To Swoon and to Spar

The Regency Vows #4

by Martha Waters

The Regency Vows series that is "sure to delight Bridgerton fans" (USA TODAY ) returns with this story about a viscount and his irascible new wife who hopes to chase her husband from their shared home so that she can finally get some peace and quiet--only to find that his company is not as onerous as she thought. Viscount Penvale has been working for years to buy back his ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey, from his estranged uncle. And so he's thrilled when his uncle announces that he is ready to sell but with one major caveat--Penvale must marry his uncle's ward, Jane Spencer. When the two meet in London, neither is terribly impressed. Penvale finds Jane headstrong and sharp-tongued. Jane finds him cold and aloof. Nevertheless, they agree to a marriage in name only and return to the estate. There, Jane enlists her housekeeper for a to stage a haunting so that Penvale will return to London, leaving her to do as she pleases at Trethwick Abbey. But Penvale is not as easily scared as his uncle and as their time together increases, Jane realizes that she might not mind her husband's company all that much. With her trademark "arch sense of humor and a marvelously witty voice" ( Entertainment Weekly ), Martha Waters crafts another delightful romp for all historical romance fans.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Regency, Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

First published April 11, 2023

About the author

Martha Waters is the author of To Have and to Hoax and To Love and to Loathe. She was born and raised in sunny South Florida and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. By day, she works as a children's librarian, and loves sundresses, gin cocktails, and traveling. Sign up for her newsletter for periodic book news and reading & travel recs: http://tinyletter.com/marthawaters

Reviews

[chan ☆]

dnf @50%... boooooored

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when a viscount and a country miss agree to get married after knowing each other for approximately three hours? A clunky but adorable regency romance with *not*so haunted houses, begrudgingly shared interests, and genuinely loveable main characters. 🖤

THOUGHTS:
- Even though the characters are a bit older than your traditional coming-of-age tale, I still feel like this story had some of those elements because the main characters were so inexperienced in romantic matters! It was sweet to see them experience growing a healthy relationship piece by piece without any insta-love.
- Jane is such an awesome heroine! I really enjoyed her blunt commentary, and each time, she shocked her companions by skirting around social 'niceties'. Many of them made me smile because I, too, like to speak forthrightly!! She also loves to read - which we all know makes any bookish gal's heart happy! 🥰

FAVORITE QUOTE:
"Penvale." Jane's voice had slid into outright exasperation. "Do you see how much time I spend reading? Don't you think I would find something else to do if the books weren't about something interesting?" -- THIS. I giggled so much when I read this. Yes... there are plenty of books to read that don't involve smut.. but the ones that do? I feel totally shameless about indulging in a little brain candy! lol, I'm married to a man that doesn't like to read.. *gasps and places hand over heart like the Southern gal that I am*, and it's so hard to explain to him why I read so much. The world of books is full of wondrous things. 😉

NOTES:
- 🌶🌶/5: Truly, this was a fun one to read because it's so unlike other regency romances in some of the scenes!!!
- Tropes: Foes to lovers, One bed, marriage of convenience,
- Quick read - a little over 300 pages
- Totally random, but I really appreciate when characters aren't described as traditionally the most beautiful doe-eyed folks in the room. Not listing an FMC with perfectly coiled blonde ringlets and blue eyes, or an FMC with black hair and broody dark eyes.. lol we need a little of the other phenotypes too! 😂

**Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for this advance reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. - SLR 🖤

[Aoife - Bookish_Babbling · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*

Ridiculously I'm mildly irked by this book 🙈
There were flashes where I thought it could top the previous book which had been my fav.
I had even been willing to overlook (somewhat) my language bugbear about those pesky "z" sneaking into words that I imagine were decidedly not present in 1800s England - especially as they are still considered by many to be a marker for americanisms nowadays...and by all this I mean I wasn't going to let it affect my rating, however I am pedantic enough that I was obviously still going to mention it 🤗

No what has lowered my rating below the previous book is the somewhat maddening last hour separation I had foolishly hoped they'd avoided by conversing- more fool me really 🙄 tbf tho the actual reunion was pretty adorbs if way too short + the convos the MCs had (and who they had them with) to help them get there were also cute I guess...harumpf there really is no pleasing me huh? 🤔

I surprised myself with how much these MCs grew on me 😅
I've made no secret of the fact I've been hanging for a book about two other characters since we met the gang in book1...but I guess the wait goes on for *them* as the ebook sadly ended at 93% with a 🤬 teaser for book1 ffs why are we backtracking?
C'mon, I wanna know about W&S - are they gonna get a book or not?! 🥺

Back on track tho, as I said I surprised myself by really liking Penvale & Jane. Their "arranged" marriage brought a new dynamic to this series and is probably more historically accurate in a way for the time period than the love matches so many HR spin for us.
The way they awkwardly and slowly got to know one another despite one being super shy and lashing out as consequence and the other having been so single-mindedly driven towards a certain goal that having finally achieved said goal they had to recalibrate & question the life they were truly living vis-à-vis the life they could have - not sure I'm selling this but I honestly enjoyed their interactions so much 🤩

The "haunting" was interestingly handled, y'all know me. I'm not typically a fan of a love interest lying/keeping something from their SO - but the way this pans out here I actually enjoyed and the "confrontation" brought Darcy/lake flashback lolz but maybe that was just me...let's just leave that breadcrumb there for now 😝

The recurring role of 👓 became way more endearing than I thought it would the first few times it appeared and the gang interactions tho few and far between compared to the other books were as entertaining as ever. I flow so hot&cold on Diana - she's a bit of a mouthy meddlesome busybody but I guess her heart is in the right place. The way she and Jane spark was fun to see how she couldn't just bowl over her and the begrudging respect they find amidst word play and verbal sparring matches wound up being a win for me 😈

Penvale's drive lowkey reminded me of a better version of what Bridgerton's Andoh'ny (soz inside joke) could have been if Anthony wasn't an overbearing temperamental jerk 🤷‍♀️
I wouldn't say Jane vibrates on the same fiery protective frequency as Kate but her sharp tongue certainly allowed for the witty repartees I always enjoy in HR 🙃

All in all this was a fun hat tilt to Gothic themes with the haunting subplot + a paired down story with so much of it taking place away from London thus without most of the gang and an even sweeter subplot with the village, tenants and staff that brought to mind early Downton Abbey vibes 🙂

[Lizzy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

deleting my dating apps bc i want to meet someone the old fashioned way (gaslighting my arranged marriage husband into thinking his abbey is haunted so he'll leave)

[Halle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite in this series, but The Regency Vows has become so comforting to me, especially as I hurdle towards finals and am drowning in Shakespearian language and the full-page paragraphs of Middlemarchian politics. Like, these characters are my little pals!

But I genuinely did believe that these characters loved each other, and that's probably one of the most important parts of a romance, so, yay. I was a little underwhelmed by the book, I guess? And maybe I wish other new characters were fleshed out more? But it was cute and provided good reading for the good weather, so I'm happy enough.

(Side tangent, though—it should not have been a shock to Jane that Penvale did not read novels! It's 1818! Novels are not only a pretty new thing but also a *woman's* thing! Like, Penvale would read poetry more than he would read novels, because that was seen as serious and masculine while novels were seen as silly teenage girl stuff. Of course I do not look to historical romance for extreme historical accuracy and yet I am still irritated by this.)

3.5 stars!

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3.5 stars and 4 stars - This has the trademark humor I've come to expect & enjoy from this author, and I thought this playful take on a 18th/19th century Gothic romance was very smart! The haunting elements were really over the top & fun. I think the actual romance between the two leads was a little hard to buy, but I liked them both as characters and on paper, their connection as 2 lonely people who found each other made sense. Also - love an arranged marriage/marriage of convenience!

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 4 out of 5]

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. DEFINITELY SWOONY AF! To Swoon and to Spar is a slow-burn historical romance about two spouses who find themselves in a marriage of convenience and a haunted house who brings them closer!

Martha Waters definitely gave us such a good slow burn omg. I was like 200 pages in and they hadn't even kissed? WOW. The chemistry and sparks between them were insane, so I was definitely not complaining. Penvale and Jane's relationship developed so perfectly and in the midst of a haunting, they still managed to grow closer. When they were opening to each other, you bet I was swooning so hard and screaming and crying and kicking my feet in the air. This book is so cute!

So, it's also really funny as well. Jane marries Penvale because in order for Penvale to get his childhood home, his uncle tells him he needs to marry his ward and his ward is Jane. And yeah, they get married. It's not a love match but they get married! They go to live at this beautiful estate, but Jane wants to be left off alone so she comes up with a plan to make the house appear haunted and scare Penvale off lmao. But going ghost hunting at night only manages to make them like each other more and more.

It was so cute to see all the other couples back! I love seeing them all be friends and just have fun together. And now Jane is part of that! She's such a lonely, shy girl and she has very tall walls guarding her heart. But it was so sweet to see them being knocked down first by Penvale and then all his friends also managed to get inside little by little with their smiles and good hearts. I feel like there's going to be a fifth book because Martha kinda teased it in this book? I so want one! To see them all again but also Penvale and Jane would be adorable. GIVE ME MORE IN THIS SERIES.

[Ilhaam · Rating 4 out of 5]

unhinged is my favorite genre

[ShannonXO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha Waters really said I am going to write a better book each and every single time, and I respect that.

No joke, this is her best book yet. All throughout the first three of the series, seeds kept being planted in my brain that made me hope, hope, hope for a Penvale story, so I was thrilled when I heard the news that it was coming. And a haunted ghost story to boot?! You could not have kept this out of my hands, so thank you Atria Books for letting me read an advance copy.

I thought the premise for this was so entertaining! Penvale has spent his entire adult life trying to build up his personal fortune to buy from his dreaded uncle the home that should have come with his Viscount title. When said uncle shows up out of the blue and offers to sell it, Penvale doesn't even bat an eye at the condition he marry his uncle's ward too. The reason his uncle wants to sell after refusing his offers for years? The house is haunted.

And it was so much fun to read! Perhaps even a little tongue in cheek homage to the gothic writers of the 19th century? The house is, of course, not actually haunted, but I loved reading about Jane trying to scare Penvale while he tries to rationalize everything out of sheer stubbornness. Dressing up in a ghostly nightgown and enlisting the servants to scream bloody murder in the halls is certainly one way for a woman to get her husband out of the house. I have no choice but to stan.

Jane's and Penvale's marriage of convenience was an excellent slow-burn. Neither is particularly interested in the marriage. Penvale thinks his life won't change one whit, and Jane would rather not have a single man make any choices for her. All either of them wants is the house they both love in their own way, not the other person. But eventually, they do come together, and I thought it was so darn sweet. Jane is a shy, taciturn little bookworm who begrudgingly comes to accept that Penvale isn't the lout his uncle was. And Penvale, well, he's in for a rude awakening of what it's like to have someone else in your life that might matter to you. There's an adorable little thread throughout where Penvale refuses to listen to Jane when she says he needs glasses, and it made my heart burst each time.

So, I subconsciously manifested a Penvale book, and this is me loud and clearly requesting a Sophie and West book. I feel like they're the last two characters floating through this series, and I need it desperately.

[Sheena ☆ Book Sheenanigans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Martha Waters has always been a hit or miss for me and surprise surprise! I unsurprisingly got nothing from this.

The storyline was dull with an ill paced plot that was essentially non-existent. Perhaps it was just me but I felt like I was reading the same paragraph over and over again—making it quite obvious the writing style left much to be desired. Then the biggest issue I came across were the main characters, Jane (intolerable) and Penvale (tolerable). They were terribly boring and poorly written. The lack of character traits that typically can draw readers in the storyline and the world that the author created were MIA. With that being said, I can't fail to mention the romance. Absolutely lackluster. Where was the chemistry? Where was the tension? Why were they such a boring AF couple?

Ugh,/i>. To put it bluntly—"To Swoon and to Spar" was an uneventful romance with one dimensional characters that would put you to sleep. I was really hoping for the swooning enemies to lovers banterful romance the synopsis made it out to be. But like I said—I got a whole lotta nada. 10/10 won't recommend it.

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Swoon and to Spar has been putting me into a dilemma. I do not hate it but I do not love it either. Miss Waters' writing is witty. Funny and cute.

But the characters are boring.

3 stars

[Sunnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly, this book isn’t for everyone - certainly not for anyone looking for a thriller, although I found it thrilling in specific circumstances. I hate to be so creativity-deprived that I recommend this book to Jane Austin fans because there are so many references to said author. Mystery, certainly; love, but of course; ghosts, without question; angst, lots of it; and plenty of mixed signals thrown in for good measure. I would probably boil things down as a lovely, cozy mystery. I would certainly add it to my shelves to be read again. I loved it!

[Julie - One Book More · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy book birthday to To Swoon and to Spar, the fourth installment of The Regency Vows series by Martha Waters. This romance follows Viscount Penvale and Jane Spencer as they enter into a marriage of convenience and get more than they ever bargained for.

Penvale has worked for years to buy back his ancestral home from his uncle. so, when his uncle announces he’s finally ready to sell, Penvale leaps at the chance. However, in purchasing the estate, he must also marry Jane Spencer, his uncle’s ward. Jane adores the estate and is determined to live there alone. She, with the help of the staff, “haunts” the house in an effort to frighten Penvale away. But Penvale isn’t as scared as Jane and the others hoped, and Jane soon sees that Penvale is not the man she thought he was. Can this unlikely pair find love?

This was a fun read! It has a lot of humor, some great banter, and the fake haunting was fantastic. At first, Penvale and Jane don’t really get along or understand each other. There is little chemistry between them, and their romance is gradual. I like that this par becomes friends first. They learn so much about each other, especially since they are at a country estate away from the hustle, bustle, and distractions of the city. Penvale begins to see past Jane’s prickly demeanor, and Jane sees that Penvale has much more substance than she originally thought. They both seem a little surprised by their growing feelings, but between their antagonistic and sometimes flirtatious banter and their late-night excursions to investigate the hauntings, there’s clearly a depending bond between them.

Penvale is so thoughtful, especially when he realizes Jane struggles with shyness. Her rudeness and standoffish personality hides her shyness well, but it also doesn’t endear her to anyone. But Penvale understands her. He’s such a sweetheart, and I love how considerate he is of her feelings and worries. Jane is an introvert and content with a solitary life, but Penvale has a large group of friends. Needless to say, they’re quite daunting to Jane. I like how considerate Penvale is of Jane’s feelings and how Jane slowly begins to open up to him and his friends.

This was a fun and romantic addition to the series, and though it’s the fourth book, you don’t have to read the others to follow this one. Special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this a B- for narration and a B for content at AudioGals. (Basically the female narrator wasn't that good.)

To Swoon and to Spar is book four in Martha Water’s Regency Vows series of lively, character-driven historical romances, but it’s the first one I’ve listened to. I read and enjoyed books two and three, so thought I’d give this one a go in audio, and while I did enjoy it, it didn’t have quite the same sparkle as the previous two.

Peter Bourne, Viscount Penvale, (brother of Diana, heroine of book two, To Love and to Loathe) has spent most of his adult life trying to amass sufficient funds to purchase back the family home, Trethwick Abbey in Cornwall. Unusually, the property wasn’t entailed, so when Penvale’s parents died, the place had to be sold in order to pay the massive death duties and his uncle, who had made a fortune in his years with the East India Company, stepped in to buy it. Penvale was only ten years old at the time and could do nothing to prevent the sale to the brother he knew his father despised, and he and Diana (who was five) were packed off to live with their aunt.

Penvale has been making discreet enquiries as to what price his uncle would be prepared to sell the Abbey for ever since he left university, and has received the same reply for over a decade – none that Penvale can afford. Until now, when Bourne tells him he’s willing to sell provided Penvale marries his ward, Jane Spencer. For Penvale, it’s a no-brainer. He’ll have to get married sometime – he needs an heir, after all – so why not at least meet the young woman to discuss it? Diana is less than impressed with the idea and makes no bones about telling Penvale so, but even she can see how much it means to her brother to, at long last, be able to go home.

Jane – the daughter of an old Naval buddy of Mr. Bourne – is not exactly pleased about the idea of being ‘traded’ from one man to another, but she isn’t in a position to refuse to accompany her guardian to London to meet her prospective husband.

Penvale is pleased to find that Miss Jane Spencer is not at all the mousy young woman he had expected. In appearance, she’s striking rather than beautiful, and while she doesn’t seem to have much to say, what she does say is to the point – often to the point of abruptness. He makes it clear to her that he is not going to pressure her into marrying him and that if they do marry, it will be because it’s her choice to do so. Jane, whose imagination had painted a rather daunting picture of a man prepared to marry a woman he has never met, is pleasantly surprised when Penvale turns out to be, well, pleasant – young, handsome and good-natured – and, she reasons, living with him is preferable to continuing to live with her guardian, so she accepts his offer. It’s not until after everything is settled – Jane and Penvale are wed and money has changed hands – that Penvale’s uncle tells him the real reason he was prepared to sell Trethwick Abbey. The place is haunted.

Naturally, Penvale, a practical man not given to flights of fancy, doesn’t believe a word of it, and he and his new bride begin their journey to Cornwall and into married life. But when, a week or so later, the late-night thumps and screams begin, Penvale begins to wonder if maybe his uncle was right. But there are no such things as ghosts, of that he is certain. So what on earth is going on?

No spoilers – it’s revealed early on that the fake-haunting is all part of Jane’s plan to ensure that Penvale high-tails it back to London, leaving her behind to enjoy the quiet life she craves in the house she loves. But she’s reckoned without Penvale’s love for his home and his determination to do right by his tenants and all those who depend on him for their livelihoods.

Not surprisingly for two people in their situation, it takes some time for Penvale and Jane to begin to unbend towards each other, so this is very much a slow-burn romance. The author’s facility with witty dialogue is once again in evidence here, and the forced proximity in which the couple find themselves eventually leads to their becoming friends and beginning to learn that there is more to the other than at first met the eye. Penvale realises that shyness lies behind Jane’s sharp tongue and prickly demeanour, and I liked how he comes to understand her and to do things to help make her comfortable. For her part, Jane realises Penvale is much more responsible than she’d expected him to be, and can’t help coming to like and respect him for his dedication to the estate.

The romantic chemistry here is more ‘solid’ than it is ‘sizzling’ and I liked that Jane and Penvale’s romance has a strong basis in friendship and mutual understanding; it’s the story of two lonely people who long for a home finding each other. But on the downside, there’s not a great deal of story here and the book feels over-long; the haunting plotline goes on for too long and gets repetitive, and while I liked Penvale, I struggled to warm to Jane, especially in the early stages of the story, because she comes across as rude and hostile.

I’ve been going back and forth on how to rate the narration on this one because my view is coloured by the fact that I’m not a fan of female narrators in general or of dual narrations – which I realise may put me in something of a minority these days. I would much rather listen to one excellent narrator who can portray all the characters effectively than a dual narration – especially where one narrator is clearly more skilled than the other – but the trend in contemporary romance to use two narrators is – unfortunately – bleeding over into historicals. Anais Inara Chase is new-to-me and reads quite well – but she’s reading rather than performing, and her character differentiation is so minimal that I was constantly reliant on dialogue tags or textual indicators to work out who was speaking. On the plus side, she reads animatedly and expressively, and she provides a strong characterisation of Jane; her voice is attractive, her pacing is good and her enunciation is clear. But pairing her with someone like Joel Froomkin (Leslie), who is a vocal actor with an extensive repertoire of character voices at his disposal and a proven track-record in romance narration makes for a jarring contrast. Mr Froomkin is excellent as Penvale, his posh accent and the slightly husky note to his voice a good fit for an English aristocrat, and he does a good job with Jane’s dead-pan waspishness, expertly conveying a wide range of emotion and their growing fondness for each other. Most of the secondary characters are also young men and women (heroes and heroines of the previous books), but where Mr. Froomkin manages to make them sound different from each other and from Penvale and Jane, it’s impossible to distinguish between them aurally in Ms. Chase’s chapters.

To Swoon and to Spar is one of the weaker entries in this series, although it’s still a well-written and enjoyable historical romance. I do wonder if I’d have enjoyed it more in print – but I realise that my personal dislikes are not everyone’s so I’m going to sit on the fence and offer a qualified recommendation.

This review originally appeared at AudioGals .

[buket · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a marriage of convenience between penvale and jane, she was his uncle's ward and they got married when penvale bought his childhood home back from his uncle. Jane didn't want another man to control her life so she continued acting as though the house was haunted. it worked with the uncle but panvale didn't believe it and i feel sad for him because he was so happy that finally he was able to come back his home and she tried to chase him away.

she wasn't very lovely to me and selfish a lot. penvale tried really hard and they could easily have a good marriage with mutual respect and later with affection. i enjoyed the book more after he realized she was the ghost and talked about it. but the book ended abruptly, i was expecting them to spend more time after they realized both were in love and there wasn't an epilogue so idk the story didn't felt completed.

but i enjoyed their banter and easy conversations. they were funny without even trying.

“I don’t speak baby,” she told him.
“What am I supposed to do with it?” he asked.
“Try… cuddling it?” she suggested.
The look he gave her implied that she may as well have suggested climbing into bed with a lion, but he gingerly pressed the baby to his chest. He looked at Jane. “Now what?”
“I’ve seen people pat them before,” she said helpfully. “On the back, I believe?”

[Ashlee Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nobody enjoys a good gothic romance more than I do. I like a story that has atmosphere, that features a setting with drafty rooms and stately architecture and echoes that reverberate throughout foyer. I like the feeling of a sprawling estate with history, especially if it's eerie history. I'm here for the creaking of stairs, for the isolated quiet, for the moans after midnight, and for the blowing snowdrifts that wisp around a newly, but conveniently, married couple as they settle into their Cornwall estate, both of them thinking that nothing much in their lives will need to change.

As a result of that, I was excited to get early access to this book. I've been a fan of The Regency Vows series since it's inception and was looking forward to this Northanger Abbey meets Bridgerton foray into an English country manor with Penvale and Jane. However, while I again appreciated Water's cheeky and subversive style, which has been a hallmark of this series so far and something I've come to love and expect from it, I didn't love this one as much as I hoped I would. It wasn't my favorite.

Similar to Emily and Julian in To Marry and To Meddle, Penvale and Jane enter into a marriage of convenience.

For years, Penvale has been looking for a way to buy back his ancestral estate from his uncle. He's finally offered the opportunity to do so, but only if he agrees to marry Jane, his uncle's ward. Jane agrees to the match because Trethwick Abbey is the only home she's ever known and she doesn't want to leave it. However, she's not all that keen about being handed from one man to another, wanting her own freedom, her own independence, so she devises a plan to try and haunt her husband out of house and home so he'll return to London and she can be left alone. In peace.

Alas, Penvale is too poised and practical to be spooked with ease. And Jane, as she comes to spend more time with him, comes to find that she doesn't mind (might even like!) her husband's company.

So the question becomes: who's really haunting who here? What if it's love - not a ghost - that's lurking in the hidden staircase?

There wasn't anything inherently wrong or bad about this story. In fact, I liked that readers were in on the fake-haunting gag from the outset because it added a level of desperate absurdity to things, which was amusing. I also enjoyed being more removed from London. The Cornwall setting was blustery yet cozy, making me want to prop up by the fire with a warm blanket, some tea, and a pair of fuzzy socks as I read.

Where I struggled, I think, was connecting to Penvale and Jane as a couple. Their personalities didn't mesh well for me, with him being so serious, pragmatic, and deadpan all the time and her being so sharp and prickly. Though Jane was characterized as shy, I found her to come across as more hostile than anything, especially toward Diana. She could be downright rude. Almost mean at times. I did warm to her eventually, but there was a lack of lightness to her and their dynamic as a whole that I found wanting.

Probably my least favorite of the series so far. Still fun, though! Lots of cameos from other characters as well.

Here's hoping West and Sophie are next! 🤞🏻

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

BOOK BLOG

[maddie's reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

they’re so unhinged I love them

[book bruin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The set up for To Swoon and to Spar had me very intrigued (ghosts!?) and it was fun to see these two emotionally stunted idiots reluctantly fall for each other. This is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone. Previous characters do appear/are referenced though, so the book would be most enjoyed in order.

Things to look forward to:
- only one bed
- idiots to lovers
- sloooow burn
- marriage of convenience
- quiet and tender moments of care and thoughtfulness
- found family
- super fun banter/foreplay
- a heroine who knows what she wants and takes charge of her life to get it (and gains so much more in return)
- a sweet hero who has golden retriever vibes (but sometimes sticks his foot in his mouth) and isn't afraid to say he's wrong/I'm sorry
- hilarious secondary characters

I liked the progression of Jane and Penvale's relationship/friendship and thought the slow burn was well done. The conflict at the end was a bit annoying, but I could understand why they both might feel this way given their histories. Thankfully, it didn't last long and both were equally responsible for the misunderstanding. Overall, an entertaining read and I'm excited for West and Sophie's book next.

CW: death of parents (past), grief

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Book Club Favorites and Simon and Schuster for the gifted copy!

I SWOONED.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

This was my first book in this series that I’ve read and I enjoyed it! I am a sucker for marriage of convenience tropes and I thought this was a slightly different take on the start of their relationship.

I thought Penvale and Jane had some good chemistry and really did have that nice slow burn as they realized how much they truly connected with each other. I loved the forced proximity and one bed moments and watching their passions ignite.

The only thing I didn’t quite get was the ghost-based plot? I don’t know, it seemed kind of silly when the story came out at the end. Without that, I think it’s a great historical romance and it was easy to read as a standalone! I noticed the mentions of the other couples but that doesn’t bother me! There were a good group of friends and I’m thinking about now going back and reading the others.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: brief/vague open door
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: grief/loss depiction, loss of parents recounted

[carmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars

Sadly still not as good as the first book, but at least it's marginally better than the last two installments. The heroine was extremely rude and unlikeable here that it really soured my mood during the first half. The second half was decent if not boring at times. Truth be told, there was nothing even remotely remarkable about this book except maybe the whole staging a haunted house bit—this was unique, especially in HR, so I'd give the author that.

Like I said in my past review, I have no idea why I trust this author so much even if I don't particularly enjoy her books overall but I'll still be tuning in for the next book in the series.

The Regency Vows series
#1 To Have and to Hoax 4/5
#2 To Love and to Loathe 2/5
#3 To Marry and to Meddle 1.5/5
#4 To Swoon and to Spar 2.25/5

[Emily Rambles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane is tired of being told what to do by men- first by her guardian, then by his nephew, Penvale, who she is marrying. Taking matters into her own hands, Jane stages a haunting of their country estate in the hopes that she will drive her new husband away and be left in peace. But when the time comes, will she really want him to be driven away?

What I loved:
-getting updates on characters from previous books
-relationship with the villagers/house staff
-the hilarity of the attempted haunting
-Jane! I could really relate to her as a character with her shyness and her love of reading
-slow slow slow burn

This was a light and enjoyable read that I blasted through in just a few sittings! A fun bit of escapism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reading copy!

[Zaii · Rating 4 out of 5]

1938047 years later, I've finally finished it. I've been on a terrible reading slump, but I'm slowly getting back into reading.

This being said, I really liked this book. With this saga, as soon as I finish a new novel I feel like I overrated the previous one, because they just keep getting better and better. So I'm giving it 4 stars because I know the next one will probably deserve 5 :)

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon&Shuster for the ARC

I absolutely loved this funny and charming historical romance.

I love a good marriage of convenience, with some enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. Viscount Penvale’s uncle has ownership of the family estate, and agrees to sell it to Penvale if he also agrees to marry Jane - the uncle’s ward.

Penvale has been trying to regain ownership of this estate his whole life, and all Jane wants is to live in peace in the estate and be left alone. To that end, she and the servants had been staging a haunting of the estate to scare away the uncle, and now they are applying the same strategy on Penvale.

The premise is mildly bonkers and very well executed. The dialogue between Penvale and Jane crackles and made me laugh out loud on several occasions. Neither is exactly as they seem to each other initially, and I liked the way the slowly built trust.

I especially loved Jane. She has a hard time in social situations, frequently says things that fall outside social norms, and has a lot of internal struggles that gave me the sense that she may be neurodiverse. Whether or not that was the intent, I appreciated the ways she grew somewhat more comfortable, while maintaining those key character traits. I loved that Penvale loved her and accepted her as she is.

A great addition to this series of books, looking forward to the next one!

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was my least favorite of the series. While I found Violet and James to be unlikable protagonists in the first book, at least they were *both* unlikeable and I ended the book feeling like they deserved each other. In To Swoon and To Spar, however, only Jane is insufferable while Penvale mostly just sits there and takes it.

Here are just a few examples where Jane is downright mean for absolutely no reason:

- when she meets Penvale's sister, she decides she immediately doesn't like her and then spends the rest of the book mentally insulting her whenever she comes up (which I get Diana's personality is supposed to be abrasive, but I feel like she barely said two words to Jane before Jane decided she despised Diana. Even Penvale mentions feeling defensive over his sister, but god forbid he mention that to Jane).
- when Penvale asks Jane is she would like him to write the invitations to his friends to come visit as she doesn't know many of them, and she takes this to mean he thinks she is incompetent and she cannot trust him or open up to him.
- when Penvale asks if she's ok after losing her virginity and she responds with "I said I liked it didn't I" and writes off his concern as an irritant rather than basic decency.

None of this even touches the whole ghost plot which I mainly found to be annoying instead of an interesting plot device (however it did border on actual torture at times when she kept the man from sleeping for multiple nights in a row, but he never once complained about it after he confirmed it was her the whole time).

Through all of this Penvale simply apologized, chastised himself for daring to question Jane, or lessened his own wants/needs to focus solely on keeping Jane happy 100% of the time when she barely seemed to tolerate him throughout the entire book.

I know most of Jane's reasoning for her behavior is that she had a very isolated childhood and clearly struggled with some form of social anxiety, but as someone who actually has social anxiety I found this to be a stereotypical portrayal and borderline insulting at times. Not knowing what to say or feeling overwhelmed in large groups does not give carte blanche to act like an asshole or decide everyone else must only like shallow and stupid things while you clearly are too elevated and self-aware to lower yourself to communicate with them.

The only reason I finished this book is I kept waiting for Jane to be confronted for her behavior or have some character growth, but it never happened. Instead, once her antics are discovered they are immediately swept under the rug and her husband ends the book deciding his whole life's purpose should be to focus on nothing but their marriage and meeting her ridiculous standards.

Overall 1.5 stars out of 5.

[Emily Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

To Swoon and to Spar
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Martha Waters
GR: 3.68

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Viscount Penvale has been working for years to buy back his ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey, from his estranged uncle. And so he’s thrilled when his uncle announces that he is ready to sell but with one major caveat—Penvale must marry his uncle’s ward, Jane Spencer.

When the two meet in London, neither is terribly impressed. Penvale finds Jane headstrong and sharp-tongued. Jane finds him cold and aloof. Nevertheless, they agree to a marriage in name only and return to the estate. There, Jane enlists her housekeeper for a scheme: to stage a haunting so that Penvale will return to London, leaving her to do as she pleases at Trethwick Abbey. But Penvale is not as easily scared as his uncle and as their time together increases, Jane realizes that she might not mind her husband’s company all that much.

My Thoughts: This is book No. 4 in The Regency Vows series. I loved the play on 1800s gothic romance in London. As so often in the Regency Era, this is an arranged marriage, or a marriage of convenience.

Jane made an amazing heroine, she loves to speak her mind, which in this time era did not happen much, most ladies were seen rather than heard. The characters were developed well, were swoony, witty banter, and overall well done. The characters from previous books were a tad more on point, but the characters here are still done well. The humor injected into the novel was great, I really enjoyed that aspect of it. There was a medium amount of steam and spice. While Jane is trying to “scare” Penvale away, it ends up bringing them closer, which was very meet cute. I also loved the little updates we got on the other couples, probably one of my favorite things about series books.

Overall, an enjoyable read. My only con was that the characters were not as luster as in previous books in this series. I would still recommend picking up.

[Ashlee (bookswithnopictures) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Clever and whimsical and a joy to read! Martha's writing, simply put, makes me incredibly happy. She's developed this series that I look forward to with each release and is in a class of her own. I love the humor she uses within this slow burn romance. A marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes.
Penvale's mission in life is to recoup his ancestral home from the hands of his uncle. He's offered more times than he can count whatever funds he can scrape together and was denied each and every time. He could not be more surprised when his uncle finally counter offers and Trethwick Abbey is within reach. The only caveat is that he now must also wed his uncle's ward, Jane, his now stubborn and somewhat unwilling bride. Jane's recourse is to run him off with the hauntings of the abbey.
I read and listened to this book over a couple of days. Anais Inara Chase and Joel Froomkin fit the personalities of Jane and Penvale perfectly. I think Joel has this quality that makes him sound like a pompous dandy and it is absolute perfection.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Simon Audio for the gifted copy and alc. All thoughts in this review are my own. This releases 04.11.2023.

[Lauren (thebookscript) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word.

Delightful.

A fun, comical premise with an arranged marriage between two indifferent people who want the same thing. To be left alone in Trethwick Abbey but they will get married to obtain that….if they have to.

I thought the audio truly amplified the characters. I think they have great growth as they come to respect and regard each other in higher esteem.

I loved the banter, the faux haunting and the dynamic between Penvale and Jane as they come to realize how much they have come to care for each other.

This is a perfectly bingeable book that took me by surprise with how much I loved it. My first by waters but certainly not my last!

*light swearing and 1 open door scene with a couple moments of “almost”.

Thank you Simon and Shuster for my audio and Book Club favorites for my physical copy.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I assure you, I’m nothing like the young ladies you have experience with,” Jane said, and Penvale offered a crooked grin as he reached out to shake her hand.

“Of that, Miss Spencer, I am already well aware.”


-historical romance, forced marriage, marriage of convenience
-Penvale can finally purchase his beloved Trethwick Abbey from his uncle, the only catch? To marry head strong Jane Spencer
-Jane was a bit difficult to like at first since her character is quite blunt 😮‍💨
-Pervale was just a sweetie through and through 💞
-I enjoyed this read and thought the story flowed so well!
-Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨

4.5⭐️

[Olga Volodina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прелесть что такое: главные герои вообще не очень хотят жениться, а тупо хотят дом (получить который можно благодаря браку).
Потом, конечно, любовь-морковь, такую возможность упустили: могли бы просто всю книгу обсуждать ремонт, способы перекладывания паркета и всего такого.