This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended

Well, another regency romance miss for me. I think as I've read more of the genre the more picky it get in terms of characters and the characters in this book didn't speak to me.

This was super cute. I enjoyed watching Penvale and Jane accidentally fall in love, despite finding one another frequently exasperating. The "haunted" house plot was really amusing to read about and added an opportunity for end-0f-novel misunderstanding that I actually wasn't mad at for once.

I really appreciated seeing all the other couples as well. It reminded me of how much I adore Diana and Jeremy and made me want to read their story again. Really it made me want to read all of their stories again.

I also really came to appreciate why both Penvale and Jane love Trethwick Abbey so much. It sounds just about perfect to me. I could do without the snow but a remote seacliff house with a large library and a quaint village nearby sounds pretty idyllic.

Overall it was a welcome light reading experience and the audiobook narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life and enhancing the story.

*Thanks to Atria Books for providing an early copy for review.

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Martha Waters for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is book four in a series. However, you do not have to read all of the books for this one to make sense. I did not read the others in this series before getting to this one, but I will be going back and reading them in the future.

There is a lot of sarcasm and back and forth between our two main characters. I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of both of these characters. Viscount Penvale only wants to buy back his ancestral home from his uncle. Jane just wants to be left alone. They get married, both hoping to accomplish their one goal. However, Jane wants to be left alone in the same house that Penvale is trying to buy back to live in. This results in schemes and a staged haunting. However, Penvale does not give up so easily.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a witty historical romance. There were times where I was laughing out loud. I can't wait to go back and read the others in this series and other books by this author.

I read the first volume in this series and enjoyed it. I was happy to find that same for this 4th volume. For anyone wondering if you have to read them in order to enjoy them, you do not. I felt the story was independent to be stand alone. This is a fun, witty, historical romance. Being a huge Downton Abbey fan, I found the main female character banter similar to a young version of The Dowager. She has some great one-liners that don't fit the norm for women of the time. I really liked the softness of the lead male. He was respectful of women and the author provides him a bold, honest and opinionated sister that serves him well for his bride. I really would recommend this as a way to cleanse the palate after a heavy, emotional read or a great vacation read that will leave you with a smile. Highly recommend.

I love this regency romance series and I’m sad that the next one is the last! I love that the author brings contemporary themes into the past era and how the male characters are so open to feminism. And not to mention the spice and chemistry between Penvale and Jane. It’s on fire!

I always enjoy Martha Waters's works. I love her characters so much and this was no different. After seeing Penvale in the background of 3 other books always fixing his friends' love lives it was fun to finally see him need some of his own advice. I really enjoyed the chemistry and slow-burn relationship grow between him and Jane. I love that she actually challenged him in a way, I think that's something he needed. I also loved seeing the other characters return and their takes on Penvale's relationship as well as how they've progressed with each other- it's always so much fun to return to beloved characters. This series is such a comfort space for me it was hard not to love and enjoy this book. This book was funny, fluffy, and heart-warming and everything I needed.

To Swoon and to Spar is a solid offer for fans waiting for the next Bridgerton installment. Like Waters' other offerings, this book is slightly more cutesy than your average Regency romance-- much of the plot here revolves around Jane faking a haunting to keep the house for herself. There is a marriage of convenience and plenty of misunderstandings. A quick and fun read for fans of the genre.

This was a cute book. I liked both the characters. I liked the relationship between them and how it formed. I thought it was really good. Now I want to read the previous 3 books.

This book wasn't for me. I liked the idea of the story, but it was slow and didn't grab my attention. I didn't care for the male main character.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

I really enjoyed this book! This is on of my favorite regency series and I was so excited to get an advanced copy. I really liked Jane's plan to scare Penvale off. It wasn't my favorite book in the series but it was still really good.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as I was hoping I would. I loved the setting in Cornwall but I found the plot to be very slow and very hard to believe. The female main character is shy but she is also often unkind, especially to her husband. We get a backstory for Jane that explains why she has a difficult type interacting with others but it doesn’t really explain why she is cold to Penvale even after she gets to know him better. We also don’t really get to see Penvale falling in love with Jane; we’re just told that he had fallen in love with her. There was very much a tell, don’t show aspect to this book.

Unfortunately, the characters and the plot weren’t working for me. I am sure this book will find many fans especially those who love a regency romance.

Another fantastic novel from Martha Waters! I will read anything she writes! I love how this novel took a little more of a gothic, Jane Eyre tone, and Waters still made it light-hearted yet deep with her witty writing.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Atria books for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. I just felt bored and I didn't like the characters enough to enjoy this book. I thought the book had a cute premise and cover, but it wasn't working for me.

I haven't read any other books in the series so I am not sure if that played a role in my opinion of this one.

I hope others love this book but it just was not for me.

i liked this one! it was on par with my satisfaction for the previous 3 books, but still lower than Marry & Meddle since Emily is just too endearing for me not to love. Penvale and Jane were enticing enough MCs and the setup was very fun. I guessed the mechanics of the haunting pretty early on but the reveal was still entertaining. my biggest gripe is that damned third act breakup. i loathe the miscommunication trope being misused and this felt like the poster child for improper use of a lack of communication. solid 3⭐️ all in all

To Swoon and to Spar is the first book I have read by this author. I was not prepared for this level of humor. I think I highlighted half of the book because the banter was so funny. Even the internal monologues made me laugh, a rare occurence. Even though I hadn't read the previous books, I was not confused, but now I am going to have to go back and read them just for fun. I enjoyed the plot and the characters, and I had a hard time putting this down.

This was the perfect continuation of the series! The tropes fit well, and Martha has a way of engaging the reader and making her regency reads feel like a breath of fresh, “semi modern” air. It was fun to finally get Penvale’s story, one most of the fans have been waiting for - myself included. I give this four stars only because at times the plot seemed to drag and my attention wandered.

I honestly feel like Martha Waters writes regency romances that reflect exactly how I would act if I was thrown back in time.
I love how Jane is a strong female who knows what she wants. What she wants is to control her own home and life which was not a common occurrence back then.
Martha waters is definitely an auto read for me!

this was an arc i got last year from netgalley and i honestly was ridiculously excited for penvale’s story mostly to see diana and her smart jabs. this was a bit better than i expected to be honest.
also THEY LOVE EACHOTHER MY GOODNESS. easy to get through,beloved characters (belfry’s BACK) and beautiful writing. had so much fun reading this and i am going to try to read the new one too so that i can finish the whole series.

Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes. I loved watching Jane and Penvale go from not knowing each other at all, to becoming friends and finally falling in love. This book is book #4 in The Regency Vows. This book gets the award for some of the best side characters. That's pretty impressive, since I haven't read the other books in the series yet. Imagine how much I will like them once I've actually read their books!
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.