Book Review: “To Woo and to Wed” (The Regency Vows #5) by Martha Waters

“To Woo and to Wed” (The Regency Vows #5) by Martha Waters (2024)

Genre: 334 pages (electronic review edition)

Page Length: Historical, Romance, Fiction

Synopsis:

West, the Marquess of Weston, and Sophie, Lady Fitzwilliam Bridewell, have lately been spending a considerable amount of time together. But West and Sophie are not new acquaintances. In fact, years ago, they had once been nearly engaged until West’s almost fatal curricle accident and his meddling father threw them off course.

Now recently widowed, Sophie has put aside all thoughts of romance. But when her widowed sister, Alexandra, mentions a fondness for an earl, Sophie realizes that she may be holding her sister back. Alexandra won’t move forward with an engagement until Sophie, too, settles down again, and so Sophie approaches West with a plan. They will announce their engagement and break things off once Alexandra is happily married. It’ll be simple. After all, it’s not like she is going to fall for West a second time, not when Sophie has sworn not to risk her heart again.

Review:

I’m sad to see this series end with this final installment, but To Woo and To Wed felt like a solid ending to the Regency Vows series. This novel funny and lighthearted like the rest of the series and navigating through Sophie and West’s love story was anything but entertaining! What I enjoy abut this series is a regency romance that’s got a slightly modern sensibility that can appeal to new readers of this sub-romance genre. It feels less stuffy than some of the other more traditional Regency romances I’ve read in the past and the characters are not afraid to poke fun at themselves.

Sophie and West end up in a scheme of a “fake romance” much like the other novels and this book explores their long and complicated history with each other. Readers get to view snippet of the past as flashback to the couple’s younger years and what led up to their falling out and current day strained relationship. It’s blatantly obvious to us that the two very much care for each other (romance trope formulas!) but it’s the journey of how they start to rekindle their relationship. They have to navigate through a lot of difficult feelings that they’ve been struggling with, grief of a shared friend, and also the obstacles that have kept them apart. It was so satisfying that Waters, took the time for the characters to develop and work through issues rather jumping into a insta-love situation.

What I enjoy the most about these books is the dialogue and the lively personalities of the characters. Everyone feels fully fleshed out and the setting is immersive sending the readers to the time of lavish gowns, handsome waistcoats, and gorgeous balls. The humor and witty banter kept me locked into the story and laughing all of the way! This is a great series if you’re looking for a fun and lighthearted read. I recommend reading the novels in order to get the full reading experience. I look forward to reading more from Waters in the future.

Final Verdict: