Sharp tongued, witty exchanges and banter between siblings and friends but mostly between the protagonists. Her creativity and his tenacity make for a clash of titans. Enjoyed this book thoroughly and finished within a night of reading.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Martha Waters' To Swoon and to Spar!

Martha Waters is one of my favorite regency authors! Of all The Regency Vows couples, Penvale and Jane were my least favorite. I felt the chemistry and banter was lacking between the two. I loved the inclusion of the other couples, but this one missed the mark for me. I enjoyed it okay, but I didn't love it as much as the others.

I love all of Martha Waters' books, and I was so happy to receive To Swoon and to Spar as an ARC to review!!!
Everything about this book is absolutely fantastic-- the cover (I love these covers so much that I've ordered the hard copies or bid in fundraising auctions to get ARCs of previous copies), the title-- and that's just the superficial of the book!
It has been built up through the series that through the previous Viscounts Penvale, young Penvale has lost his ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey. An uncle bought it from his estate when Penvale was too young to have a say, and Penvale feels like he is a shell of a title without it. He has wanted it back since he was able to fully come into his title, and finally has the funds built up to buy it back. But his uncle has a condition to the sale-- marry his uncle's ward!
Here we meet our heroine Jane, and guess what, she has been living at Trethwick Abbey and loves it as well. She's scared Penvale's uncle away from the estate, and is living there as she likes. She who is reluctant to marry, but it's the only that she figures she can stay at the Penvale estate. But she has a plan of how to maintain her independence and keep Trethwick Abbey-- and hijinks ensue!
I love To Swoon and to Spar-- the dialogue is fantastic, the story is so fun and I laughed and enjoyed every minute of this WONDERFUL book! The characters were great, their chemistry a slow, delightful burn. It did start a little slow, but I think that was building up to the plot and to catch up anyone reading as a standalone. I loved cameos of characters from the previous series (Diana and Jeremy are my favorite). The writing is so great, it is so witty, fresh and snappy, I just loved this book!!!
I would recommend this book to everyone-- anyone who likes historical fiction, just any fiction, historical romance... or just romance-- and especially Austen-esque fiction. This is a fantastic read and I can't wait for Martha Waters' next! I feel like I'm gushing but I really love this book, and this series.

What a fun premise and delightful read! Already a Martha Waters fan, I was excited to dive into this book because the concept felt so fresh: a Viscount is offered the opportunity to buy back his ancestral home if he marries his uncle’s ward but what he doesn’t know is the house is haunted…or is it?

Jane, the ward to be married to Penvale, is icy, cold, and doesn’t give the best first impressions due to her shyness. Jane and the staff take to haunting the manor in hopes of expelling her uncle (check) and ultimately her new husband (to be determined) but as the days wear on and they grow closer she learns he may not be as awful as she initially thought. He may actually care as much about the manor, staff, and town as much as she does.

Watching these two fall in love and discover they had it all wrong about the other was supremely satisfying. Fans of slow burn, marriage of convenience, gothic novel vibes, and shenanigans will adore this read!

A quiet romance with a haunted twist.

The two main characters are married for reasons of necessity and then go off to the Viscount's country estate. They are sequestered in the country with only the estate's staff so the story is very focused on their relationship until the Viscount's friends come to visit about 2/3 of the way in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this! No review was required and all thoughts are my own.

I am so in my historical romance era! This is such a fun series and I was so so excited to get approved of an arc. Martha Waters is the queen of the marriage of convenience trope.

Penvale has to marry Jane to get his childhood home back. It's a marriage of convenience right? They won't fall in love? lol.

Jane and some of the staff are "haunting" the house in hope to get Penvale to leave (just like his uncle did.) But I was kind of rubbed the wrong way, because she never gave him a chance. She was "shy" but also just rude. And they tried to explain that she didn't know how to act so came across as mean, but I also feel like she was just mean.

I didn't feel a ton of chemistry for the majority of the book, but once they started opening up to each other and getting to understand the other you could start to feel it.

I would round this up to 3.5 stars, but I definitely think To Marry and to Meddle is my favorite from the series!

What a unique storyline of a fake haunting, arranged marriage love story! I found it very interesting and definitely kept my attention. I love the Regency Vows series by this author and learning about all their friend’s love stories. Waters writing is beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

To Swoon and to Spar is the fourth book in Waters' Regency Vows series, and I think it's her best one yet. This story follows Penvale, Diana's (To Love and to Loathe) brother, and a new character named Jane. Both characters are incredibly well-developed, and the story has all of the warmth of the previous ones. Jane tries to convince Penvale that his ancestral home is haunted so she could be left there alone. Cue the ghosts at night and wails in the halls, straight from everyone's favorite gothic novels. As Jane realizes Penvale is more similar to the heroes of her favorite novels than she realized, maybe having him around isn't such a bad thing. This was my favorite novel from Waters because I could see myself in Jane. Many times, romantic heroines have everything together, and are able to respond perfectly in all situations. That's not the case for Jane who would rather be reading than hosting parties, and is so incredibly shy she feels like she does more damage control than conversation. If you are a fan of regency romances, I think you will enjoy this one.

Much like Jane Spencer, I’d love to spend the rest of my life reading in a fancy house in Cornwall. Unfortunately for both of us, there are some obstacles in the way of this plan. For Jane, a husband who is just as hopelessly devoted to her beloved Trethwick Abbey as she is would be the biggest hurdle, so naturally, she concocts a plan to fake a haunting to scare him away. This plan does not prove quite as effective as she would hope, as her new husband, Viscount Penvale, is a perfectly reasonable (and handsome) man, and she may not mind his presence as much as she anticipated.

I have such a deep fondness for the Regency Vows series, and it feels like every addition just gets better and better. Martha Waters has blessed us with beautiful romances and the most wonderful found family. The loyalty! The love! The banter! I did appreciate that this installment pulled us into the countryside and allowed Jane and Penvale’s relationship to develop (mostly) without well-meaning interference, because my sweet baby introvert Jane deserved that much, and it made the moments with the rest of the Regency Vows crew all the sweeter.

What a delightfully entertaining book! I've loved this series for so long, and I'm happy to say that it just keeps getting better. Dare I say that Penvale and Jane take the cake as my favorite couple in this mischievous group of friends? Yes, I dare, because, omg these two kept me wanting more, and I was stealing any chance I could get to read just a bit more. They are deliciously antagonistic, sarcastic, moody, and ultimately perfect for each other. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this one early!

I only wish we got a bit more at the end, if not a full epilogue, then at least one more scene of them together.

Did Not Finish.

I’ve enjoyed the rest of The Regency Vows series, so I was excited to read To Swoon and To Spar.

Alas, it was not to be.

To Swoon and To Spar features Viscount Penvale buying back his ancestral home, but there’s a catch: he has to marry his uncle’s ward. My issue with To Swoon and To Spar is with this ward, Jane. She’s mean and rude, for no reason and with no provocation.

And I don’t want to read a story about a mean heroine, so I quit.

Thank you to Atria Books for the review copy.

Penvale and Jane are coerced into a marriage of convenience in this sassy regency romance, but it's ok - Jane has a plan to get rid of her unwanted husband. Another triumph from this stand out series!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This is book 4 of the Regency Vows series and we are following Jane and Penvale's love story. It’s a marriage of convenience, opposites attract story with a dash of spice and great witty banter! If you are looking for a great easy ready and are a fan of Jane Austin and Bridgerton then this book is for you! It was the perfect palette cleanser for and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Martha Waters for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Martha Waters definitely gave us such a good slow burn. The chemistry and sparks between the characters were insane. Penvale and Jane's relationship developed so perfectly and in the midst of a haunting, they still managed to grow closer. When they were opening to each other, you bet I was swooning so hard and screaming and crying and kicking my feet in the air. This book is so cute!

A fresh Regency rom-com to add to your TBR. This is Book 4 of a series, but I have not read the other three books abs felt it can easily be a stand alone. However, I’m sure reading the other books first would add even more context and enrich the reading experience.

Penvale is in line to inherit an estate, but he must first marry his uncle’s ward, Jane. After this marriage of convenience, Jane launches her plan to convince Penvale the estate is haunted in the hopes that he will abandon her and the home so she can read her novels in peace. A girl after my own heart 😂. Eventually her plot is foiled as Penvale realizes what she is doing and a friendship and then romance blossoms. If you enjoy witty banter, slow burn romance, and marriage of convenience then this book is for you!

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Regency Vows series. Viscount Penvale (older brother to Diana, from Book 2) finally has the opportunity to purchase his family’s estate back from his uncle, but he needs to marry his uncle’s ward, Jane, as part of the deal. Jane is socially awkward and kind of sharp, so Penvale’s group of happily married friends are all skeptical of the union. After the arranged marriage takes place and Penvale and Jane are back at the estate, she starts to enact her plan of haunting the castle to drive Penvale away. Jane thinks that he’ll just go back to his life in London, leaving her alone in the seaside as she desires. This one is definitely a slow-burn towards friendship and then love, with lots of humor as Penvale figures out pretty quickly that Jane is the culprit of the haunting. And we get to see everyone back together for a house party towards the end of the book.

A delightful read for regency girlies coming very soon!

To Swoon and to Spar is the fourth installment in the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters, and I think it is my favorite yet.

Penvale has been trying to buy back his ancestral home from his uncle, and finally gets the chance to do so - if he marries his uncle's ward, Jane. Seems reasonable enough for practical Penvale, but Jane has her own motives for the match.

This book is great for those who like a dash of the gothic with their romcoms. I really enjoyed Jane's POV - I definitely related to her desire to read novels undisturbed by *people* in a gloriously ancient home. The pacing felt a little slow towards the middle while waiting for Penvale's friends to finally visit, but I loved seeing Penvale and Jane gradually find their way to each other over the course of the book.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for access to the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

Penvale has wanted to buy his ancestral home for years. When his Uncle offers to sell it to him in exchange for marrying his ward Jane, Penvale accepts. But little does he know the house is “haunted” by his wife who wants him to leave the house much like his uncle. Will Penvale and Jane sort out their issues and fall in love? Or will their marriage be as haunted as the house?

I really enjoyed this installment of the Regency Vows. Penvale has been a fringe character in the other books so it was great to get his story as well as see old favorites from the previous three books in the series.

I loved Jane as a heroine. She was maddening at times, but I always stan a woman trying to take control of her life (and loves books). Watching them slowly fall in love was fun. The faux gothic haunting narrative was fun and intriguing - definitely a fun twist in a rom com.

After Viscount Penvale and Jane agree to a marriage of convenience so that he can regain his family's estate, Jane plans an elaborate plot to convince Penvale that his home is haunted so that he will leave for London and leave her alone. But as her scheme fails to scare Penvale away, she realizes that perhaps she would like him to stay. I love the first three books in the Regency Vows series, and Martha Waters's quick wit and incredible characters make her books addictive. I loved the idea of a regency romance based on gothic literature and loved all of the references to Jane Austen's gothic parody, Northanger Abbey. But I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters, especially after they started spending more time together. The romance plotline felt a bit forced, and the plot was not always clear and consistent throughout the story. But Martha Waters's writing was still so fun that it was an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. It was a fun read!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Martha Waters for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review!

This is book 4 of the Regency Vows series - you do not need to have read the others to follow along for this one!

This time around we follow Jane and Penvale's love story. Being a ward is the last thing Jane wants to remain. Being involved in a deal of property and marriage... also not in her plans. The Viscount is not what she expects - and things quickly escalate. Witty banter, hilarious haunting pranks, and a new life of the unexpected are all things you can expect to find in this journey.

Read if you love:
- Bridgerton/Jane Austen
- Opposites Attract
- Regency Era
- Marriage of Convenience