Today I have an upcoming book for you- it is definitely a pre-order if you are a fan of historical romances. Happily for me, we have been graced with a new novel from Martha Waters every spring since 2020. I started reading these books pre-Bridgerton (either watching or reading); these were the books that convinced me I would love the genre. The banter is top-notch, the comedy balances the romance well, and you can easily get lost for the day in this Regency world. Let’s chat about To Swoon and To Spar by Martha Waters!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
To Swoon and To Spar, Martha Waters- 11 April 2023
Viscount Penvale has been working for years to buy back his ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey, from his estranged uncle. And so he’s thrilled when his uncle announces that he is ready to sell but with one major caveat—Penvale must marry his uncle’s ward, Jane Spencer.
When the two meet in London, neither is terribly impressed. Penvale finds Jane headstrong and sharp-tongued. Jane finds him cold and aloof. Nevertheless, they agree to a marriage in name only and return to the estate. There, Jane enlists her housekeeper for a scheme: to stage a haunting so that Penvale will return to London, leaving her to do as she pleases at Trethwick Abbey. But Penvale is not as easily scared as his uncle and as their time together increases, Jane realizes that she might not mind her husband’s company all that much.
Why You Should Read This…
I only have a handful of authors on my “must-read” list, and Martha Waters is at the top of that list. Her Regency Vows romances are light and fun, and this series has a wonderful cast of characters that I wish I knew personally.
What originally drew me to To Love and To Loathe (the first book in the series) in 2020 was the hijinks, and they are back in full force in To Swoon and To Spar. I was fully invested in Jane’s faux-haunting, and read this in one sitting. (Sidenote: I really wish that more historical romance authors would lean into comedy the way that Waters does- comedy has existed throughout the centuries!) While Penvale is an interesting male love interest, Jane remains my favourite character of the book. Not only was she willing to wander around in a nightgown and pretend to be a ghost, she held her own throughout. Of course, many women would have been fine living within the constraints of Regency society but I think that her chafing against her position resonated with me as a modern reader. And I have to emphasise- it is no way a stressful novel, despite the sometimes heavy topics. Waters’ writing remains as hilarious, charming, and entertaining as ever!
And if you were wondering how much I loved this book, I do have the audiobook on pre-order for publishing day!
Is To Swoon and To Spar on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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