Ratings25
Average rating3.2
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 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.
Series
5 primary booksThe Regency Vows is a 5-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2020 with contributions by Martha Waters.
Reviews with the most likes.
I agree with all the criticism that four years is a ridiculous amount of time to let something go without having a simple conversation. And yet...I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Really enjoyed this - there's a lot less pranking/hoaxing than I expected from reading the blurb/reviews, but that's fine with me. Thought the impetus for their big fight in the past could've used a little more explanation - clearly both their parents are terrible, but it never really explains how/why they decided to match their children up, or why they felt they needed to do it by potentially ruining Violet. The banter was fun, their various groups of friends are clear sequel-bait (and I'm here for it), the dresses are beautiful, all-around fine Regency fun.