I love this series! I have read them all and can't wait for the next. Penvale or West? I predict West then Penvale. Looking forward to it!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of To Marry and to Meddle in exchange for my honest review!

I have loved this series! Waters does an admirable job of creating characters that have faults but also ingrain themselves into your hearts. I absolutely loved Emily and Julian. Don’t even get me started on Cecil (insert heart-eye emoji here).
The one thing that I felt was missing was the tension between the two main characters. I loved the tension in the first two books and I can understand why it wasn’t in this book. However, Waters does such a good job of writing chemistry that pops off the page that I missed it here. Since the characters were married early in the book most of the intimate scenes took place early and so it was up to the plot and conflict to carry the book.
This worked in this book because I dearly loved the characters. I hope to hear even more from Violet, Diana, and Emily in even more books!

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely and delightful historical romance. The third in Waters' Regency Vows series, Emily and Julian's story is a softer and more tender story than the first two. But make no mistake, it still has plenty of great banter and strong characters. Emily and Julian complemented each other so well, and what I loved most about their relationship is that the things they love most about each other were the things that they oftentimes tried to downplay or hide from others.

In particular, seeing Emily find her own personal freedom and stand up for herself made me so happy, especially after we've learned more about her over the previous two books.

If you haven't picked up Waters' series yet, I can't recommend it enough, especially for those new to historical fiction.

4.5/5 stars

Martha is an auto buy for me and, to no surprise, hits this one out of the park! I adore her characters, especially the cat :) Love this series and can't wait for whatever Martha writes next!!

Uneventful, to say the least. Maybe it was just me but I didn’t get much out of this book. Sure I enjoyed seeing the MCs from the previous installments and the chemistry amongst the cast but the lack of plot, dull romance, and storyline was uncompelling and overall put a damper on my reading experience.

To put it short and sweet: not worth your wild.

I had hoped that this book would be interesting, but the characters were weak. There was nothing defining about either of the MCs and Emily’s girl gang were irritating. Conflict keeping the MCs apart was lacking and not remotely intriguing. You’d think with a theater that polite society doesn’t acknowledge would bring more fun. Instead, it was completely forgettable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emily and Julian make delightful lead characters. Their personalities seemed real, and they were well-written characters that were engaging. I enjoyed quite a lot about this book. The kitten was a hilarious touch and I laughed out loud at his antics.

I was surprised, however, that I didn't love this book more. While I loved the main characters, Emily's friends were annoying to me. They were just too over the top. And while the plot was great, there wasn't enough conflict or tension. Instead, certain elements (Emily feeling like she was having to suffer through tea with women she didn't want to be around) were too repetitive. It needed a little more. I did think the way Julian's estrangement with his family ended was absolutely perfect. As was the way Emily gained confidence enough in herself to finally put her mother in her place.

All in all, this was a very fun read and a nice way to spend an afternoon. I will likely read more by this author.

I've decided I will read absolutely everything Martha Waters writes, and I know I will love it. Honestly such a delightful reading experience. I love all the friendships that have been established in the first two books, and it's wonderful getting to see Emily have her own turn to shine (and find love of course!) Like all the best romance novels, it's not that she was somehow unworthy or insufficient before Julian came along; she was pretty fantastic on her own. But love does what it's supposed to do, which is increase one's happiness and make you feel strong, and if you read this book, I predict similar things for your own happiness.

I have now read all three books in this series this year, and I can say with absolute certainty that this is the best of the three!

Six seasons in, and debutante Emily Turner is no closer to securing a marriage proposal. Not while her parents keep her under their thumb and force her to go out on the arm of the horrid man holding all of her father's debts. Managing to attend a summer house party without her mother as her chaperone was an incredible. Little did she know it would result in her accepting an offer for a marriage of convenience to Julian Belfry. Julian owns a theatre that is in desperate need of a clientele that doesn't feel safe bringing their mistresses with them, and Emily's above reproach reputation is exactly the thing to help him. But their first mistake was thinking they could get through married life without developing certain feelings for each other. The fools.

There's something to be said about watching an author level up in their craft with each book. It feels almost like a privilege to notice each of Waters stories get better and better. This felt far more realized in terms of plot, characters, and the trope it is building upon than the others, and Martha Waters is fast becoming a favourite in this genre for me. The theatre focus point was a lot of fun, and I loved the role it played in their marriage of convenience. I thought it was well-thought out and very cleverly done. Especially with how it ended.

Emily and Julian are both absolute delights and my absolute favourite set of characters in this series. She is so wonderfully snarky and I'm a little in love with her myself. I don't recall Emily being so droll and unaffected in the past books and it was wonderful for her to have this chance to shine on her own. Julian is a dear. He can pretend to be as rakish as he likes, but he is an admirable character, and those are some of my favourite love interests. The character development for them both in terms of their feelings for each other and their family issues was so well done. Spot-on from start to finish, and so entertaining.

I am curious if that is it for this series, or if there are more stories to be had. From where I stand, there are certainly several possibilities, like West or Penvale, to get their happy ever after. To whom it may concern, I am down to read those!

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I enjoyed the characters and the overall premise, but it was lacking that chemistry, or the zing I look for when reading romance. Marriage of convenience is a fun trope, especially with the slow burn or the enemies to lovers/neglect to love that can build. But I just didn't feel it for this.
Overall it was still enjoyable, just didn't take my breath away.

Lord Julian didn't seem as rakish as I was told he was, and Lady Emily Turner was likeable. It was just good, not great.

3.5 STARS

Lady Emily Turner is practically on the shelf to use the parlance of the day after six seasons in the marriage market. Her pedigree is impeccable except that due to Emily’s father debts, she has been locked into being squired around by a very disreputable man who holds her father under his thumb. Lady Emily has always been a good girl doing everything her parents asked with a smile and demur disposition. After spending time at a country house party with the notorious Sir Julian Belfry, things are about to change. Julian is a second son of a highly respected marquess who has somewhat scandalous reputation of his own. He runs a theater that caters mostly to the men of the ton and their mistress as wives would never set foot in a such a coarse house.

Julian wants to change the perception of himself and his theater while Emily wants to escape the untenable position that is setting her up to marry the odious man who holds her father in financial chains. This hasty marriage suits both parties very well since each needs the other to meet their stated goals. Emily is quite relieved to be a wife away from her father and mother’s abominable behavior even though she is tasked with meeting with the society women to change their minds about her husband’s standing. All of Emily’s years of training come in handy; however, she is more interested in helping Julian remake his theater into something more respectable.

Julian has worked hard for ten years; however, he had a falling out with his powerful marquess father over the theater and so has been estranged ever since. Julian has a lot to prove to himself and his family thinking Emily’s talents and skills in maneuvering the high and mighty of the ton is just the ticket. As their relationship develops, Julian and Emily realize there is more to this marriage than a business arrangement. This book is the third in The Regency Vows series, but can be read as a standalone. Fans of Regency romances where a former rake and a prim very proper Lady come together in unique and interesting ways should enjoy this story with its atypical marriage of convenience.

I think this is my favorite one in The Regency Vows yet! It has so much heart and humor. I loved learning more about Emily and Julian and am so glad they got their happily-ever-after together finally.

i really enjoyed this book and it was the first id read from this author. i can easily see this becoming a fan fave as it has a special plave in my heart!

LOVE this series. The perfect blend of Regency era romance and rom-com. And the perfect book to read while we wait for Bridgerton season 2!

This book was so much to read that I couldn't put it down at night.

After six seasons, Emily's only suitor is a gambling house owner whose father owes a lot of money. Fortunately, Julian wants to marry her to elevate him in society, which will lead to more respectable people (aka his father) coming to his theatre. He proposes a marriage of convenience, and of course, love has to find its way.

Emily and Julian are so cute together. They always want to do what's best for each other and constantly check with each other. It was marvelous to watch Emily's character grow. In the beginning, she was very used to just making other people happy regardless of her happiness. Toward the end, she could finally figure out that she could make herself happy.

It's always hilarious to watch two people fall in love without knowing.

This review is based on an advanced copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review

The English countryside in early September was a glorious place. The sun shone. The bees buzzed. The heady scent of wildflowers lingered in the air.

Emily Turner could not think of a more romantic setting for the world’s least romantic marriage proposal.

Julian needs a wife who makes him look respectable to remake his theatre's reputation, Emily needs to get out from under her parents' thumb and away from a skeevy suitor. Marriage sounds like the perfect solution - but being married is more complicated than saying 'I do.'

Regency romances are what started me on the genre of romance in the first place, but I've not tried a lot of new authors over the years. This is my first book by Martha Waters, and though I've not read the first two books in the series, it works well as a standalone.

What I liked most about this book are the leads. Julian is swoon-worthy, if not always the most perceptive, and Emily is a sweetheart trying to figure out who she is when she needn't play the perfect debutante. They have a lot of chemistry, but I also felt that they worked together well in a relationship and respected each other. I was also interested in the familial subplots of the novel. Julian and Emily both have difficult relationships with their parents, but this does not prevent them from trying to improve things.

However, I also had an issue with this book that I can't quite put my finger on. Though I really liked the leads, I did not find the story very compelling. It may be because of the minimal plot, but I've enjoyed plenty of plot-light romances before. It's not that there was not much angst, because I like my romantic leads to be sensible. I think the issue was that the stakes never felt high - I don't need high stakes, but I need to feel that whatever is at risk matters, and unfortunately I didn't get that impression. The rest of the plot felt like window dressing around the central couple. It all felt a little too pat.

Ultimately a mixed bag. I may check out later works by this author.

Book One was wonderful - this one is less memorable. It lacked the same wit as To Have and To Hoax. Julian's insistence to keep Emily away from the theater he wanted her to improve the reputation of was a little hard to understand, even when keeping in mind the Victorian male sensibilities.

I was really excited for this book but there was something that had me skimming and bored throughout my time with this book. There wasn’t enough conflict for me. There wasn’t enough of keeping these two apart so I was just….not intrigued.

Martha Waters is a beautiful writer who creates compelling, kind characters, but To Marry and To Meddle was a miss for me. I just felt bored — the plot is quiet and forgettable, the stakes low and unoriginal. Big fans of hers will enjoy this book, but there was nothing special here.

Martha Waters is quickly becoming one of my "must-read" historical romance authors. I love her stories.

To Marry and to Meddle serves up the same white hot chaotic energy from the last two books in this series but with 100% more Emily and Julian.

I, for one, loved every second.