This was a charming end to the series. I thought the characters were great and had good chemistry, and the plot was interesting, I especially loved all the references to the insane meddling from the previous 4 books.

I'm personally not a big fan of dual timelines so it took me out of it a little bit at first. I thought the first few flashbacks were a little boring but they did pick up as the story went on. If you like dual timeline this probably won't be an issue for you. I also felt like the miscommunication/sheer lack of communication between the two main characters was a little over the top at times. It felt like they were having the same arguments over and over again and I just wanted to shake them at times.

Overall, I thought this was a cute, fun read. I really fell for both the main characters and was really rooting for them. If you love historical fiction and lighthearted reads with just a sprinkle of angst, give this one a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book!

Hello Book friends!

Today I’m reviewing the final book in The Regency Vows series, To Woo and to Wed by Martha Waters. In this last book we follow the heir to a dukedom and a young widow, who seven years prior came close to their own happily ever after.

Do you have any favorite romance tropes?

My absolute favorite from this year is second chance romance. Where would-be lovers find each other again, given one last chance at finding happiness.

A character driven story, To Woo and to Wed features past characters we’ve come to love while enjoying the pining of a brooding heir, who will stop at nothing to get the girl. The only draw back for me with this one was our female MC, Sophie, Lady Fitzwilliam Bridewell. She just wasn’t likable. She plays the martyr far too often, even when circumstances wouldn’t necessitate her to do so.

As a widow, Sophie has more freedom and choice. While some in her same position, would prefer to keep their fortunes and autonomy than remarry, for Sophie, it’s pretty clear, if she worked things out with her second chance romance, she could be very happy with West.

Plus with her and West’s history, his persistence in proving what sometimes feels like unrequited love, it becomes obvious very early on that he’s committed and that it’s her stubbornness that’s keeping her from what they both want. Towards the end, I almost felt like West should save his losses (and heartache) and walk away. Though, he’s a keeper with his grand gesture, laying bare his claim for Sophie's heart.

Check mark all those fan favorites: spice, fake engagement, and second chance love, romance readers should add the final book of The Regency Vows series to their TBR.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

I feel like I've been waiting for West and Sophie's story since the first time I read one of Martha Waters' historical romances, and this didn't disappoint for me. A delightful combo of tropes - second chance and fake dating, specifically - which worked really well for me. Sophie is a young widow, but years ago, before her first marriage, she was almost-betrothed to West. Sophie's family is newly titled and earned their wealth in trade, so some of the snobbier members of the ton are not fans, including West's father. Years ago, he threatened to ruin the future prospects of Sophie's younger sisters if she didn't break things off with West. The next day, West was involved in a devastating curricle accident that leaves him permanently injured and kills his best friends. When he recovered, Sophie was already married and he had no idea why. For the past year or so (during the events of the prior three novels in this series), Sophie and West have been pushed together by their circle of friends, and the spark still seems to be there. So when Sophie's younger sister, also a widow, indicates that she won't marry her new suitor until Sophie herself plans to remarry, West seems like the perfect person with whom she can have a fake betrothal. I don't always like second chance romances, but this was done so well, and the addition of the fake relationship trope freshened it up for me, so I really enjoyed it. I also loved Sophie's sisters and would be happy to read a series about them.

This is the final book in the series and the one I’ve been waiting for. This book did not disappoint. There is so much history between west and Sophie that needed to be reveled and worked thru. They are both cautious people that don’t trust easily for good reason. Just one careless wager can change everything in an instant. I had to stop after every chapter to take in where their paths were leading. Their journey to their HEA had a lot of bumps in the road but thru hard work and open communication it was achieved.

*i was given an arc in exchange for an honest review*

cant believe i’ve finally finished this whirlwind of a series!! this book is more of a 3.5 stars moment compared to the others. i think because west and sophie have been built up so much in the previous four books i was expecting more.

One of my favorite books from the series. It is hard to keep the stories all entertaining when switching between couples but Waters does quite a good job. I have been waiting for this one for a while and it did not disappoint. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARCs.

This series has been a little hit or miss for me--I loved book 1, struggled with books 2 and 3, liked 4 a lot, and felt like this last book was back to being as strong as book 1! A very cute and fun end to the series. There was a little bit more serious emotion to Sophie and West, which I liked, and the hurdles they faced felt believable (with a little bit of unnecessary miscommunication). They definitely both showed growth from 7 years ago to present, and there was lots of good yearning all the way through. Recommend!

Martha has done it again. It's such a bitter sweet moment. The end of an era but well worth it. Loved every moment of this book. Another well written story with all the feels.

This was a lovely conclusion to Waters' Regency series! I've been waiting for West and Sophie's story and this book did not disappoint! The anticipation has been building since the first book!

I really liked the format of including flashbacks from both Sophie and West about what happened in the past. The previous books have given snippets and hints but it was wonderful getting the fleshed out story from their own remembrances and points of view. It made their relationship feel deeper, more layered, their loss of each other so much sadder. The resonance of their "break up" permeates who they are to this day.

West is such a lovely MC. His love and respect and care for Sophie is evident from his first pages. He's thoughtful and kind, tender and funny, so openhearted when he lets the facade he has built around himself crack. Sophie is splendid and it is so satisfying to see her grow from the flashbacks to who she is today and to see her slowly allow herself to be vulnerable and open and let her heart hope again.

The premise of fake dating was fun and it was a wonderful way to get them into forced proximity so they can address all that has gone before. The side characters are familiar and entertaining in their own ways.

I think the book slowed down a bit in the middle but picked up steam again. The ending was lovely and I like how Sophie and West get to live their lives on their own terms, with their own preferences, and agency. It was so satisfying to see them together, finally, in the end.

A lovely conclusion to the regency series.

I was so excited to read this next book in Martha Waters' regency series and I loved it just as much as the others, I feel like the book had the perfect amount of plot and the perfect amount of spice, still leaving some to the imagination. I was also naturally thrilled to finally get a Sophie/West story. I feel like i've been rooting for them from day one.

The anticipation built up from the previous four books makes getting to finally read Sophie and West’s story so much more wonderful. I loved that this book was a bit different from the others, with the inclusion of flashback chapters to Sophie’s and West’s past. It felt like we got to know both main characters on a much deeper level, by seeing the development of their relationship throughout the previous seven years. What I loved most, though, is that we know exactly how West feels from his very first chapter. He is such a thoughtful, tender MMC, and I appreciated that everything he and Sophie does is in attempt to make those they care about happy. At times, this book is just as quirky and outlandish as each previous installment in the series, but those are the aspects I really love about each book. To Woo and to Wed is sweet and intimate, while also silly and fun. I’ve been excited to read these characters’ story since book one, and Sophie and West were definitely worth the wait.

I was so excited when I got the ARC of this book and I read in just two days.
It's the final book in the series and I have enjoyed all the books quite a lot.
This is a second chance romance and we have already met and gotten to know both West and Sophie from the previous books. It's finally their turn to shine, and wow, did they shine, West in particular. We get flashbacks to the start of their relationship and other momentous events in the seven year since they fell in love and were torn apart.
I would say the beginning, first 30% of the story was absolutely riveting. It made me cry and I am usually not a crier at books. I found their reunion really emotional. And I was struck by the sense of longing, of an chance at happiness that's missed and gone forever. Even with the logical knowledge that they will eventually get together, I found their pain of these seven years they lost, the fact that they were not there for each other at the most difficult times, the fact that they could barely see the other without a sense of loss, it was all very powerful and moving.
Their fake relationship went the way of all fake relationships in romance, with the added bonus of confessions about the past that made. Then around the middle of the book, 60-70%, I felt the story lost its momentum. There was this going back and forth on Sophie's part that I found annoying. After all the secrets were revealed, all the attraction and feelings admitted, she still refused to give them a chance with the argument of saving him from his father's anger, from potential disappointment with her likely inability and desire to give him children. She was really making decisions for him very much out of fear of being hurt herself and he was right to call her on it.
The final 30% saw everything resolved to a rather satisfying ending. The over-the-top families and friends shone brightly on the page and brought so much fun and levity to the story. The wedding planning verged on the absurd which very much fits in with the shenanigans from the previous books.
A proper epilogue that brings the whole series to a close - funny and full of love and care and babies (for the couples who want them).
Overall, I quite enjoyed this series and highly recommend it.

CW: grief, near-fatal incident (in the past), hero uses a cane as a consequence of said incident, blackmail,

This might be my favorite from the series. If you know me or have read any of my reviews, miscommunication tropes are my least favorite. So imagine my delight when the miscommunication I thought would finally be resolved in the third act was resolved way before then as they actually talked like adults. There were still things they needed to work through (obviously) but thankfully meddlesome dad conversation wasn't something that was kept a secret.

I loved the meddlesome friends/family, the delightful relationships, and West and Sophie finding their way back to each other.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

So, I wish I would’ve read the other books before going into this one. But usually with stories like this I like to pick and choose which ones I read and this one sounded super cute. Our main characters West and Sophie were at one point almost engaged but they were thrown off course by issues arising. Sophie ends up marrying someone else, but unfortunately becomes a widow.
I enjoyed the fake engagement plot of this book, it honestly was a perfect decision for these two characters since it helped Sophie realize her feelings and it ended up turning into a real marriage! Sophie and West were such a perfect book couple and I had tons of fun reading their story. And I loved the regency aspect of it all ( I’m a complete sucker for regency era stuff ).
The only issue I had was at times I felt like the book was dragging and there’d be points I’d be wishing the chapter was over already. But other then that this was a pretty solid book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Great ending to the series. I loved West and Sophie’s second chance romance. It was fun and endearing. Martha Waters always writes easily readable books.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Final book in the series, Wes and Sophie's love story has its moments, but the "father's threat" trope was a drawback for me. Missing the humor of earlier books, yet the satisfying conclusion to the series makes it worth the read

3.5 ⭐️

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and Atria Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publishing: February 6, 2024
Series: The Regency Vows #5
Pages: 336

“To Woo and To Wed” is the last installment of The Regency Vows Series and I was not disappointed at all with this final story. I have read all but the fourth and can say that outside of my rating of the first, the stories have gradually increased my loving Martha Water’s writing of regency romances…this one being the favorite. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, the humor, and wit that it all tied together so very well throughout the chapters. A second chance at love, forced proximity and fake engagement trope somehow put some balance between the hero/heroine (Sophie and West)…oh yeah and throughout the banter too. Moderate steamy but just enough for this story. A nice HEA where the characters confront all of complications of the past to bring them happiness in the end. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book!

4.25/5 Stars!! To Woo and to Wed was the fifth and final installment of Martha Waters’. The Regency Vows series, and it did NOT disappoint. We FINALLY got Sophie & West’s story, and it was everything I wanted it to be! This is a second chance, fake engagement, historical romance set in the regency era. I believe these are all interconnected standalones, but I have read each of them.

Things I loved:
-The flashback scenes. In a second chance romance, I need the flashback scenes. I love seeing what happened and how they initially fell in love.
-The gradual growing back of trust and increased communication. It felt natural and not at all forced or instant.
-The banter. Duh.

Things I didn’t love:
-I wanted them to talk through their problems together more.
-This book ended the series and I want more :(

This book was a stunning conclusion to a series I have very much enjoyed! I can’t wait to see what Martha Waters has for us next!

I've read all of Martha Waters' books despite generally not being a fan of regency romances, and this was one of my favorites. I think it is a real feat of writing. It ties up the series beautifully, and it's funny and sharp and well paced, but more than that, it is *romantic.* Like, swoonily romantic! In so many romances - romances I enjoy - I'm of course rooting for the two heroes to get together and enjoying the story, but I don't feel that pull at my heartstrings. Here, I did. I will say I think a great deal of how rewarding this felt was having read the four books prior to this, but as the last in a series, I don't think that's a bad thing.

Finally West and Sophie’s story! This couple has intrigued me throughout all of Martha Waters regency vows series and I am happy to report that West and Sophie’s story both past and present absolutely does not disappoint. Perfect conclusion to the series.

Many thanks to Atria and NetGalley for an eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.