To Have And to Hoax By Martha Waters

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters
on April 7, 2020
Genres: Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 368
Goodreads

“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 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.

I stumbled across this author’s book by accident and I am so glad I did. To Have and To Hoax is a hilarious Regency tale, but at the same time, the story has great depth. A young married couple have an argument that separates them for four years. When the husband is injured the wife rushes to him. Unfortunately, both characters have too much pride to make amends. I thought their banter and witty dialogue was engaging. But the pranking and the hoaxing got a bit old. There are several steamy scenes between the married couple. Overall, a solid four flowers in my book. Waters is a gifted writer, and I am looking forward to more.