TO WOO AND TO WED

Published February 6, 2024 by Atria Books (US) / Headline Eternal (UK)

The final installment in the “hilarious and steamy” (PopSugar) Regency Vows series follows the heir to a dukedom and a young widow, once very much in love, as they reunite years later to fake an engagement for the benefit of her sister.

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.

PRAISE FOR TO WOO AND TO WED

"Waters’ magically whimsical pen dots their romance with just the right amount of sentiment, the yearning oozing off the page….The novel is a heartfelt testament to family, loyal friendships, and the hijinks of courtship. In some ways, this is Waters’ most emotional story because she’s been building to it for so long. The weight of the loss of the intervening years is potent, but it only makes the love story that much more enchanting. We wish this series didn’t have to end, but since it does, we couldn’t imagine a better happily-ever-after for Waters’ first series.”
—Entertainment Weekly, grade: A

“Longtime fans and new readers alike will be completely smitten as Waters (To Swoon and To Spar, 2023) brings her Regency Vows series to a glorious conclusion with a resplendently romantic tale that brilliantly showcases her delightfully wicked wit, buoyant prose, and exceptional gift for crafting exquisitely engaging characters.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Martha Waters’ fifth and final Regency Vows romance, To Woo and to Wed, ends the series on a high note. In this second-chance romance, Waters once again brings us into a world full of heat and charm, where love matches are plentiful and happily ever afters are guaranteed… To Woo and to Wed is a perfect ending to the Regency Vows series, solidifying its status as one of the most entertaining historical romance series on shelves today.”
—BookPage

“[E]ffervescent… Sophie is a refreshingly candid protagonist, whose ability to stand up to the duke is evenly matched with the care and concern she has for her sisters. Waters’s fans will be sad to see this series end but deeply satisfied by this fetching finale.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Waters’s ‘Regency Vows’ series ends the way it started, with humorous escapades and passionate interludes. Readers can start with this title but will get a bigger payoff by beginning with To Have and To Hoax and tearing through the whole series.”
—Library Journal

“Waters concludes her heralded Regency Vows series with the most delightful and emotionally angst-ridden installment yet. Like the couple in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the heartbroken bachelor Lord Weston and the widowed Lady Fitzwilliam Bridewell have been separated by circumstance, but not lust, for seven years. Waters’s books always give the reader consummate root-worthy characters of whom one can simply not get enough, which makes the appearances here of the beloved couples from the earlier books so satisfying, but Weston and Sophie are the most winning of them all. Equal parts scintillating romance and hilarious comedy, To Woo and to Wed is the very mix to win over readers’ hearts everywhere.”
—Natalie Jenner, USA Today bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society

"Martha Waters has done it again with this perfect finale to one of my all-time favourite historical romance series. To Woo and to Wed delights with its clever drollery alongside its sizzling heat. With her usual effortless wit and charm, Waters gives her fans the beautiful love story we've been dreaming of for West and Sophie. Forget five stars - this is a whole dazzling constellation's worth of stars, lighting up the reader's heart.”
—India Holton, international bestselling author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

"Perfect for Jane Austen fans! To Woo and to Wed brims with wit and warmth, plus an essential note of bittersweetness that makes this second-chance romance shine. West and Sophie's long-awaited HEA is an exquisite ending to a beloved series."
—Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate

“Martha Waters remains the queen of the historical romcom! To Woo and to Wed has it all: fake engagement, pining, second chances, pining, wit, charm, heat, and did I mention pining? West and Sophie's story gives this series the perfect happy ending.”
—Jen DeLuca, USA Today bestselling author of Well Matched

"To Woo and to Wed is the perfect conclusion to a series I love with all my heart for its deeply swoony romance and fun, supportive friendships that make you wish you were right there in the ballroom with them. This book has everything: Angst, yearning, second chance with a thorny history, Regency-style fake dating, pretending not to have feelings when everyone can see they were made for each other, a villain I want to punch, and "I will never marry you." What begins as a ruse turns into an emotional reckoning; Sophie and West overcoming their past to allow for the possibility of a future is delightful and satisfying. All of the stars, as always, for the witty Martha Waters."
—Sarah Hogle, author of Just Like Magic

"With her trademark witty voice and fresh take on the Regency era, with To Woo and to Wed Waters once again gives readers a delightful confection of a novel. Martha Waters books have taken up permanent residence on my keeper shelf.”
—Manda Collins, author of A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem

“To Woo and to Wed is the perfect conclusion to a perfect series. Martha Waters writes crackling dialogue that’s genuinely funny while giving Sophie and West their long-awaited happily ever after. I’m sad this series is over but I can’t wait to see what Waters writes next!”
—Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks