Georgette Heyer is generally considered to have invented the Regency Romance genre. But her novels are much closer to Jane Austen than the bodice rippers that we typically think of. In this book, one of her best, she looks at the phenomenon of landed but cash poor nobility marrying wealthy daughters of tradesman. In this case, a young man returns from the Peninsular Wars upon his father's death, to discover the estate is bankrupt. Faced with losing the family home and being unable to take care of his sisters, he is talked into marrying a young daughter of an immensely wealthy man who is anxious to improve her social standing. Heyer looks at the culture clashes and how this mixing of the two worlds unfolds. The characters are very well-drawn and complex. A fascinating story.
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