Friends and Foes

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

EDEN, SARAH M.

FRIENDS AND FOES

After five years of tracking and capturing spies on English soil, Philip Jonquil, Earl of Lampton, is in pursuit of his last quarry. But at a traveler's inn, he encounters an unexpected and far more maddening foe: Sorrel Kendrick, a young lady who is strikingly pretty, shockingly outspoken, and entirely unimpressed with him. 

Indeed, Sorrel cannot believe the nerve of this gentleman, who rudely accuses her of theft and insults her feminine dignity. Doubly annoyed when they both end up at a party hosted by mutual friends, Philip and Sorrel privately declare war on one another. But Philip's tactics, which range from flirting to indifference, soon backfire as he finds himself reluctantly enjoying Sorrel's company; and, much to her dismay, Sorrel finds Philip's odd manner to be increasingly endearing. 

In the midst of this waning war and growing attraction, Philip catches the wind of the French spy he's been tracking, and Sorrel inadvertently stumbles upon a crucial piece of the puzzle, making her indispensable to the mission. But can two proud hearts negotiate a ceasefire when cooperation matters most?

My Review:

published in 2012

Excuse me while I iron out my toe curls and re-pouf my fainting couch. I'll be with you in a sec.

Philip!!! Or should I say Lord Lampton...I'm a bit untutored in the aristocracy lingo so I'll stick with first names. After all he is my one true love now...er, Sorrel's true love actually and I'm not even all that miffed because I've already set my sights on the next Jonquill brother. I'm bibliophile fickle like that. Madly in love with the hero until I open the next book. Though, of course, Philip will always hold a special place in my heart...along with the gajillion others crammed in there. :-)

So, we have a spy who lurks behind his foppish disguise in order to fight for king and country and the heroine who holds him in utmost distain because...well...their meet cute is anything but cute. It's rather adversarial actually. And it goes downhill from there. Sworn enemies until they discover they enjoy sparring and sniping and goading each other. This is is one twisty, turny romance that packs an emotional wallop. Because...well, I can't really tell you why but it has to do with Sorrel. She gutted me. I was outraged and horrified and so in awe of her courage and fortitude.

And now we come to one of my favourite things about Regencies -- the banter. Philip and Sorrel engage in verbal swordplay like no other. Cutting edge and then some. But Eden delivers even more with the cleverness in her dialogue. The way they talk at cross purposes and muddy the waters so delightfully. Sublimely frustrating and funny and even laugh-out-loudable at times!

Throw in a mystery with more than a hint of danger and this swoonalicious Regency Romance has become one of my favourites. I don't know why I waited so long to get started on the Jonquill Brothers series but I aim to catch up fast. 

(I listened to audible edition of Friends and Foes. Luone Ingram's narration is the perfect match for Sarah M. Eden's storytelling. Hope she is the narrator for the rest of the series!)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is available in paperback or ebook format -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Friends and Foes, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winners announced on Saturday June 5 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!