Not only has her fiance dumped her, but when Eleanor Pottinger gets to her hotel in England for a Jane Austen festival, she has no reservation. She’s given a tower which is reputedly haunted. Much to Eleanor’s dismay, the tower deserves its reputation, and in the middle of the night she encounters sisters Deirdre and Mina, ghosts who send her back in time to ensure that one of them is not compromised so that their brother will not be killed in a duel. Not only must Eleanor contend with strange conversation, dancing, and dining, but she must figure out who is the villain, and then avoid falling in love with him. Her only solace? Asking herself what Jane Austen would do, and more so, meeting her idol!
I’m not sure I so much expected straight romance from this, but I didn’t mind that it was a major part of the book. This is especially so since I really liked the frame story. Eleanor is a fantastic, funny character who has had her confidence knocked out from under her. She spends a lot of the story getting it back, as well as falling in love with dastardly man who supposedly compromises one of the sisters. She learns pretty quickly that things are NOT what they seem. She only has a few interactions with Jane Austen, but the theme of Austen’s advice is woven through the story fairly effectively.
One thing I didn’t particularly like, and I feel a little nitpicky for this, as I always am, was Eleanor’s obviously 21st century thoughts mixed in with all the Regency stuff. Calling Sherborne “yummy” was slightly disconcerting! Clearly women call attractive men yummy in this day and age, but it felt weird in the parts which felt like they were from a historical romance. Honestly, I don’t even know if that should bother me, and I probably needed the reminder that Eleanor is from the future! I also felt there was a little too much physical expression of said love story for my taste, but again, that is just my taste. I didn’t find it unbelievable, which is usually the case with romances like that, since there is enough character going on here to make me feel they were drawn to each other, but could have done with a little less.
Regardless, this book is a lot of fun. It is very sweet. I loved watching Eleanor adjust and get her confidence back. I loved the interactions with Jane Austen and how the story of the necklace and the time traveling parts went full circle. The ending was adorable. I have to say, I’d really recommend this, although I’d probably warn a non-romance reader. It’s still so much fun and has a lot of appeal for those who like Jane Austen, chick lit, and really any quick, sweet read!
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