The Arrangement

June 17, 2013
Balogh can always be depended on to deliver a beautifully written Regency romance with appealing, unusual characters, and the second in her new Survivors’ Club series (after The Proposal) is no exception. Young Vincent Hunt returned from fighting Napoleon in time to inherit a title, Viscount Darleigh. Blind from war wounds, he has not enjoyed his new prosperity. His female relatives badger him to wed, but he is determined to avoid young women who pity his disability. Enter a perceptive orphan, Sophia Fry, who rescues Darleigh when her cousin tries to trap him into marriage. When her aunt and uncle retaliate by kicking her out, it is Darleigh’s turn to protect her by offering a marriage of convenience. There is immediate and convincing chemistry between these two lonely souls, and well-drawn supporting characters round out the story. Future series installments promise more compellingly tormented heroes. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency.

Starred review from August 15, 2013
After running away from home to escape his family's matchmaking, Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh, is nearly caught in another marriage trap, then decides to marry the unassuming woman who rescues him. Vincent never expected to inherit a title. In fact, he'd expected to live his life as a soldier. But after being wounded in battle, he was only beginning to learn how to live life as a blind man when he'd learned he was a lord. Now, four years later, he is surrounded by women who want to make his life easier, and they are convinced the best way to do this is to get him married. When it becomes clear his mother and sisters have invited a suitable young woman to his estate with the purpose of matching them up, he flees, first to the Lake District and then to the village where he grew up, hoping to stay quietly undiscovered for a short time. Those plans are dashed, and Vincent is nearly forced into marriage to the daughter of an obnoxious family who takes advantage of his blindness. Realizing her relatives' intentions, their niece Sophia intercedes to rescue him, then is turned out of their home for her troubles. Hearing of Sophia's plight, Vincent convinces her to marry him, since it will solve both their troubles: She will be cared for, and he can never be forced into marriage to a woman he can't abide. However, in convincing her, Vincent has built in an end-date for their arrangement, and as the days pass, both Vincent and Sophia wonder if they could ever survive in a world without the other--and how they can make sure that day never comes. This sexy, touching book revisits the marriage-of-convenience plot, joining two heroic, conflicted characters who are navigating their own versions of darkness and delivering them to the redemptive power of love. Regency best-seller Balogh once again takes a standard romance trope and imbues it with heart, emotional intelligence and flawless authenticity.

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Starred review from August 1, 2013

Tired of his family's matchmaking attempts and their kind but annoying cosseting, war-blinded Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh, takes his valet and secretly escapes to the small Somerset village where he grew up. But peace and anonymity are not to be had. When Sophia Fry sees her shallow, marriage-minded cousin leading the unwitting viscount into a compromising situation at a local assembly, she foils the plan--and ends up turned out by her relatives and, in a surprise twist, married to Vincent herself. Determined to be a helpmate to Vincent--at least for the agreed-upon year--Sophie gradually helps him to take charge of his life, even though she fears he eventually will no longer need her. VERDICT This touching, totally enthralling story overflows with subtle humor, brilliant dialog, breathtaking sensuality, and supporting characters you want to know better. Balogh (The Proposal) lives in Canada.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
The second in Balogh's Survivors series (begun by The Proposal, 2012) brings together Vincent Hunt, Lord Darleigh, who was blinded in battle, and Sophia Fry, born into the gentry but living as a poor relative with her aunt's stingy family. Vincent, gorgeous and rich, never expected to inherit a title and now must secure a wife and sire an heir. Unfortunately, his loving, all-female family is clueless and tries to marry him off to a young woman who is willing to take pity on him and marry him even though he is disabled. Vincent does not want pity. So, with his valet, he secretly takes up residence in his modest old home in Somerset, but news travels like lightning and soon he is inundated with visitors and invitations. Vincent becomes intrigued by Sophia, who is called Mouse because she is quiet and virtually invisible. He doesn't know that her clothes are drab and threadbare. He is simply enchanted by the way she treats him like a man, not an invalid. An unusually poignant and thoughtful romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)