A witty, subversive Regency Romance for fans of Jane Austen variations and slow burn Sapphic love.
In a parallel Regency England where the drawing rooms and ballrooms remain, but the lives lived within them take a different course, Pretence & Pretentiousness asks: what if Jane Austen’s characters followed the true dictates of their hearts?
Jane Dudley, a rector’s daughter navigating a society she finds increasingly absurd, desires not a husband but autonomy. She dreams of a life “unwed, unrepentant, and, above all, myself.” Everything changes when she meets a brilliant and guarded author whose presence stirs something Jane has never dared to name.
Their bond—rooted in shared stories, stolen glances, and the quiet thrill of being truly seen—deepens into a romance that must remain hidden from polite society. As affection grows into devotion, the two women must choose whether their love can withstand a world that forbids it—or allow them to write a life no woman has dared to imagine. A tender tribute to the courage of being “perfectly understood,” this novel celebrates love as the most transformative act of authorship.
