To Marry and to Meddle

Lady Emily Turner enters a marriage of convenience with Lord Julian Belfry, the owner of a theater in Regency-era London. Their arrangement promises to free Emily from her parents' control while providing Julian with social connections to help legitimize his business ventures. The unlikely pair must navigate London society together while maintaining the appearance of a proper marriage. Their different backgrounds - Emily's conservative upbringing and Julian's theatrical world - create complications as they attempt to merge their separate lives. Both Emily and Julian carry personal struggles that impact their arrangement, from family expectations to professional aspirations. Their partnership forces them to confront these challenges while learning to work as a team. The novel explores themes of authenticity versus social performance, and questions whether real intimacy can grow from pragmatic beginnings. Through the central relationship, Waters examines how Victorian social constraints affected both men and women's ability to pursue their true desires.

Readers rate this historical romance as a light, low-conflict story that prioritizes banter and friendship over drama. The book has an average 3.8/5 rating on Goodreads (11,000+ ratings) and 4.2/5 on Amazon (500+ ratings). Readers praised: - The witty dialogue between leads - The marriage-of-convenience trope execution - Character growth throughout the story - The theater setting and period details - The lack of manufactured conflict Common criticisms: - Plot moves too slowly - Not enough romantic tension - Too much focus on theater business details - Less compelling than previous books in the series - Characters seem modern in their attitudes Multiple reviewers noted the book works well as a "palette cleanser" between more intense reads. Several highlighted that while the story is sweet, it lacks the emotional depth of Waters' other works. Readers frequently mentioned enjoying the friendship dynamics more than the central romance.

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin A Regency-era woman pursues a strategic marriage to save her family while navigating London society's rules and expectations.

The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews Two strangers enter a marriage of convenience in Victorian England and discover truths about each other's pasts while living in a Gothic estate.

A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Caña A chef and a whiskey distiller agree to fake an engagement to please their meddling families while pursuing their separate business goals.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe A newspaper owner strikes a deal with a duke for marriage, combining their social positions for mutual benefit in Gilded Age New York.

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian A duchess and a blackmailer form an alliance through marriage after committing crimes together in Georgian London.

🌟 This novel is part of Martha Waters' Regency Vows series, which follows different couples in London's high society during the Regency era. 📚 The book features a marriage of convenience between a proper vicar's daughter and a scandalous theater owner—a pairing that would have been especially shocking in Regency society. 🎭 Theater ownership during the Regency period (1811-1820) was highly regulated, with only three "patent theaters" in London legally allowed to perform spoken drama: Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and the Haymarket. 👗 The novel's attention to period-accurate social customs reflects Waters' background as a librarian and her extensive research into the Regency era. 💌 The book was published in 2022 as the third installment in the series, following "To Have and to Hoax" and "To Love and to Loathe."