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Eleanor Pottinger, a costume designer, has come to England to participate in a Jane Austen Festival. With reservations made she arrives a bit jet-lagged and wants nothing more than to check into her room and pass out, but alas her reservation had been messed up and she was offered the ‘tower suite’ not generally let out as it was haunted. Not believing in ghosts, especially on the word of the bimbo at the front desk, Eleanor accepted. But of course, the room was home to ghosts, precisely two sisters who were delighted with Eleanor and went about convincing her that tghey were indeed spirits and would greatly appreciate her help in coming back in time to 1) meet the real Jane Austen, and 2) help them to prevent the duel that would kill their beloved brother. Not quite believing them Eleanor would agree to anything if they would just let her sleep. When Eleanor awoke she found herself back in the 1800’s and swept up into a house party where she encounters the very sexy but mysterious Lord Shermont and finds herself embroiled in a Napoleonic spy ring where she is the main suspect! She had to ask herself – “What would Jane Austen do?” *** What a totally delightful time travel romance! WHAT WOULD JANE AUSTEN DO? is an captivating and light hearted historical read with charming characters especially the two ghosts, Deidre and Mina in the present and their physical selves in the 1800’s. While Deidre and Mina were funny and witty in their ghost forms, they were simply adorable as the innocent and naïve young women that had not really lived life back in the Regency era. Eleanor was a wonderful character who made her first mistake of ordering the ghostly sisters to stay out of her way which they took to heart. Unfortunately, at the time of the banishment Eleanor really didn’t realize that she had traveled back in time, just thought what marvelous costumes people were wearing for the re-enactment festival. By the time she figured out that this was not a re-enactment but the real deal, Eleanor was a bit lost in trying to fit into the Regency mold and which of the sisters she was supposed to protect. I loved the way the author showed how different modern life was to the simple tasks of living during the period. The way Eleanor figured out how to make some dental floss was quite ingenious and I’ll never take my hot and cold running water in a shower for granted again – neither would Eleanor! The chemistry between the mysterious Lord Shermont and Eleanor was quite believable. Their many encounters as he tried to reconcile himself that Eleanor might just be the spy he was looking for, and she thinking he was the rake that would be the cause of the ruin of one of the sisters was lovely. Their budding awareness of each other was beautifully sensual but not overly sexual and I thought extremely well-done. Bottom Line: WHAT WOULD JANE AUSTEN DO? is a must read for Jane Austen fans even though Ms. Austen does not play more than a cameo appearance. Ms. Brown made her characters come to life providing a nice combination of mystery and romance both memorable and entertaining.
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WHAT WOULD JANE AUSTEN DO?
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