Julie's Review: To Love and to Loathe

Author: Martha Waters
Series: Regency Vows
Publication Date:  April 6, 2021
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 349
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Fun barbs witih heart and romance
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are infamous among English high society as much for their sharp-tongued bickering as their flirtation. One evening, an argument at a ball turns into a serious wager: Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds. So shortly after, just before a fortnight-long house party at Elderwild, Jeremy’s country estate, Diana is shocked when Jeremy appears at her home with a very different kind of proposition. After his latest mistress unfavorably criticized his skills in the bedroom, Jeremy is looking for reassurance, so he has gone to the only woman he trusts to be totally truthful. He suggests that they embark on a brief affair while at the house party—Jeremy can receive an honest critique of his bedroom skills and widowed Diana can use the gossip to signal to other gentlemen that she is interested in taking a lover. Diana thinks taking him up on his counter-proposal can only help her win her wager. With her in the bedroom and Jeremy’s marriage-minded grandmother, the formidable Dowager Marchioness of Willingham, helping to find suitable matches among the eligible ladies at Elderwild, Diana is confident her victory is assured. But while they’re focused on winning wagers, they stand to lose their own hearts. ~amazon.com 

Review: I loved To Have and to Hoax last year and that was before the Bridgerton phenomeon came about and To Love and to Loathe is delightfully charming. The characters are witty and fun. The setting is what you would expect, a country house with people of the ton around. Diana and Jeremy have the best jabbing conversations I might have ever read. They know exactly what buttons to push on each other and where it hurts. As a reader you know underneath all of that jabbing, they are really drawn to each other. Shoot everyone in their inner circle sees it. So the bet they make sets up nicely for some romance.

You just know that as they spend more quality time together, their attraction will deepen and maybe they'll respect each other. Of course things don't really go as planned but that's what makes it such a fun book. There are a few surprises along the way that I really didn't see coming. Plus we get Violet and Emily back as Diana's best friends which is even better. Plus we get to see how Violet and James are fairing now that they settled their stupid fight. 

I chuckeld quite a lot reading this one and I can't wait for the next one in the series. If you are looking for a Bridgerton filler, you will definitely want to read the Regency Vows series. 

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