WIth it being Valentine’s Day today (at least when this is published), there is no better day to share the final book in my favourite historical romance series! Am I crushed that Martha Waters’ Regency Vows series is over now? Yes. Am I still happy that we are finally getting Sophie and West’s story? Also yes! This is a highly entertaining and hilarious book, and while I would recommend that you read all of the books in the series, you don’t need to have read them to enjoy this. For our Book Bite, we have To Woo and To Wed by Martha Waters!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review; I also purchased the audiobook.
To Woo and To Wed, Martha Waters (6 February 2024)
West, the Marquess of Weston, and Sophie, Lady Fitzwilliam Bridewell, have lately been spending a considerable amount of time together. But West and Sophie are not new acquaintances. In fact, years ago, they had once been nearly engaged until West’s almost fatal curricle accident and his meddling father threw them off course.
Now recently widowed, Sophie has put aside all thoughts of romance. But when her widowed sister, Alexandra, mentions a fondness for an earl, Sophie realizes that she may be holding her sister back. Alexandra won’t move forward with an engagement until Sophie, too, settles down again, and so Sophie approaches West with a plan. They will announce their engagement and break things off once Alexandra is happily married. It’ll be simple. After all, it’s not like she is going to fall for West a second time, not when Sophie has sworn not to risk her heart again.
Why You Should Read This…
Well, here is where I get mad at Martha Waters- why is this the final book in this series?! I read the first Regency Vows novel in February 2020 when I had a horrendous cold (that took me out for a month but somehow wasn’t covid…) and I’ve been hooked ever since. These banter-filled Regency romances are chef’s kiss, and each couple keeps me entertained from start to finish. (Also, the audiobooks get A+ from me, as well.) I have to say, I also love that she is able to work in the previous couples without it feeling like we are stuck in the past. (A history joke for you…)
This sweet and funny story was a wonderful wrap-up to a brilliant series. Waters knows the romance genre inside and out and she knows how to hit its notes perfectly. I don’t read a ton of romance (mostly Martha’s books and others she has recommended to me), but I think that To Woo and To Wed is a great representative for the genre. With Bridgerton bringing romance into the spotlight, and Regency romance in general, there are a lot more people picking these books up. And I think that Martha’s books are perfect for the new romance reader or the experienced!
Anais Inara Chase and Joel Froomkin were wonderful narrators, and I loved that the same female and male narrators were used throughout the series despite each book being a different couple. Because both are talented, it never once felt like “the old” protagonists from the first 4 books.
Is To Woo and To Wed on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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