Another delightful Martha Waters rom-com! I loved every minute.

Jane has a plan to get out of her awful wardship. Haunt the house she's come to love and scare the old man off! She doesn't plan on him marrying her off to his nephew along with the property as part of the deal, but she'll just scare off this new husband too. However, Penvale isn't what she expected. He's actually kind, smart and pretty hot. He just needs spectacles and a love for Jane Austen and he'll be perfect. Can she overcome her social anxiety to be his perfect Viscountess?

Penvale doesn't think twice when his uncle finally agrees to sell him his childhood country manor with the caveat that he marry his ward. It's high time he married and he's been trying to get his hands on the property for years, the last place he was truly happy with his parents. He doesn't remember it being haunted though. Could his new bride be trying to get rid of him? Why? Will he ever be able to understand this maddening woman?

I really liked how this story developed and how hard Penvale tried to understand Jane's personality flaws. I'm glad she made the grand gesture at the end. I thought that Audley was the PERFECT person to talk sense into Penvale.

You do not have to read the other books in the series or remember them well to enjoy this one, but I highly recommend them. There is only one spicy love scene, but it's a good one!

Happy book birthday to To Swoon and to Spar, the fourth installment of The Regency Vows series by Martha Waters. This romance follows Viscount Penvale and Jane Spencer as they enter into a marriage of convenience and get more than they ever bargained for.

Penvale has worked for years to buy back his ancestral home from his uncle. so, when his uncle announces he’s finally ready to sell, Penvale leaps at the chance. However, in purchasing the estate, he must also marry Jane Spencer, his uncle’s ward. Jane adores the estate and is determined to live there alone. She, with the help of the staff, “haunts” the house in an effort to frighten Penvale away. But Penvale isn’t as scared as Jane and the others hoped, and Jane soon sees that Penvale is not the man she thought he was. Can this unlikely pair find love?

This was a fun read! It has a lot of humor, some great banter, and the fake haunting was fantastic. At first, Penvale and Jane don’t really get along or understand each other. There is little chemistry between them, and their romance is gradual. I like that this par becomes friends first. They learn so much about each other, especially since they are at a country estate away from the hustle, bustle, and distractions of the city. Penvale begins to see past Jane’s prickly demeanor, and Jane sees that Penvale has much more substance than she originally thought. They both seem a little surprised by their growing feelings, but between their antagonistic and sometimes flirtatious banter and their late-night excursions to investigate the hauntings, there’s clearly a depending bond between them.

Penvale is so thoughtful, especially when he realizes Jane struggles with shyness. Her rudeness and standoffish personality hides her shyness well, but it also doesn’t endear her to anyone. But Penvale understands her. He’s such a sweetheart, and I love how considerate he is of her feelings and worries. Jane is an introvert and content with a solitary life, but Penvale has a large group of friends. Needless to say, they’re quite daunting to Jane. I like how considerate Penvale is of Jane’s feelings and how Jane slowly begins to open up to him and his friends.

This was a fun and romantic addition to the series, and though it’s the fourth book, you don’t have to read the others to follow this one. Special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

We are big fans of book series and we’ve really enjoyed the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters. Martha has a great ability to have similar romance frameworks but the story surrounding them are different, fun and enjoyable.

When Viscount Penvale is offered to buy back his ancestral home, Trethwich Abbey, something he's been working towards, he jumps at the chance. There's only one catch, he must marry Jane Spencer, his estranged uncle's ward. 

To Swoon & to Spar is a playful take on a marriage of convenience romance with a haunting twist. Penvale and Jane don’t have a great first impression of each other. She’s headstrong, grumpy, shy and speaks her opinion freely (insulting his family and friends in the process). While he’s caring, focused and determined. They are strangers when they marry but forced proximity and their fondness for the home by the ocean connects them. But he doesn’t know the lengths she’s willing to go for him to leave. However, her haunting scheme doesn’t exactly go to plan; instead of driving him away, it brings them closer! The evolution of their relationship and the growth they both experience made their story worth the slow burn.

This book is cute and light and fun and we hope this isn’t the last time we visit the Regency Vow world.

Many thanks to @atriabooks + @netgalley for the e-book ARC in exchange for our honest review.

What we liked:
▪️Marriage of convenience
▪️Forced proximity
▪️The setting (the old estate, village, Regency era)
▪️He reads Jane Austen for her 🥰

What we didn’t like:
▪️Jane was a bit too blunt and frustrating to start but she warmed up!

I love a good marriage of convenience story and this is indeed, a good one. Viscount Penvale wishes to buy the old country house where he grew up back from his uncle but the price is marraige to his uncle's ward, Jane, who does not want a man controlling her life and has been "haunting" the house in order to be rid of him. Without giving anything away, the two marry, Penvale gets the house and eventually well....you can pretty much guess. This is book was a lot of fun and while it is interconected with three previous books, I hadn't read any of them so I didn't feel that I had missed anything. Highly reccommend.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the E-ARC of this book.

When Viscount Penvale finally gets the chance to buy back his family home from his uncle, he can't believe his luck! Ready to be rid of his disagreeable uncle and back in the home he remembers from childhood, he agrees to his uncle's one condition. He must marry his uncle's ward, Jane Spencer. The two meet in London before fully agreeing to this plan and neither one is particularly excited by the idea. Jane seems a little distant and quick to say what she wants while Penvale comes across as uncaring and stiff.

Once married and back at the estate, Jane schemes with the housekeeper to make the house seemed haunted to drive Penvale back to London so she can have Trethwick Abbey to herself. Along the way though, Jane begins to learn that Penvale might not be as uncaring and cold as she thought. Penvale also discovers that maybe there is more to his wife than he originally thought as well.

This was such a fun read! I loved the premise of the book and it was so entertaining seeing the situations that arose from the staged house haunting. I really enjoy the marriage of convenience trope and loved the unique spin on this one. Jane and Penvale's back-and-forth banter was hilarious and I enjoyed the slow-burn romance between the two.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

✨ Book Review ✨

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley for this #gifted ARC #ToSwoonAndToSpar !!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters

A marriage of convenience soon becomes a marriage of inconvenience as the wife stages a house haunting in order to chase her husband away.

What it has to offer:

💋 Romance
😂 Comedy
❤️‍🔥 Slow-burn
🧬 Found Family

Quick thoughts:

✨ Loved the fake haunting.
✨ Super slow burn.
✨ Mixed pacing.
✨ Chemistry took awhile to develop.

Overall thoughts:

📝 The pacing felt a little off in this one. There were moments where I was captivated and others where I was bored.

💋 I wasn’t really feeling the chemistry with this couple in the beginning. I think the slow burn may have been too slow for me. Thankfully it heated up towards the end.

🌶️ The spice was well done and a nice addition.

😂 There was a lot of witty, flirty banter throughout that made me smile.

💜 My favorite part was the meddling friends/found family. I thought they were fun along with the fake haunting.

📚 This is the fourth book in The Regency Vows series. They’re companion novels so they have overlapping characters but they don’t need to be read in order.

If you enjoy super slow burns and regency romance give this one a try!

I loved To Swoon and Spar by Martha Waters! This Regency romance was the perfect escape, filled with witty banter and plenty of "will they or won't they" moments. Although this is book 4 in the Regency Vows series, it's not necessary to read the first three books before reading this one. The novels are companion stories, not necessarily sequels.

It was fun to watch Penvale and Jane figure out their feelings as they spent more time together. Watching them verbally spar with each other was entertaining. I found myself rooting for them throughout the book, hoping that they would find a way to overcome their fears and find love.

I wasn't sure what to think of Jane in the beginning, but she grows on you. Penvale was charming from the start. You can't help but admire how focused he is and how thoughtful he is of his friends and Jane. And don't get me started on Trethwick Abbey! A Gothic manor perched on a cliff, by the sea?  I'm just sad it's not a real place I can visit.

Overall, To Swoon and Spar was an enjoyable read that had me cheering for the characters from start to finish. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a lighthearted romance with a Viscount, a country girl, and a gothic manor. This is the first book by Waters I have read, but now I want to go back to read the other books in the series.

Read this, if you like:
• marriage of convenience
• forced proximity
• opposites attract
• grumpy/sunshine 

Reviews posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram.

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This fourth instalment of “The Regency Vows” series was so different from the first three books, and I love the direction the author took. “To Swoon and To Spar” is gothic-inspired, and readers are treated to a more eerie setting, shenanigans disguised as a haunting, and of course an HEA. I love the creativity of the author, and I think by departing from the usual part way through the series she has maintained the freshness and uniqueness that made me fall in love with this series in the first place.

I think readers will really love the character of Jane, despite her initial prickliness, and will be rooting for her and Penvale’s marriage of convenience until the very last page!

A delightful return to some of my favorite characters. Martha's series has only gotten better, and TSATS is no exception. Penvale is determined and Jane is too, and to see them butting heads and the hijinks that ensue is just pure fun. It's fabulous to spend time with our other couples as well. Overall, a fast pace, a great cast, and actual laugh out loud moments from start to finish. This is an easy series to love, and anyone who loves an easy historical romance read will love this one as well.

This was my first book by Martha Waters, and although this is the 4th book in the series, I did not have any issues reading it as a standalone! However I am now going to go back to the first book since I enjoyed all the side characters and want to read their stories as well! I loved the slow burn romance, you could feel the tension from the characters straight away! Their banter was witty and so enjoyable to read, I loved how introverted the FMC was, I could relate to her in a lot of ways and seeing her come out of her shell was so adorable! These characters were raw and relatable and their romance was easily believable! I don't normally read historical romance but I could just not put this one down!!

5 stars.

This series continues to be a favorite for me. Each couple has been such a fun journey to follow, and Penvale and Jane were a wonderful addition to the Regency Vows.

The Vibes:
- marriage of convenience
- faux haunted house shenanigans
- introvert, bookish FMC who struggles with social anxiety
- slow burn

The Concept:
When Penvale must marry Jane as a caveat to repurchase his ancestral home, Jane goes through great lengths to avoid her new husband. Jane enjoys solitude and a good book more than anything, and she loves Trethwick Abbey, but in efforts to scare her husband away from their country home, she schemes with her house staff to “haunt” the house. As the antics get wilder and as Jane gets to know Penvale, she starts getting conflicted on whether or not scaring him away is her dream after all.

My Thoughts:
I loved this one so much. Jane is often thought of as rude and standoffish - she is so introverted and socially awkward that she often times doesn’t even want to try. As Penvale and Jane get to know eachother- the burn was sooooo slow in the best way. I loved their interactions. I loved the deep ways that they both got to know eachother, and I loved how they both had so much pride in the other. The humor, chemistry, and plot was right on point with the other books in this series. The four books are described as companion novels and can be read in any order- however, I personally recommend reading them all and starting at the beginning. They are all just so good and worth the journey. The world that Martha Waters has created is so lovely. Her characters are multi-dimensional every time, and the situations they find themselves in are always thought provoking for me.

This group of friends is my favorite, and I’m just going to cross my fingers and hope we get West and Sophie next.

This one releases today 😻

Thank you so much to Atria Books, Martha Waters, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting. I loved the banter between Penvale and Jane and all the ghost shenanigans just added to it. The book was fun and lighthearted and I always love a good slow burn romance.

I COULD NOT put this book down! It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Jane and Penvale are forced into an arranged marriage that allows them both to live in Trethwick Abbey. However, Jane has decided she no longer wants to live bound by the rules of men, so she enlists her maid to pretend the abbey is haunted! Will this make Penvale leave Jane and the Abbey for good?

Martha Waters is such a fun author. I was laughing out loud, something I do not do often, with every page. As the title suggests, this book is extremely swoon-worthy, adorable, and hilarious. The first couple of chapters are a bit slow, but do not be discouraged! It quickly picks up and makes for a fantastic read.

I have never read Waters before, but now that I have finished To Swoon and to Spar, I have to go back and read the Regency Vows! I imagine that some of the characters I did not know but that were mentioned here have their own stories in the previous books. I can't wait!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5⭐️

This was a cute romance book! Marriage of convenience, one bed trope, he falls first, and honestly there might have been more but they’re just not popping into my brain at the moment. I adored the Bridgerton books so, hearing that this is something that fans of Bridgerton would enjoy, I was looking forward to reading it! And it didn’t disappoint! It definitely didn’t have as much spice as the Bridgerton books but this one was definitely way more of a slow burn compared to the couples in that series so I didn’t mind. Overall, this was a cute story and I did enjoy it! I’ll probably read the previous books now to hear about the other couples but I did enjoy this!

The shorty hater and LOL moments make this a “stay up till 2am” book. This series of books is so cute and I found myself often chuckling to myself. This book has a cute love story and you can’t help wanting to read ahead to see what happens!

To Swoon and To Spar by Martha Waters

Rating: 5⭐️
Genre: Historical Romance
Tropes: marriage of convenience; strangers to enemies to lovers

To Swoon and To Spar is the 4th book in Martha Waters ‘Regency Vows’ series. Although you don’t have to read the books in order, I highly recommend that you do, because all the characters from the previous books make appearances throughout the story!

To Swoon and To Spar follows Viscount Penvale, who desperately wants his family’s ancestral home back and will do anything to get it. Enter Jane, his uncle’s ward and his key to getting Trethwick Abbey back. All he has to do is marry her. Jane loves Trethwick Abbey, but she loves her freedom even more. So she hatches a plan to drive Penvale away: convince him that the house is haunted in hopes that he’ll go back to London and leave Jane in peace.

I loved this book! The romance was a slow burn and the hauntings were perfectly spooky. The banter between Penvale and Jane was perfect. Martha Waters does a wonderful job at writing witty characters and I love her use of dry humor. So many parts of this book made me laugh! Jane was a perfect FMC and I loved how much of her daily life revolved around Threthwick Abbey’s library and reading. I also adore how she chose to use her love of reading to help the village! I think if I were a woman in a regency romance, I’d be a lot like Jane.


I also loved getting to see the characters from previous books and getting little peeks into their HEAs too! However, of the four books in the Regency Vows series, this one is definitely my favorite.

Read if you love:
* Slow burn romances
* Introverted FMC and an aloof MMC
* Dual POV
* Charming ‘ghosts’ stories

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book! I've thoroughly enjoyed this series so far, and To Swoon and to Spar is no exception! It was such a fun read.

First, I'm always a fan of forced proximity/forced marriage, and To Swoon and to Spar hits you with that trope pretty fast! I found both Penvale and Jane so intriguing, and I was definitely on board for this opposites attract story. Once the two are married, though, the sparks start to fly! I also enjoyed that this book was NOT insta-love, and instead, two relatively immature characters (IMO) had a love develop pretty organically.

Second, I found Jane especially interesting. She was not your typically docile heroine, and instead, she had no problem telling people what she thought! I enjoyed her blunt personality and sometimes rough-around-the edges persona (at least when it came to social niceties).

Third, both Penvale and Jane felt real to me, and I enjoyed that immensely. The characters had flaws and imperfections, but it only made their whole personas even better!

Overall, this is such a fun historical romance. I highly recommend reading the first three in the series first, though!

Star rating: 4⭐️

I adored this book. I made a rookie mistake with unknowingly requesting the 4th book in a series I had not read -because the title and the cover were so intriguing to me- and was terrified a bunch of the information or nuance would go over my head and it would take away from the story. I could not have been more wrong. This was such a lovely read. The main female character was such a breath of fresh air- she was spunky, independent, and a clever bookworm- though sometimes prickly. In contrast to the sweet, respectful, kind, and attentive main male character. It was chock full of classic British witty banter and quick verbal sparring which lent itself to the building tension that I love in a romance. It also introduced me to some new (and now favorite) tropes: reverse grumpy/sunshine, one bed, and marriage of convenience. This was a five star read. Now, to go back and read the other books in this beautiful series.

This is the fourth book in the Regency Vows series and I've enjoyed all of them so much.

In this installment, Viscount Penvale has been working his whole life to be able to buy back his ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey from his uncle. Finally, his uncle agrees to sell to him, but only if he marries his ward, Jane Spencer. Penvale pretty much agrees on the spot, despite never having met her.

Jane has been working hard herself, trying to rid herself of her pesky guardian. She's enlisted the help of the staff of Trethwick to help her convince him that the abbey is haunted. It's working too, hence his sudden desire to sell it. She's not opposed to marrying someone she's never met if it means she can stay at Trethwick, and she has no doubt she can drive Penvale back to London with ghostly moans and tricks too.

Penvale's friends and family do try to warn him that a marriage of convenience doesn't always end up the way you expect, and sure enough, as they spend more time together they start to get used to each other's company and develop a friendship. Will they work out how to trust each other before it's too late though? Or will misunderstandings keep them apart?

I loved both characters so much, in addition to the wonderful supporting characters (some we've met in previous books within the series). If you love historical romance you can't go past this one.

Thanks to @atriabooks for sending me a copy of To Swoon and To Spar by Martha Waters, out 4/11!

I‘ve absolutely adored every book in this series so far, and To Swoon and To Spar is no exception. As Penvale seizes an opportunity to regain his family estate through a marriage of convenience, Jane, determined to take her fate into her own hands and inspired by her love of novels like Northanger Abbey, decides to scare her husband out of her home for good.

The HUMOR in this one really got me — TS&TS is truly a rom-com, and one that readers of Jane Austen and Nancy Drew alike will appreciate: falling into both categories, I loved it. Jane and Penvale’s story is low on angst and big on books, found family, and so much fun.

The Cornish seaside setting absolutely gave me Poldark vibes, and I very much enjoyed listening to a Poldark ASMR video on YouTube as I was reading!

The books in The Regency Vows series can be read as standalone books and in any order you want (I started with book two), so you can start with whichever book you like!