Sweet Disorder

Widowed and the happily independent writer of Improving Tales for Young People, Phoebe Sparks is not about to marry again, especially not simply to make someone a "freeman" in time to vote locally in the upcoming parliamentary elections. But then wounded war veteran Nick Dymond shows up at her door, charged by his lady mother with marrying Phoebe off to ensure his brother Tony's election, and Phoebe learns that the reputation of her teenage sister is about to be ruined if Phoebe doesn't wed appropriately. Admirable, complex, immensely likable protagonists are complemented by a diverse cast of beautifully realized secondary characters (a pert, flirty maid and a delightfully starchy valet named Toogood are especially diverting) in a smart, literate, Regency-era tale that bypasses general ton glitter for village drama (and a dash of scandal) and drops readers into a refreshing, insightful mix of family dilemmas, business and political machinations, and social class differences that won't disappoint.