"Prelude for a Lord" by Camille Elliot

Regency fiction always catches my eye, and I love it when an author is able to bring a new angle in teaching me more about Jane Austen's time period. In "Prelude for a Lord," Camille Elliot reveals that playing the violin was once considered to be improper and scandalous for young women. Of course this is demonstrated by a headstrong young lady who insists on playing it despite society's disapproval, and the story is made complete by a mystery surrounding her beautiful and unique Stradivarius instrument.

Lady Alethea Sutherton grew up rather isolated in the English countryside, with an unfortunately unloving family. Her one season in London was a miserable disaster, and she has mostly hidden away ever since, content to be reclusive because it means she can fully embrace her love of music. When her cousin inherits her home and the family title, he forces Alethea to call upon the mercy of their aunt in Bath to take her in, and Alethea must get used to living in town as a 28-year-old socially inept and opinionated spinster.

Her life becomes more complicated when she realizes she is being followed when she leaves the house, and she is confronted by a mysterious agent who wishes to buy her violin for a nameless client. Alethea treasures her instrument, which was left to her by the neighbor who taught her to play and gave her light and love during her dark upbringing years, and she refuses to sell it. She has tried to keep her playing a secret in order to protect her aunt's reputation, but it's clear someone has found out and knows more about her instrument than she does. Alethea is forced to seek out the help of the talented Lord Dommick, who in their one meeting years earlier had soundly discouraged her from continuing her musical pursuits, to discover the provenance of her violin.

Lord Dommick is well-known as a musician and composer in the London society scene. He has played in a quartet with his university mates for several years, until half of them joined the army to take part in the Naploeonic Wars. Now Dommick is back England, having recovered from an injury and now suffering from PTSD. The nightmares and flashbacks have made him reclusive, afraid to have an episode in public and thus bring shame onto his family. One of Bath's foremost matrons tempts Dommick to help Alethea in exchange for prominently featuring the Gentlemen Quartet in her upcoming gala, which would give a needed boost to their flagging social standing. He does not expect the attraction to Alethea nor the danger that both they and their families will face as the story unfolds.

This novel was a little slow to get into but I was quickly hooked and could not stop thinking about the characters. The novel has a bit of a darker tone, more in the style of Dickens than Austen, and I felt this was even reflected in the choice of character names. With other current Regency authors, such as Julie Klassen and Sarah Ladd, they really try to use names that are both familiar and period-appropriate, but Camille Elliot let you wrestle with the harder names and let them set the mood for a different kind of story. In fact, she has written blog posts about how she close Alethea's and Dommick's names, which I found fascinating. I loved the many secondary characters, and found the faith element very well-done and natural. I will be watching for the release of future titles by this author!



I received my copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.