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To Have and to Hoax

Martha Waters (Goodreads Author)

3.49 · Rating details · 3,438 ratings · 925 reviews

In this fresh and hilarious historical rom-com, an estranged husband and wife in Regency England feign accidents and illness in an attempt to gain attention—and maybe just win each other back in the process.

Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken si ...more

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Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by Headline Eternal

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· 3,438 ratings · 925 reviews

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May 31, 2020 Anne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: trashy-romance-novel, libby-app, read-in-2020, audio

Right off the bat, this looks like it would be really cute and funny!

The title, the description, and the cover ALL really sucked me in. Oh, haha! These two are going to badger each other with old-timey pranks, and won't that be so different and hilarious?!
I was ready to fall in love with these guys.

Eh.
And maybe that's why I was disappointed.
The expectations were a little too high?
Regardless, this one was just ok for me. It wasn't funny. There wasn't any snappy dialogue or witty back and forth. ...more

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Apr 08, 2020 Olive Fellows (abookolive) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, favorites-2020

Check out my review on booktube: https://youtu.be/9_fy6emL4Zg ...more

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Feb 13, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This one is fun, entertaining, quick, hilarious, feel-good reading!

I know so well that:

The characters were so obnoxious, immature, spoiled brats acting like underage, sabotaging their relationship over and over and at least hundred times, I want to bang their heads into each other and scream their faces to kiss and make up! But I loved their story, the hot chemistry, witty dialogues, intriguing pacing. So their childish manners can be tolerable!

The couple’s silent treatment ends with faking s ...more

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Mar 24, 2020 Emer (A Little Haze) rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-fiction, reviewed, romance, netgalley, historical-fiction, 4stars, read2020, light-fiction

This book was such a LOL from start to finish! I’ve never read a full historical romance novel before this so I don’t know if that is exactly what this is... but whatever it is is a whole lot of fun!

I’m used to contemporary romances. And I’m used to Austen. And this was a glorious mash up of the two!

It’s like taking the best traits and tropes of a contemporary romantic comedy; so great big dollops of sass and witty banter between two fabulously funny leads.
And then transporting all of that con ...more

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Jun 05, 2020 Aoife - Bookish_Babbling rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-point-5-stars, read-in-2020

3.5*

No thanks to the MCs tho, gosh could I not stand those two spoiled, pompous ridiculous babies!
Having somehow forgotten to reread the synopsis before my trigger-finger slipped on the one-click-buy option after seeing it was just over $2 in the kindle store - I missed the glaring hiccup highlighting one of my least favourite romcom tropes right there in the blurb...LYING 🤮
Okay, so I know the clue is in the title "Hoax" and I should have known better. I guess I was just uncomfortable with the ...more

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Dec 10, 2020 Alexis Hall added it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventures-in-romancelandia, delightful

This fucking delighted me – and served as a much needed antidote for 2020.

It’s a self-consciously frivolous (but still depthy) Regency an absurd plot and an archness of tone that really worked for me. There’s something slightly Wildean about it: artful silliness.

The basic deal is that the hero and heroine married in haste, after being caught on a balcony together in the dark. But it was still—against all the odds—a love match. Flash forward four years, though, and Something Has Gone Very Wrong T This fucking delighted me – and served as a much needed antidote for 2020.

It’s a self-consciously frivolous (but still depthy) Regency an absurd plot and an archness of tone that really worked for me. There’s something slightly Wildean about it: artful silliness.

The basic deal is that the hero and heroine married in haste, after being caught on a balcony together in the dark. But it was still—against all the odds—a love match. Flash forward four years, though, and Something Has Gone Very Wrong TM. The chilly stalemate comes to an end when the hero is flung off a horse and doesn’t think to inform his wife, which is one just one hurt too many. And she decides to pay him back for his intention by … uh. Pretending to have consumption?
And don’t get me wrong. This is the daftest premise. Although it does trigger an escalating game of daftness one uppersonship between James and Violet has they’re both forced to confront the fact that they’re still very much in love but have no idea how to communicate nor to resolve The Issue that drove them apart four years ago.

Now I will say your mileage might very here based on your patience level for central conflict that could be resolved by one honest conversation. It’s not, as a general rule, one of my favourite tropes but it genuinely didn’t frustrate me here. I think, like anything, these things are about how you do them. But it also helps that all the characters are super self-aware about what’s going on: Violet and James always see straight through each other’s schemes, Viola quickly realizes she’s just desperate for her husband’s attention after four years of stain, and their mutual friends spend a lot of time encouraging them just to *talk to each other*. Basically, it feels knowing in every possible direction: there are no dupes or victims here, with the reader as much a part of the games as the rest of the cast.

By the *very end*, when there were a couple of further miscommunications, I was just edging into “I think I might want to shake you now” territory, but it was a very mild shaking. I ended up really loving both Violet and James, even when they were behaving like absolute fools, although Violet ended up feeling slightly minimised by the end of the book because she turned out to be so much better at navigating her own bullshit than James. Whereas James had a lot to unravel and think about and worked on – and while it was really good to see him doing that work, it didn’t leave Violet with much to *do* in the story. Except wait for James to get his act together.

I was also slightly nervous of the Big Conflict Of Four Years Ago: after all, if it was too easily resolved, it would have made the whole book feel like a waste of time, but if it was too serious it would have been a massive tonal shift from the careful lightness of the story of a whole. My feeling was that this tightrope was mostly successfully walked, which I found an impressive piece of narrative control. Although I do feel four years is an incredibly long time to exist in an estranged marriage. I mean, I’ve lived through half a year of a pandemic and I feel completely ground down and ancient. I don’t know if … how … you could reconcile something after such a lot of pain and mistrust. I mean, I’m not saying I didn’t buy the HEA—I felt it was well-won, but I think I accepted it on an emotional level (because I wanted it) more than a rational one (because four years!). Also, sorry to be really incredibly shallow, but that is four years. Without sex of any kind. For both of them. HOW?

I assume the next books are going to focus on Violet’s two friends, which I’m pretty excited for. Something else I really appreciated about THATH was the vibrancy of the supporting cast. Except … I was kind of disproportionately into West for his page count. He just seemed really interesting, and interestingly tormented. BOOK FOR WEST?

In any case, highly recommended if you’re cool with the “can’t you just blood talk to each other” trope. ...more

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May 04, 2020 rayne ♥ [ IG: rayne.reads ] rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, historical, e-arc, comedy, cover-love, 3rd-pov, lovely-writing, side-characters-are-my-babies, i-highly-reccomend-these, character-driven

Diana sagged. “Morals,” she said simply. “So tiresome.”

To Have and to Hoax is witty, smart and charming as a whole, filled to the brim with revenge schemes and intriguing characters that made this a page-turner for me. The premise is intriguing, it’s about a married couple who are plagued by misunderstandings, which eventually leads to a cruel (and hilarious) game that threatens to tear them apart.

This book is filled with wonderful writing that flows perfectly, and characters that feel so r ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Samantha rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Welcome, welcome, right this way! Step right up to witness endless, inane bickering between adult characters with the emotional maturity of middle schoolers.

Violet and James Auden were happily married until they weren’t. After an argument about a year into their marriage (that goes unexplained until about halfway through the book), they barely speak to one another for the next four years.

That’s where our story truly begins, and what follows is an endless game of emotional chess between the spo Welcome, welcome, right this way! Step right up to witness endless, inane bickering between adult characters with the emotional maturity of middle schoolers.

Violet and James Auden were happily married until they weren’t. After an argument about a year into their marriage (that goes unexplained until about halfway through the book), they barely speak to one another for the next four years.

That’s where our story truly begins, and what follows is an endless game of emotional chess between the spouses. Except that they both play chess like the proverbial kid who eats the pieces.

Violet and her friends cook up schemes to inflict upon James, all designed to somehow simultaneously piss him off and win him back. The ladies fancy themselves “outspoken,” “progressive,” and all sorts of other buzzwords that should indicate a desire to break with convention. Unfortunately, they mostly come off as desperate and juvenile.

We’re supposed to believe that these women are admirably unconventional and ahead of their time because they speak their minds and claim they don’t want men dictating their lives. Yet in all that speaking of the minds, the only thing they ever talk about is men.

While I admire Violet’s desire not to be cowed by convention that would suggest her presence in the world should be largely ornamental, most of her boldness takes the form of childish, foot-stomping tantrums, shrill declarations of revenge, and attempts at manipulation. Violet claims she doesn’t want to be ruled by a man, but men are the only things she ever seems focus her attention on.

It’s a cute attempt at protofeminism, but the result is exactly the opposite of that. The heroine fancies herself empowered and as defying convention, but really she’s just louder about her conventional thinking. She thinks herself a rogue of the status quo, but she’s simply immature and undisciplined.

Though he too has plenty of flaws and also lacks emotional maturity, her husband is in many ways better at conveying an attitude of progressiveness than his wife. And while he can be thoughtless and clearly has a paralyzing fear of honest communication, in the end he’s really a pretty alright dude.

Which is great and all, except that Violet was supposed to be the hero of this story. James is an emotional toddler almost as much as she is, but at least he mostly maintains a sense of decency.

And yet, the really tough part of this book to swallow is how careless Violet and James are about how their petty desire to constantly one-up each other consistently disregards the feelings of other people. Sophie and West (who are, not coincidentally, the only truly decent people in the book) get the worst of it, but it comes back on the other friends of the couple as well, all of whom are (whatever their flaws may be) far better humans than the characters in the central relationship. Certainly, they don’t mean to hurt others, but their selfishness (especially Violet’s) has that result just the same.

This is not to say that the reader will hate Violet. I didn’t. But I did find her obnoxious more often than not, and her behavior is cringeworthy most of the time. Did she capital “L” Learn A Lesson? Of course she did, because narrative structure dictates she must. But in the end, it isn’t enough.

This wasn’t a bad idea for a book, but the intent and the product are a complete mismatch. At the very least it should have passed muster as a light, cute romance, but the tone is too grating and the characters too emotionally stunted for that to play satisfactorily either.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.* ...more

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Apr 13, 2020 n rated it really liked it · review of another edition

dumbass couples in 1800s hitting different

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Aug 11, 2020 menna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-releases

ive never wanted to knock two people's head against each other more than in this book (in a loving way) ...more

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Mar 10, 2020 Mara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook-owned, arc

Oh man, I'm so excited to see more books from this author come out! The writing in this book is truly a joy- grade A banter, lovely turns of phrase, wonderful little observations throughout. I also just loved the characters, and I appreciate that this has almost a YA type theme underlying it-- separation from parents' and their expectations to forge their own identities & sense of self. I offer this comparison with trepidation, but this book gave me very strong Tessa Dare vibes- I will be eager ...more

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Apr 21, 2020 Blackjack rated it liked it

Shelves: published-2020, arc

Some smooth writing and likeable secondary characters couldn't save this book from itself, and that's even while I smiled every time I encountered the nostalgic reference to the Friends' episode, "he knew that she knew that he knew." The premise here of a young married couple pranking and one-upping each other in an effort to get even for perceived neglect was initially amusing but grew very tiresome, and pretty quickly. I went into this one open-minded having just had an unexpected blast readin Some smooth writing and likeable secondary characters couldn't save this book from itself, and that's even while I smiled every time I encountered the nostalgic reference to the Friends' episode, "he knew that she knew that he knew." The premise here of a young married couple pranking and one-upping each other in an effort to get even for perceived neglect was initially amusing but grew very tiresome, and pretty quickly. I went into this one open-minded having just had an unexpected blast reading Sarah Hogle's bittersweet but utterly romantic You Deserve Each Other, but with each chapter I become more and more frustrated. Note to readers: very little changes in this book until 94% and so be prepared for a story that spends nearly the entire novel mired in misunderstandings and self-righteousness.

In the prologue, Violet and James fall in love instantly at a ball and subsequently marry. Fast forward four years later as they reflect back on a fractious and rocky start in an otherwise passionate union, they know just when the relationship went off its track, and that one moment comes to define four years of cold war - yes, Four Years. For four years, we are meant to believe that the two live in the same house and do not speak. I obviously had trouble reconciling a four-year silent roommate situation, but once I found out the reason why they stopped speaking, I lost much of my interest in the book. Part of the book is about understanding the mental harm both characters experienced growing up with negligent and even emotionally abusive parents and how such experiences challenged their ability to form healthy and mature adult relationships rooted in trust. So, there's that. It's not a theme I'm crazy about and one that feels quite over done in romances, but it's meant to explain the actions two immature people play on the one person in their life they should love and trust.

The other major aspect of this novel focuses on a series of pranks and retributions Violet and James enact to slap back at each other. At times it seems as if they are just striking out, but at other times, they seem aware that they want the attention of the other, even if it's negative attention. Some of the pranks are amusing but there were moments when I was reaching to find my sense of humor and struggling. For instance, James's open flirtation with another woman in society to make his wife jealous was a particularly difficult scene. Violet feels humiliated and most everyone else feels either uncomfortable or titillated by the scandal they are witnessing. Several key people later try to explain separately to James that it wasn't the thing to humiliate one's wife in public or to risk harming the reputation of another woman. This entire episode in the book reminds me why I love the concept of the hero in romances and why I disliked James. Most romance heroes stop short of hurting innocent bystanders for selfish reasons, and most heroes don't want to humiliate the woman they love in front of others. Furthermore, most heroes have a degree of emotional intelligence that clarifies their actions. That brings me to a somewhat bigger problem with this book, which is that even though Violet and James behave equally stupidly and immaturely at times, James is an especially difficult character to reform. He's wrong nearly all the time and there is not parity in their grievances. The misunderstanding that separates them for Four Years is mainly his fault. I felt sympathy at times for Violet, therefore, and I can't honestly say that I'm entirely satisfied with a HEA for this couple.

The book is filled with some appealing secondary characters and there are clear signs of where some future romances are heading. I'm giving it a generous 3 stars because of appealing secondary characters. However, I initially thought I would want to read future books from Waters but given in the end how little I enjoyed this one, it's unlikely now. ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Chris C - A Midlife Wife rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-romance, reviews, womens-historical-fiction, romance, gallery-books

I liked the story but the game playing really got to be too much. Plus I hated that James had to be groveling when she was waaaay more involved in the crap than he.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book sounded like a great deal of fun and I was excited to get into it. It started out in a fabulous way and I just loved the two of them together. I was sure they were going to be a wonderful pair!

However, sooner than later, it turned into a grudge fest and the games began. In many aspects this book frustrated ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-releases

I am a huge historical romance fan and this cover definitely caught my eye. This sounded like it was going to be an adorable romance between a bickering married couple and I was excited to read their story.

When this started, I thought the romance was so cute. Something had happened four years ago, one year into their marriage, that caused Violet and James to hate each other and barely speak to each other. When Violet gets a letter that James is hurt and might never wake up, she freaks out and ju ...more

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Jun 23, 2020 Amy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: what-might-have-been, adult, romance, regency

Ahhhhhhrrrrrrrrgggggg, damn publishers. I never thought I'd think longingly of the days when romance novels mostly sported bare chested men and well-endowed women but at least you knew you were getting a trashy romance novel.
This year I just keep falling for wonderful covers and delightful premises only to discover halfway through that I've landed myself in yet another novel with explicit sex scenes. (And honestly, maybe even that wouldn't be so bad if the sex scenes weren't all so predictable. ...more

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Oct 20, 2019 Kelsey rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss

I thought for sure that I would love this one, but while the premise is excellent, the execution left me frustrated. If you don't like books where the two main characters cannot communicate and could resolve the issue with an honest conversation, you'll likely be frustrated too.
Violet and James met, fell in love, and married very quickly. After a blissful first year of marriage, they get into a quite stupid argument where James believes that Violet had manipulated him into marriage and Violet ge ...more

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Apr 04, 2020 ABookwormWithWine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, blog-tours, from-the-publisher, female-authors, womens-fiction, physical-arc, cover-love, not-set-in-the-usa, drama, made-me-chuckle

Song/s the book brought to mind: Dreams by The Cranberries

If you are looking for a lighthearted historical romance that reads like a romcom, then To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters is the debut novel for you!

This is my first foray into historical romance and I quite enjoyed it! The bickering between our couple, James and Violet, was very entertaining and this book is laugh out loud funny. I loved Violet's sarcasm and quick wit, and I was laughing before page 8. I was having a hard time concent ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 jess ✨ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

To Have and to Hoax would be the kind of book that in normal circumstances would annoy me beyond reason. Main characters acting in a very childish way, refusing to sit down and talk even though this would solve things so quickly (but there would also not be a book to read, of course) but this was not the case.

The main reason I enjoyed and had such a good time with this book was that was incredibly self-aware. Both main characters were extremely immature, especially once they started their "duel" ...more

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May 21, 2020 Lily Herman rated it liked it · review of another edition

Me: *has a million books to read in like 27 different genres*
Also me: *picks up 83rd historical romance this week*

I definitely need to broaden my horizons here, but that can wait for another day. Martha Waters' To Have and to Hoax was a super cute and breezy historical rom-com, and I really enjoyed every second of it. I'm a huge fan of second-chance love, particularly with married couples, so obviously this book was the perfect pick.

I'm not exactly sure if I believe that a relatively simple argu ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 Annette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

1812, In Regency England Lady Violet Grey is 18 years old “with a respectable fortune and unimpeachable bloodline” and quite curious in nature. Warned by her mother that her curiosity would only ruin her.

It seems as her ruining process starts with Jeremy Overington, Marquess of Willingham and “notorious rakehell.” Before she knows, his mouth is covering hers. Then over the Marquess’ shoulder, she sees the most handsome man she’d ever seen. In “a shaft of light,” she recognizes the handsome face ...more

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Apr 08, 2020 shre ♡ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

omg another second chance romance with the mc’s manipulating and pranking each other? we are feasting this month.

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Jul 28, 2020 Katie Lumsden rated it liked it · review of another edition

More like 3.5. I enjoyed this –it was good fun, well written and engaging. I'm not sure I was always fully convinced by the main relationship, and there were a few subplots set up which led nowhere which seemed strange, but it was funny and silly in a good way and highly enjoyable nonetheless. ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 Berit☀️✨ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, advanced-reader-copy, audiobooks

Entertaining and witty. Martha Waters as written an engaging laugh out loud historical romcom. Lately I’ve been all about the romcom and this one had the unique twist of also being a regency romance. Lord James and Lady Violet are in an unhappy marriage that they cannot get out of. When the couple met there was such a spark between them, but they have not spoken a word to one another for the past two years. When Violet receives news that James has been thrown from a horse she rushes to his side, ...more

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Mar 02, 2020 charlotte, (½ of readsrainbow) rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, adult-lit, favourite-characters, 4-point-5, sibling-angst, historical-fiction, hate-to-love, review-copies, favourites, sometimes-straights-have-rights

I’d rather spend my days arguing with you than in calm conversation with anyone else in the world.

On my blog.

Actual rating 4.5

CWs: child neglect

Galley provided by publisher

Romance is one of those genres where I can sit and devour a good book within a few hours, and that was definitely what I did with To Have and To Hoax. It’s a second chance romance (of sorts), full of the right amounts of angst and frustration and pining that you want from one of those.

The story follows an estranged mar ...more

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Mar 05, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

'Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.

Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern 'Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.

Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. She’s outraged. He’s confused. And the distance between them has never been more apparent.

Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation, featuring actors masquerading as doctors, threats of Swiss sanitariums, faux mistresses—and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought. Will the two be able to overcome four years of hurt or will they continue to deny the spark between them?'
___________________________

3.5 stars, rounded up to four stars.

To Have and to Hoax is Martha Walters' debut novel and is a fun blend of historical fiction and romantic comedy.

James and Violet met five years ago on a balcony during a ball. Married shortly there after, theirs was a love match. Only one year was spent in happily wedded bliss though, until a misunderstanding and the resulting fight left them living as worse than strangers. After four years of silence and resentment, a tumble from a horse leads them into an intense battle of wills and attempting to teach the other a lesson. A unique variation of the enemy to lovers storyline, I found this book to be fun and the banter was amusing and ridiculous in equal measure.

I really felt for Violet in this story, James jumped to conclusions from the offset and forced them into 4 years of misery for no real reason. His slights were imagined, whereas hers were legitimate. Four years wasted. That's not to say that she doesn't carry any of the blame here because she certainly could have done more to aid their relationship. Both of them were qeuite immature.

At about the 75% point their feud became a bit tedious for me though. Every time I thought I had finally read to the point where they were going to come to some kind of understanding or properly talk things out there would be another misunderstanding or some source of conflict between them that would bring them right back to the power struggle and fighting. It also takes a long time for us to learn the actual cause of the rift between the two which is probably for the best because I wouldn't have found it a strong enough reason to be invested in all their back and forth for the entirety of the book. I was curious to learn the cause of their fight and that kept me invested. Had I not been looking forward to finding the cause, I probably would have lost my patience with their antics.

I do recommend this book if you're looking for a light-hearted historical romance, but be forewarned that the game between them stretches on a bit. I am assuming this is going to be turning into a series based on the way things were left with the other members of their friend group and I would continue with the series to see how things turn out for them.
_____

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing an eARC of To Have and to Hoax by Martha Walters with me for reviewing purposes. This is my honest review. ...more

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Nov 27, 2020 Chloe Liese added it · review of another edition

This was fun as well as full of really strong character interiority and growth. From a hoax/prank war type deal it was a bit more tame and conversation-heavy than action-oriented which to me didn’t raise the stakes quite like I expected, but I still found this very enjoyable. I got really invested in the friend circle, and I’m totally wanting West’s book. Just sayin’

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Feb 26, 2020 Susan's Reviews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Back I went to Regency England in this enjoyable romp, where Violet and James, with the help of their friends, find their way back to each other after 4 years of estrangement. James believes Violet plotted to trap him into marriage, along with her mother and his father, in order to secure an heir for the Dukedom, should his older brother West fail to do so.

Violet is a headstrong, intelli My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Back I went to Regency England in this enjoyable romp, where Violet and James, with the help of their friends, find their way back to each other after 4 years of estrangement. James believes Violet plotted to trap him into marriage, along with her mother and his father, in order to secure an heir for the Dukedom, should his older brother West fail to do so.

Violet is a headstrong, intelligent girl, and while she is head over heels in love with her dashing young husband, she wants it all: his love and his trust. James has always felt that he was never important in his father's eyes. The sad truth is that his father has no real affection for his children. They are merely a means to continue the family name. His gift to James on his marriage to Violet of a country manor and profitable stables came with strings attached - of course!

Violet is outraged by James lack of faith in her love for him, and angered as well by her husband's constant struggles to gain his father's approval. After only one year of marriage, they have a massive argument and relations between them become frigid over the next four years.

There appears to be no hope to end the estrangement, as both are too proud to breach the gap between them. Fortunately (?), James is involved in a riding accident and Violet to rushes to James' side, thinking that he may be dying. She realizes that she still loves him, but nothing has really changed. James works long hours to prove to his father that he is worthy of his love.

As the story progresses, both Violet and James employ subterfuge to win each other back. The banter between them was entertaining and the ending was more than sweet. All's well that ends well!

I grew up reading Georgette Heyer's novels and I was an avid fan. I rarely enjoyed the current day imitations of her writing style. In fact, I rarely read Regency novels once I had real all of Georgette Heyer;s books.

However, so many fellow NetGalley reviewers kept praising this debut novel - and rightly so: it is very well written, witty and entertaining. But Georgette Heyer still sits atop her throne as the Empress of Women's fiction, unchallenged, in my mind. Martha Waters lured me out of my voluntary retirement where Regency novels are concerned. It was an enjoyable interlude, but I realize that I prefer novels set in this century. I rate this entertaining, well-written romp a 3.80 out of 5. ...more

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Apr 29, 2020 Rachel McMillan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What a freaking delight this book is. Every little typical Regency prototype move from the billions of other books I have read in this time period is turned on its ear. We meet James and Violet when she is caught in a compromising position at one of the ton's balls during her first season. Their chemistry is instantaneous but the circumstances of their meet-cute are not...

But more on that...

Madly in love (lust) they marry in haste--- for one year of this marriage they were blissfully happy .... What a freaking delight this book is. Every little typical Regency prototype move from the billions of other books I have read in this time period is turned on its ear. We meet James and Violet when she is caught in a compromising position at one of the ton's balls during her first season. Their chemistry is instantaneous but the circumstances of their meet-cute are not...

But more on that...

Madly in love (lust) they marry in haste--- for one year of this marriage they were blissfully happy .... fast forward four years later and they can barely stand to be in the same room as each other given a Big Misunderstanding.

When word is sent to Violet that James has been thrown off his horse, she is confronted with the possibility of his death and their failed attempts at reconciliation. When James is fine and well, Violet interprets the act as a malicious one and starts her own string of hoaxes: including the employ of a fake doctor and a diagnosis of consumption.

If missed opportunities and failure to communicate drive you nuts... well then this will annoy you frantically BUT that is the whole point: Waters is nuanced and fun and poking jest at the genre she is so competently writing. Her voice is splendid and fresh, her infuriating couple are so fireworks-and-flint made for each other that even their spats read like the most detailed make-out-scene. One in a trillion authors could pull this off: reverently paying homage to and yet mocking the very undercurrents of the conventions she is promenading in lovely display.

And yet she makes us fall in love with this frustrating lot and root for them at every turn. This freaking, wonderful, annoying, beguiling romp of a book! Heart-clutch love here, friends!

They're in love with each other and they know it and you know it and the author knows it-- but they're also stubborn as stubborn soulmates can be.

An absolute high confection dish of a tale iced with brilliant descriptions and layered with sumptuous wit and dialogue.

I highly recommend this and will be reading Martha Waters for the rest of time. ...more

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Nov 20, 2020 Antonella rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, annoying, not-what-i-expected, historical, second-chance-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 17, 2019 Arielle ⭐ Cursebreaker ⭐ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, historical-fiction

And to think I almost didn't read this book. I have rarely ever had a publisher reach out to me via e-mail with a widget for a book that I didn't already request or show interest in. As I was going through my g-mail last night I stumbled across an e-mail from a person in marketing from Atria and saw they were giving me the chance to read this book. I kind of grumbled to myself at first because well, I'm always in way over my head with ARCs to read but THANK GOD I decided to read the blurb. This And to think I almost didn't read this book. I have rarely ever had a publisher reach out to me via e-mail with a widget for a book that I didn't already request or show interest in. As I was going through my g-mail last night I stumbled across an e-mail from a person in marketing from Atria and saw they were giving me the chance to read this book. I kind of grumbled to myself at first because well, I'm always in way over my head with ARCs to read but THANK GOD I decided to read the blurb. This cover is....not my favorite...and I tend to judge books by my cover even though by now I should know better. THE BLURB THO YOU GUYS. I am not a person who reads historical romances. I don't know why, obviously, since I loved this book but it's just not been a thing that has interested me in the past. Again, thank God for the blurb. It piqued my interest IMMEDIATELY. I mean like, go read it yourselves. How can you not be intrigued???!?! A second chance romance with kind of a love to hate to love element thrown in??!? Something about it sounded very appealing last night.

We get a prologue of how these two meet...and of course it starts out with possible ~Ruination~, a balcony scene, and quite an unexpected proposal. Immediately sold. If there's one thing I will NEVER, EVER get enough of, it's a quality fucking balcony scene with illicit behavior and witty banter. Fast forward five years. Violet and James, after a whirlwind proposal, marriage, and first year madly in love, have become estranged. They barely see each other, speak to each other, or touch for that matter. After receiving a letter than James has been in a riding accident and is possibly in a coma, Violet rushes to go see him. The two pass each other on the road and Violet finds out that James is fine.

What ensues is a pretty messed up, hilarious, and also frustrating war between the two. Violet pretends to have consumption, James pretends to want to take on a mistress (in front of Violet), and the two go round and round. Throughout the book we get snippets of *The Argument* that happened between them to set them on this path of silence and misery. Ugh. There were certainly times that these two pissed me off. They were two of the most STUBBORN characters I've ever had the pleasure reading about. All of their friends were constantly telling them to JUST TALK but noooooooooooooooooo. One of them has a breakthrough and the other immediately shut that shit down. It was torment. But. For some reason it didn't get to me in the slightest. I ate that crap up and hungered for more. Like it just built up and built up and FINALLY...that first kiss. I melted. The tension between the two was so palpable by the end I loved it. And even though it did take them the entire length of the book to work their problems out, I loved how it all finally went down. It took time and effort and they sorted EVERYTHING out before completely reconciling. Honestly I haven't devoured a book so fast in AGES and I pray there are more coming. If I could voice once complaint it would have to be that the writing took some times getting used to. There's quite a few (in my English major opinion) run on sentences at the beginning that I felt like I had to re-read a few times to truly understand the gist of but that seemed to get better as time went on!

P.S. I need Diana and Emily stories now, plz thanks.

Huge thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for allowing me to review a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion! ♥

For more of my reviews, please visit:

...more

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About Martha Waters

Martha Waters

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Martha Waters is the author of To Have and to Hoax and To Love and to Loathe. She was born and raised in sunny South Florida and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. By day, she works as a children's librarian, and loves sundresses, gin cocktails, and traveling. Sign up for her newsletter for periodic book news and reading & travel recs: http://tinyletter.com/marthawat ...more

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“...if you are going to insist on losing faith in someone the moment you see the slightest possibility that they have wronged you, you are going to have a very frustrating life. --VIOLET, LADY AUDLEY, to husband LORD JAMES” — 0 likes

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