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!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy. I love all of the previous books in this series. to Swoon and to Spar was just as good. It make me laugh out loud. I couldn’t put it down until I’d finally finished.

This is another delightfully ridiculous addition to the Regency Vows series. It was fun to see Penvale finally achieve his goal and regain the family estate in Cornwall. He really stepped up in a way he’s never had to with his friends. This book is much more removed from the core friend group than the rest of the series, but I felt that was fitting considering the characters and ambitions of both Penvale and Jane. I thought Jane was great! Yes, she’s a little shy and socially inexperienced, but I loved her ingenuity and commitment to her goals, not to mention her love of novels.

I cannot use the word ADORABLE enough when it comes to this books! Every time I sat down to read more I felt like I was checking in on friends I have known for ages. I was so delighted by this book I have recommended it to lots of readers I know!

I have loved all of Martha Waters books and this one was one of her best! If you enjoy smart women trying to outwit clever men, you will enjoy any of her books. The storyline of "To Swoon and to Spar" was hilarious in the best way. Another winner!

To Swoon and to Spar is the 4th book in The Regency Vows series by Martha Waters - and I have really enjoyed each and every one of the books in this series. If you are a fan of Bridgerton - or the the Regency Period - this book (and series) is for you.

I love this diverse and witty cast of characters. Each book in The Regency Vows series can be read as a stand alone; but I believe they are more thoroughly enjoyed when read in order. To Swoon and to Spar is Penvale's story. Penvale's one desire has been to recoup his family's home from his uncle and one of the conditions to finally obtaining it is to marry a young woman that he has just met - Jane (his uncle's ward). Penvale's uncle is eager to get rid of Trethwick Abbey because he believes it is haunted. Waters skillfully plays with the Gothic novel theme throughout the book.
Waters shines with her witty repartee and well developed cast of characters. I am hopeful that there are a few more books in this series. Since I listened to the previous books in the series on audiobook, I wondered how well this novel would translate to actually reading the book. I can happily say that the change was absolutely seamless. Thank you to Martha Waters, Atria Books, and NegGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. To Swoon and to Spar was published on 4/11/2023 and is now available.

This was a cute romance! All the happy feelings. I think it’ll be popular for this who liked Red, White, and Royal Blue.