To Have and to Hoax: A Novel

Martha Waters

Apr 2020 · The Regency Vows Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

To Have and to Hoax has a great premise that falls a bit short on the delivery. The beginning was sweet and fun, and I also liked the initial antics between Violet and James, but I think this one could've done with a dose of less is more. Those amusing antics aren't nearly so amusing when they continue to go on and on and on. What it all boils down to is a whole lot of miscommunication or complete lack of communication, both of which went on for much too long - long enough to get a bit tedious. Maybe things would've been different had we been told what caused the rift earlier in the story or maybe not, but too many things just didn't work in this one. For starters, how this couple went four years without communicating. Four years? That's taking the silent treatment to a whole new level. Don't get me wrong, there is some really good writing here, but the story was just way too much. I love romantic comedy, and I can get behind silly situations, antics, and banter, but roughly 350 pages of it without a resolution in sight was more than I could take. Basically, this one is a mildly amusing romantic comedy that went on for much longer than necessary.

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.

Violet and James met at a ball just over five years ago, and fell into love almost instantly. And from the beginning it is clear that they are the perfect match, even though both are very young and immature. Just how immature and young isn’t truly clear until we pick up with the story some five years on and the two are engaged in a battle of silence. Insecurities, issues from family that wasn’t available or simply manipulative (James), to overbearing and manipulative (Violet) had always had them both chafing at the ‘norms’ expected by family, and perhaps reveling in the shock that brought. While James is the “spare” and felt as if he was shuttled aside for his brother the heir, Violet was the focus of it all, and her curious nature and dismissal of the “propers” for a lady in her position: speech, interest, conversation and hobbies, had never ‘measured’ up to much in her mother’s eyes. Together as newlyweds, they found friendship and passion, and James was so admiring of Violet’s way of looking at the world and her interest in near everything that crossed her path, as well as resenting her mother’s dulling and dampening influence on Violet allowed her to grow and thrive. They eschewed ‘accepted’ rules of society, socialized when and how they chose, and were sublimely happy. Until the ‘plan’ for them coming to ‘meet’ at the ball came out, and James realized he had been manipulated into the match: and unwilling to listen to Violet’s explanation of her role (none but a piece in the game). He instantly decided that he could not trust her – and the past four years have been spent in ever-increasing stakes as Violet determines to be noticed and a ‘wife’, or to move on. This book is a giant game of chess – if drag queens played it and reality television and Jerry Springer were standing by offering not-so-helpful suggestions and encouraging daft plans of ‘faking consumption’ while using a schoolmate of James’ to ‘act’ as the doctor. What kept this book from completely falling into the farcical is the actual characters of Violet and James: neither wants another, both are desperately in love and longing for a marriage that feels settled, safe and they can trust in it – and their partner. But friends, family and even their own wild reactions to situations: him holding back when he wants little more than to speak out what he thinks but is afraid, her trying to keep the “upper hand’ and manage him into those lofty dreams that are the hallmark of her emotional immaturity – wanting grand gestures but ONLY if they come with the ‘proper level’ of remorse and understanding. When nothing has been discussed to bring this understanding forward. Fortunately for them both, they do work it out after many actual attempts and missteps, but along the way you can’t help but enjoy their own recognition of the extremes in which they’ve gone, the “ I know that she knows that I know that she thinks I know” moments – yes, just like that. Moments to laugh, moments where you want to shake one or both, and then to cheer them on as they try to start again and make up for four years of silence. The story engages, entertains and is a favorite for me both for twisting a romantic comedy a bit by setting it in the Regency era, and for the writing that brings the characters to life. A wonderful debut offering, sure to make Waters a name readers will look for on the shelves. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the author

Martha Waters is the author of Christmas Is All Around, and the Regency Vows series, which includes To Have and to Hoax, To Love and to Loathe, To Marry and to Meddle, To Swoon and to Spar, and To Woo and to Wed. She was born and raised in sunny South Florida and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in London, and loves sundresses, gin cocktails, and traveling.