“To Woo and to Wed” by Martha Waters
A Light Fun Read
I thoroughly enjoyed my time within this story. Yes, it is a Regency Era romance, it has a few steamy scenes and it has some surprises along the way. I am glad I read this story. It was a good place to hid away from the world. There was one thing I would have liked to have been part of this story. But I guess I will just use my imagination and pretend it will happen, just not yet. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received a copy of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.

What a great ending to this fantastic series. West and Sophie’s relationship has been one I’ve enjoyed since book 1 of this series and I was so happy with this book, shining the spotlight on them and their antics. This book felt the most realistic to me, which sets it apart from the other books in the series and, for me, elevated it. This book is funny and satisfying, start to finish.

Martha Waters has become a must-read author and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Great finish to the series. Was a little frustrated with the flashbacks. Sophie and Wexham get their HEA.

West and Sophie had been courting seven years ago, until West’s disapproving father got involved and Sophie ended up married to someone else. Not only that, but West was badly injured in a curricle race that also killed his best friend, and he’s been in a rough place ever since. Now that widowed Sophie is back in West’s social sphere, they just keep running into each other at various events. He’s pretty sure that she’s not open to another courtship, so he tries his best to keep his distance. Until Sophie proposes a fake engagement to West so that her sister would be willing marry her own suitor without fear of Sophie’s loneliness. Seeing an opportunity to spend more time with Sophie and to rile up his horrible father, West agrees. And so we have a fake engagement second chance situation where these two finally talk about what went wrong all those years ago.

Historical vibes are always hit or miss for me personally, this one was just a bit too on the miss side. It was also a bit on the slower pace which isnt my favorite. But I will still look forward to other releases.

The thing is, when I started this book, it was very hard for me to appreciate. The reason behind their seven year estrangement is SO DUMB. It kind of ruined the first third of the book for me. Eventually, they started to move past it and I realized I actually liked the book. By the end, I liked it a lot. There is great banter, lots of funny and sweet moments.

This was a cute historical romance with a more untraditional female main character - Sophie is a widow, and she is independent and would prefer to stay that way. I think West, her love interest pulls the story, as he is really into Sophie and always has been. I think the forced proximity/fake dating trope doesn't work entirely here, as not only the reason not entirely sound, they both go in a bit too deep that I ended up feeling sorry for the family involved. The story was pleasant to read, there was a good balance of sass, sweet and spicy, and overall I enjoyed my time reading it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Absolutely stunning. Martha Waters has been a favourite of mine for years and with the final instalment in this series she’s catered directly to my expectations. i’ll love this series forever.

Finally! Sophie and West's book has arrived! This is the long awaited conclusion to The Regency Vows series and I think it ended on a high note.

West and Sophie were once on the verge of betrothal when a meddling father, a horrific accident, and a hasty wedding threw everything into disarray. Now, 7 years later, they are once again drawn together but can their love overcome more hurdles and last forever this time?

This was a sweet conclusion to the series. The previous books have long set up the Sophie/West relationship. This kind of high expectation can go two ways: 1) total letdown or 2) home run! I'm glad to say Martha Waters delivers a hit here! This book had all the delicious angst that I hoped for given that it was a second chance love story. Sophie and West are meant to be and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop both in the past and the present. The flashbacks were a little clunky especially as the story progressed, but I still liked seeing those major milestones in their relationships. The cameos from the four couples from the previous novels in the series added a fun element of found family. I could use a Christmas novella or extended epilogue to revisit them all several years into the future!

I'm excited to see where Martha Waters goes from here. I think her writing has gotten better and better as this series progressed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This entire series has been a delight and Book 5 even more so with the main couple constantly surrounded by friends and family, all happily coupled off at this point, cheerfully recapping tier various romantic misadventures and reassuring these two: "but f we could figure it out, I'm sure you can!" These two are almost floated through the whole plot on a cloud of hearts filled with the buoyant air of positivity and love.

I have been anxiously awaiting West and Sophie's book, and To Woo and To Wed did not disappoint! In fact, I think it may have been my favorite of the entire series. I absolutely loved the dual timelines and getting to see what happened in West and Sophie's past alongside the hijinks that bring them together in the present. I was rooting for them the entire time, and as always, it was a joy to see the other beloved characters from the series throughout. It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful series that I am going to miss so much! Bravo!

Thank you @atriabooks for the complimentary DRC

My bookish resolution this year was to work on finishing all the series I’ve started and have on my shelves. This was the first one I’ve completed so far! To Woo and To Wed is the final installment in The Regency Vows series.

These books are so much fun! They would be easy to read in one or two sittings and are guaranteed to leave a smile on your face. I have been waiting for Sophie and West’s story pretty much from the first book and I’m happy to report it was worth the wait. I enjoyed getting to revisit all the previous couples, and the banter had me chuckling. While I think they technically could all be read as standalones, I think reading them in order is best. I didn’t enjoy the first book but I’m glad I read it because in each book the couples from the previous books dip in and out of the storyline. I think you can appreciate each book more when you understand how they all relate to each other. Only complaint in this book is that at times it was repetitive, I think everyone’s mouth ‘twitched’ at some point and Sophie and West seemed to have the same disagreement over and over. Minor complaints though, I still recommend this series for when you’re in the mood for a sweet romance that won’t rake your heart over the coals.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange of a honest review.

Loved this ending and it was a fast, fun and enjoyable read!

This series has been a delight from beginning to end. In this finale, we finally get the full story of West and Sophia, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Including the banter, hare-brained hilarious schemes, and lack of properiety/spice that Waters has done so well, To Woo and to Wed also adds second chance romance and fake engagement. My only complaint is that new characters are introduced that COULD be more books... c'mon, Martha! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC and allowing me to grin ear to ear the entire time I read it.

Martha Waters brings her enjoyable Regency Vows series to a rousing close with To Woo and to Wed, a charming and witty second-chance romance between two characters who have been dancing around each other for some time. The Marquess of Weston and Sophie, the widowed Lady Bridewell, clearly have a history together and have been crying out for their story to be told. Well, this is it, and although I found one aspect of the novel a bit frustrating, I can say that on the whole, it was worth the wait.

When, in her third London Season, Sophie Wexham met the Marquess of Weston it was… if not exactly love at first sight, something fairly close to it. West is attractive, kind, funny and – unlike so many other men of his ilk – as happy to listen to Sophie’s thoughts and opinions as he is to voice his own. They’ve reached an ‘understanding’ and all it wants is for West to speak to her papa so they can become officially betrothed – but before West can do that, his father, the Duke of Dovington – who has already made clear his opposition to his son’s choice of bride – not so subtly threatens to ruin the marital prospects of Sophie’s four younger sisters should their engagement take place. Furious, Sophie finds West to tell him what his father said; West is equally angry and insists he won’t be deterred – he doesn’t need his father’s permission to get married. But fate and tragedy intervene; West doesn’t meet with Sophie’s father, and not long afterwards, she marries someone else.

Seven years later, and Sophie has been a widow for almost as long as she was married. She and West move in the same circles and have mutual friends – his (late) best friend David was the brother of Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham (To Marry and to Meddle) who is married to Sophie’s friend Diana – but they’ve taken care to treat each other like mere acquaintances and have never spoken about their past relationship. On the surface, there’s nothing keeping them from rekindling their romance should they wish, but there are a lot of strong feelings running beneath – guilt, resentment, anger, grief – that are easier to ignore than to address.

Then Sophie learns that her sister Alexandra – who, like her, is a widow – is likely to turn down a proposal of marriage from the man she loves because Alex doesn’t want Sophie to feel lonely or left out. Well. Sophie didn’t gave up her own chance at real happiness seven years earlier so her sisters could sacrifice themselves for her. If the only way she can make sure Alex accepts Lord Blackthorn’s proposal is by becoming engaged herself, then that’s what Sophie is going to do. Unfortunately, however, she knows only one man who a) is likely to go along with her scheme for a short-lived fake engagement and b) her family will find a believable choice as her partner in a whirlwind romance.

While West’s better judgement tells him it’s a bad idea, he agrees to go along with Sophie’s plan. All he’s ever wanted is her happiness, and if seeing Alex married is the way to do it, then he’ll do whatever he can to help. It’s clear he’s still in love with Sophie but is so wrapped up in layers of guilt and sorrow that he’s kind of stuck in place and unsure how to act around her. Sophie, meanwhile, has learned to present a face of supreme confidence and unflappability to everyone around her that is hard to penetrate. But with their ‘engagement’ providing an excuse for them to spend time together, they slowly begin to let the other in and to realise that while seven years have passed, the connection they felt to each other back then has never lessened or gone away. They have things they need to work through – and I liked that the author includes some flashback chapters here and there to fill out the backstory – and they have some very honest conversations about their feelings for one another – then and now – and about what they want.

West is a charming cinnamon roll hero - kind and funny with a dry sense of humour and so obviously head-over-heels for Sophie. I liked the way the two of them fall so easily back into their old patterns of teasing and banter – they really know how to push each other’s buttons – and the way West very quickly sets out to prove to Sophie that they are meant to be together, despite everything.

I enjoy second chance romances when they’re done well, and that’s definitely the case here. The chemistry between West and Sophie is electric and there’s just enough pining and angst to keep things interesting and moving at a fair clip. But then at around two-thirds of the way through, things start to flag and begin to feel a little repetitive – and that there is really only one thing keeping West and Sophie apart becomes glaringly apparent. And it’s the same thing that has been keeping them apart for the entire book – Sophie. Or, rather, Sophie’s tendency to think and act for others in what she believes is their best interest and without consulting them first. Even after West has made it very clear that he still loves her and wants to be with her, Sophie persists in trying to save him from himself – whether from his father’s threats (no surprises that the disapproving Duke still disapproves) or trying to save West from disappointment because she might not be able to bear children – but doesn’t explain why she’s refusing him. West eventually realises what she’s doing and that she’s doing it because she’s scared of being hurt; I was pleased that he calls her on it, but frustrated because she was willing to risk their happiness simply because she wouldn’t have a simple conversation.

That’s my only real complaint about the story and is the reason I couldn’t award To Woo and to Wed DIK status. There’s a great bunch of secondary characters here - mostly friends and family from the previous books – who bring a lot of warmth, humour and affection (and, sometimes, common sense!) to the story (I had to chuckle at the absurdity of the wedding plans) and the not-too-sweet epilogue rounds out the series nicely. Martha Waters is one of the few authors of historical romance whose books I still look forward to reading, and I’m eager to see what she comes up with next.

To Woo and to Wed is the last and fifth book in the Regency Vows series.

The Marquess of Weston and the then Miss Sophie Wexham were in love and on the verge of a betrothal before the meddling of West’s father and a tragic curricle accident. Even though West survives, he wakes finding his best friend dead and Sophie now Lady Fitzwilliam. Seven years later and three since being widowed, Sophie is content in her widowhood but her younger widowed sister has found love again and wants Sophie to as well. Going so far as to say she won’t remarry if Sophie doesn’t remarry as well. Sophie enlists West’s help in faking a betrothal to get her sister down the aisle. All seems to be well until except for wedding plans getting out of hand and that West can’t pretend forever that his feelings for Sophie are real and never went away.

This is a new to me author but I’ll be adding the first four books of this series to my TBR. I loved this book. The tension and longing was delightful. I loved these characters and that they had always done what was expected of them but still hadn’t found happiness. It was only when they stopped allowing fear to control their lives was it within reach. I was also endeared to them because they were ordinary but in each other they’d found something extraordinary. I loved the FMC and her ability to win people over with her wit. I did think the FMC change of thinking was sudden and I wished the MMC would’ve been more passionate in not relenting even though he never wavered. There are a lot side characters with the MC from the previous book plus all the sisters and their significant others of the FMC. The best of both worlds with a found family and a large supportive family.

There was two encounters with at least two more occurring off the page. I enjoyed that their experiences were on an even playing field with the FMC taking a slightly more authoritative role.

Net Galley and Atria Books provided an advanced ecopy of this book.

I'm so pleased to finally read West and Sophie's (love) story. It features all the best tropes! Second chance, fake romance/engagement, he falls hardest, meddlesome family; I loved them all. Plus this is such a perfect final chapter to his series. Well done!

This series shares the problem that many romantic series have. There have been so many previous stories and all the characters and their matches appear in this story. I have read the earlier books and enjoyed them, but couldn’t remember much of the plot for any of them. So all these characters are introduced and I couldn’t keep them straight. It was hard to remember which were the heroine’s sisters and who were her friends or which women matched with which man.

We have a fake betrothal for a rather dumb reason. I like that the hero is still in love with the heroine and is willing to do anything to convince her that they deserve a second chance. It does take him long enough to decide to do something about her concerns about his father’s threats. He realizes that is what is holding back; why doesn’t he do something about it?

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I’ve been wanting to see West and Sophie get together since book 1: TO HAVE AND TO HOAX. Their second chance romance is a perfect way to end the series. Sophie’s sister is reluctant to secure her own happiness before her sister’s, so Sophie comes up with a plan: a fake engagement with former fiancé. The only snag, they’re both still in love with each other. Humorous and full of heart, it’s a happy ending worth waiting for.

I’m so happy with the ending! Sophie and West went through so much for their HE. Definitely a recommended read for everyone who loves romance novels