To Swoon and to Spar is one of those unique series novels that works incredibly well as a stand alone. Viscount Penvale has been single-mindedly working for years to purchase his ancestral home that was left to a relative after his parents' death. Jane has wanted nothing more than a place to belong and has finally found it at Threthwick Abbey. An arranged marriage to Jane allows Penvale to return to the home he's missed, but she wants him out so she can continue her contented solitary life. She and the servants dream up a fake haunting through the use of secret passages and things going bump in the night. Penvale and Jane develop romantically and personally as she overcomes social anxiety and he figures out what else there is to life once his obsession is realized. This story is so self-contained that I only discovered after the fact that Penvale's friends have their own stories. Recommended for fans of the smart, slightly quirky historical romance.

VERDICT The fake-haunting plot sounds like gothic romance, but Waters’s latest “Regency Vows” novel (which follows To Marry and To Meddle) is a romantic comedy through and through. Although the chemistry between Jane and Penvale lacks a certain spark, readers will still be pleased that Jane ultimately decides to make room for Penvale in both Trethwick Abbey and her heart.

The full review was originally published in Library Journal, February 2023, v. 148, no. 2, p. 64.

AAAANNND MARTHA WATERS HAS DONE IT AGAIN. I absolutely adore this whole Regency Vow series and I think this one might be my favorite. Though I am a sucker for a good regency romance, Waters' unexpected wit and humor adds such a nice touch to this book. I loved how Jane and Penvale fall in love without knowing it, watching them slowly realize it was so exciting and I just couldn't put it down.

Jane is tired of being told what to do by men- first by her guardian, then by his nephew, Penvale, who she is marrying. Taking matters into her own hands, Jane stages a haunting of their country estate in the hopes that she will drive her new husband away and be left in peace. But when the time comes, will she really want him to be driven away?

What I loved:
-getting updates on characters from previous books
-relationship with the villagers/house staff
-the hilarity of the attempted haunting
-Jane! I could really relate to her as a character with her shyness and her love of reading
-slow slow slow burn

This was a light and enjoyable read that I blasted through in just a few sittings! A fun bit of escapism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reading copy!

This book follows perfectly with the series. It can function as a stand-alone, but it does dovetail with the others. Excellent writing. A great story. Held my interest. Loved the heroine Jane. She was a real person who I identified with.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The concept of staging a haunting in a regency romance is something I have never seen before but made for such a fun storyline. This is perfect for someone who wants an entry into regency romances.

A great Historical Fiction book! Such a good read with lovely banter. Great Beach read or something to read when one is snowed in! 5/5 read!

Lovely escape to visit our favorite growing crew of Regency-era matchmakers. I struggled with the first book of the series and love the "To Love and To Loathe." This picks up from where Penvale is in dire need of a wife and Jane Spencer is in need of a way to rid herself of the man that stands between her and peace at home. Hijinks and hilarity ensues resulting in another tidy romance.

Thank you NetGally and Atria books for an advanced copy. I definitely plan to purchase a copy once it's on sale.

Martha Waters’ latest is just as compelling, fun, and swoon-worthy as her other works! Penvale has worked diligently with a singular focus- to buy back his ancestral home in Cornwall. He agrees to marry his uncle’s ward to secure the house and hijinks ensue. Jane was understandably hesitant to trade one male “authority” figure for another, and her desire to be independent builds empathy. I loved getting to revisit other characters from previous books, but did feel the ending was a little rushed.

TO SWOON AND TO SPAR by Martha Waters, Regency Vows #4
Coming April 11, 2023 from Atria Books.

How do you keep the estate, but get rid of the unwanted husband? Haunt it! Both Jane Spencer and Viscount Penvale marry each other for Trethwick Abbey. For Penvale, it's the home of his childhood that he lost. For Jane, it's the first place that has felt like home; even if she didn't like her guardian. Jane soon learns that scaring away her guardian was much easier than her new husband. And what is even more horrifying? She might even like her husband!

I love Martha Water's playful prose and snappy writing style. The book is a hilarious take on Regency Gothic romances and would even have Jane Austen chortling. You don't need to read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one; but you really should because they are more fun than minuet.

Heat level: A married couple makes excellent use of a wall.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an engaging, charming regency-era romance with a fun premise. Viscount Penvale has the chance to buy back his family's cherished ancestral home from an uncle, but there's a catch. He has to marry the uncle's 21 year old ward, Miss Jane Spencer. They wed, but Jane has other ideas. She just wants some peace and quiet in her life and would prefer that her new husband spend as much time away from the country estate as possible. So she hatches a plan, with helpful servants, to "haunt" the mansion. Her plan seems to be working well, but as she gets to know her new husband better, she starts to think that she might not want to drive him away after all.

Love love love. I love this series and this was one of my favorites so far. The characters are so snarky and fun, and it has some of my favorite tropes in it! Can't wait for more!!!

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I enjoyed this Regency era novel with Penvale and Jane and their banter. I did not like the sex in this book. Please leave that put next time.

I love The Regency Vows series and how Martha Waters created a group of friends who become family. Also love how this group always has such wonderful house parties.
In To Swoon and to Spar the marriage of convenience trope along with some great gothic elements creates a situation where indifference and dislike lead to respect and love.

I have been waiting for West and Sophie’s story since To Have and To Hoax so I am greatly looking forward to the next book in this series.

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

I've mentioned this before, but something I continue to adore about this series is the fact that Martha Waters becomes a better and better storyteller with every book. To Swoon and to Spar is her best novel yet, and I enjoyed the hell out of this historical romance. Plus, I found the whole fake haunting aspect kooky in a fun way (I was afraid it'd be a bit too ridiculous for me), and the chemistry between these two was there.

For those who are wondering if you need to read the books in order, I'd say yes; characters from the previous novels pop up a lot as time goes on, and you might be confused (or just not get as much out of it as you could) if you don't understand the dynamics.

To Swoon and to Spar is the fourth book in the Regency Vows series, and I have read them all. But to be honest, this latest book fell flat for me. The previous books in this series are so fun and although To Swoon and to Spar makes that attempt, it just doesn't feel like it reaches the level of the previous books. It was fun to see previous characters, and continued hints at future books, but TBH I didn't care for our heroine, Jane. I understand being shy, but she did nothing throughout this book to deserve Penvale, our hero. He, time and time again, showed how thoughtful and caring he is, not just with her, but in general, and she continued to whine and push him away. The ghost element was fun, but also felt like it could have been even more fun. Overall, I will continue to read Martha Waters and The Regency Vows series, but this book was my least favorite of the four that are out so far.

Martha Waters is an auto-read author for me, and I particularly enjoyed TO SWOON AND TO SPAR. Jane is a delightful heroine--socially awkward, painfully shy and aware of it, and determined to just have her house to herself--and Penvale is, as the book discussed, outside the typical tropes of a regency hero. The gothic (faux) haunting is an extremely entertaining plot, and there are several genuine laugh-out-loud moments. An excellent addition to an excellent series--that I hope will continue for some time.

This series has only gotten better since the first book- To Have and to Hoax. I have read this series from the beginning so I had more of an understanding of what I was getting into as I started this book.

For me personally, when I read historical romances it always takes me a bit longer to get into the first few pages of the books because of how they are written. This book was no different but I should emphasize that this is really. truly not because of content but because I do not read historical romance that often and thus have to retrain my brain every time I pick up a new one.

One thing I really liked about this book was the pacing. Miscommunication plays a heavy role in most of Martha Waters books but I really like how this was executed. It was miscommunication but not really drawn out, especially near the end.

I also like that the plot line felt different. The "ghost" was funny but I also appreciated the simple moments in the village creating more depth to their relationship.

My one and only true qualm was that while I felt like I learned quite a bit about Penvale- his childhood and his motivations, I would have loved to learn a bit more about Jane's. It felt as though that aspect was a but washed over.

Starting this book, I was not sure how much I would relate to the characters but I really was engaged in their lives, personality, and relationship.

Altogether, I really did like this book and its execution of a contemporary "enemies" to lovers in a more mild scale.

I recieved this as an ARC from NetGalley but these are 100% my very own opinions I formed by reading.

I truly liked this book. It was extremely well written and the plot was great! I didnt enjoy their first encounter or their wedding. I am docking stars because I do not enjoy the pace of the book and there were moments where I felt like I was just re-reading what I had already read.
In the end I enjoyed reading To Swoon and to Spar and would highly reccomend it!


*Thank you again NetGalley and author Martha Waters for allowing me the opportunity of reading this ARC*

A fun story, but in my opinion not as good at Waters' others in this series. To Swoon and to Spar is a slow burn, and then when it does burn the reader is privy to one heated virginity-taking love scene and then no more. In the past books the intimacy was great, but this one fell short to me. I did enjoyed the haunting and gothic references sprinkled throughout.