In all honesty, I was scared to read this book. I remember the first time I'd read the synopsis, I thought it was way too far-fetched to be something I could possibly enjoy. Truly, it was very far-fetched. So many events in this book were highly convenient for the plot, but the convenience was perhaps one of the things I loved about this book. It's a book with serious discussion points, one with a message that truly should be taken to heart, but the humour and wit bring the book down a notch and allow you to really engage with the narrative on a simpler level.

The characters in To Have and to Hoax are truly some of my favourites that I have encountered in a while. Violet is truly ridiculous and I love her for it - she knows what she wants and she will do whatever it takes to get it, even if it means making herself look stupid and going against all advice from her peers. I adore Emily and Diana, who exist as the voice of reason throughout the story. There were so many relationships explored throughout this book that I would genuinely read about if sequels and spin-offs were planned. I do believe there's a sequel releasing soon about Diana, which I am absolutely going to be reading.

It's hard to decide if I love James or West more. James is a character who wears his heart on his sleeve, but only a select few are allowed to see it. I love how the author manages to give him the semblance of your typical regency rake while also allowing him to possess a stark vulnerability. He's an ass most of the time, but an ass whose emotions tend to get the better of him, and who wants more than a fragile and distanced relationship with his wife. West is absolutely not a regency rake, nor is he an ass (he could be - Martha Waters, please could you write this book so we can find out?) He is quiet and thoughtful and perhaps it's a trait in the Audley boys that their emotions must be on show at all times. Genuinely, it would be amazing to read his story.

Now, be warned: this story is definitely PG-13. The sexual tension truly is unbearable throughout this book. There were so many times where I found myself frustrated, waiting for one of them to make the move and confess that they were too stubborn and truly loved each other. Their moments of denial were cute and funny but also filled to the brim with a tension that begged to be diffused. But when the tension is diffused... oh boy. The sex scenes in To Have and to Hoax are graphic and by no means bland. They're passionate and filled with necessary haste, yet so intimate and full of romantic connection. What's more, they're absolutely not one-sided. Our leading lady, Violet, absolutely takes control and it is fabulous.

I genuinely can't explain how much I loved this book. It really was the book I needed right now. It's taken the top spot in my favourite reads of 2021 so far. I cannot wait to read the sequel - hoping my request gets approved on Netgalley!

Content warnings: graphic sex scenes, alcoholism.

Thank you to Netgalley, Martha Waters and Headline Eternal for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is a delightful historical romcom, a solid debut by Martha Waters. It's a marriage in trouble plot and the MCs have been estranged for four! years after they had a fight. There is a also ridiculous game of pretend she starts as a way to make him show his feelings for her. It is not something that should work for me on paper but in reality, it was great fun, whimsical and light-hearted but also going deep into issues of family, marriage, intimacy.

The writing is engaging and clever, the humour worked great for me and overall the story felt rich and very atmospheric.

The main conflict in the story, a massive row that left Violet and Audley barely speaking to each other for four! years, could have been easily resolved with an honest conversation. It felt like they have wasted four years over nothing, and all their friends agree with me but at the same time it didn't bother me as much as I expected because of them never being in denial about their feelings and then when their game of pretend began they quickly saw through it and went on pretending while admitting their feelings to themselves (and each other eventually).

Audley is the uptight, highly determined and focused, a white knight in shining armour kind of herop (my catnip basically) who is madly in love with his wife but he is really incapable to talk about his feelings, admitting he made the wrong assumption was very difficult for him. Violet is flirty and frivolous, smart and curious and energetic and absolutely loved her.

They have a turbulent relationship, they have to work on being more open, more trusting, need to find a way to be together but I can see they both want it and ready to put in the effort, so I can see them work as a couple in the long term and that is what got me over their stubbornness and stupidity to cling to their anger for four! years.

I love their tight circles of close friends and can't wait to read more books in the series featuring them.

I would recommend this book with the caveat that the main conflict is based on a misunderstanding that could have been easily resolved if the MCs just talked to each other.

Wow!! I have absolutely adored this read. This is so fun and heartwarming. Definitely been a quick read.
The cover of this instantly caught my attention, it’s so pretty! The story inside has been just as fantastic.
I have loved the characters in this one, some have been likeable and others have been the right level of irritating- but all have made this book the fantastic read it is.
Waters gripped me quite quickly with this one, I didn’t want to put it down. This is definitely a great way to escape from reality.
This is my first read by this author, but it definitely won’t be the last. This is highly deserving of five stars.

The premise made this sound like a a funny, lighthearted read. I think it was trying to be, but the characters were too manipulative and petty for this to be very enjoyable. I thought not talking about a silly disagreement for four years was beyond ridiculous, and while some instances were amusing, overall the characters took things a bit too far. Not my cup of tea.

To Have and to Hoaz is about a married couple and what can occur in a marriage after the getting married part. It has a whole cast of well rounded characters that created a brilliant backdrop to the story. It was quite a long story but enjoyable and well worth a read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was an absolute delight!

I don’t read historical fiction often but I find that every time I do I love it so much. I honestly don’t know why I don’t do it more often.

Violet and James meet at a ball under peculiar circumstances - she kissing a man in a secluded balcony and him rescuing a virginal young lady from his womaniser best friend.

What they don’t expect is to quickly become infatuated with one another or to be surprised by Violet’s mother who is scandalised by the encounter. But least of all, did they expect to get engaged to one another that same night.

Their first year of marriage seems to be blissfully perfect when they’re not arguing about one thing or another. However, after a quarrel to end all quarrels, the couple ceases all kind of romantic and friendly communication with one another.

That silence goes on for four years. Four years living together. Four years avoiding each other. Four years of pretending to be civil in society when behind closed door they barely address one another.

It all changes when Violet receives a letter from one of Jame’s best friends, Penvale (who is Violet’s best friend’s brother), informing her that her husband had a riding accident and was unconscious.

I have to say, miscommunication problems can be a hit or miss with me and, although I do believe it dragged for far too long, their schemes, manipulation, lies and flirtatious quarrelling was quite entertaining to read about.

I loved how their personalities matched so well yet the fact that they’re both so stubborn makes it super easy for them to butt heads. I was happy to see it all sorted out at the end because this book was definitely a rollercoaster.

I was afraid I wouldn’t like the ending but it was greatly satisfying to see James standing up to himself and letting go of his insecurities in order to make amends with both his wife and brother. I was also happy that they both apologised to one another and that James realised he trusted Violet before his father told him about Jeremy’s involvement in what led to their relationship souring.

I highly recommend this if you like second chance romances with a dash of enemies to lovers and Regency charm thrown into the mix. Super fun and enjoyable read.

“Why else had he spent the past four years as chaste as a monk, in a house with a woman who loathed him? Because he’d never stopped hoping, never stopped wanting, even if he hadn’t been able to admit it, even to himself. And that was the problem, really.“ To have and to hoax by Martha Waters. ••This review will contain a plot spoiler••
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What’s your biggest peeve in romance novels plot-wise? Do you dislike slow pacing? Too much sex? Too little sex? Not enough characterisation? A trope played out wrongly.....
We all have them, pet peeves that zoom us out of the novel. I have to say off the bat that in general, I actually really enjoyed this book, but I kept circling back to my annoyance. So let’s talk about it- miss communication. When you wanna grab your MC’S and just shout “just bloody talk each other!”
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I thought despite not being the biggest fan of enemies to lovers ( bickering couples are not my favourite!) I tend to avoid where possible this dynamic. I thought this sounded like my cup of tea-a
Romcom historical but unfortunately the excitation left me frustrated.
Violet meets James, they fall in love, A forced marriage, After a few blissful months they have an argument so detrimental that they live the next four years of marriage like strangers.
This is beyond me , imagine living with someone and in four years never having a meaningful talk, a year ...two..maybe for plot purposes but four is beyond me. When James falls from his horse, a friend sends Violet a note implying that James might die, and so when Violet rushes to James and finds him alive and well, she decides to get revenge on James by pretending....to...be.... SPOILER....dying. I nearly at 20% put the ARC down and said “thanks but no thanks”,🤫🤡 the one light I can say to you is I read on and the lie is discovered before it even properly plays out...
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The novel's plot is the dynamics of the lie and the games they keep playing with each other, to either outdo the original lie or to top it, which brings them closer than they have been in years.

Quite frankly, I did laugh, I did enjoy the writing but I kept being frustrated. Who cares if you up one another with the games you play - why can’t you have one honest conversation???? .Waters to her credit, kept me reading for the side characters ( possible future novels, and especially the brother's romance) great banter writing, and she is very good at a sex scene. I did enjoy this but I didn’t love it. .
Thank you to the publisher for an early ARC of this novel via @netgalley .
. Tropes- Historical Rom-com, miss-communication, estranged marriage, a marriage of convenience, games playing, strong side characters.

I received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley (thank you!) but these opinions are my own.

This is a historical romance set in 1800s England. The main characters are a married couple, James and Violet, who had one good year of marriage followed by 4 years of silence and estrangement.

The couple enjoy winding each other up and getting rises out of each other but as this is for ~90% of the book it gets a bit tedious. There were aspects of this book I enjoyed and it was fun, but I get frustrated when something could be resolved in no time if people would just communicate with each other. The miscommunication or lack of communication is not something I enjoy in a book, therefore, it restricted my enjoyment of this fun book.

To Have And To Hoax is an utterly brilliant storytelling of a wedded couple who learns to love and trust again after a four years drought that resulted of fights, misunderstandings and simply the absence of trust. It was most definitely a fresh and hilarious take on a Regency romance in which I adore it with all my heart.

I only had vague ideas regarding what this book might be all about. I knew there were going to be schemes involved but the characters' antics truly caught me off guard by my being of laughing out loud. I was deeply involved with James and Violet to hoax each other for revenge and other ulterior motivates that resulted to them realising just how much they truly care for the other. They kept going around in circles and putting off what they should've done in the first place which was just to talk honestly the entire contents of their hearts. But it was heartily amusing and made my heart full.

I really love everything about this book. The pace, plot and very entertaining characters that play huge roles in this story. But most importantly, it taught me that you shouldn't be setting for anything less than being with a partner who thinks is equal to you, loves you for who you are and trusts with their entire soul. One who would even move mountains if they could.

I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough and this is exactly the kind of book that everyone needs to read whether you're even into historical romance or not. I will shout and scream of my adoration with this book because I can in hopes of hopefully other readers out there would be inclined to pick it up and fall in love with this lighthearted yet moving story. It is in fact all fair in marriage and war.

This is was a quick and engaging romance. Some nice steamy sections interwoven that weren’t cringeworthy in the least. I hope the author plans a series because I have major questions about the side characters.

I had to. I just couldn't push through with the level of miscommunication involved in this book. Look, it started off fun and cute. I loved meeting James and Violet at the start. There was a spark between them and I could tell even later in the book there was playful banter between them to be had... but why couldn't they have just used their words? I spent my entire time reading internally screaming at them to use their words. I loathe characters not speaking more. Minor misunderstandings are fine but Violet faking consumption to upset her husband because he wouldn't have told her about a riding accident? Nope. Hard no. It instantly made me dislike her. Even more so when you first see James's reaction at being told it's consumption. He cared so much right until the point he realised this was all a ruse and the doctor was fake. I just couldn't get past that. As soon as he heard the diagnosis and was shocked by it I was thrown out of the story and I just couldn't get back into it.

This isn't to say this book is bad. The writing was great. I thought the characters were interesting and I was tempted to push through and keep reading because this was meant to be like a historical romcom but it just didn't feel light and fin like a romcom after the massive lie Violet told and that's the only reason I ended up DNFing.

Debut novel from a librarian, this is a regency romp - described like a chick lit book as a “rom com”

Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met at a ball 5 years ago, they were attracted to each other, but also compromised into marrying sooner than they might have done, after a year of marriage, where they were happy, but did argue over the amount of time and energy James was spending on the stables his father gifted to him as a wedding present, they have a row, and they have been living separate lives in the same 2 houses, their London house , and Audley house where the stables are, out in the country.

Both unhappy with the way things are, but unable to let go of their anger and feelings of hurt. When Violet receives a letter telling her James has been thrown from a horse, she rushes to see him, and when she discovers he has recovered, she decides to Pretend she has a serious illness to pay him back, this sets off a chain reaction of deceptions to each other, and lots of arguing. As they both spar and pretend to each other, their relationship sparks back into antagonistic life, and they realise how much they have missed each other. As they slowly realise that they need to try and be honest with each other, and Violet is able to say how hurt she was by James lack of trust, and James is able to see how his relationship with his distant father has impacted on his actions and behaviour, they reconcile their differences and can start again.

This was a lovely debut in many ways. I felt the banter and the relationship between the protagonists and their friends was very well done. I did think that the misunderstandings and lies part went on for a little too long, and I started to get a bit frustrated with James and Violet.

Still worth a read, despite the misstep in the pacing.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

Also posted on Goodreads

Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley meet on a balcony at a party. Falling in love in an instant, James asks Violet to marry him.

Five years later they are married but have not been on good terms for the past five years. They barely even speak to each other. Neither will speak to their respective friends about what actually happened in that final row that tore them apart.

When James falls off a horse and is knocked unconscious, his friend writes to Lady Violet to inform her of James' ill health and possible demise. Violet in a blind panic, races to be at her husbands' side. However, halfway there she bumps into James returning home from his trip and other than a headache he is fine. He had no idea his friend had written to Violet and is bemused to find her there and informs her that she needn't have bothered and the letter should never have been sent. Infuriated that James has decided that his wife need not know if he is injured or killed, she sets out an act of revenge to show him exactly how it feels.

This is a light-hearted, quirky read. I must admit that when I first requested the book I was taken in by the title and did not really read much of the description. As such, I was expecting a modern-day Romcom, not a periodical. I realized straight away my error and for some reason did not hold out much hope that I would enjoy the story.

I was completely wrong of course!

To Have and To Hoax is like reading a book by Jane Austin but written in a modern style. The author does this seamlessly, causing a delicious blend of modern language and historic tradition. I found myself grinning as I read and thoroughly enjoyed the entire story. Sensibly paced throughout with a sound ending, I can not wait to revisit this book like an old friend in years to come.

#ToHaveAndToHoax by Martha Waters is published by @headlineeternal. Paperback and eBook out now. I received this book as a pre-release copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To Have and to Hoax by @marthabwaters . Published by @headlineeternal .
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If you are looking for a heartwarming, fun read then look no further.
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Here is a historical read with added romance, humour and laughs.
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Lady Violet Grey & Lord James Audley have been in love for what feels like forever. It was love at first sight. However after 5 years of marriage things are not the same. They are both living very separate lives. Even living in separate houses.
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For me it’s very much a tale of they cannot live together yet they cannot live without each other.
That is the main body of the book. Almost like a seesaw ride. One min up then the next down.
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It’s a debut by Martha Waters which is a great one.
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Well written, great storyline and some amusing parts.
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Recommended read 💕
Thank you to Emily @headlineeternal for inviting me to read this book

In this book we meet Violet and James who after a chance meeting and very quick marriage it unfortunately all fell apart. Four years later and this pair are polite but estranged until an accident changes everything. What follows is very entertaining and left me smiling away to myself!

Well what can I say? To Have and to Hoax is definitely a fun read! With engaging and lively characters that were determined to outdo the other one. It was the sparring and banter that made this book so special. Even if at times I wanted to give the characters a good shake and tell them to stop behaving so childishly. However their actions also made me smile and giggle at what they got up to. The chemistry between Violet and James is still there just simmering below the surface. But will things change or are they destined to remain at a distance?

The pace is pretty steady and for the most part kept my attention completely. The games they play were entertaining if at times pretty childish. However it was the perfect escape from real life and I was completely caught up with the characters as they go from one bad decision to another! The flirty interactions were perfectly placed to show that this couple had a brilliant chemistry but because of one event couldn’t be in the same room as each other without falling out. You also get so many sparks flying that Violet and James increasingly find it more difficult to resist! Even the supporting characters brought a lot to the story as they tried to be the voice of reason along with getting dragged into the many escapades that ensued.

To Have and to Hoax is a wonderful story wrapped up with romantic tension, amusing characters and a plot that left me smiling away to myself!

I am so excited to be able to start off this blog tour for To Have and to Hoax! Many thanks to Headline Eternal and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book! Also thank you to Emily Patience for inviting me to take part! To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters is published by Headline Eternal. Paperback and eBook out on the 7th April so be sure to keep an eye out!

What did I think?
I can't remember the last time I was so into a book that It made me sit up past midnight reading! I usually never read through the night because my sleep is too precious but this book had me so intent to read on! I loved the era it was set in as it just made the story even more romantic.

One thing I realised Martha Waters did differently, was how she portrayed Violet as a woman of that era. Her character wasn't the typical superficial woman that is usually pictured; having no purpose but to serve their husband. Instead, Violet was headstrong and intelligent!

Head over to my blog to read the rest of my review on To Have and to Hoax!
https://secretsofabookworm.home.blog/2020/04/06/blog-tour-to-have-and-to-hoax-by-martha-waters/

This is certainly a book of ups and downs, and there's lots of potential. I did drift though from about half-way, as it got a bit repetitive with the antics of our two leads, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley. These two certainly like to argue! If you don't mind immaturity, petty arguments and silly behaviour as the action of bad communication skills then there's definitely fun to have with this read.
For a first novel in this genre, then it's a worthy addition - with some sharper editing and less repetition there would be huge improvements for the reader's experience.
Saying that, I've read a lot of historical romance/comedy, so there are lots of successful troupes and characters in this and I'd certainly read another Martha Waters book - maybe some spin offs from the characters in this book would be fun?
Overall a crazy, and completely over the top, but entertaining historical romance read!

Wow!! I have absolutely adored this read. This is so fun and heartwarming. Definitely been a quick read.
The cover of this instantly caught my attention, it's so pretty! The story inside has been just as fantastic.
I have loved the characters in this one, some have been likeable and others have been the right level of irritating- but all have made this book the fantastic read it is.
Waters gripped me quite quickly with this one, I didn't want to put it down. This is definitely a great way to escape from reality.
This is my first read by this author, but it definitely won't be the last. This is highly deserving of five stars.

I would describe this book as a historical rom-com story set in London. We follow the English aristocracy and in particular a couple that has supposedly fallen out of love and are trying to fix their marriage. I personally did not like this as much as i was hoping i would. It was entertaining enough as it contained lots of drama (as any rom-com is expected to) and i can't say that i did not enjoy myself for most of it. However, the story doesn't have much of a plot, it's essentially Violet and James trying to exact revenge on each other for silly reasons only because they did not know how to communicate in their relationship, and this made them look extremely petty. I am all about characters being petty because it creates entertaining scenarios, but here it was too much and apart from that there wasn't much of anything else going on. There were also some annoying things about the writing, mainly that certain sentences or just phrases were repeated waaaaay too many times throughout the story and in my opinion is was quite unnecessary. For example: <spoiler>
- James repeatedly saying he is a man of eight and twenty.. like why is it necessary to remind himself and others so many times that he is 28 years old
- The male characters repeatedly looking at women's breasts in an inappropriate manner and when they were called out on it they would say " i am a man" as if that excuses everything, which it doesn't. And i get that this is how it was back in those days but still, did not appreciate it one bit.
- Violet thinking to herself " oh how handsome he is" every time James was in her field of vision even though she unhappily married to him, and just the need to say that every time on its own was too repetitive.
- The mention of that argument they had one year into their marriage sooo many times and for the first half of the book we didn't even know what the argument was about
- And just some other general thoughts from both characters that we repeated a lot
</spoiler>
Also, I can tell that the story was kept true to the era and the English culture and i did enjoy that aspect of it. Overall, this isn't a bad book, so if you think this might be just up your alley then go for it.

I understand that this is the first book by this author. It was very well written and flowed well throughout. I did start to get a bit irritated by the ongoing misunderstanding between the main characters as it did make them seem a bit immature. I imagine it is the first in a series and I look forward to reading any others. I half expected an epilogue to set the scene for the next novel.