I was looking forward to this second instalment in young Jane's story but, after a promising start when Jane's writing box and manuscripts are almost lost, it didn't quite live up to expectations. The story seemed overlong and flat in places with Jane making wild assumptions about her brother's conduct and the future of his inheritance, and going round in circles before the mystery of the strange girl rescued from the sea is finally solved. Without spoilers, all I can say about the so-called foreign princess is that her story feels very confusing and her behaviour extremely far-fetched, despite the author's note of explanation at the end of the book.
As in most Regency stories, there is the inevitable family pressure for a young lady to find a suitable husband, and one or two rather awful prospects are dangled in front of her, but Jane simply wants to write. It was fun to see the progress of several of her future published novels dropped into the story and the tiny hint of romance that history tells us led nowhere.. This glimpse into her inner thoughts and desires, along with some witty lines from the spirited Jane, were for me the most entertaining aspect of the book.
An interesting read but the mystery at its heart was not quite engaging or gripping enough for me.