Hartfords, Paperback/Katherine Spearing

Is love a choice or the work of fate? Or just the force behind a sister's scheming? In a world of propriety and convention, the five Hartford sisters are anything but conventional. So unconventional, they'll likely never attract husbands, ensuring they'll be a disgrace to their family and community by dying spinsters. Then, the eldest sister, Samantha, defies the odds and secures a husband-a wealthy and handsome husband no less. The Hartford's biggest critic, Daniel Copeland, predicts no other man would ever be as foolish. To end his criticism, Samantha and her husband make a pact with Daniel, stating he must end his verbal onslaught of their family if every sister is engaged by the end of the year. Thus a game of matchmaking ensues-countered by Daniel's sabotage-and the quest for love becomes a very time-sensitive race.