Sweet and twenty

by Joan Smith

Sara, a brainless beauty, needs a husband to restore fatherless fortunes. Aunt Martha and cousin Lillian swept into town and took over the search. Lillian, too, was available for marriage.Handsome and wealthy Anthony Fellows was running for Parliament. None of them knew a Tory from a Whig. Suddenly, the ladies were involved in a spirited campaign. With so many men around campaigning, they reasoned, husbands could not be far away ....

Genres: Romance, Regency, Traditional Regency, Humor

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 1979

About the author

Joan Smith is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the Ontario College of Education. She has taught French and English in high school and English in college. When she began writing, her interest in Jane Austen and Lord Byron led to her first choice of genre, the Regency, which she especially liked for its wit and humor.
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant

Reviews

[Full Circle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so funny, full of witty sayings, good comebacks and humourous characters.

I loved this book, so fun to read. Couldnt stop smiling. It was full of intrigue, witty bantar, great chemistry and "meeting of the minds" of the romantic interests.
The plot was very unique and interesting. The way the election was won using every strategy, it was better than a war or crime novel. And the characters were so complex
If you like georgette heyer, jane austin, sherwood smith or andrea k host, you will love this novel.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd time I am reading this regency romance that takes place in a small town during a by-election. I am an American so I really do not know what that means but it is apparently important enough for the Whigs to send Mr Matthew Hudson to ensure their candidate, dumb Mr Fellowes is elected. At the same time Miss Lillian Watters is visiting her family with her aunt. The banter between these two main characters is very funny, the other dumb characters are really cringe worthy and on the whole it is an extremely enjoyable light-hearted romp. I liked it very much.

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a 2-⭐️ read, I was bored with all the politicking the characters had to do (but of course thats the whole plot) Since I was expecting a romance, well I was a bit disappointed ☹️

I did up it to a 3-⭐️ because the heroine was smart as a whip and could definitely keep up with the Hero, who had the unenviable task of “selling” his very dumb candidate to the constituency. She not only kept up w him, she inspired him as well. The Hero was truly smitten, but in the usual slapstick style of Joan Smith, he has a slippery slope to navigate. He needs to impress his lady love amidst all the lying, deceiving and other underhanded schemes he needs to resort to just to bring his candidate up to scratch. So yes he doesn’t come off as very worthy.

The heroine sees right through it all, so which is why I gave it an extra star.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devious plots catch votes in 1800s England mix with clever repartee. By-election in Crockett brings Tory candidate Will for lovely, witless Sara, and Whig whip Matt for equally bright Lily at New Moon where Aunt Martha brought her to match-make Sara.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Joan Smith writes simple straightforward regency romances but the backdrop of a political election added something extra to this one. I enjoyed the main characters and there was so much good dialogue between them.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. I loved the dialogue between the characters.

[Megzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politics

[tara_l · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the Joan Smith books I come back to and reread when I want to have a laugh, and I think it’s one that I appreciate more every time I read it. 4.5 stars for me, rounded up to 5. It stands the test of time.

I read it more as a comedy than a romance. There are romance threads in it (which I enjoy), but I wouldn’t consider any of them the main focus of the book, so if you’re looking for lots of love and romance, this one’s not for you. If you want witty dialogue and banter with a bit of romance on the side, and a book that does not take itself overly seriously, then it may be your cup of tea.

I find the observations of the main characters (Lillian and Mr. Hudson) delightfully funny. They are both clever and have a sense of humour. I love that Mr. Hudson is drawn to Lillian because of her intelligence and respects her for it; he never talks down to or underestimates her. I also like that Lillian is independent and knows her own mind but is still a very likeable character.

The supporting cast is entertaining. Some of them are very silly, but what saves it from being annoying is that none of them are bad natured and their silliness is seen through the eyes of the main characters who are not silly at all. I also love Aunt Martha, and that’s she’s crusty but not mean and genuinely cares about her niece’s future. She’s also a smart woman and I love that about her. I just appreciate all the dynamics between all of the characters in this one.

I also enjoy that this book is not set in ballrooms or society. The entire story takes place in a country village during a by-election. The local Tory candidate has died, and there’s an election to replace him, so the book quickly follows one event after another in the battle for the seat at Crockett. It’s a unique plot and setting, and I appreciated it for its differences to the high society books. I love all the shenanigans that they get up to.

If I have any complaint it’s that there’s a little more talk about Corn Laws and Luddite Riots and the politics of building bridges than I usually care for, but I did find that those discussions didn’t go on for more than little bits a time, so it prevented the book from dragging. On a second and third read, I skim the political parts a bit, but they do show sides of the characters that I enjoy even if the topic is not always that exciting.

I enjoy not knowing until the end whether Mr. Hudson is going to actually succeed in his quest to get Anthony Fellows elected, and I love his attempts to stay one step ahead of the competition (and his own silly candidate). He’d make a great military strategist.

It’s just a light, fun, comedy of dialogue kind of book.

I can easily see why some people don’t like it, but I really enjoy the ones like this with witty banter and intelligent leads and no bickering.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half stars, rounded up.

Sweet and Twenty will probably never make it into my top 5 Joan Smiths, if only because several of the secondary characters are so bird-brained that I repeatedly cringed while reading. However, I would consider it for the top 10. The setting (a political campaign in a small community) was refreshing, and the main couple (coincidentally, both visitors to the town) was delightful (and both much more sharp witted, thankfully).

[ChristineZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Joan Smith book, with some dumb characters and some smarter ones who love political machinations, which is fitting because it takes place during a byelection. The romance is light but the conversation is witty and the story catchy.
2024 - reread. Enjoyed it again and completely forgot I had already read it!

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dim-witted to be sure. Dull, too.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was mediocre at best.