I haven’t gotten this sucked into a book in a while! I have been a huge consumer of true crime for years now, so this book was right up my alley. It’s a unique blend of true crime and fiction that I have never encountered before. The author wrote about Ted Bundy, but only refers to him as “The Defendant”. In doing so, she is stripping him of his power. Everyone knows who Ted Bundy is. But do we know his victims? This story follows two women. One a witness of the Chi Omega sorority murders, and one a (fictionalized) victim herself. The author weaves actual facts into the story by keeping places, times, and even quotes the same. All she changes is the names of some of the victims. I absolutely loved this. I loved how the author put such an emphasis on the women involved in the case and made it very clear that she hated the media’s portrayal of him as an attractive, bright, young man. The only thing I was a little confused about is why she kept some of the victims names the same and changed others. Why not just change them all? I have seen some criticize the fact that this was too closely based on a real case and that the author should have just created a fictional crime to write about. I actually liked that the book was somewhat factual because it brought to light what actually happened. I can totally see why some people would not like that, though.

The book was interesting, but it was all over the place. I found myself forgetting what I was reading about because there are so many storylines and topics being covered in one book. This book could have easily been 10 books wrapped into one. I really enjoyed the historical aspects of the book and reading about some of the characters backstories, but I was uninterested in the present story. There was just too much going on.

I have loved reading regency era novels since being introduced to Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. I love that authors are still writing about that era today! To Love and To Loathe did not disappoint. Martha Waters wrote a beautiful story of two people very unlikely to fall in love. Diana, or Lady Templeton, is a widowed woman who has no interest in taking another husband. She has all the money she needs and is more interested in the possibility of taking a lover. Marquess Jeremy Willingham is also uninterested in getting married, but he is being pressured by his grandmother to take a wife and produce heirs. Willingham is a notorious womanizer, but has recently learned that one of his mistresses was not pleased with his performance. Willingham goes to Diana, knowing that she would not see anything more to this, to ask her to critique him. They start to have a purely educational liaison, but of course, complications arise.
I thought that this story was well written, beautifully executed, and quite salacious. If you love reading classic novels but are looking for something a little more risqué, this book is for you!!