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jostensneil's reviews
169 reviews
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
This was almost a 4 star. It was so close to being a 4 star!!!
I haven't read the first installment to the <i> Regency Vows </i> series, but I was still able to enjoy this book without any issues in relation to that, and it even made me want to read it - as well as the likely next installments, as these seem like the fun, fluffy, light reads that I am sure to enjoy.
This book follows the perspectives of Diana and Jeremy during a fortnight-long house party at the Marquess' house. During this time, we watch these two place a bet on Diana being able to find Jeremy a wife in a year, and Jeremy seek Diana's assistance <i> in the boudoir </i> as he has recently been informed of his lackluster skills. In short, we have ourselves a Regency-era friends with benefits.
I am not one to enjoy historical fiction very much, but this book provided a light and funny take on it, which was perfect for me. The characters are likeable and not difficult to care about. As I mentioned above, I was very close to giving it 4 stars because, although it wasn't becoming one of my favorite books ever, it was providing me with good entertainment.
And then came the plot twist, and I simply wouldn't feel comfortable not taking out a star. There is a side-character who we find out is a lesbian about 60% into the book, and this changes the course of the story. Aside from that, our main character tells her best friends this shortly after finding out, without getting permission from the other character, who she had just been speaking to, and could have easily asked. Granted, the author is portraying queerness in such a homophobic age in a light manner, as nothing negative comes from this reveal, but the execution definitely could have used more tact.
Overall, I came out of this book with mixed feelings, but as I mentioned, I am still interested in reading the other installments, and I hope the issue will be brought up with the author so that it isn't repeated in the future.
<i> Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this e-ARC. </i>