Sweet Disorder

Starred review from January 27, 2014
Phoebe Sparks, a widow living in the West Sussex town of Lively St. Lemeston, has strong political opinions and no desire to remarry. Unfortunately, thanks to an ancient law, any man who marries her gets two votes in the town’s upcoming Parliamentary elections. Nick Dymond is ordered by his politically powerful mother, Lady Tassell, to find Phoebe a Whig husband, while charming Reginald Gilchrist pushes her to wed for the good of the Tories. Lerner’s distinctive and likable cast of parents, siblings, reluctant suitors, and political opponents feels integral to the story. The election is small, but the stakes seem large: Lady Tassell will do anything to get her son Tony elected, no matter what it costs Nick, and it genuinely hurts Phoebe to sell out her political convictions, even to help her family. This rich and memorable Regency romance brings its setting and characters perfectly to life.

Starred review from February 15, 2014

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. VERDICT Graced with sharp, realistic detail, lively wit, wry humor, and a sexy, erotic edge, this well-written story will leave fans anxious for their next visit to Lively St. Lemeston. Lerner (A Lily Among Thorns) lives in the Seattle area.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.