Did you binge-watch Bridgerton, then binge-read all of Julia Quinn’s novels, and are now showing typical Regency withdrawal symptoms - like asking for your carriage, and going out to promenade for suitors? Don't worry, I've got you! “To Love and to Loathe” by Martha Waters is perfect for you.

In this book you will find: enemies-to-lovers; a forced proximity scenario; a cast of hilarious, meddling friends; a dowager ill-bent on finding marrying off her nephew; banter galore; sizzling chemistry; plenty of sweet, intimate moments that will make you swoon.

Diana is a strong woman who knows that you can only count on yourself to be happy, and plans accordingly. Jeremy is a sweet, funny guy who has worked hard to build his public persona and never shows his true self. They are such complex characters, together they are DELICIOUS and their dialogues are so well executed - it’s impossible not to love them!

This is the second book in the “Regency Vows” series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, too (though I recommend reading to have and to hoax for maximum enjoyment!)

“To love and to loathe” comes out April 6th. Get ready to laugh, love, and swoon!

This was great fun! Perfect for a light romance that deals with serious topics in a delicate way.
I loved the characters and was super invested in their story

To love and to loathe is one of the funniest books this year so far i have had the delight of reading and managed to fill the Bridgerton shaped hole in my heart.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Plot summary:
Lady Diana Templeton is widowed and is very much adamant she can be more choosy for a second husband. d Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham is a known rake and the arguements between them both are legendary in the english gentry.

One night when Jeremy comes to Diana with a very different proposal after his latest mistress criticises him, Their relationship takes a completely different turn and with Diana looking towards marriage again it could spell disaster for both of their hearts.

Review:
Plot wise- It was honestly a genuinely lovely regency rom-com that had me in stitches. It had witty bantered characters with a sharp tongue and so much interaction it was a delight. It was a engaging and honestly was a lovely refreshing read with everything currently going on- a nice piece of escapism. The pacing was perfect for me personally as it was quite fast but didn't leave me feeling like i had missed some of the plot.
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Character wise- Diana was fantastic. Her wit and charm shine throughout the pages and seeing her relationship with Jeremy grow was a delight.

Jeremy was a swoon worthy protagonist and definitely comes across as a rake from the first page. His development and interactions with Diana were written well.

All the secondary characters had some input and development which is always something lovely to see- especially in historical fiction based stories where they can occasionally be left behind.

World building- I felt like I had gone back in time and was living my dream of being at a ball- very good from a historical perspective.

Final Thoughts:
A hilarious romp through history that is a great read for some escapism, romance and laughter.

DNF at 30%

I’ve been trying to get into this but it’s been a struggle. I can’t relate to the characters in anyway, they aren’t well developed and aren’t likeable. They have no personalities, they’re bland and basic.

The plot for this seemed interesting but it falls flat. I have no interest in finishing this even though I have tried. Maybe one day I’ll return and finish it but as of right now this is not the book for me.

A good historical romance, wonderfully predictable and fun. I enjoyed it more than the previous book in the series and I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series (fingers crossed for Emily's story next!)

A two week long house party at a country estate is always a great setting for such a story and this one was particularly fun.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Martha Waters for the free ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
We were introduced to these characters in book 1 but to be honest, I’d forgotten a lot of that book and think this can be read as a stand-alone.

Diana is a widow and has always found herself at loggerheads with her brother’s best friend, Jeremy. They’ve known each other for years and take pleasure in winding each other up. Until Jeremy offers Diana a very interesting proposition (ooh err).

This is the story of a group of people in close proximity... they’re spending a fortnight at Jeremy’s house to get away from the London heat in August. There’s everything you’d expect from a historical romance set in its time but with the addition of a strong female lead, who voices her opinions on the unfairness of how women are not considered equal to men and there’s the introduction of a sapphic character.

It was an enjoyable read but unfortunately, it wasn’t a favourite.


I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

I very much enjoyed To Love and To Loathe, it was a very fun read.

I love historical romances where the women are exercising more agency over their own lives and I very much appreciated the insight into both Diana and Lady Helen's motivations at different points in the story, particularly when it came to marriage as the laws at the time were very difficult for women to maintain any independence.

For me, Diana was the stand out character in To Have and to Hoax so I was really looking forward to To Love and to Loathe. I loved Diana's sharp tongue and Jeremy's rakeishness and I really loved their banter. They both put on masks for society so it was nice to see the true Diana and Jeremy. The Lady Helen storyline was an extra dimension I did not expect and the Dowager Marchioness was exactly the grand dame that all good Regency romances must have. My only complaint is that the last 25% lost a bit of the sparkle that the first three-quarters of the novel had. It felt a bit rushed and there was easily room for another 25 - 50 pages. Despite this, I'm very much looking forward to the next novel in the series.

This was an enjoyable historical romance. Though I am a confused as to whether this is YA or Adult because it seemed to border on both of the age range. I liked how the main male character has respect for women, something that I often find is rare in historical romance.

Another sweet, sexy historical romance from Martha Waters! Characters I'd already fallen in love with from the first book return for this follow up, centered around Jeremy and Diana - two people who have so many years of verbal sparring between them that there can't possibly be any more to it than a deep dislike. Surely ...?

I devoured this book in a day. And easy read and a predictable romance (not that that is at all a bad thing!), it was a perfect way to escape for a few hours.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed opinions with this book, in all honesty. Initially, I enjoyed the story because of how hilarious the protagonists--Diana and Jeremy--are but as the book progressed, it reached my notice how the scenes playing out between them seem redundant that I have grown tired of it. The writing was good, made it feel all historical but it's the pacing that grated me. More than halfway and they are still stubbornly unaware of their feelings.

The story did have its pros such as Diana's relationship with her friends wherein they are fleshed out solidly in the story--having their own backstory and all--and funny monologues coming from Jeremy. Unfortunately, that was just about it.

Thank you Netgalley UK and Headline for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

‘To Love and to Loathe’ was a charming regency romance, featuring widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham. I have liked both of these characters in the previous book by Martha Waters, and I was happy to see a story of their wager developed in a separate instalment.

In the previous book of ‘The Regency Vows’ series, ‘To Have and to Hoax’, Diana has wagered Jeremy that he’d be married within a year. But Jeremy, a huge womanizer and a rake isn’t looking for marriage anytime soon. Here, the story is expanded with a huge amount of banter during a country party at Jeremy’s estate. ‘To Love and to Loathe’ can perfectly be read as a standalone, but the characters from the previous book make an appearance here as well. All that creates a great atmosphere!

I think I enjoyed this book more than the previous instalment of ‘The Regency Vows’. Diana and Jeremy had been both interesting characters, and I liked their interactions in both novels. I also enjoyed LGBTQ+ representation in this book, even though I won’t talk more about it here to avoid spoilers.

A charming historical romance that has fans of bridgerton baited for sure. It’s not laugh out loud funny but certainly has its humour mixed in amongst these bold characters. It’s an easy enough read and isn’t too complicated but it’s just ok. It isn’t going to stand out as a great love story, or a great historical romance but if you want something light hearted and fun in this category then you’ve found your book

The story - ⭐⭐⭐
The writing - ⭐⭐⭐
Overall - ⭐⭐⭐

Short and sweet. This was a good bit of regency era escapism. I expected a bit more slow burn romancing and sex between Jeremy and Diana to be honest. The ending felt a bit rushed.

Fave quote - 'For heaven’s sake, it was breakfast time. She hadn’t known that thoughts this inappropriate were possible this early in the day. Surely they belonged to candlelit evenings instead. Did everyone feel like this? How did anyone manage to get anything done?'

Fave moment - Emily, Violet and Diana's chats about sex

*I was provided an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a quick and fun historical romance. Some of the dialogues were quite funny and I actually really like Lady Helen and everything surrounding her character. I did not, however, like the fact the the MC literally betrayed her trust about ten seconds after she was entrusted with quite a big secret. She is already quite a cold character and hard to get attached to, this did not help at all.

I also found myself rolling my eyes a bit at the fact that everyone in this book seemed to have golden hair. And that some of the words and phrases used were decidedly modern and took me out of the story a bit.

I think the premise was really good, but it lacked a bit in the execution for me.

To Love and to Loathe is ridiculous, I knew it would be as soon as I read the premise and I was not disappointed. Now I don’t mind ridiculous, ridiculous if done well is vastly enjoyable, I went into it with my eyes wide open. It started well, the regency romance bingo game fairly battered along hitting all the marks: ratafia ✅, someone with an idiotic name ✅, everyone has a title ✅, waltzing (it’s always a scandalous waltz)✅ but then the wheels began to fall off. It got lazy and anachronistic, historical accuracy, language, dialogue, manners all out the window. This was a modern plot, with modern characters, with modern ideals dressed in regency clothes. What’s the point? This of course could have been forgiven if it was hot but it’s not. Diana is the worst. She’s too cool for school, if she was chocolate she’d eat herself and Jeremy is not much better. They are also stuck at a house party so there’s only one location, they get stuck in a routine early on that gets repetitive. By the end I was rolling my eyes as much as the characters were which is a whole damn lot because that, and a cynical eyebrow raise, are the only two expression these characters seem to have.
This could have been good which isn’t to say it was bad, I’ve read worse, it just needed to be sharper all round.

(Big thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

This was a super funny rivals-to-lovers historical romance, and a really easy read.
I loved the dynamic between Diana and Jeremy, particularly their back-and-forth banter & comebacks, which were by far my favourite parts of the book. Their relationship built up & developed perfectly, and definitely made me smile a lot while reading.
Another of my favourite parts were the side characters, as they were each very unique and had interesting backstories & personalities. I’d love to read more about them!

Overall, the premise of the book drew me in, but I think it fell a little flat with execution. It jumped right into the plot at the start, but then lagged quite a bit, and I think it could’ve done with more action & more stuff actually *happening* in the book.
*Spoiler warning*: There’s also a moment where the mc outs a side character to her friends, which just made me dislike her & felt very unnecessary.

However, I did really enjoy reading this and it was a very quick, easy book - If you’re looking for a witty historical romance, with humour and tension, I would definitely say to give this one a go, especially if you were a fan of Bridgerton!

I was very interested in the premise of this novel and was expecting a kind of enemies to lovers trope set in regency times. The two leads however were much for friendly acquaintances than anything else and it never felt like there was any real tension/ conflict between them. I don’t think I really connected with either Diana or Jeremy which made it difficult to buy into their chemistry and love story. Diana also spills a secret that isn’t hers to tell for no real reason which did not endear her to me at all. There was a lot of filler/ backstory which was quite boring and made the story drag a bit. I do think the author’s general writing style is good and the banter between characters was well written. Overall not for me but it might hit the mark with other readers, (2 1/2 ⭐️)

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via Edelweiss. This in no way impacted on my view.

In To Love and to Loathe, we follow the he widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham, as they come to terms with the fact that their animosity for each other might not actually be hatred after all. For Diana, she lost her parents at an early age, and though her brother inherited the title, they were left in the care of an aunt and uncle and made to understand how much of a burden they were. She knew that she needed to marry, and marry well, in her first season, so Diana was very forceful in her aim. She'd always had a sort of love hate relationship with Jeremy, a friend of her brother's, but when he ridiculed her at a ball during her first season, and even jokingly offered to marry her, this turned into a full blown hatred. Now widowed, she's on the look out for a lover, and when Jeremy offers to be that lover, she's in shock. In the years since he inherited his destitute title, Jeremy has managed to reclaim his wealth, and his reputation. But, when a jilted lover calls into question his prowess in the bedroom, Jeremy needs some reassurance, and can't think of anyone else to turn to than Diana. As a house party is already planned at Jeremy's estate, Elderwild, they agree to embark on an affair for the duration. But a pre-arranged wager between the two of them that Jeremy would be married by the end of the year has caught the attention of the Dowager Marchioness, who seems to think that her grandson and Diana would be the perfect couple? Can they go ahead with their affair, knowing their history, or will they be left with broken hearts?

Let's just say I loved this book! Hands down, it was even better than the first one, which I adored. Since reading To Have and to Hoax, I wanted to know more about Diana and Jeremy - why were they always at each other's throats? What was the history there? And, by god, did Martha deliver! There is such a chemistry between the characters, that we saw before, but it's utterly undeniable here. Seeing them in their youth, with learning about why Diana needed to marry so much, it really helped us to understand why they were so against each other, even when they were in the same friendship group and always in each other's company. Most of the book takes part in Jeremy's estate, and we see the whole rag tag bunch we met in book 1. James and Violet are in love, and it's slightly nauseous for others to see, but they're happy. There's also Emily and Belfry - who I hope are the heroes of the next book because their story is just getting started. But, Diana and Jeremy were just perfect!

We have the banter between the couple which is so witty and hilarious, as is the attraction there too. Jeremy has the reputation of his father to overcome, and because of that and his gambling debts, he inherited a run down estate, full of debt. He's reformed it all, and managed to become solvent, but not many people know the real him. They think of him as only the roguish rake who always has a mistress, who will never settle down, and is a bit of a joke. He knows he will need to marry at some point, but only when he's ready to and with someone he can trust, and perhaps even love. Because of his and Diana's wager - £100 on whether he'll be married or not - his grandmother's machinations has her throwing both Diana herself, and Lady Helen Rothsmere, at him at every turn. Lady Helen is known across the ton for being so completely focused on marriage, that it's starting to become scary, and Diana thinks it'll be funny to help push things along too - until it's not so funny anymore. I loved how Diana and Jeremy may have started out 'hating' each other, but while spending time together, they grow closer than they've been with anyone before, and talking about things they've never felt they could tell anyone else. What started out as a 'frenemies with benefits' type deal, soon becomes something that neither think they'll be able to get over, and both start to think that they might just be able to face the idea of marriage/re-marriage, after all. The intimacy of it all was utter perfection, and I couldn't put the book down until I learnt if Diana and Jeremy managed to get their happy ending. I love Martha's books, and characters, and can't wait for her next!

A regency romance where the female protagonist advocates for herself both in and outside the bedroom. Almost the friends to lovers trope. Open door cloaked in euphemisms.