Julie's Review: To Have and To Hoax

Author: Martha Waters
Series: None
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 367
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Historical Romance
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A fun romp in Austen Era England
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Summary: 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? With charm, wit, and heart in spades, To Have and to Hoax is a fresh and eminently entertaining romantic comedy—perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Julia Quinn. ~amazon.com 

Review: I wanted something campy and fun to read and this novel definitely fit the bill. It's set in "Jane Austen" England which means a lot of women weren't bold and brash but more likely to do what their position in society told them to do. That is definitely not Violet at all much to the chagrin of her mother who just wants her to be proper and hold up her duty as a wife. Violet meets Lord James at a party where she was alone on a balcony with another guy (a no no at the time) and came in to rescue her. Of course, Violet doesn't need rescuing but she really does need James. They quickly fall in love and get married.

Of course Violet has a temper as does James, so a year into their marriage they have an epic fight, which means no speaking and separate lives. When James takes a spill off of a horse, Violet rushes to his side only to find out he's not really hurt that badly. She's so irritated that he's not hurt and she rushed to him, that she comes up with an elaborate plan to get revenge on him. Except of course it doesn't really go as planned because James isn't dumb and sees through her little plan. He decides to go along with it.

What ensues is a comedy that will have you laughing and a bit of eye rolling but in the best way. I love the way they both love each other but have a hard time admitting it to each other because they are seriously stubborn. I think this would be a great film or limited series.