Named a Best Romance of April by Goodreads, Popsugar, Bustle, and more! “A laugh out loud Regency romp–if you loved the Bridgertons, you’ll adore To Have and to Hoax!” –Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author In this fresh and hilarious historical rom-com, an estranged husband and wife in Regency England feign accidents and illness in an attempt to gain attention–and maybe just win … accidents and illness in an attempt to gain attention–and maybe just win each other back in the process.
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.
more
Violet faking illness leads to all sorts of problems!
To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters is the book for you if you like historical romance with some comedy with how Lady Violet and Lord James try to get even with each other.
Violet and James had been in love when they married but it turned cold with time but Violet cared enough to rush and check on James when she was notified that he had fallen off a horse but when she found him in good health, she decided to give him a taste of his own medicine by faking being sick.
Violet’s faking being sick leads to all sorts of problems when James finds out she is faking, he tries to teach her a lesson and maybe learn lesson of his own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a lighthearted romance during the time when women obeyed their parents and then their husbands, and they absolutely were never to be found alone on a balcony at a ball.
I enjoyed both Violet and James. Their relationship started off with a bang and then fast forward five years and we learn that it also ended with one as well. With a beginning that was hot and steamy, filled with so much passion in and out of the bedroom, this couple now find themselves living in a cold place with very little interaction between them. When an event occurs that sets Violet down the path of wifely fury, the past four years show to be very pale indeed.
’He’d meant to needle her, annoy her, but always maintain the upper ground – and yet, when she was looking at him like that, really looking at him without any of the distance that had spread between them, it was all he could do to keep his hands at his sides, to resist the temptation to reach out, pull her to him, and kiss her senseless.’
Violet was the opposite of what society dictated. She’s forthright and outspoken and while she doesn’t scandalize society, if they could see the real her, she would surely be ostracized. James has seen the real her and he loved everything about her. The fact that he wanted no other woman made me love him.
’Before he had met Violet, he would have said that he enjoyed kissing, that it was a diverting stop on the road to greater pleasures. But with violet, kissing was not merely a stop along a well-trodden path. It was a destination all its own.’
This is filled with plenty of fun arguing and banter as well as other characters that added humor to the already ridiculous situation this couple had worked themselves into. The steam level is low and this is a very slow burn until James and Violet finally give in to their desires and then, holy heck, they proved this wasn’t my momma’s historical romance.
While I’m not an expert on what is true or not during the era this was written for, I found it to be very realistic. With plenty of descriptions and the inner thoughts of this hero and heroine, I found myself swept up into their time and place.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and while I did skim a bit of descriptions and inner-logue towards the end, and would have loved to have received an epilogue, I was quite satisfied at the end.
“To Have and to Hoax” by Martha Waters
A Regency Rom-Com to keep you entertained for hours. Will they ever find their way back together? This was a fun read. I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley with the hope I would post my honest opinion. This is a worthy read. Happy Reading !!
To Have and to Hoax was a funny and ridiculous historical set in Regency England.
Violet and James quickly marry during Violet’s first season when she’s 18 (due to an adorable meet-cute on a balcony) and for one year live happily in wedded bliss. After one year they have an argument so bad they are essentially estranged for the next four years of their life. And we don’t find out what their argument entailed for AGES.
When Violet receives a letter that James has fallen from a horse and is unconscious, she panics and rushes to his side, realizing she still loves him. What comes next is a series of funny and OTT antics where Violet – and James in rebuttal – attempt to get their respective spouse’s attention. It got a little old after a while, as I wondered why couldn’t they just COMMUNICATE with each other. But then I remembered this was rich people during Regency England; they had nothing better to do with their time anyway.
Overall To Have and to Hoax was engaging, amusing, and lighthearted.
‘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?’
___________________________
3.5 stars, rounded up to four stars.
To Have and to Hoax is Martha Walters’ debut novel and is a fun blend of historical fiction and romantic comedy.
James and Violet met five years ago on a balcony during a ball. Married shortly there after, theirs was a love match. Only one year was spent in happily wedded bliss though, until a misunderstanding and the resulting fight left them living as worse than strangers. After four years of silence and resentment, a tumble from a horse leads them into an intense battle of wills and attempting to teach the other a lesson. A unique variation of the enemy to lovers storyline, I found this book to be fun and the banter was amusing and ridiculous in equal measure.
I really felt for Violet in this story, James jumped to conclusions from the offset and forced them into 4 years of misery for no real reason. His slights were imagines, whereas hers were legitimate. Four years wasted. That’s not to say that she doesn’t carry any of the blame here because she certainly could have done more to aid their relationship. Both of them were wuite immature.
At about the 75% point their feud became a bit tedious for me though. Every time I thought I had finally read to the point where they were going to come to some kind of understanding or properly talk things out there would be another misunderstanding or some source of conflict between them that would bring them right back to the power struggle and fighting. It also takes a long time for us to learn the actual cause of the rift between the two which is probably for the best because I wouldn’t have found it a strong enough reason to be invested in all their back and forth for the entirety of the book. I was curious to learn the cause of their fight and that kept me invested. Had I not been looking forward to finding the cause, I probably would have lost my patience with their antics.
I do recommend this book if you’re looking for a light-hearted historical romance, but be forewarned that the game between them stretches on a bit. I am assuming this is going to be turning into a series based on the way things were left with the other members of their friend group and I would continue with the series to see how things turn out for them.
_____
I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing an eARC of To Have and to Hoax by Martha Walters with me for reviewing purposes. This is my honest review.
Funny historical read. While the misunderstanding (and a few after) were childish the story was still a good read as long as you take it lightly. Violet and James were very likable and the secondary characters were too. The flow of the book was a bit off for me. It was a bit wordy in parts where it didn’t need to be and drug the story out too much. We were given a bit of a peek at the secondary characters stories throughout this story. I will be picking up those up. Overall a fun read with some good banter.
Lady Violet Grey is forever being warned by her control minded mother to not “ruin” herself. So, when Violet finds herself caught alone on the balcony with Lord James Audley, there is only one recourse…marriage.
Skip ahead 5 years, and this once in love young couple find themselves barely speaking. Going on 4 years since their massive argument, Violet finds herself in receipt of a note from one of her husband’s friends saying James has been in an accident and is unconscious. Fearing the worst, Violet flees to his side only to discover he has recovered…and the fight, once again, is on…
Frustrated. Frustrated is the best way I can sum up my review of this story. Frustrated that once the context of the “massive argument” comes to light, I’m left scratching my head as to why they never just TALKED TO EACH OTHER! Frustrated in disbelieving that they refused to speak for 4 years (FOUR YEARS!!!) over what could have been cleared up in 4 minutes of simple communication. This constant game playing and bickering was not my idea of a romance, nor did I find it amusing. Some readers enjoy strife and drama, so if that is the type of romantic escape you enjoy, give To Have and to Hoax a try. While well written, the plot was just not for me.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
Every once in a while I like to delve into historical romance. There is something to be said for societal impropriety. Add in some humor, a second chance romance and you have To Have and to Hoax.
18 and at her first season, Violet is nearly ruined with her friends brother, Jeremy. Alone on a balcony is everything her mother warned her about. Before their lips could connect Lord James Audley happens upon them and warns them of the implications of being found together. Only now, Violet is not afraid of being found with James, alone, on a darkened balcony.
Their first year of marriage was amazing, but a fight has left their last four years lonely with no affection or conversation. But Violet has had enough and plots to get James to show that he cares.
This becomes a case of he knew that she knew that he knew that she was faking an illness. This goes back and forth for quite some time and often feels petulant and childish but the ending outcome is everything you want a funny, historical romance to be.
so what happens? You’ll want to one click to find out.
I look forward to books about the secondary characters in this book and a follow up on James and Violet.
3.5 stars. My first time reading this author. I really wanted to like this book much more than I actually did, found it a little slow and lacking substance and left me wondering about other secondary characters and their promises.