I love books with flirty witty banter and Sally Britton really delivers in Sir Andrew and the Authoress! It also has some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, childhood friends to lovers, and forbidden romance with the brother’s best friend all wrapped into one. The characters are so fun and engaging, even the side characters. There’s a hint of danger with the historical uprisings of the time included in the background. It’s a sweet, slow burn romance to escape in as these clever combatants match wits and discover it’s more fun to verbally spar and make up than just spar.
Sir Andrew Wycomb is like part of the family. When his parents died, Andrew was immediately embraced by his best friend’s family and treated like a son. He’s teased and bantered with Josephine since she was little. In the last few years though, he’s noticed she’s blossomed into a beautiful woman. Troubled by his growing attraction, he tries to suppress his feelings by constantly telling himself that she’s his best friend’s sister. However when he discovers her secret and another suitor appears on the scene, he begins to question if he could let her go.
Lady Josephine Montfort or Josie at first sees Andrew as an annoying older brother. She enjoys their verbal battles and looks forward to his company. However when all her confidents are unavailable and her hidden sanctuary where she secretly writes is discovered by Andrew, she decides to trust him with her secrets. She suddenly finds herself noticing the handsome Sir Andrew and thinking of him in more romantic terms.
I loved the friendly teasing, witty banter between Andrew and Josie. Their closeness during a rainstorm, him catching her in the hallway at night, those secluded moments in the castle tower, and of course the fountain pens were some of my favorite scenes. I loved Josie’s grandmother, the dowager duchess and the other Montfort siblings. I even liked Roman Eastwood and his brother. I’m excited to see what happens next in this series! All in all, a lovely swoony romance to lose yourself in. Though it’s the third book in the series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. Highly recommend to sweet regency romance fans. I received an advance copy from the author. All opinions are my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.