An Engagement with the Enemy Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Debutantes, debates, and disasters abound when two former enemies join forces to maintain their freedom. James Aldwick isn’t ready to settle down, but his father, Baron Retford, doesn’t give him a choice. The stigma of illegitimacy has haunted the baron his whole life, and it’s up to his son to reestablish their good name by marrying into a family with a perfect pedigree. A series of summer parties is the obvious course of action and the perfect opportunity to parade eligible ladies before the reluctant James.

Jessica Westcote, the only daughter of a gentleman, is the dearest friend of James’s sister. When an invitation to Amoret Castle’s long list of events arrives, Jessica accepts to spend time with her friend, not the infuriating James. Even if she does enjoy their spats. But when her father announces that she must betroth herself before the end of summer, she has more in common with James than she likes.

James is certain his former foe won’t lay down arms long enough for a truce, even if it means they both avoid matrimony. Battle lines are drawn, but it isn’t long before those lines begin to blur. Are they friends or foes? Enemies or allies? As the end of summer approaches and James must make his choice, can Jessica trust long enough to imagine a future with him?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sally Britton is a wife, mother, and author who loves the world of romance, earned her BA in English in 2007, and reads voraciously. She started her writing journey at the tender age of fourteen on an electric typewriter, and she’s never looked back.

Sally lives in Oklahoma with her husband, four children, two Australian Shepherds, and a queenly cat. She loves researching, hiking, and reading YA Fantasy novels.

Follow Sally's adventures on Instagram and Facebook, and check out her website!

www.authorsallybritton.com

REVIEW

An Engagement with the Enemy shares the story of Jessica and James. Jessica is the best friend of James' sister, Catherine. Jessica and James are constantly at odds with each other. As both Jessica and James are being encouraged to find a spouse by their parents, they discover that they have more in common than they realized.

Sally Britton demonstrates her skills as an author from the witty dialogue to more combative dialogue between the characters including subtle barbs to outright arguments. Readers will enjoy seeing the characters change from enemies to lovers in this book. The author does a good job at shifting their relationship as the story progresses.  Along with the story, Sally delves into sharing how Jessica deals with anxiety. Jessica learns to deal with it as she opens up and shares with James. I love that the characters deal with multiple issues from scheming parents, to getting past childhood antics, dealing with their own issues, and more. The characters are layered with complexities. This is a character-driven novel that readers will find to be quite a page turner. This is a sweet, clean romance that would be appropriate for teens to adults. There is A Midsummer Night Dream reference in a scene that didn't seem to fit with the story since it wasn't a retelling, and I wasn't sure how or why it was there. Otherwise, I enjoyed the story and the relationship dynamic between the characters. This was a fun read, and I think Regency Romance readers will find it an enjoyable one to add to their collection. To learn more, click here.

Please note that I received a free copy of this book to review, however, this is my honest opinion. This post is in cooperation with the author. This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog.