Another fun romance in Martha Water's Regency Vows series! I loved returning to this setting with familiar characters. Julian and Emily's story started out as a marriage of convenience for both of them, and it was fun to watch their story unfold as they worked through their family issues, and came together as a couple. My favorite of this series is To Love and to Loathe!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy!This is the third book in The Regency Vows series that I have read by Martha Waters, and this story did not disappoint! Emily is in her third season of looking for a husband, but she is forced to hangout with seedy characters due to familial debt and scandals. Julian is an aristocrat who owns a theater, so he is looking for a marriage to improve his reputation. So of course, these characters enter into a marriage of convenience, which eventually leads to love. I think that the author Waters does swoony regency perfectly. She easily depicts independent women characters during a time in history where women were not granted much independence. She also depicts men that realize how gone they are for their love interest, in a delightful and funny fashion. I also always appreciate the female friendships in this series as well. You do not have to have read the other books in this series, but the characters from these books do appear. I recommend this book for fans of historical romance, marriage of convenience, banter, and sweet rom-coms.

“She felt as though she’d been living in a cage for her entire life, and Julian had opened the door. There was an entire world beyond her Mother’s drawing room, waiting to be discovered.”

I think I liked this just a bit more than To Love and to Loathe. The friendship between Emily and Julian was a joy to read.

I loved reading Emily coming into her own and speaking up for what she wanted, and Julian was the perfect rake.

Read this if you like:

✨ Historical Romance
✨ Plays/the theater
✨ Kittens

I like to think my friends and I would have been the Emily, Violet, and Diana of the regency era if we had been alive back then - ladies who don't fit the mold and are better for it.

I love these books. I don't read historical romance too often, but the mix of humor, passion and just plain good storytelling in Martha Waters' books get me every time. I would be perfectly happy if this series just kept going and going.

I was surprised at how quickly these two pursued the marriage of convenience. I was hoping for a little more lead into that and felt little off kilter being dropped into the story. It felt too low stakes for me but it was a light historical romance.

I can't say enough about Martha Waters and her Regency Vows series. Every book in this series is hilarious. They are the perfect blend of historical and modern, and I seriously feel like the characters are some of my closest friends. (The fact that I’ve read each book in the series at least 2 times shows you just how much I love them.)

To Marry and To Meddle involves a marriage of convenience, a theater plotline, and plenty of shenanigans! It was a delight to read from start to finish. Thank you to Atria for my early copy!

A marriage of convenience, it’s one of my fave tropes when it comes to romance novels. We meet Emily Turner and Julian Belfry, they both are amazing together, I loved them. Emily is more calm, a woman with a good reputation, and then there is Julian, the bad boy of theater, an actor, great family name, but his dad wants him to get his act together, and settle down. And with great understanding too, mainly because Julian’s theater is known to attract the wrong type of ambiance. Anyway, I love how he and Emily just flowed together that it was a marriage of convenience but they both end up winning in the end, Emily finally gets married, and she can help Julian with his reputation. But of course it gets more serious than that, it was a sweet read, I felt it lacked what the first 2 books gave me, but then again this couple is so different.

A marriage of convenience becomes decidedly inconvenient when the lady grows tired of being well-behaved and biddable and decides to take an interest in her husband's scandalous theater business.

Once again, Waters delivers a textbook Regency Romance that hits the tropes spot on for a fun, devourable read. Heroine, hero, and plot are all more subdued in this novel compared with the previous two of the series, but Violet and Diana and their much-aggrieved gentlemen make substantive appearances in the novel's most hilarious scenes. (Diana and Jeremy's wedding is quite spectacular.) I recommend this title to fans of the genre, especially the "Marriage of Convenience" trope.

I've been looking forward to Emily and Julian's story pretty much from day one (Julian is exactly my kind of character kryptonite), and To Marry And To Meddle did not at all disappoint. This book (and this series, really) exemplifies everything I love about historical romance; it's the comfort food of books. The perfect thing to curl up
with when you're not feeling great (I'm currently recovering from a tooth extraction and this was just what the doctor ordered), you need a palate cleanser between
more draining books, or you just want to feel good. I'm excited for whatever comes next (Sophie and West?). This series just gets better and better.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I've read and loved Martha's historical romances in the past. I enjoyed the marriage of convenience trope between Emily and Julian. These two are seen in the previous books and I was excited to finally see them together. For me, there was a little lag I'm the middle of the story came around and I was satisfied with the ending. I loved Emily's personality and how she finds herself. It's beautiful to read. Julian is so focused on being a success that he sometimes misses what's in his face. It a great love story

I've read all three books in The Regency Vows series now and To Marry and to Meddle is one of my favorites. It was so fun and joyful! I loved the tension and the steam of book 2 (To Love and to Loathe), but this third book was so full of love and fun! I'm so glad we got Emily and Julian's story! This is a fantastic series and I highly recommend it!

Emily and Julian are such a great couple- I loved following both of their journeys to happiness and freedom from the rigid expectations of their families. Julian is definitely a favorite leading male character- his progressive attitudes toward his life and marriage were refreshing to see. This story brought all the fun of a regency romance and the details we love about the time period, as well as a fun contemporary romance! Loved every minute of it!

4.5 ⭐️ I may have mentioned a few times that I love regency romance. And I love this one…a lot.

Book 3 of the Regency Vows series. I hear the first two books were fabulous reads as well. Each book is technically a standalone but all books are linked.

This story is very sweet, semi-smutty, and witty. I actually found myself laughing a few times. I love Emily’s character. Her transformation from beginning to end was wonderful and deserving. Love the chemistry between the two MCs. Her female friends are somewhat annoying.

It is drama free which I didn’t mind at all. Although the author teased at times of potential scandals but it never came to fruition.

If you just want a very relaxing, enjoyable, and stress-free read then this is the book for you.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good marriage of convenience romance novel. You know they’ll end up falling in love, even against their best judgments and loud proclamations of “I’LL NEVER CATCH FEELINGS FOR MY SPOUSE!”. You know that after the first time they end up horizontal, it’s going to be the ‘best sex they’ve ever had’ and they’ve suddenly taken to spending more time at home than in their club. Mary Water’s, To Marry and to Meddle, is no exception to this rule. We did have a bit of a twist with this couple; however, the impetus that brought these two together in said married state.

A Little Bit of Plot
Emily Turner has spent the last 6 seasons on the arm of an odious man who holds the financial ruin of her family constantly over her head. Scaring away any real suitors, it’s obvious to everyone that he has no intention of marrying her. Julian Belfrey, a second son of a Marquess, has been disowned by his family due to his being the proprietor of the most scandalous theatre in London. As it’s said a number of times, Julian doesn’t lack the attendance of the men of the tonne, however, the Belfrey is known to be a place where one brings one’s mistress and not their wife. Julian knows to serve a higher clientele he needs to gain back respectability. The only way he believes he can do this is by marrying someone who seems impervious to scandal and is of the utmost respectability; he can finally raise the Belfry to the same heights as Covent Gardens or Drury Lane. For Emily, marriage to Julian would be a means to escape her controlling family and financial ruin. Both parties will profit quite handsomely from the marriage, however, when Emily wants more say in the running of the theatre and Julian wants her to play nice with those in the tonne that would seek to cut her off socially, they come to an impasse. Will these two find a common ground in the end?

The Compliment Sandwich

The Top Bun (The Pro)
The Humor

Honestly this book is funny. The banter between Emily and Julian is so witty. The banter between Emily’s friends and their husbands is comical. The humor definitely made for a much more enjoyable read. There are two parts that I’d like to highlight as they’re not too spoilery. First off, is the dialogue between Emily’s friend Diana and her fiance, Jeremy (the heroine and hero from the second book in this series). While they are desperately in love with one another, they thoroughly enjoy tormenting each other.

“Love notes,” she said giving him a significant look. “On her dressing table. I hope you are taking notes on how to be a good husband.”
“I do live in abject terror that you will decide to leave me, “ Willingham said lazily, not sounding remotely terrified. “Don’t know if I can manage love letters, though, my precious diamond.”
Diana shot him a look. “Do not call me that again - you’ll put me off my food.”
“Of course not, my radiant emerald,” he agreed.
“Please stop speaking to me now,” said his beloved, and she promptly turned back to Bridesworth and Jemma.

Quite early on we are introduced to a kitten that Emily and Julian discover on their wedding night, to which she immediately adopts. Not before said kitten attacks Julian, leaving him bleeding and fuming. From that moment until the end of the novel we are treated to a highly enjoyable battle of wills between a full grown man and one tiny black and white cat named Cecil. Julian, however, takes to calling him anything but just Cecil. His favorite endearment is Cecil Lucifer Beelzebub and they do not see eye to eye at all.

He gazed across the carriage at Emily, whose attention was fixed entirely on Cecil Lucifer Beelzebub, who was curled up in her lap and staring at Julian from his cozy perch with an expression of self-satisfaction. It had transpired that Emily was entirely certain that the small demon could not possibly be expected to sleep anywhere other than tucked in her warm embrace-at least not until they returned to London, where she could see him fitted out with a proper bed to call his own.

Cecil at times, is an absolute jerk, I can agree with Julian. But then again, that pretty much sums up most cats.

The Meat (The Con)
Emily’s Friends

While I did enjoy the banter, at times I was just a little over the antics of Emily’s friends, especially Diana. She kind of reminded me of that one friend that everyone has that at times you just want to take aside and say “for tonight, you just need to chill..dial it back”. For instance, with her upcoming nuptials, she is insisting that Jeremy wear the ugliest waistcoat known to man.
Why?
:Gallic Shrug:
I guess because she finds it funny and he’ll do anything for her? It didn’t seem to me that anyone else found it funny and I thought it a bit abusive. Emily’s other friend Violet is the less annoying of the two, but her backstory (the first novel) does not sound interesting to me at all - she fakes having a fatal illness to win back her estranged husband? Yikes. No, thank you.

The Bottom Bun (The Pro)
Development of a Healthy Relationship

While they may have married for business-like reasons, their relationship does evolve into one with depth and open communication. We do have a few instances of miscommunication; however, each party evaluates the situation and comes to an agreement or at least a semblance of common ground. After coming across Emily waiting on an absolute hag of a society matron, Julian loses his mind over how she is being spoken to:

“Emily as that scene indicative of how the other ladies you’ve paid calls on have been treating you?”
“Not all, but some?”
“Christ, please don’t accept a call from anyone who was rude to you the first time.”
Emily threw her hands up in the air.
“What do you expect me to do, then? You’re the one who is so insistent that we make ourselves the model of propriety so that society will accept us.”
“We’ll do without them, then," he said tersely. “I don’t want you having to make polite conversation over tea buns with women like that one. You deserve better than that.”

We see throughout the book that when in situations where Emily is being controlled by those around her, Julian continually becomes defensive of her. While this is honorable, Emily feels it’s just another person in her life making decisions and applying their own pressures. By the novel's end, we see that with the assistance of Julian, Emily has more autonomy and can speak her mind more assuredly.

As a whole, I found this to be an overly delightful read. The aspect of live theatre in Regency England is fascinating to me and I’d only been exposed to the more ‘proper’ institutions in historical romance in the past. It’s interesting to see what happens within theatres of a more disreputable sort.

I think I'm ready to call it quits with Ms. Waters.

This story is 85% filler/25% story. The story parts - setting up the marriage of convenience and traveling to London - is great. Excellent repartee between our two practical principal characters, a reasonable explanation for why they're getting married and make a great pair, and hijinks with a cat. Plus a little bit of slow burn set up. I liked all of it.

But then once our couple arrive in London, give her parents The Business and update them on the wedding, they commence with their sexy, happy, super rich marriage and um. Not much else happens? (oops, sorry. They get rid of a loser who dated Emily in exchange for not bankrupting her parents. This happens VERY early in the story and could have been a good parallel plot. Nope).

Basically, Julian keeps working and living his life and he now has a hot wife who likes to get nekkid at the end of the day. Emily keeps living a life very similar to the one she lived before they were married and also hanging out with super pals Violet and Diana. This once fun friendship is now kinda sorta annoying, the marriage is mostly perfectly perfect and the sex is amazing, too. (Have to take Waters word for it. It's mostly fade to black.)

But hold up. As all this ACTION is happening (le sigh), they're also both soul searching and realizing their parents MAJORLY INFLUENCED THEIR ADULT SELVES and maybe f---ed them up in the heads just a bit. - oh shit! does that really happen?! Yes, it does. It's like family dynamics 101. Parents and children have the Issues.

Wow. That's literally the bulk of the novel. Getting over the crap they carry from when they were younger.

Super dull, kinda tedious and hard to finish.

Caveat:
If you are a Water's fan, nothing here will bother you. I think you just dig her books.
If you've soured a bit since that pretty great first book in this series, I don't think this is a game changer that will pull you back in. You'll still be meh.
Unless, you - like me, decide this author and you just aren't right for each other and you call it quits.

That's okay, too.

Martha Waters did it again. This book was funny, sexy, silly, and engaging. Emily and Julian agree to a marriage of convenience which leads to loads of feelings, conflict, new independence, and a total awakening for both of them. I was enthralled from page one and just so happy to turn every page.

Obsessed with Emily and Julian!!! They are my new favorite couple in the Regency Vows series, which is saying a lot. Martha Waters' writing is always the perfect blend of funny, smart, and sweet, and I just want to read a hundred more romances by her. Can't wait to see what comes next in this world or any other she wants to create!

Lord Julian is looking to boost the reputation his theatre to a place that gentlemen would take their wives to rather than their mistresses. Prim and Proper Emily is the perfect match to do so. In return, Julian can save Emily from having to parade around society on the arm of a thug. The two strike a deal and marry. Of course, their marriage does not go as planned. This being the third book in the Regency Vows series successfully holds the same feel as the first two books. Julian and Emily's characters are fun and sassy, creating a fun, romantic read.

This was a prepub provided by Net Galley.

This was another wonderful historical romance from Martha Waters! I really liked the characters, and the writing was lovely. And I loved the last chapter! Overall, I would definitely recommend checking it out!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Emily and Julian are an adorable couple and this was the perfect Regency romance for me right now. While it's pretty light on steam, the witty banter and chemistry sizzle. Emily and Julian were so funny, which I appreciated. Typically banter is somewhat buttoned up in historical romance, but Emily and Julian were comfortable enough to joke with each other, which I liked. I laughed out loud at Lucifer's introduction, the cat that Emily and Julian ultimately adopt (to Julian's dismay). I told multiple friends about the scene and urged them to read this novel.

If you want a feel-good romance with minimal conflict, this is for you. The middle was a little slow for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it to my fellow historical romance readers.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the e-galley in exchange for an honest review.