While I haven’t read a lot of romance in the past, I have discovered quite a few gems this year. It is a fantastic genre and I love that it gets so many people reading, but I find that it can often be repetitive. However, this book is anything but repetitive. Martha Waters is a debut novelist, which makes To Have and To Hoax an even more impressive read. This book needs to be your next read, and is perfect for the extra time you very well might have now!
I spent more time than I care to admit waiting to be approved for this book on NetGalley. I put it on my Kobo wishlist months and months ago, and requested it on NetGalley as soon as possible. A Regency rom-com? Why, yes, yes I would like to read that. And thankfully NetGalley and Atria Books approved me! So, with a massive thank you to NetGalley for providing this free eARC in exchange for an honest review, let’s get started…
To Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters
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.
Why Did I Love To Have and To Hoax?
To Have and To Hoax is without a doubt, my favourite book of 2020. And given that we are a quarter of the way into the year and I have read 25+ books thus far, it is a high compliment! Even before the global pandemic hit, I was looking for light and enjoyable books. (It is a hard task, to write a light book that stands on its own, and Water does it incredibly well.)
Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley can be incredibly frustrating protagonists. You will probably want to throttle each of them, multiple times. It is exactly this that makes To Have and To Hoax so successful. Good, simple characters are boring. Give me conflict, give me shenanigans, give me intrigue! And I don’t know what it says about me, but I can absolutely understand the logic that drives each of them. Self-aware characters are particularly fun, and it translates into an entertaining and diverting book. Their unique personalities- not just “stubborn independent woman” and “gruff man who doesn’t listen” stereotypes- help build a full story and world, a world that I would absolutely spend time in.
Who Should Read This?
Now, who would I recommend this to? Many people- most people, and that includes you! Obviously, if you enjoy reading romances, you will most definitely enjoy this. It isn’t a “kiss by this page, conflict in between this page and that page” type of romance, but I think you will still love it. If you love comedy, this is also the book for you. It kept me smiling and chuckling the whole way through, not a common reaction for me. And if you enjoy spending time in the Regency, this is also for you! No, it’s not going to get into the nitty-gritty of accurate hairstyles and undergarments, but it is a wonderful escape in that era loved by so many of us.
♠
So, if you are looking for something to read and escape into, and to support a debut novelist, I would absolutely recommend you put down your current book and start reading To Have and To Hoax. And here is my plug for authors- if you are given an eARC and you can afford it, purchase the books that you have loved! Sometimes it is an ebook, sometimes it is a gift for someone else, but it can really make a difference for them. (I will often wait until they go on sale, but I do try to purchase when I can!)
Have you read To Have and To Hoax yet?
Cheers,
The Historian
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