To Have and to Hoax

A Novel

By: Martha Waters

Narrated by: Anais Inara Chase, Joel Froomkin

“A laugh out loud Regency romp—if you loved the Bridgertons, you’ll adore To Have and to Hoax!” —Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author

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.

Critic reviews

"Narrators Anais Chase and Joel Froomkin enliven a prank-riddled historical romance with snarky energy that listeners will enjoy. Violet and James have been married for five years, four of them spent apart after a fight that resulted in an estranged relationship. But now their feelings have changed, and they fake injuries, illnesses, and affairs in order to get each other's attention and fall in love all over again. Chase is the star of this performance as she provides a variety of identifiable characters and a soft tone that conveys emotions across the spectrum. Froomkin offers a strong masculine counterpoint that highlights both the haughtiness of the upper crust and the more vulnerable emotions of other characters."

Narration was Laughable

While the story was ok and the banter was good I chortled when the male narration first started. It felt overly affected.

Lovely change from other Regency Romances

I thought in terms of writing, this novel was middling; however, I the story was fresh and interesting. The characters where nuanced and drove the plot to satisfying conclusions. I thought the male narrator was insufferably posh - which fit with the setting and character - but was grating to my modern ear. Overall a worthwhile read.

Good writing, hated the trope, fabulous female narrator, male was annoying.

Title sums it up 😅. The writing convinced me to finish even though I personally hate petty conflict. Hoping the other pairings in the series will be less infuriating in this way. We shall see.

Anaïs Inara Chase was great. Joel Froomkin, less so.

I’m afraid the theatrical narration for James Audley took a lot away from my enjoyment of the story. He used sweeping, dramatic voices for every interaction and it was quite distracting. I felt like I was listening to a Dudley Do-Right cartoon.
The plot itself went on too long, but was generally well written, so I’ll give the next book a shot.

Not a hoax of a story

I really enjoyed this story. It is well written. You know the H & h love each other and the fun parts of the story are how their shenanigans bring them back to realizing it. The story addresses many common themes that can stress a marriage. Yes the characters act immature and foolish but they are young and had poor roll models when it comes to how to treat someone you love. Don't we often act our worse around those we are closest to? Also, after living with someone, you know their weaknesses and just where to strike. This is a universal theme set in Regency England. The author knows the history, hierarchy and language of this time period. I am hoping she will make this a series revealing some of the other characters stories. I have found a new author, to me, and hope to read more of her work.