What Would Jane Austen Do?by Laurie Brown
Published: 2009
Genre: Romance
Paperback: 352 pages
Rating: 4
Inspiration: Everything Austen Challenge hosted by Stephanie's Written Word
Description from the amazon.com:
Modern-day Regency fashion expert Eleanor Pottinger consorts with ghosts and travels in time in Brown's charming romance. Eleanor discovers her hotel room is haunted by sisters Mina and Deirdre Cracklebury, and she agrees to a deal: she will save their brother, Teddy, from a deadly duel by keeping the wicked Lord Shermont from seducing one of the sisters, in trade for meeting Jane Austen. Eleanor wakes up in 1814, meets smarmy Teddy and is instantly attracted to Lord Shermont, who is not all he seems. Soon she's forced into a terrible choice: Hot sex or the real Jane Austen? True Janeites will find scant evidence of Austen's acerbic wit in either character or tone, but the sprightly humor, handsome hero and twisty ending will please most Regency romance fans.
My thoughts:In-a-word(s): Eye Candy
<-- cover with another angle
As you can tell from the book cover, this is a romance novel. It is set during the Regency period and incorporates a Jane Austen theme. While reading this you will see either subtle comparisons to Austen's six works or downright references to the works by title.
It was a cute book. I like the combination of time travel and ghost. The character is fun to follow as she experiences the Regency period. Her encounter with Jane Austen was just right.
"What would Jane Austen do?" is the question that guides the heroine through her adventure during the Regency period. However when it comes to the steamy scenes, I don't think Austen would have done the things the heroine did. Which makes me wonder how Austen would have described such scenes. Now I'm onto something. What would a sample of a steamy Regency period romance novel? Were there such things???
Mob cap:
When the heroine wakes up in the Regency world she encounters a maid who is wearing a mob cap. What is a mob cap I asked myself and did some research. I came across this at Historical Romance:
Caps for our middleclass and working class woman could mean either a simple mob cap or a fancier lace cap. Even a relatively poor woman might wear a fancy lacy cap.
A mob-cap was a circle of cotton or linen, gathered up and held on the head with a band or ribbon. A deep ruffle ran around it, framing the face and neck.
