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Waters’s “Regency Vows” series ends the way it started, with humorous escapades and passionate interludes. Readers can start with this title but will get a bigger payoff by beginning with To Have and To Hoax and tearing through the whole series.
The fake-haunting plot sounds like gothic romance, but Waters’s latest “Regency Vows” novel (which follows To Marry and To Meddle) is a romantic comedy through and through. Although the chemistry between Jane and Penvale lacks a certain spark, readers will still be pleased that Jane ultimately decides to make room for Penvale in both Trethwick Abbey and her heart.
Despite the premise, this is a decidedly slow-burn romance, with much of the story spent on Diana plotting to throw party guest Lady Helen at Jeremy in an attempt at misdirection and to win a bet. The lovely moments between Diana and Jeremy as they explore their growing attraction do not stand up to the book’s troubling treatment of the character of Lady Helen.
Waters excels at pitting Diana and Jeremy against each other with clever dialogue and comical situations to ensure a lively and steamy rivals-to-romance story. Readers of To Have and To Hoax will enjoy the return of Violet and Audley as supporting characters. A worthy addition to the trend for historical romantic comedies and highly recommended for fans of Evie Dunmore and Elizabeth Everett.
Debuter Waters is off to a promising start with a rare historical romantic comedy that is sure to delight fans of either genre. [Previewed in Eve Stano’s Romance Preview, “Love for All,” LJ 10/19.]