Book Review: Friends and Foes

Title: Friends and Foes
Author: Sarah M. Eden
Series: The Jonquil Brothers
Genre: Romance/Regency/Historical Fiction
Goodreads rating: 4.11
My rating: 4.75

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?

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Ah, Philip!  This book is definitely my favorite of all of Eden's books.  I just love the dandified character that Philip plays.  There's definitely a Scarlet Pimpernel vibe going on in this book.  Philip plays the fool in order to fool all those around him.  He is a spy and in order to throw off any suspicion he creates this completely ridiculous version of himself that no one can take seriously.  But behind all that outer silliness there is a very perceptive and very caring Earl who wants nothing more than to see all his brothers happy.  

I also really like Sorrel.  From the very beginning you know that she and Philip are perfect for each other and can't wait for them to figure that out themselves.  For me, it is nice to occasionally come across characters who aren't perfectly proper and perfectly sweet and perfectly docile.  It makes them more relatable and more interesting.  

So here's the lineup for this series:

Friends and Foes(Philip Jonquil, oldest brother)
Drops of Gold(Layton Jonquil, second oldest brother)
As You Are(Corbin Jonquil, one of the twins)
A Fine Gentelman(Jason Jonquil, the other twin) set to be re-released sometime in the near future

Also I would be remiss if I didn't mention The Kiss of a Stranger.  While not part of The Jonquil Brother series it would be a wise decision to read this one beforehand.  Chronologically this book falls before Friends and Foes and is about Philip's best friend Crispin.  Philip makes his first appearance in this book and Crispin is also in Friends and Foes and while understanding who they are in the books that aren't respectively their's isn't necessary I feel it makes for better reading and quicker understanding.