The Scandal of Lady Eleanor

The first fully original novel from Austen pastiche author Jeffers (The Phantom of Pemberley) is a knockout. Lady Eleanor "Ella" Fowler, sister of the duke of Thornhill, literally stumbles into the arms of James Kerrington, viscount Worthing, who—shocking them both—flirts with her rather than keeping a proper distance. As they travel to London for the season, mysterious people attack them, and Worthing must declare his courtship of Ella while attempting to discover who wants to harm them. A subplot involving Worthing and Thornhill's military exploits adds intrigue to the well-plotted romance, and masterful character development highlights Ella's intelligence and frustration with the world and social class she inhabits. Jeffers's close look at the dark secrets of Regency society instills a sense of realism marred only by the lovers' unaccountably forward behavior. (Mar.)