Summary: Friends & Foes (The Jonquil Brothers #1) by Sarah M. Eden
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 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?
(from Goodreads)
Book Review of Friends & Foes
Philip Jonquil, Earl of
Lambton goes to his friend’s estate for Christmas while at the same time
working for the Foreign Office to catch one of Napoleon’s most dangerous spies.
On the way there he meets Sorrel Kendrick, the infuriatingly stubborn and
opinionated lady who challenges
him. They agree to be enemies, only it seems exhausting
to keep up the animosity.
Friends & Foes is the first book in The Jonquil Brothers series by Sarah M. Eden published by Covenant Communications. The setting is 1814
when England fears French invasion by Napoleon. We follow Philip Jonquil, Earl
of Lambton, as he works for the Foreign Office. Under cover of spending Christmas
at his friend’s estate in Suffolk, he is really on a hunt for the dangerous
Napoleonic spy Le Fountaine. While on the spy’s trail, he meets stubborn and
opinionated Sorrel Kendrick. She dislikes him from the very beginning, while he has his secret
reasons for pretending to be the dandy she dislikes so much. They get off to a spectacularly bad start, but unexpectedly
she manages to help him with his spy catching operation.
Main character Philip Jonquil, Earl of Lambton does his best to help his younger brothers and I think it speaks volumes of what kind of person he is. He is impressive and my absolute favorite.
Secondary character Sorrel Kendrick has been trampled by a
horse and lives in constant pain from the injuries. She tries to hide her vulnerabilities
and tries to build armor around herself. I felt so sorry for her, but was
pleased to see she managed to respond differently and open up more.
Sarah M. Edenhas a signature light hearted,
bantering and humorous writing. I love that by following her great writing I
learn new expressions in the English language I have not heard in a long time, -or
ever. The dialogue feels like the perfect mix between funny, bantering and
serious conversations.
I cannot remember having
read anything similar to the plot of Friends & Foes as it is dealing with consequences of being trampled by a horse. It felt very
hard to read.
My favorite part of the story was the romance developing
between Sorrel and Philip. There was mutual animosity from the start. As they
got to know each other better, trust and closeness increased and the
romance got room to develop. I thoroughly enjoy the way Sarah M. Eden writes these
scenes and I don’t know of any other author who creates romance quite like
this.
Research of the devastating consequences of being trampled by
a horse I found both impressive and very, very sad. Great research of how spies
operated in England during the Napoleonic wars shone through.
Friends & Foes was superb entertainment owing to the combination of an interesting plot, great
character building, great dialogue, and vivid writing. Drops of Gold (The Jonquil Brothers #2) is already on my Kindle and I so
much look forward to starting it.
Fans of Sarah M. Edenwill love Friends & Foes; as will readers of historical romance fiction.
If you want to explore similar books, you might like to check out the works of Julianne Donaldson or Josi S. Kilpack.
All opinions in
this review are completely my own.
My rating: 5 stars
/ 5
Main reasons: interesting plot, great character building, super dialogue, and vivid writing
Get your copy here:
Book Details: (from Amazon)
Print Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications; 1st edition (January 6, 2012)
Publication Date: January 6, 2012
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
About The Author
Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today bestselling author of multiple historical romances, including AML's "2013 Novel of the Year" and Foreword Review's 2013 "IndieFab Book of the Year" gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, and the Whitney Award's "2014 Novel of the Year," Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski (from Amazon)
Visit Author's web page: https://www.sarahmeden.com/
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