To Love and to Loathe: A Novel

Oh my gosh! This book, with all it’s originality in a genre that can be repetitive at times, was absolutely wonderful! I adore a friends-to-lovers trope so I was instantly interested in this one after reading the blurb. There is no way I could have known how unique this story was going to be. With a hero and heroine that didn’t hesitate to say what was on their minds to each other. I was gobbling up the banter between them as fast as I could. Once Diana had been married and soon widowed, she really came into herself. She embraced the freedom her place in society gave her and along with it came the opportunity to accept a scandalous proposition. Gah! I love scandalous propositions! And I loved Diana. She was bold and feisty, never hesitating to speak her opinion. She was exactly what Jeremy needed. I struggled just a tad with Jeremy’s reason for the proposition. Afterall, here’s a man who has been horn-dogging around for years and the premise didn’t feel authentic for either him or Diana. However, I’m a lenient reader and I pushed that aside and had no trouble at all embracing everything else about these characters and the plot. With secondary characters that I became just as invested in as Jeremy and Diana, I was pulled completely into the story. The laugh out loud moments were frequent, the chemistry believable and absolutely sizzled when this hero and heroine were alone together, and the ending absolutely perfect. This is my second book by this author and I’m finding her writing to be fresh and original. These are not your typical historical romances. With characters that feel very modern in their behavior and beliefs, they, nonetheless, still fit very well in the historical setting where they’ve been created giving this a new, edgy feel. I love it!

Jeremy and Diana have known each other since they were children, and they've been bickering almost as long. She's a young widow, determined never to remarry, and he's as averse to the institution as she is. But they can't deny that, for as much as they loathe each other, there's a powerful attraction between them. For the duration of a house party, they agree to become lovers—yet all the while, she goads him to court an innocent young lady and set up his nursery. But does her ploy work too well? What happens when the feelings between them grow? This is a witty, exuberant, joyful story. I loved the banter between Diana and Jeremy, and their constant attempts to one-up each other. But of course they're both battling demons from their past and driven to hide their true feelings. It was poignant to see how they were able to finally become vulnerable with each other and provide a soft landing. Their HEA was well-earned and perfect for the story. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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