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Title: To Marry and to Meddle
Author: Martha Waters
Sub-genre: Historical
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Alright friends, you all know that I don’t read a ton of historical romance, but when I find an author I really love, I read their work religiously. I fell in love with Martha’s books basically the moment I started To Have and to Hoax and have been a fan ever since. I just love her voice and her bananas plots and her delightful characters, and I was so excited for this latest installment because I already know and love the leads and it did not disappoint!
Julian, as we know, is the owner of a somewhat bawdy theater. A second son, he basically told his father, I do what I want and has since been mostly estranged from his family. He wants to make his theater more accessible to the fancy pants scene, not so much because he needs them or their money, but because he wants his dad to respect him. He thinks by marring a respectable lady, he’ll be well on his way. Enter Emily, whose prim and proper behavior have shielded even her problematic family from causing a scandal. Her parents are about to marry her off to a man she can’t stand, so when Julian proposes a marriage of convenience, of course she takes him up on his offer. And we all know what happens from there. The two fall in love all while bungling things and being adorably clueless. But in the end, they figure it out and live happily ever after.
One thing I love about romance series is when you get to the later books and you already know the characters going in. A lot of times the last book in a series is my favorite because I’m so ready for the characters to get their HEA. I definitely felt that with these two, but I also really enjoyed getting to know them on a deeper level. Probably my favorite thing about this book was the backdrop of Julian’s theater. I loved watching him work and watching Emily find her place as a member of the theater company. I am always going to be here for any romance set in the theater landscape and this one was a lot of fun. The basic elements of what makes Martha’s books great–the banter, the wit, the characters–was all there, but with the added bonus of one of my favorite settings, and the chance to check in with some faves from the past. It was a joy of a read from start to finish.
Overall Rating: 5 stars