Morgan
To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters
Goodreads Summary:
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.
My Review:
This was a cute, funny historical romance. I loved both Violet and James and getting to see their love story play out. I though the prologue at the beginning was a good touch. I loved knowing how they first met and got engaged. The rest of the book was fun and cute, but the games started to get a little annoying. I just felt like it was taken too far for too long. I would have liked there to be some other conflict other than miscommunication and their playing games on each other back and forth. Along with that, the reason for them not talking for four years seemed really silly to me. I understand going through rough patches in a marriage, and I see how this definitely could have caused an argument. However, I found it hard to believe that this led to them not really speaking for FOUR years! I would have liked for this book to have a little bit more substance in that regard. I did like the way they reconnected at the end, and thought it was a cute story.
3.5 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.