cover image The Arrangement

The Arrangement

Mary Balogh. Dell, $7.99 mass market (400p) ISBN 978-0-345-53587-0

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. (Sept.)