To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

In the English upper classes, talking about one's feelings is Not Done. So when Violet and James have a screaming row, they settle in for years of silence and polite ill feeling. Eventually Violet decides she's Had Enough Of This and begins a campaign to  make James understand his mistakes...

I don't read a lot of Regency fiction. I'll admit that right off. So I had to stop reading now and then to look up words that I'm sure regular readers would have known. I also found it a bit confusing that people were sometimes known by their names and sometimes by their titles, but again if I read more of this kind of book I'm sure I'd be more used to it!

The descriptions call this a laugh out loud story. I didn't find myself laughing out loud, but I did enjoy the story very much. Violet and James are great characters, and I love that we got both of their POVs. It would be easy to demonise one of them without that extra insight.

I am a little bit annoyed that none of the subplots were completed, but maybe there'll be more books! I'd like to read more about this group of people. It's an interesting look at a very particular time period. And, of course, if I read more, I won't have to stop to look things up!

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.