Publication Date: January 13, 2026
Mean Girls meets Northanger Abbey in this sharp and sexy Regency Romance that begs the question: what if Cady and Regina just… kissed?
When Catherine Pine relocates to Bath in 1817, she comes face-to-face with her mother’s arch nemesis and her daughter—the wildly popular Lady Rosalie. Twenty-five years after a horrible betrayal, Catherine’s mother sees the perfect opportunity for revenge: Catherine must win the favor of Lady Rosalie’s suitor and unofficial betrothed, the most eligible Mr. Dean.
Only Catherine soon discovers that Lady Rosalie is by far the wittiest, cleverest, most intriguing young woman Catherine’s ever met, and she’s instantly smitten. Which is a problem.
Meanwhile, Lady Rosalie feels trapped in her relationship with Mr. Dean and in her role as Bath’s resident mean girl. But when she notices newcomer Catherine gunning for her spot as queen bee, Rosalie finally feels a spark again–something she absolutely doesn’t want to extinguish.
As Rosalie and Catherine circle Mr. Dean, and their mothers force them into increasingly absurd contests of wit and feminine charms, the two women somehow find themselves falling for each other, scheme, by barb, by catty jab…
Is it possible that their sizzling rivalry can become a match to last?
In this delicious sapphic Regency romance, two beautiful debutantes become pawns in a revenge game of matchmaking that instead puts them in Cupid’s crosshairs in Like in Love with You by Emma R. Alban.
Cathrine Pine relocates to Bath, England, in 1817 with her mother and father and is soon introduced to society at a local dance. When her mother sees her archenemy from twenty-five years ago at the ball, she enlists Catherine’s help to sabotage Lady Tisend’s plan to marry her daughter, Lady Rosalie, to the handsome and eligible Mr. Dean. At first, Catherine has no interest until she notices that Rosalie is the head mean girl in charge, or it so it appears, and decides to stick a pin in Rosalie’s maddening—and gorgeous—self-assurance. Equally intrigued by Miss Pine, Lady Rosalie decides she will find “the perfect match” for the tall, lithe, and ravishing rival who somehow procures Mr. Dean’s first dance.
Soon, Catherine and Rosalie are circling each other with measured glances and curious stares at each event their mothers anxiously arrange—Mrs. Pine to ensure that Mr. Dean becomes Catherine’s new beau, and Lady Tisend to ensure that Rosalie’s long and unofficial engagement with Mr. Dean comes to fruition. Alban uses this “double rivalry” to pronounced effect as she deepens the mystery around Mrs. Pine’s animosity toward Lady Tisend, one which both daughters seek to understand. But whether they are promenading, boating, setting up painting competitions, or shopping for the most beautiful gowns, Catherine is less interested in attracting the dull and vapid Mr. Dean than she is in spending time near Rosalie. And the feeling is mutual.
Alban writes a searing page-turner, even for readers not typically drawn to romance (like this reviewer). With self-conscious nods to Jane Austen, the matchmaking merry-go-round is an enchanting and hilarious one, as Rosalie and Catherine circle each other and shoot breathtaking glances at each other. The sexual and romantic tension builds through subtle, exquisite prose. When Catherine and Rosalie finally expose their true feelings, the fire is hot enough to melt the iron cage of society’s expectations of young women.
The story’s ancillary characters are quirky and delightful in their own ways, especially Rosalie’s closest friends, Amalie and Henrietta, who also take to Catherine’s charming personality. The male characters, aside from Rosalie’s knowing brother, Christopher, are mostly inconsequential, which is what a sapphic romance requires. The only thing marring the Regency vibe are a few lapses into anachronistic phrases and words, but younger readers will not notice that people did not say “screw it” or “her hot niece” in early nineteenth-century England.
As Catherine and Rosalie fight for each other—with the help of some friends—the denouement comes as a lovely surprise, one which readers will savor.
Smart, sassy, and fearless, Like in Love with You is the feel-good lesbian Regency romance we have all been waiting for. Bridgerton, beware!
Emma R. Alban is a USA Today bestselling author and screenwriter. Raised in the Hudson Valley, she now lives in Los Angeles, enjoying the eternal sunshine, ocean, and mountains. When she isn’t writing books or screenplays, she can usually be found stress baking with the AC on full blast, skiing late into the spring, singing showtunes at the top of her lungs on the freeway, and reading anywhere there’s somewhere to lean. She is the author of Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend and You’re the Problem, It’s You.
