or just a fun romance, this is for you.

Diana and Jeremy were the most interesting couple from the beginning!!!
They couldn’t stop fighting yet they didn’t stop meeting each other and talking!! (kinda flirting lol)
I loved everything about this book!!!
How they both realized they deserved love and it’s not something cheap and how they were doing everything in their power to stay sad and alone…
It was obvious they had been attracted to each other since the beginning, and everyone realized that, yet they were so dense about it :’)
GOD THAT LAST CHAPTER??? I TEARED UP NOT GONNA LIE!!
Can’t wait for Emily’s story:’) she deserves all the love! <3

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

At first I thought I was going to loathe this book after the first few chapters, and yet I couldn't stop reading. I'm not sure I got to the love, but I definitely had to know what happened, so maybe I did. I really liked the main characters in this book. I love strong women leads!

This was an enjoyable romance. The stodgy writing took a little getting used to but it did help the atmosphere of the story. I liked the sparring relationship between Diana and Jeremy. I thought the end felt a bit rushed but would still recommend this Bridgerton read alike.

LOVED this book! It was my first by the author and her writing was wonderful, the story so amazing, and kept me wanting more. I’m so glad it’s a series!

If you love Regency romances but more of a contemporary dialogue. To Love and to Loathe is for you. Also included is the enemies to lovers trope, we are keeping things physical only trope, with a risky bet and risqué banter. I laughed a lot and while some reviewers are saying it dragged, I didn’t feel that way. Though that could be because I listened to the audiobook and usually listen at 1.75 or 2.0 speed. Regardless, if you like these tropes, you should give it a try.

Received free of charge as a NetGalley ebook prior to publication from Atria Books. Listened to post-publication as a library audiobook. It was my choice to read and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was cute, but just not for me. I thought I’d like it since I loved Bridgerton just not the type of book I love

I hate to compare books, but when I requested this book, I was in a huge historical fiction binge with Bridgerton. I think I started this book with expectations to be similar to that and that is unfortunately not what I got. This is of no fault of the book or the author of course, but unfortunately, I did end up DNF-ing it.