I'm afraid these are all very UK/RAF-centric, but on the plus side they're freely available PhD thesis.

Paul Kelly's [Biplane to Monoplane: Twenty Years of Technological Development in British Fighter Aircraft, 1919-1939] (https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/9748) is a good start, if you don't mind the specific focus, covering the shift from wood and canvas biplanes to metal monoplanes via e.g. the racing seaplanes that competed for the Schneider Trophy, culminating in the Spitfire and Hurricane.

Colin Sinnott's [RAF Operational Requirements 1923-1939] (https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/raf-operational-requirements-19231939(efdd2957-e226-4edf-cfc-65a4483ce340).html) (published as The RAF and Aircraft Design: Air Staff Operational Requirements 1923-1939) covers both fighters and bombers, focusing on the requirements and specifications issued by the Air Ministry for inter-war aircraft. It's a bit dense, I'm not sure how easy it would be as a starting point, but it's a good view of how the RAF tried to keep up with the rapidly changing technological and political situation.

Not so much about actual inter-war aircraft, more the idea of aircraft, Brett Holman's [The Next War in the Air: Civilian Fears of Strategic Bombardment in Britain, 1908-1941] (https://airminded.org/thesis/) (published as The Next War in the Air: Britain's Fear of the Bomber, 1908-1941) is a fascinating look, in particular, at one of the major fears in the specified period: the Knock-Out Blow, the ability of an air force to strike an annihilating blow with no possibility of defence.

Not really "in a time of peace", but I strongly recommend Chaz Bowyer's "RAF Operations 1918-1938". It's an excellent overview of the use of aircraft in "colonial wars". It only peripherally addresses "design", but does well on the "use" aspect. Peter Lewis's "The British Fighter Since 1912" does a better job as regards design, specifically in fighter aircraft.