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To Have and to Hoax
by
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 attentionand 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 ...more
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 ...more
Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Expected publication:
April 7th 2020
by Headline Eternal
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It begins in 1821.
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Start your review of To Have and to Hoax
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 couples silent treatment ends with faking ...more
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 couples silent treatment ends with faking ...more
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
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
...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
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 shed ever seen. In a shaft of light, she recognizes the handsome face to ...more
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 shed ever seen. In a shaft of light, she recognizes the handsome face to ...more
'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 sideonly to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. ...more
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 sideonly to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. ...more
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, ...more
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, ...more
Mar 24, 2020
Emer (A Little Haze)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
4stars,
romance,
reviewed,
light-fiction,
netgalley,
adult-fiction,
historical-fiction,
read2020
This book was such a LOL from start to finish! Ive never read a full historical romance novel before this so I dont know if that is exactly what this is... but whatever it is is a whole lot of fun!
Im used to contemporary romances. And Im used to Austen. And this was a glorious mash up of the two!
Its 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 ...more
Im used to contemporary romances. And Im used to Austen. And this was a glorious mash up of the two!
Its 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 ...more
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
...more
![Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1533067230p2/31792110.jpg)
Feb 28, 2020
Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
3.5 stars, rounded up.
I can see everyone falling all over themselves to love this book: it's witty and polished, quite highly entertaining - Austenesque without reaching the dizzyingly humorous heights of Heyer - and, to my astonishment, there wasn't A SINGLE HISTORICAL INACCURACY I COULD SPOT. Yes, indeed. I'm a stickler for the accuracy, and Martha Waters clearly knows her stuff.
The plot, though, is kind of stupid. It's all about two characters who married young and still love each other, ...more
I can see everyone falling all over themselves to love this book: it's witty and polished, quite highly entertaining - Austenesque without reaching the dizzyingly humorous heights of Heyer - and, to my astonishment, there wasn't A SINGLE HISTORICAL INACCURACY I COULD SPOT. Yes, indeed. I'm a stickler for the accuracy, and Martha Waters clearly knows her stuff.
The plot, though, is kind of stupid. It's all about two characters who married young and still love each other, ...more
Id 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. Its 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 married ...more
This book is set in Regency England and is a romantic comedy.
Our two main characters are Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley who have been married for five years. After the first year they had a massive fight and aren't on good terms (at the start of the book you don't know what the fight was about). An accident happens which then sets in motion the games between Violet and James begin against each other. Both characters try to get the upper hand on each other.
This was a fun and light ...more
Our two main characters are Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley who have been married for five years. After the first year they had a massive fight and aren't on good terms (at the start of the book you don't know what the fight was about). An accident happens which then sets in motion the games between Violet and James begin against each other. Both characters try to get the upper hand on each other.
This was a fun and light ...more
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 believed that Violet had manipulated him into marriage and Violet ...more
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 believed that Violet had manipulated him into marriage and Violet ...more
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 werent. 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.
Thats where our story truly begins, and what follows is an endless game of emotional chess between the ...more
Violet and James Auden were happily married until they werent. 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.
Thats where our story truly begins, and what follows is an endless game of emotional chess between the ...more
Overall, I enjoyed this one. I really liked the world Waters created with these cheeky and charming characters. This was a unique twist on a married romance as the couple has only been married for one year before a massive argument results in their 4-year estrangement. Some of the argument has to do with a miscommunication (heads up there if those sorts of things bother you in romances), but a lot of the estrangement was a result of personal obstacles the characters needed to overcome in order
...more
The thing is, I liked this story. I don't think I would ever reread it, but it was cute.
I do hope we see more stories set in this world because some of the side characters deserve their own story and I would be first in line to get a copy should this ever happen.
(view spoiler) ...more
I do hope we see more stories set in this world because some of the side characters deserve their own story and I would be first in line to get a copy should this ever happen.
(view spoiler) ...more
Started off my fall beach week vacation by reading a book written by a friend, and super-excited to be able to recommend it to all and sundry. Regency romance with sexy tension, lots of humor, and room for sequels. Loved it.
THIS REVIEW & MORE → Paws and Paperbacks
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Had the publisher not reached out to me about this book, it probably would have missed my radar altogether. I havent seen the title on any upcoming lists, I hadnt hear of this debut author, and in all honesty, one look at that cover and I would have skipped right over this (please can it get a makeover?). That being said, I am extremely thankful that I received that email about this upcoming rom-com, ...more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Had the publisher not reached out to me about this book, it probably would have missed my radar altogether. I havent seen the title on any upcoming lists, I hadnt hear of this debut author, and in all honesty, one look at that cover and I would have skipped right over this (please can it get a makeover?). That being said, I am extremely thankful that I received that email about this upcoming rom-com, ...more
Review to come.To Have and To Hoax is the first book by Martha Waters that Ive read but it definitely wont be the last. This story has everything I love in a historical romance; strong characters, a relationship with conflict, and a plot that had me both rooting for and yelling at the main characters.
Lady Violet Gray and Lord James Audley met and it was love at first sight. After quickly marrying, something happened that five years later, we find they are living completely separate lives, and ...more
Lady Violet Gray and Lord James Audley met and it was love at first sight. After quickly marrying, something happened that five years later, we find they are living completely separate lives, and ...more
You know that feeling you get when you finish a new book and then immediately think, Well, damn, now I need to go yell about this to everyone? Im at that stage right now with the super delightful TO HAVE AND TO HOAX despite the fact that I barely finished less than ten minutes ago. Comparisons to THE HATING GAME are often overused and have lost all meaning at this point, but its an apt comparison to make here. Think Sally Thorne, but set in the Regency era with more pettiness and a pair who are
...more
3.5 stars
This isn't a genre I normally read, historical romance, but the synopsis appealed to me so I decided to give it a try.
It took some time to adjust to the characters way of speaking, but the theme was very familiar, as a married couple, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley, take up a ridiculous game to gain attention. While their motives were to hurt their partner, it is clear the underlying motive was actually sweet, they wanted to see if the other person still cared about them.
As ...more
This isn't a genre I normally read, historical romance, but the synopsis appealed to me so I decided to give it a try.
It took some time to adjust to the characters way of speaking, but the theme was very familiar, as a married couple, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley, take up a ridiculous game to gain attention. While their motives were to hurt their partner, it is clear the underlying motive was actually sweet, they wanted to see if the other person still cared about them.
As ...more
3.5 stars
I don't often read historical romances (so I have no idea how accurate things were), but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I have been having a hard time focusing on books with everything going on in the world, so this was a wonderful story to get lost in. To Have and to Hoax features some of my favorite tropes (second chance, enemies to lovers) and I am impressed that this is Martha Waters's debut. I enjoyed that this was a romance featuring a marriage in crisis and don't feel ...more
I don't often read historical romances (so I have no idea how accurate things were), but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I have been having a hard time focusing on books with everything going on in the world, so this was a wonderful story to get lost in. To Have and to Hoax features some of my favorite tropes (second chance, enemies to lovers) and I am impressed that this is Martha Waters's debut. I enjoyed that this was a romance featuring a marriage in crisis and don't feel ...more
As a big historical romance lover To Have and to Hoax was so amazing! The story, the characters and the relationships hit all the marks for me.
To Have and to Hoax was an outrageously delicious story. I could not get enough of Violet and James's verbal sparring. The polished snark and heated banter between them was perfection. Even when they weren't trying to one up another they were on fire.
I was actually not expecting much in the steam department but phew were there some sexy content in To Have ...more
To Have and to Hoax was an outrageously delicious story. I could not get enough of Violet and James's verbal sparring. The polished snark and heated banter between them was perfection. Even when they weren't trying to one up another they were on fire.
I was actually not expecting much in the steam department but phew were there some sexy content in To Have ...more
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the author. This in no way impacted on my view.
I first saw this book on twitter when the author was hosting a giveaway, and decided to enter because a Regency Era romance is something I'm always on the lookout for, and was overjoyed when I won. As soon as I got it, I decided to put off the rest of my TBR, and jump right in.
Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met during Violet's debut year, and it was love at first sight. Now married five years, they've ...more
I first saw this book on twitter when the author was hosting a giveaway, and decided to enter because a Regency Era romance is something I'm always on the lookout for, and was overjoyed when I won. As soon as I got it, I decided to put off the rest of my TBR, and jump right in.
Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met during Violet's debut year, and it was love at first sight. Now married five years, they've ...more
What a tender, gratifying, hilarious romance! I loved the smart teasing that was never mean, and always made me giggle. I loved that their friends were a constant source of gentle but wise reminders to just talk it out, for heaven's sake, and all of their various entanglements hinting at more potential novels to come. I loved their ridiculous stubbornness and plots that were absurd enough to be funny but not so absurd that they lost me. I thought James's character especially was really
...more
In full disclosure, I probably wouldn't have picked this one up if the publisher hadn't reached out to me. This is because I typically read only contemporary romance. But the description of a history romcom with a Hating Game vibe won me over.
This was a really fun read with characters who could have easily been on the pages of a modern-day romance and characters I think would be so much fun to hang out with. Although the main conflict could have been resolved with an honest conversation, usually ...more
This was a really fun read with characters who could have easily been on the pages of a modern-day romance and characters I think would be so much fun to hang out with. Although the main conflict could have been resolved with an honest conversation, usually ...more
Thank you Edelweiss for the eARC!
3.5 stars. TO HAVE AND TO HOAX is a hilarious, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, historical romance, with lots of hijinks and chemistry. While the ending dragged on a little long, I really enjoyed the criss-crossing revenge plots and banter between the two main characters. Crossing my fingers for a follow-up with West and Sophie!
3.5 stars. TO HAVE AND TO HOAX is a hilarious, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, historical romance, with lots of hijinks and chemistry. While the ending dragged on a little long, I really enjoyed the criss-crossing revenge plots and banter between the two main characters. Crossing my fingers for a follow-up with West and Sophie!
All is fair in love and war. Whoever came up with that idea never met Lady Violet Grey and Lord John Audley To Have and To Hoax is a hysterically entertaining historical Rom-Com that proves that while the course of true love never did run smooth, it makes for one hell of ride.
Whats more romantic then the Regency era? Violet and James are your typical Austen style characters. The willful Elizabeth and broody Darcy if you want a comparison. But instead of a drawn out annoyed to love relationship, ...more
Whats more romantic then the Regency era? Violet and James are your typical Austen style characters. The willful Elizabeth and broody Darcy if you want a comparison. But instead of a drawn out annoyed to love relationship, ...more
A husband and wife that have been forced into a marriage after being discovered on a balcony alone engage in a one up battle with each other after an argument. After once being truly in love early on in their marriage, they have spent four year barely acknowledging each others existence. It all comes to a head as they try to out-do each other in a battle of making the other person regret their actions.
I had such high hopes for To Have and To Hoax, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I ...more
I had such high hopes for To Have and To Hoax, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I ...more
Violet and James were a love match. They spent one blissful year together before a misunderstanding tore them apart. For four years. FOUR. YEARS. Everything hits the fan though when Violet gets a message that James has been terribly injured. Turns out it was a false alarm but Violet is pissed. And she decides to pay him back in kind
Now, I wasnt so sure about these two at first initially Violet and James are almost intolerably childish. Some of the things they do to each other are down right ...more
Now, I wasnt so sure about these two at first initially Violet and James are almost intolerably childish. Some of the things they do to each other are down right ...more
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Martha Waters was born and raised in sunny South Florida and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She works as a childrens librarian in North Carolina and spends much of her free time traveling. To Have and to Hoax is her first novel. Sign up for her newsletter for periodic book news and reading & travel recs: http://tinyletter.com/marthawaters
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