It was Lady Violet Grey’s first Season in London, to be presented to the eligible bachelors to try to find a match. And it was not long at all before Lord Willingham escorted her to a secluded balcony. Violet was not stupid, but she was curious, so she agreed to go with him. They were interrupted by Lord James Audley, who berated Lord Willingham for bringing the respectable young lady so far from the crowd. Lord Willingham left them, and Violet found herself flirting with Lord James. She found it quite charming.
And then her mother interrupted them.
Lord James had no choice but to announce his intention to propose. It was the only way to save the lady’s reputation. Plus, he’d had more fun in the last ten minutes than he had the entire Season. So he married Violet, and their first year together was blissful, as marriage should be. And then they had an argument that led to four years of anger, resentment, and coldness.
In those dark years, Lord James had spent a great deal of time in the country, at the family stables. The stables had been a wedding gift from his father, and James was trying to make them successful. But when he gets bucked off of an angry horse, and one of his buddies writes a letter to Violet back at home, her concern for him is immediate and crushing. She prepares to head to the country house.
However, on her way there, while she is stopped to give the horses a rest, she encounters her husband and his friends as they were headed to London. She notices immediately that he is not in his death bed, as she had been led to believe, and is both greatly relieved and angry at his thoughtlessness. James was apologetic, as he had known that she had gotten a letter about his accident and he had not thought to send another one explaining that his injuries were not as bad as they had first thought. But that was not enough for Violet, who turned around and went back to London.
When James returns home, Violet decides to teach him a lesson by making him think that there is something wrong with her health. James suspects almost immediately that she is deceiving him, but he goes along with it. And as they spend time together, arguing and trying to sort out the truth from the lies, they both have to admit that they are quite enjoying spending time together again.
But James’s horse riding accident and Violet’s fake illness aside, there are still issues in the marriage that have kept them apart for four years. Will sorting out these latest lies help them to face the argument that had divided them all those years ago, or will it be what tears them apart forever?
To Have and To Hoax is a fun romance set in Regency England, with hints of Jane Austen and more than a little bit of screwball comedy. These characters clearly care deeply for each other but they also have a lot of pride and stubbornness, creating challenges to their relationship and many humorous moments.
I listened to To Have and To Hoax on audio book, and the two narrators added fun and texture to the story. Anais Inara Chase read the chapters told from Violet’s perspective, and Joel Froomkin read for Lord James. I especially enjoyed Chase’s performance of Violet, and I thought that they both did a good job in the conversations between James and Violet, no matter which perspective we were getting the conversation from.
I wanted to love this book, but I thought it was a little slow in places. The chemistry between Violet and James just burst off the page (and in my earbuds), but when they were apart, it felt like the scenes slowed down. Their friends and family were just as engaging as characters, so I struggled more to keep reading through those times. But when they were together, everything was electric and I didn’t want to stop listening. So it’s a little uneven, but overall it’s worth the ride.
Egalleys for To Have and To Hoax were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audio book myself through Audible.
