Almost Heaven

Well-developed main characters with a compelling mutual attraction give strength and charm to this romance set in 19th-century Great Britain. When orphaned Lady Elizabeth Cameron is discovered in the arms of Ian Thornton, said to be a gambler and blackguard, her reputation is destroyed. Elizabeth's half-brother shoots Ian in a duel and disappears, while she becomes an outcast. Finally her uncle decides to marry her off, dangling a generous dowry to entice former suitors to reinstate their offers. A bungling secretary erroneously accepts on behalf of scornful Ian, so, baggage and duenna in tow, Elizabeth lands at the door of Ian's hunting lodge. They eye each other warily, irritation and sheer bafflement vying with passion. McNaught is at her best with these two willful lovers; and fans should welcome the reappearance of Jordan and Alexandra Townsende (from bestseller Something Wonderful ) . Fastidious readers may be irked when McNaught's prose plummets into ``the stormy splendor of the pagan kiss'' or by an occasional anachronism. (Apr.)