What Would Jane Austen Do? [Mass Market Paperback]

Laurie Brown (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. (May)
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Review

The plot twist at the end is genius! This is a great romance both contemporary and historical. (Maura Frankman The Romance Studio 20090417)

I really do enjoy Laurie Brown's romances... and look forward to future books! (Lexi Cenni Poisoned Rationality 20090417)

Eleanor and Shermont, were suited to each other... This was an interesting twist in a time travel story. (Eye on Romance 20090422)

Laurie Brown provides a whimsical time travel romance. The story line is fast-paced and filled with twists. (Harriet Klausner Harriet Klausner 20090427)

Her characters were engaging, the story flowed well and we're actually given a HEA, but not one totally expected. For anyone looking for a good Regency era romance, I would strongly suggest checking this one out. (Jackie Morgan Literary Escapism 20090420)

This is full of romance, a hunky guy, and even some Jane Austen to boot, which I think Regency romance fans would enjoy. (Marie Burton The Burton Review 20090427)

I loved What Would Jane Austen Do?! Time travel, intrigue, history, romance...Laurie Brown gives us all that and more. (Rachel Smith Bitten by Books 20090428)

Every woman, every fan of romance and historical novels should put this title on their summer reading list. (Lilianna Swistek Reading Extravaganza 20090430)

If you like time travel romance novels, this one is for you! (Carey Anderson The Tome Traveller's Weblog 20090430)

it's sure to make you smile and leave you eager to turn the page. (Keira Gillet Love Romance Passion 20090501)

The author skillfully weaves time travel and Regency romance into a delectable mix. (Roberta A Romance Review 20090501)

WHAT WOULD JANE AUSTEN DO? is an entertaining and light historical read. (Lisa Enchanting Enchanting Reviews 20090505)

so much fun... a lot of appeal for those who like Jane Austen, chick lit, and really any quick, sweet read! (Meghan Kawka Medieval Bookworm 20090504)

The writing in WHAT WOULD JANE DO? flows fantastically in both the current day and in the past. (Carrie Zimmerman The Book Girl 20090504)

What Would Jane Austen Do? is a beautiful Regency tale that would make even Jane Austen proud... It has all the ingredients of a Regency classic, love, intrique and sexy men, and it will be adorning my shelves for many years to come. (Bella McGuire A Bibliophile's Bookshelf 20090522)

This was a fascinating story of Regency England, ghosts, mystery and murder most foul. I whipped through it and will be looking for more novels by this author. (Nancy Eriksen ParaNormal Romance Reviews 20090526)

This book was purely delightful! (Marta Hoelscher Marta's Meanderings 20090526)

The writing style of the story gives such vivid details of the Regency time period and customs that you feel like your living there with Eleanor. (Allison King Allison's Attic of Books 20090821)

What a totally delightful time travel romance!... Ms. Brown made her characters come to life providing a nice combination of mystery and romance both memorable and entertaining. (Marilyn Rondeau CK2's Kwips and Kritiques )

Laurie Brown has pulled together elements of several genres – historical romance, spy thriller, time travel, and Jane Austen – in an ambitious endeavour. (Laurel Ann Natress Austenprose )

Laurie Brown took a story that would be otherwise engaging and added a touch of a literary heroine to it in order to bring it together in even a better way. (Nicole Heffernan A Blog of Books )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402218311
• ISBN-13: 978-1402218316
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #615,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Time Travel

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Regency Romance with a Modern Flair, April 25, 2009

By 

Burton Book Review "Marie" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Would Jane Austen Do? (Mass Market Paperback)

Welcome to Regency England, Eleanor.. our heroine is having a bad day (despite the 12-pack on the cover) when she meets up with some ghosts during her stay at a hotel for a Jane Austen Conference. Sure, as a costume designer she wanted to learn all about the costumes and nuances of Jane Austen's England but she had no idea that she was going to wake up in 1814 and be left to fend for herself while on a mission sent from two (ghosts!) sisters who need her help. Eleanor tries not to stick out like a sore thumb as she is socializing with Dierdre and Mina whom she had first met as ghosts. Their brother Teddy had died, and it is Eleanor who is sent to prevent his duel with Lord Shermont, who is an agent for the crown investigating Napoleon's spies. Somehow in the middle of the romance and trying to conform to the mannerisms Eleanor needs to change history so that she can return to the present.

As luck would have it, Eleanor learns that she is being courted by Teddy, yet she immediately senses a strong attraction to the mysterious Lord Shermont, as of course all the ladies have.
Eleanor seems to enjoy herself in this fluffy romance and gets to meet Jane Austen and socializes with ladies and gents of the Regency Era.

I enjoyed discovering Regency England through Eleanor's eyes; it was written with a Regency flair with not a lot of major events until the novel picked up the pace towards the end with an unexpected twist which was fortuitous. There was a nice wrap-up at the ending, although a bit contrived and roses and rainbows.. but I was glad that we learn the outcomes of the supporting characters. If you are looking for something new specifically on Jane Austen, this is not it although she is referred to numerous times. The Napoleon intrigue was not very developed, if it had been, it may have been a little less confusing and made me more interested in that historical aspect. The book gives the impression of having glazed over its topics for the sake of expediency. This is specifically about what Eleanor does during her time travel experience and how the ghost sisters wind up. The character of Eleanor is not very dimensional as she was strictly focused on her mission. So if you are ready for more of a no-brainer chick-lit romantic beach read without any major expectations, this is it for you. The author did her research as far as inventions and the types of things that Eleanor missed, such as medicine, bathing and the bathroom necessities of our day. The time travel aspect is a fun idea, and the costumes, dances and supporting characters helped round this book out. Perfect for a summer weekend read while watching the kids play!

The author, Laurie Brown, was once asked "If time travel were possible, would you go and whom would you want to meet?" and voila... we have this book, which is not her first time travel book. Mrs. Brown has cleverly blended time travel and historical romance in her second novel. This is full of romance, a hunky guy, and even some Jane Austen to boot, which I think Regency romance fans would enjoy.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A clever title that delivers a fun and frothy summer read, May 25, 2009

By 

Laurel Ann "Austenprose" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What Would Jane Austen Do? (Mass Market Paperback)

Heroine Eleanor Pottinger is a costume designer from Los Angeles who arrives in Hampshire, England for Regency Week jetlagged and downtrodden after being unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend. She has booked her accommodations at Twixton Manor Inn, an eighteenth-century grand manor house converted into a hotel whose staff has lost her reservation and must put her up in the only room left available - the haunted one that they never use. Undaunted, Eleanor just wants sleep and does not care if she shares it with anyone, spectral or otherwise. When the two ghostly sisters Mina and Deirdre materialize to haunt her, she strikes a bargain with them to travel back to Regency times to thwart a deadly duel that kills their brother Teddy if they will in turn introduce her to their neighbor, her favorite author Jane Austen. Eleanor awakens in 1814 to meet the sisters and their family living at Twixton Manor with a house full of guests including hunky rake Lord Shermont, an agent for the crown who is secretly hunting for a Napoleonic spy among them. Eleanor quickly becomes his chief suspect. Motivated to meet Jane Austen, Eleanor engages in a week of social activities to discover which of the sister's honor will be compromised provoking Teddy into duel with Shermont. Somehow she must figure out how to alter history and avert the deed and save his life. As a twenty-first century woman, Eleanor struggles with the Regency lifestyle and often asks herself "what would Jane Austen do?" in the same situation which works beautifully until romance gets in the way as she is courted by Teddy and the known womanizer Lord Shermont. Questioning their motives may be the key to her unraveling the mystery and discovering if she has fallen in love with a spy or an Austen-esque hero.

Author Laurie Brown has pulled together elements of several genres - historical romance, spy thriller, time travel, and Jane Austen - in an ambitious endeavour. The plot moved very quickly and was evenly paced. Contrary to scandalous rumor, I do enjoy historical romance novels, which What Would Jane Austen Do? would qualify. I have two requirements in my romance reading that this novel satisfied; -- that the characters are believable and the plot has substance. I enjoyed traveling back in time with Eleanor, meeting Lord Shermont and of course encountering Jane Austen. Who wouldn't? Brown obviously researched her Regency history and has read Austen's novels quoting characters and scenes (though I must correct her reference to Knightley criticizing Emma Woodhouse after the picnic at Boxhill where she had treated Jane so badly! It was Miss Bates who was abused not Jane Fairfax.). Taken as a fun and frothy summer read, I have very few quibbles. However, when an author chooses to use Jane Austen or her characters that ups the ante in my book, and the standards are raised. Unfortunately, the opportunity to distinguish the present and the past with language nuances was missed as modern words such as Tarzan, yummy, omigod leaked in to the Regency world, and misnomers such as Arabian thoroughbred was used to describe Lord Shermont's horse. Additionally, at times I would like to have rested and discovered more about characters and their motivations, which was Austen's forte. In the end, I knew very little about the heroine and hero's inner thinking and felt the plot skipped past moments to elaborate and reflect just a bit more. The author did however supply the requisite Austen-esque heroine transformation and happily-ever-after ending, which Jane would have chosen to wrap-up more swiftly with far less effusion. In the end, was I entrapped by Jane Austen's name into reading this novel? You betcha! Do I have any regrets? Like Austen's character Emma Woodhouse, in this instance "I would much rather have been merry than wise."

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read with a new twist, April 26, 2009

By 

A. Dougherty "Underwhelmed" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Would Jane Austen Do? (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished What Would Jane Austen Do. It was a fun read with a new twist on time travel. If you want pure entertainment for a few hours this is the book for you. I particularly liked how the author wrapped up all the loose ends at the end. The story conclusions made sense and didn't feel artificial. I will be looking for more of Laurie Brown's books to enjoy.