Marvelous: A Novel by Molly Greeley

To Marry and to Meddle 

Title:  To Marry and to Meddle
Author: Martha Waters
Series: The Regency Vows, book 3
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre:  Romance 
Format:  Kindle
No. of Pages: 333
Date of Publication:  5 April, 2022
My Rating:  5 Stars

My Thoughts

I began this title, unaware that it is book three of the series, ……. Having not read the other two novels, I found myself a bit lost from time to time but not to the point where it impeded my enjoyment of this one. 

Since I haven’t read either of the other titles in this series, I can’t say if it’s my favorite, but I can say that I absolutely loved this novel. Charming, sweet, and wonderfully decadent romance, I liken this to a chocolate mousse and raspberry Chambord cake, rich and sweet, all at once. 

A couple of the many things appreciated about this novel. 

1) how consent is a part of intimacy, 

2) how the concept of loss of virginity without pain is presented (this is such an important bit of awareness for young people, to know that penetrative vaginal sex for someone born female doesn’t have to result in pain and/or bleeding for that first time).

I really and truly enjoyed this and I can’t wait to read more of the author’s work. 

Definite recommendation!

eARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.

Description

The “sweet, sexy, and utterly fun” (Emily Henry, author of People We Meet on Vacation) Regency Vows series continues with a witty, charming, and joyful novel following a seasoned debutante and a rakish theater owner as they navigate a complicated marriage of convenience.

Lady Emily Turner has been a debutante for six seasons now and should have long settled into a suitable marriage. However, due to her father’s large debts, her only suitor is the persistent and odious owner of her father’s favorite gambling house. Meanwhile, Lord Julian Belfry, the second son of a marquess, has scandalized society as an actor and owner of a theater—the kind of establishment where men take their mistresses, but not their wives. When their lives intersect at a house party, Lord Julian hatches a plan to benefit them both.

With a marriage of convenience, Emily will use her society connections to promote the theater to a more respectable clientele and Julian will take her out from under the shadows of her father’s unsavory associates. But they soon realize they have very different plans for their marriage—Julian wants Emily to remain a society wife, while Emily discovers an interest in the theater. But when a fleeing actress, murderous kitten, and meddlesome friends enter the fray, Emily and Julian will have to confront the fact that their marriage of convenience comes with rather inconvenient feelings.

With “an arch sense of humor and a marvelously witty voice that rivals the best of the Regency authors” (Entertainment Weekly), Martha Waters crafts another fresh romantic comedy that for fans of Julia Quinn and Evie Dunmore.