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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was cute, but it was like MOST regency romances I've read, just with a less salacious cover. Nothing special, but it is a fun one!
I found the fight to be so inconceivable to me. To go on for four years! But then again, people in their early twenties CAN be pretty childish and bitter, so who knows.
I found the fight to be so inconceivable to me. To go on for four years! But then again, people in their early twenties CAN be pretty childish and bitter, so who knows.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 36%
I don't make it a habit to DNF ARCs, but there was nothing remotely interesting about this book to keep me going. This book is being compared to Julia Quinn's books and while I'm not caught up with Julia Quinn's newer books, I can say for certain that To Have and to Hoax is not on the same level as Julia Quinn's older classic romances. Waters's prose is pretty good and she nails the historical-romantic-comedy prose, even if it's a little excessive at times. I have no issues with the prose; it's the story, the characters, and the overall execution that didn't work for me. I even tried the audiobook, but not even the narrators could get me into this book.
This book is marketed as a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, but I didn't find it funny in the slightest. I don't know about the rest of the book, but the first 36% of the story is lacking in humour and charm. Pretending to be terminally ill is not funny, even if the heroine's husband knows that she's pretending. It is utterly distasteful. I knew the heroine would pretend to be sick because I read the blurb before starting the book, but pretending to be TERMINALLY ILL?? What the hell? What kind of person does that? The blurb led me to believe that the hero and heroine would be funny and charming, but they came across as juvenile and immature instead. Their pranks don't seem to lead to any substantial relationship or character development, at least up until where I stopped reading. I do wonder if all these silly pranks will ultimately lead somewhere and actually move the relationship forward, instead of backwards. Unfortunately, I didn't like the hero and heroine enough to want to find out.
Four years ago, Violet and James had a big fight. They haven't talked to each other since. I don't know what the fight is about because it looks like it will only be revealed at the end of the book. But here's what I gathered from the first 36% of the book: Violet wants James to delegate his work with horses to his employees and to stop being obsessed about proving himself to his father. James apparently thinks that Violet manipulated him about something. From the way Violet and James keep referring to The Fight, it seems as if it was about something huge. But based on the little hints here and there, I can't help but feel like it was probably just a miscommunication that could have easily been resolved the next day if they had just talked to each other. Of course, I can't confirm if that is the case because I didn't finish the book. Either way, it all felt very superficial to me.
The only thing I liked about this book is the secondary character, West, James's older brother. I kind of wish he was the hero instead lol. Overall, To Have and to Hoax won't work for everyone and I suggest reading some reviews before deciding if you want to read it. My review is incomplete since I didn't actually finish reading the book...so you might want to check out other reviews! Maybe you'll actually enjoy this book, who knows? Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you.
DNF @ 36%
I don't make it a habit to DNF ARCs, but there was nothing remotely interesting about this book to keep me going. This book is being compared to Julia Quinn's books and while I'm not caught up with Julia Quinn's newer books, I can say for certain that To Have and to Hoax is not on the same level as Julia Quinn's older classic romances. Waters's prose is pretty good and she nails the historical-romantic-comedy prose, even if it's a little excessive at times. I have no issues with the prose; it's the story, the characters, and the overall execution that didn't work for me. I even tried the audiobook, but not even the narrators could get me into this book.
This book is marketed as a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, but I didn't find it funny in the slightest. I don't know about the rest of the book, but the first 36% of the story is lacking in humour and charm. Pretending to be terminally ill is not funny, even if the heroine's husband knows that she's pretending. It is utterly distasteful. I knew the heroine would pretend to be sick because I read the blurb before starting the book, but pretending to be TERMINALLY ILL?? What the hell? What kind of person does that? The blurb led me to believe that the hero and heroine would be funny and charming, but they came across as juvenile and immature instead. Their pranks don't seem to lead to any substantial relationship or character development, at least up until where I stopped reading. I do wonder if all these silly pranks will ultimately lead somewhere and actually move the relationship forward, instead of backwards. Unfortunately, I didn't like the hero and heroine enough to want to find out.
Four years ago, Violet and James had a big fight. They haven't talked to each other since. I don't know what the fight is about because it looks like it will only be revealed at the end of the book. But here's what I gathered from the first 36% of the book: Violet wants James to delegate his work with horses to his employees and to stop being obsessed about proving himself to his father. James apparently thinks that Violet manipulated him about something. From the way Violet and James keep referring to The Fight, it seems as if it was about something huge. But based on the little hints here and there, I can't help but feel like it was probably just a miscommunication that could have easily been resolved the next day if they had just talked to each other. Of course, I can't confirm if that is the case because I didn't finish the book. Either way, it all felt very superficial to me.
The only thing I liked about this book is the secondary character, West, James's older brother. I kind of wish he was the hero instead lol. Overall, To Have and to Hoax won't work for everyone and I suggest reading some reviews before deciding if you want to read it. My review is incomplete since I didn't actually finish reading the book...so you might want to check out other reviews! Maybe you'll actually enjoy this book, who knows? Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you.
This was fine- not as good as I wanted it to be.
DNF very quickly. Now it's been a week or so and I can't remember exactly why. But I think I just decided I didn't want a story of fighting with one another for most of it
slow-paced
When there was romance it was fantastic! I would even read other works by the author for that quality, but I really didn’t like the back and forth. I know it’s a popular trope but just SIT and TALK for 5 minutes and actually express yourself characters. The ending was seen from page one, but that’s not a problem for me.
Not a bad read, but found it slow and driven by a trope I clearly learned from this that I really dislike.
Not a bad read, but found it slow and driven by a trope I clearly learned from this that I really dislike.
Set in 1812 in England, this is a story about a husband and wife who had a spat four years earlier. In this time, they have practically lived separate lives in the same house. This is the point that the book starts.
The writing is fine but it just felt that the story was too far-fetched. There was so much description and not enough dialogue. I found that I just wanted the story to be over.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The writing is fine but it just felt that the story was too far-fetched. There was so much description and not enough dialogue. I found that I just wanted the story to be over.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Romance novels always sell you the hype of meeting someone and falling in love with them for the first time. We hardly get to see people within a marriage reconnecting and finding their bonds stronger after a quarrel or some life changing event. This book is a breath of fresh air. It is funny and witty, while at the same time making you truly care about their marriage and hoping that the two can reconcile their differences. Sometimes a little communication goes a long way.