To Have and to Hoax
Book Feature - To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters
HBL Note: I love that I happened to choose two books to feature this week that both have to do with couples not talking to each other. They fell next to each other purely by coincidence, I’m not hinting at what life is like with my husband and I both working from home. The whole not talking to each other bit is the only thing To Have and to Hoax has in common with The Silent Treatment. If you were intrigued by the premise of The Silent Treatment but wanted something a bit more lighthearted for these uncertain times (I had to squeeze in that phrase…we’re hearing it everywhere!) then look no further than To Have and To Hoax. Scroll down to read more.
From the publisher:
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.