ARC Review: To Love and to Loathe (The Regency Vows #2) by Martha Waters
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Series: The Regency Vows #2
Author: Martha Waters
Published April 6th 2021 by Atria Books/Headline Eternal
Goodreads Synopsis
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.
With Martha Waters’s signature “cheeky charm and wonderfully wry wit” (Booklist, starred review), To Love and to Loathe is another clever and delightful historical rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Evie Dunmore.
Goodreads
Review
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!
Dates Read:
Rating
5 Stars
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