The solid first installment of the Seduction Diaries Regency series introduces strong characters but sometimes struggles to maintain momentum. Clare Westmore is the darling of the debutantes: properly coiffed, surreptitiously bookish, and all but certain to marry well. When a sprained ankle renders Clare homebound, she's frustrated at missing the all-important social engagements intended to secure her future. Bored, she spends her time sparring with Dr. Daniel Merial, her handsome and brilliant physician, who is well below her socially. Problems begin to brew as Daniel and Clare reluctantly yield to their mutual attraction. Clare's carefully scripted brainless, snobby persona begins to crack when her so-called friends begin scheming, family dysfunction is revealed, and "life-altering secrets" become society gossip. As events unfold, Clare discovers that her feelings about love, marriage, and class have changed, completing a coming-of-age transformation. McQuiston capably provides surprises to make sense of the family disorder, but the novel begins to stall with the couple's denials and indecisiveness. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Mar.)