Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of To Swoon and To Spar! This is the fourth book in the Regency Vows series and I have loved allll of the books in this series, so I was the most excited to read this one!
To Swoon and to Spar 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: The Regency Vows series returns with this story about a viscount and his irascible new wife who hopes to chase her husband from their shared home so that she can finally get some peace and quiet—only to find that his company is not as onerous as she thought.
Viscount Penvale has been working for years to buy back his ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey, from his estranged uncle. And so he’s thrilled when his uncle announces that he is ready to sell but with one major caveat—Penvale must marry his uncle’s ward, Jane Spencer.
When the two meet in London, neither is terribly impressed. Penvale finds Jane headstrong and sharp-tongued. Jane finds him cold and aloof. Nevertheless, they agree to a marriage in name only and return to the estate. There, Jane enlists her housekeeper for a scheme: to stage a haunting so that Penvale will return to London, leaving her to do as she pleases at Trethwick Abbey. But Penvale is not as easily scared as his uncle and as their time together increases, Jane realizes that she might not mind her husband’s company all that much.
I really, really liked To Swoon and To Spar! I’ve loved all of the other books in this series and I was the most excited to read Penvale’s story! I feel like we didn’t know as much about Penvale as we did the others, so it was so nice to get to know him better and I really liked Jane a lot too. Trethwick Abbey was such a cool house and it was definitely understandable why Penvale worked so hard to get it back. The whole haunting story was a fun plot point and I definitely enjoyed seeing Jane and Penvale get closer due to that. Plot and pacing wise, I thought To Swoon and To Spar was really well done- I got through it so fast and was so engaged throughout. Overall, I definitely think y’all should pick up To Swoon and To Spar and all of the other books in the Regency Vows books today!

I have read most of the books in this series and have enjoyed all of them. When I saw that Penvale was getting a story of his own I knew I had to grab a copy as soon as I could.

This is the story of Penvale who after many years has been finally given the opportunity to repurchase the family country estate from his uncle. There is one condition, Penvale has to marry his uncle's ward Jane. Jane is a country girl who has spent most of her life alone and has a plan to drive her husband away from the country estate and leave her be. As they spend more time together Jane's plan is enacted and she learns that Penvale is not like the others.

What I loved:
- Jane's plan, I am such a big fan of shenanigan's and the plan Jane concocts made me giggle throughout the story
- Reading, something that brings Jane and Penvale together is Jane's love for reading novels and her encouragement for Penvale to give it a try
- Library, I love that Jane pushes herself outside her comfort zone and spends more time in the village around the estate for the sole purpose of creating a lending library for those living there
- Friends/Family, one of my favorite things about this series is the friends group and with each story it grows and the humor increases

Overall this was a great addition to an already amazing series. This is a great historical romance with a enemies to lovers vibe and lots of shenanigans and hilarity between the two main characters. There is a lot of growth for both Jane and Penvale as individuals and as a couple. Any of my historical romance fans out there who love a story with humor, strong women, patient men and amazing locations I would absolutely encourage you to pick up this book.

to swoon and to spar by martha waters

thank you netgalley and atria publishing for this arc!

this book is about Viscount Penvale who needs to marry in order to inherit Trethwick Abbey, the property he grew up in. Jane who is set to marry Viscount Penvale pretends the house is haunted to get rid of Penvale. this was this is a super cute historical romance. I haven’t read many historical romances, but it definitely gave me bridgerton vibes!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this romance novel. I liked the gothic theme that reminded me so much of Northanger Abbey, building suspense but also somewhat mocking the supernatural a bit. I also really lived the FMC so much. I really related to her social awkwardness and dislike/exhaustion with company. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

A super quick, easy read with Regency charm and overt Austenian roots. This book is a twist on Northanger Abbey which is itself a twist on the Gothic novel, so all around a very fun read. It was a little rushed at the end with the two main characters quickly resolving their minor miscommunication to have their happy ending. However, I still found it completely entertaining and fresh.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this!

I’ve loved this series so far and this marriage of convenience didn’t disappoint. The characters read as relatable neurodivergent, I loved the “ghost” subplot and the banter. I loved the ending! Super sweet and I recommend if you’re looking for a regency rom-com!

To Swoon and to Spar is a delightful addition the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters, but could easily be read as a stand-alone without reading the earlier entries in the series first. I enjoyed the Gothic ghost story touches around the central romance, and found myself rooting for Penvale and Jane as they came to better understand both themselves and each other throughout the book. Recommended for fans of Regency romance with comic touches, like Bridgerton or Tessa Dare. Thank you to Atria Books and Martha Waters for the ARC.

Introducing...To Swoon and To Spar! (A month after the publication date lol.)

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review...I also had this preordered!

I will read anything Martha Waters writes because I love her books so much. TSATS was no exception. It was so nice to finally get Penvale's book and I so enjoyed the relationship between him and Jane. Also, as the first three books all featured the same characters, I really loved the addition of Jane to the group as a fresh face! While our wonderful couples from the previous books make their appearances in this book, after getting to know Penvale and Jane more, I thought it was perfect that the two are off on their own on an estate, away from the interferences of his friends. I rather think that the relationship that develops between them would have had a much more difficult go of it if Jane was forced to regularly be with Diana! (Penvale's sister, for those who have not read the books yet.)

Throughout the first three books we really only know Penvale as Diana's (kind) brother who is solely focused on gaining control of his family's estate again. I appreciated that upon realizing his dream, he has a relatable "now what" moment, and grows from it.

Plus, who doesn't love a marriage of convenience, a fake haunting, and an enemies-to-lovers situation?

I love the way Waters makes her regency romances fresh, witty, and fun! I can't wait for West and Sophie's book, but I am also not ready to say goodbye to this series. I highly recommend the series, and as always, I highly recommend reading them in order. :)

This was such a cute book! I absolutely loved it! The story moved along well without any big gaps or slow moving sections. I really liked the characters, I thought they were well fleshed out and were believable as a couple.

I love this series, and I love these book covers. This is a story about a man who wants his home that was sold back, and to get this, he has to marry a woman that his uncle presents.

Jane wants to the left alone in the only home she knows - she has been able to score Penvals uncle, but Penvale might be a harder sell.l

Pencvale and Jane are married and return to Penvales home in the country. Jane has a plan, and it starts immediately - little did she know that she enjoys Penvale's presence.

This beautiful story is more than just a regency romance but a story of finding and feeling like we desire to love.

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would
Beautiful

3.5/5: It was an ok book. I have read the other three and by far the book number 3(Julian and Emily) book was the best. This one like the second one had a bold female lead. Which I absolutely love but Jane’s behaviour seemed to border on downright rudeness. I think if she showed more softer emotions towards Penvale, it would have been much more nicer. Overall an ok book and a little underwhelming.

Be careful of what you wish for Jane! Penvale has been working towards regaining his ancestral home for two decades, when finally, his uncle is ready to sell. Only one caveat. Penvale must marry his uncle's ward, Jane. The two meet and agree to the terms and now the fun begins. The large house on the Cornish cliffs seems to be haunted. It was scary enough for the uncle to sell. Maybe a few ghosts and spooky noises will work on getting a husband to leave too. Jane is prickly, sarcastic, and socially awkward. I really enjoyed her character. Her bluntness is hiding her shyness around strangers. She's never been good at chitchat. She makes an effort though for Penvale. This book is a lot of fun but has very little steam. Penvale and Jane's interactions are very witty and enjoyable.

This was another great Regency historical romance from Martha Waters. Penvale has spent years attempting to regain his family's estate from his estranged uncle after they had to sell it upon his father's death. His uncle has finally agreed to sell it to him on the condition that he marry his ward, Jane. Penvale agrees so that he can finally achieve his goal of having his ancestral home back. Jane and Penvale decide to have a marriage of convenience, but while working on discovering the house's haunting, they become close and their relationship changes. It was a fun read.

I just really didn’t like the aspect of her trying to get rid of him and not liking him very much. This is one of my favorite authors but unfortunately this just wasn’t my favorite book but def just my own opinion.

Yes , Yes, Yes! This book is a hit. I thoroughly enjoyed every single page. I've read the entire series thus far and each one is a five star read!

Thank you Martha Waters, the publishing company, and Netgalley for the gifted copy!

This was a good story, it was easy for me to read and I liked the comedy that was in it. I also liked how slow the romance was between them. It was a fun romance.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy for review.

1.5/5 stars. Of all the books in this series, this was definitely my least favorite. In the first half of the novel, Jane is so utterly unlikeable it's a wonder that Penvale falls in love with her at all. While I appreciate Waters trying to add a Gothic theme to this novel, I don't think it was done very well. All the fun of the "ghost story" was taken out of the story by letting us know upfront that it was Jane doing all the haunting. This book could have been so much more fun to read had the reader not known it was Jane all along. Both Jane and Penvale seemed dumb for putting on the haunting and somewhat falling for it, respectively. I also deeply despise the miscommunication trope. I understand that Jane hates people and doesn't want to let anyone in, but the whole "I know that she knows that I know" Friends story was played out in the first novel in this series. I hated it then, and I hate that it was brought back for this novel.

Overall, I was very disappointed by this novel. In bringing in someone outside of the core group of friends, Waters could have gone literally anywhere with this novel, and I don't think she took full advantage of this. I still think the earlier books in this series are the strongest.

This book for me is a solid 4 stars; it was more or less what I expected it to be as a regency romance, and it was really easy to read. The idea of Jane trying (and succeeding) to scare away the men in her life by enlisting the household staff to pretend the house was haunted was hilarious. I'm glad we finally found out where the sound of a baby crying was coming from, because that part stumped me, for sure!

The romance between Jane and Penvale felt like it took a little bit to get started, but then hit with a vengenance. It kind of felt like it came out of left field, but it was super sweet once it got started. I appreciated seeing how they both came to realize their love for one another and the things they were willing to sacrifice in the name of that love. Additionally, their friend group was really special - even if I'm not a huge fan on Penvale's sister...

I definitely look forward to reading more books by Martha!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

To Swoon and to Spar is laugh-out-loud regency romance fun. I have not read the previous books in this series but will definitely be checking them out. I found the story and characters charming with the right amount of romance and spice.

I really enjoyed the plot of this novel and how much chaos ensued with the haunting that Jane enacted! Penvale has always been an intriguing character throughout the books in this series and I liked being able to be in his head and see things from his perspective, especially in terms of the mysterious ghost incidents that occurred. I wanted to see more of the slow relationship that are between Jane and Penvale, but I loved how nuanced Jane’s character was and the way that Penvale slowly discovered things about her. Another Martha Waters book that was such a delight to read!