Sweet Disorder (Lively St. Lemeston, #1)

by Rose Lerner

[Amanda]

Rose Lerner is a new-to-me historical romance author, and Sweet Disorder definitely won't be the last book of hers that I read. If all her books feature characters with strong growth arcs, I'm all over that.

At first glance, Nick is a pretty typical lordling, struggling with his injury and post-war life. His mother packs him off to go help his younger brother win an election. From the start, it's obvious there are issues between Nick and his mother, but it goes much deeper than that, and is part of Nick's growth as a person throughout the book.

Phoebe is a widow (and a refreshing break from the more common virgin heroine) and barely scraping by. When her late husband's vote in the election becomes key, she's courted (literally) by both parties. Only she must marry to make the vote count. She refuses... until it becomes apparent that she has to marry. (For reasons.) (Read the synopsis.)

There are a lot of reasons why Nick and Phoebe don't (or shouldn't) work, and not just their own personal struggles. And yet somehow, they can't stay away from each other. I loved watching Nick and Phoebe come into their own and learn how to stand up and stand strong for themselves, even as it pushed them apart.

As if the characters (both the main ones and side characters) weren't good enough, the elections in this story only added to the uniqueness. (How often do you read about elections in Regency? Never. Can't wait to pick up the next book in the Lively St. Lemeston series!