Lady Catherine de Bourgh had always intended a marriage between her daughter Anne and her nephew Mr Darcy. But when Mr Darcy has the temerity to thwart her plans by marrying Miss Elizabeth Bennet instead, Lady Catherine resolves on bringing Anne to Bath to seek a husband. Shortly after their arrival, her ladyship is run down by a reckless coachman, and Mr and Mrs Collins hasten to Bath to be of service. As Lady Catherine recuperates from her injuries, Anne is befriended by the beautiful Louisa Wynnewood, and courted by Miss Wynnewood's oh-so-charming and irresistibly handsome brother. But can the Wynnewoods be trusted - or are they only after Anne's fortune? A satisfying love story, written with elegance and wit.
I GIVE THIS BOOK:
MY THOUGHTS:
I love reading Pride & Prejudice spin-offs, so I knew Miss De Bourgh's Adventure was one I would want to read. I did very much enjoy the story, but for a novella it was slow read. I expected to be able to read it a couple hours, but it wound up taking me a whole lot longer.
It was interesting to finally see how Anne would behave without her overpowering mother by her side. The ending was predictable but nonetheless enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to fans of Jane Austen.
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In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the Cobb—Lyme’s famous seawall—proved dangerous to a careless young woman. Now it proves deadly.
Following their recent intrigue at Highbury, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy visit the seaside village of Lyme on holiday. Family business also draws them there, to receive the personal effects of Mr. Darcy’s late cousin, a naval lieutenant who died in action.
Their retreat turns tragic when they come upon a body lying at the base of the Cobb. The victim is Mrs. Clay, a woman with a scandalous past that left her with child—a child whose existence threatened the inheritance of one of her paramours and the reputation of another. Did she lose her balance and fall from the slippery breakwater, or was she pushed?
Mrs. Clay’s death is not the only one that commands the Darcys’ attention. When Mr. Darcy discovers, among his cousin’s possessions, evidence that the young lieutenant’s death might have been murder, he allies with Captain Frederick Wentworth (hero of Jane Austen's Persuasion) to probe details of a battle that took place across the sea . . . but was influenced by a conspiracy much closer to home.
The Deception at Lyme (Or, The Peril of Persuasion) is the delightful sixth installment in the critically acclaimed and award-winning Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series by Carrie Bebris.
I GIVE THIS BOOK:
MY THOUGHTS:
The Deception at Lyme is the sixth book in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery series. One would think that by the sixth book the story would become routine and maybe dull, but that is definitely not the case. I find myself enjoying each installment more than the last, and hope that there will be many more to come!
In The Deception at Lyme we see the Darcys on holiday in Lyme. No "Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" would be complete without a mystery - and this is no exception! They discover a woman who had fallen from the Cobb. The woman is Mrs. Clay, who is unconscious and great with child.
Georgiana plays a more major role in this book than she has in the past ones and there are a couple of gentlemen who vie for her affections. It begins to seem as though there will be a happy event occurring for Georgiana and I was hopeful that there would be. I have always wanted this for her ever since the incident with Wickham.
The Deception at Lyme has aspects of Persuasion in it. I know this because of the synopsis, because I have never read Persuasion or even seen a movie version of it. Each chapter starts with a quote and many of the quotes are from Persuasion - they are marked as such otherwise I wouldn't have known that.
With the many twists and turns, this story kept me on my toes - never knowing who really was to blame. I LOVED reading The Deception at Lyme, and even though this book is part of a series, I believe that they can be read and enjoyed in any order. Of course to get the most out of them, and to not spoil any of the details you may want to read them in order. I highly recommend The Deception at Lyme!!!
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Elizabeth, welcome to Hardcover Feedback! Thank you SO much for being a part of my 1st Blogoversary Celebration! What or who made the biggest influence on you wanting to become a writer?
My lovely, very aged tutor at Oxford, Hugo Dyson, who was one of the Inklings. I read him an essay I wrote about Coleridge, and he said, ‘Lizzy, you’re going to be a writer.’ How could I let him down?
What was the first book you ever wrote about and was it ever published? CHILDREN OF CHANCE, the first Mountjoy novel – it turned out to be a prequel to five more books about the wicked and wonderful world of the Mountjoys and their friends, all living in and around an apparently seemly English cathedral city.
Do you have any writing habits that people might find unusual? If I’m writing at the computer, I diminish the text so I can’t read what I’m writing – that shuts up my Inner Critic. But more and more now I dictate into a digital recorder and then use voice recognition to transcribe the words. I love that, I’m not tethered to a keyboard any more, and it frees what I’m writing.
Do you have a favorite character or one that is especially close to your heart? Valdemar Mountjoy. He’s not what I’d call an amiable man, more a force of nature and he’s rarely at a loss for words or action.
What is the best gift you have ever received and who gave it to you? A portable typewriter (that dates me!) which my father gave me before I hit my teens.
What is something that you have always wanted to do, but just haven't gotten around to it yet? Ride Andalusian horses in the Alpujarras in Spain.
What is your all-time favorite book? Pride and Prejudice, of course.
Other than yourself, who is your favorite author? It changes, according to mood, but Patrick O’Brian would always be high on the list – I adore Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.
If a TV show was based on your life, what would the theme song be and why? What a terrifying thought. Pass! I really can’t think of a song that could possibly reflect my life.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Theatre, listening to music, eating out with friends, walking and sometimes just day-dreaming. And reading, needless to say – in print, on my Kindle or in audio form.
Are you an early bird or a night owl? A complete lark, which is unfortunate in a family of owls.
What is your favorite TV show and/or movie? Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy – the old BBC TV version with Alec Guinness as Smiley. I didn’t like the recent film. Slow and not at all Le Carré, it missed the whole feel of the book, which I also love.
If you had the opportunity to go anywhere you wanted, at anytime in history, where would you go and why? Bosworth field, 1485, to see where Richard III’s vanished crown ended up.
You are given an unlimited budget to plan your ultimate party. Please describe it (i.e. Where would it take place? Who would be on the guest list? What would be on the menu? Would there be a theme? etc.).
Place: Terrace overlooking the Mediterranean – maybe with Vesuvius hovering nearby. Balmy evening, with a breeze coming off an azure sea.
Theme: If you’re real, come as a fictional character; if you’re fictional, come as a real person.
Guest list – tricky one. Hmm. I’ll certainly have Jeeves there as butler... …Dear friends, you are invited to dine and meet: Mr and Mrs Darcy. Horace, the Roman poet. Oscar Wilde (although he might monopolize the conversation). He can sit next to the waspish Dowager Countess of Grantham, on a visit from Downton Abbey. Albert Campion, my favourite golden age ‘tec. The empress Theodora. Count Dracula? No, I’d rather not be on the menu. Instead, Clerick de Winter (aka Milady) will bring a touch of wickedness to the table. Shakespeare’s Beatrice (Benedict can come, too). Vivaldi (he’ll provide the music), and Lucile Duff Gordon, inventor of sexy underwear, who can tell us about her experience on the Titanic.
Menu: Italian, I think, beginning with tagliolini al limone and ending with something lusciously chocolately.
What are you currently working on? Two historicals, an Elizabeth Aston: THE SECRET LIFE OF MR DARCY, set in 1802, which is earlier than my other books about the Darcy family, and an Elizabeth Edmondson dark mystery: CASTLE OF LIES, set in northern England in 1933 and 1940.
Elizabethhas graciously offered to give away a print copy of her book Mr. Darcy's Dream if the winner is from Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States. If the winner is not from those three countries they may choose an ebook of any of the Aston titles listed on Atticabooks.com.
To enter, all you have to do is follow this blog in at least one way, complete the mandatory entry and then complete whichever extra entries you want in the Rafflecopter form below.Giveaway is open internationally!
Today I am interviewing Rebecca H. Jamison, author of Persuasion: A Latter-Day Tale.
Rebecca, welcome to Hardcover Feedback! Would you tell us a little about yourself?
I think a lot of people are intimidated by me at first because I’m 5’11” and kind of quiet. So I’ve learned to be completely honest about my flaws with people. A lot of people tell me I’m “real.” I’m a stay-at-home mom. I like to run, dance, play piano, make jewelry, and watch funny movies. My favorite TV show is Psych, and I love anything that has to do with Jane Austen.
What or who made the biggest influence on you wanting to become a writer?
During high school, I noticed that I liked to write more than other kids and that teachers read my papers out loud to the class a lot. In my senior year of high school, I took a class in creative writing for fun. When I got to college, I took more creative writing classes for fun. It wasn’t like I ever said, “I’m going to be a writer.” It was more of a hobby.
What was the first book you ever wrote about and was it ever published?
I wrote my first novel for my Master’s Thesis in English. It’s about a poor African woman who immigrates to Portugal and decides to leave her abusive husband. I’ve never published it. I might go back and revise it some day.
Do you have any writing habits that people might find unusual?
I’m not the type of writer to sit down and write for an hour. I have to be doing something else to come up with ideas. I wrote most of Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale while I was doing dishes, driving, or trying to sleep. I have to run to the computer like a potty-training toddler runs to the bathroom.
That’s not to say that I don’t spend hours sitting at the computer. But usually, when I’m sitting there, I’m researching or revising. There’s a lot of research that goes into writing a novel.
I have heard that some authors listen to music while they write. Do you? If so, what do you usually listen to?
I’m ashamed to admit that I listened to a lot of Air Supply while writing Persuasion. “Here I Am” was one song in particular that captured the mood at the beginning of the novel. I also listened to a lot of other sappy love songs I wouldn’t have normally listened to. But I usually don’t listen to music while I’m writing. It’s too distracting.
What is the best gift you have ever received and who gave it to you?
My parents got me a piano. We use it every day.
What is something that you have always wanted to do, but just haven't gotten around to it yet?
I’ve always wanted to learn to play water polo. I love swimming.
What is your all-time favorite book? What is your favorite book you have read this year?
Did I mention that I have trouble making decisions? My favorite books are: Huck Finn, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Christy by Catherine Marshall, and Harry Potter. This year, my favorite book was The Help.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to watch old movies, the funnier the better.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I’m a night owl.
If you were throwing a dinner party and you could invite five people (fictional or real, dead or alive) who would you invite?
I’d love to have Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, but I don’t think they’d get along. So I’d also invite a couple of my favorite peacemakers—Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. For the fifth, I’d invite Paula Deen. I figure Paula could come over ahead of time to make the dinner.
You are given a ticket that will bring you anywhere that you want to go, at anytime in history. Where would you want to go and why?
I’d want to visit Italy during the Renaissance (that’s assuming I’ve already met Jane Austen at a dinner party.)
What are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.
Thank you so much Rebecca for being on Hardcover Feedback!
GIVEAWAY:
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Chloe Parker was born two centuries too late. A thirty-nine-year-old divorced mother, she runs her own anique letterpress business, is a lifelong member of the Jane Austen Society, and gushes over everything Regency. But her business is failing, threatening her daughter's future. What's a lady to do?
Why, audition for a Jane Austen-inspired TV show set in England, of course.
What Chloe thinks is a documentary turns out to be a reality dating show set in 1812. Eight women are competing to snare Mr. Wrightman, the heir to a gorgeous estate--and a one-hundred-thousand-dollar prize. So Chloe tosses her bonnet into the ring, hoping to transform from a stressed-out Midwestern mom to genteel American heiress and win the money. With no cell phones, indoor plumbing, or deodorant to be found, she must tighten her corset and flash some ankle to beat out women younger, more cutthroat, and less clumsy than herself. But the witty and dashing Mr. Wrightman proves to be a prize worth winning, even if it means the gloves are off...
I Give This Book:
My Thoughts: Imagine 'The Bachelor' combined with 'Pride & Prejudice' and you get 'Definitely Not Mr. Darcy'! A fun concept and a engaging story. From the beginning of the story, I had an inkling what would be the outcome - and I was right! However, even knowing what the ending would be, I still found this book very enjoyable.
I found all the details about how life was back then very interesting. One of them was how people would only bathe once a week and everyone would use the same water - disgusting! They would bathe in order of rank and so by the time a couple of people had bathed, the water would be ice cold - not to mention full of other people's grime.
I know that most people nowadays are very loose in their moral character, and that is portrayed in this book - though it isn't mentioned in great detail. I thought the author captured perfectly how most people behave on a lot of reality dating shows. The way all the women throw themselves at the man, even though they don't know him at all - just because they want to win.
Lady Grace was so aggravating! She was cast as a titled lady, so she was allowed to do things (like shoot a gun and ride a horse astride) that the other ladies in the house weren't allowed to do, and she made sure to rub it in Chloe's face.
Mrs. Crescent was cast as Chloe's chaperone and she was so much fun - even though she was a sticklier to the rules of the show. When she first meets Chloe, she is largely pregnant with her sixth child. Chloe learns that she is on the show because William, her son, needs medical treatment and the money she would get if Chloe wins the show would help him to get it sooner.
The man that they are all trying to win is Mr. Sebastian Wrightman. I thought that Sebastian was a self-centered jerk and I couldn't believe how all of them were swooning over him. They all thought he was handsome, but that is a shallow reason to like someone.
There was also Sebastian's younger brother, Henry, on the show. Being the younger brother, he wasn't going to inherit much money and had to work for his income. Henry is not as handsome as Sebastian, but he is much more considerate of ladies' feelings. Chloe is having a hard time trying to convince herself to concentrate on winning Sebastian, because Henry is much more charming and she is beginning to care for him.
There were a couple things that I didn't like: 1. The ending was very brief. So unless there is going to be a sequel to this book (which I doubt), I didn't feel as though the story ended in a way that completed the story.
2. I thought at first the idea of the accomplishment points seemed like a fun and interesting way to earn time with Sebastian. However, they never seemed to follow the point system and so it really seemed pointless (pun intended).
Overall I thought 'Definitely Not Mr. Darcy' was enjoyable and would recommend it.
After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn’t interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be — especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend’s burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who’s snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn’t seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it’s because her family doesn’t have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk — so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?
Will Lizzie’s pride and Will’s prejudice keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? Whatever the result, Elizabeth Eulberg, author of The Lonely Hearts Club, has concocted a very funny, completely stylish delight for any season — prom or otherwise.
I Give This Book:
My Thoughts: 'Prom & Prejudice' was a sweet variation of a classic story. I thought that the whole idea of putting all the characters into high school was a neat idea. I liked how the book even had Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mary and Kitty in it - though they played a very minor role.
Lizzie Bennet is an only child of middle class parents. She has a music scholarship at Longbourn Academy. Longbourn is a girl bording school, where the elite send their daughters. Because Lizzie is a scholarship student, she is relentlessly bullied and has very few friends. Her only friends at school are Jane and Charlotte (the only other scholarship student in her class). Her music teacher, Mrs. Gardner, is the only other person, besides her friends, that she feels close to at school.
The highlight of the year is prom, usually the girls from Longbourn go with the boys from Pemberley (the school where the elite send their boys). Jane is hopeful that Charles Bingley will ask her to prom, but there are many setbacks, one being her sister Lydia. Lydia makes a fool of herself in front of everyone at a party and the video quickly goes online. Lydia is very vain, doesn't see what she did as embarassing and is in fact very pleased with all the attention she is getting.
Jane and Charles behave in almost the same way as they did in the original story, always thinking the best of everybody and only seeing the good in them. Lydia of course acts the same, if not even more reckless, than the character in Pride & Prejudice and Wick (George Wickham) seemed even more horrendous in this story.
The book also has the characters of Colin (Mr. Collins), Cat (Lady Catherine de Bourgh) and Georgiana Darcy. I thought that the spitefulness of Cat did a great job of channeling what Lady Catherine de Bourgh as a teenager would have been like. And Colin was such a bore, just as I would have pictured Mr. Collins as a teenager. Georgiana was as sweet in this story as she was in the original, but I thought that this book made her seem sickly at times - when I had always pictured her as just shy.
Of course no story based on Pride & Prejudice would be complete without Darcy, and in this book I thought that his character was the best written. Will Darcy has had his trust broken by Wick and because of it is very leary of new people. So when he meets Lizzy for the first time, he makes a horrible first impression and she thinks that he thinks that he is better than everybody else. But just like the original story, you will adore Darcy.
I really enjoyed reading 'Prom and Prejudice'! I hated to put this book down, but everytime I had to do so, as soon as I could, I picked it up to continue reading. If you, like me, can't get enough P&P fan fiction books, you should enjoy this book too. Or, if you are looking for a book that a teenager will love, I think this would be perfect. I totally recommend this book.
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There's only one gentleman to turn to when a lady is in desperate need of answers...
With scandal descending on the Bennet family (again!), Elizabeth absolutely refuses to drag Mr. Darcy's name into this shocking situation. But how on earth is she going to get her family out of trouble this time without his involvement? Hiding things from Mr. Darcy is getting more and more impossible, especially since he's started letting his feelings show...
I Give This Book
My Thoughts:
The story begins directly after Elizabeth receives the news that Lydia has run off with Mr. Wickham. Almost immediately there are subtle changes in the story and towards the end there are drastic changes.
Every time when Darcy and Elizabeth are left alone in this book, they end up in each other's arms. Here is an example of this:
Darcy & Elizabeth and Bingley & Jane are taking a walk. When Darcy & Elizabeth get too far ahead of them, to the point where the couples lose sight of each other, they go into the forest and begin to passionately kiss. They only stop when they are discovered by Bingley & Jane.
I don't like reading about Darcy & Elizabeth like that and personally didn't feel that this is how they would act prior to being married. Especially Darcy, because of his high sense of morality and he would know how scandalous that kind of behavior would be. I also would think Darcy would want to avoid any similarities to Wickham - not behave just like him.
Overall, 'What Would Mr. Darcy Do?' is enjoyable and kept me entertained almost throughout the whole book. Were it not for Darcy & Elizabeth's behavior throughout this book, I would have given it a five-star rating, but because of that, I don't think this is a book that I will read again. I would recommend this book for those who can't get enough Pride & Prejudice retelling/sequels/spin-offs - I am sure they will enjoy this book.
After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?
Not only is Courtney stuck in another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman; and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. But not even her level of Austen mania has prepared Courtney for the chamber pots and filthy coaching inns of nineteenth-century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who must fend off suffocating chaperones, condomless seducers, and marriages of convenience. This looking-glass Austen world is not without its charms, however. There are journeys to Bath and London, balls in the Assembly Rooms, and the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, who may not be a familiar species of philanderer after all. But when Courtney's borrowed brain serves up memories that are not her own, the ultimate identity crisis ensues, Will she ever get her real life back, and does she even want to?
I GIVE THIS BOOK
MY THOUGHTS 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict' was just so confusing! I kept reading it thinking that it will all be explained at the end, but the ending doesn't explain anything - it just confused me even more.
One of the only parts of the book that I liked was when Courtney spotted Jane Austen. Courtney quickly approached her and began to tell her how much she loves her books. At first Austen denies that she wrote them, but then she seemed very pleased that she enjoyed her books. Courtney then precedes to name books that aren't yet published, which frightened Austen so much that she left at almost a run!
There were so many parts of this book that I didn't like.The book never explains what happened, why it happened or how it happened. I never found out what happens with Courtney afterwards or for that matter what happened to Jane Mansfield, the woman whose body Courtney is in, while Courtney was possessing her. Courtney is such a slut, one time she almost completely compromised herself/Jane with a man she had just met - the only thing that stopped her was her fear of getting a std or pregnant.
Overall I think that this book is a total waste of time. I DON'T recommend this book.
In this enchanting and highly original retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet sets out for the new world aboard the grand ship Pemberley's Promise. She's prepared for an uneventful voyage until a chance encounter with the handsome, taciturn Mr. Darcy turns her world upside down. When Elizabeth falls ill, Darcy throws convention overboard in a plan that will bind them to each other more deeply than he ever could have imagined. But the perils of their ocean voyage pale in comparison to the harsh reality of society's rules that threaten their chance at happiness. When they return to the lavish halls of England, will their love survive?
I GIVE THIS BOOK
MY THOUGHTS 'Darcy's Voyage' was such a delightful story, that I just couldn't put it down. To me, this is one of the best 'Pride & Prejudice' sequels/retellings that I have ever read. It is so different from the original and yet keeps the authenticity of the classic story that we know and love.
When Darcy and Elizabeth first meet, it is on a carriage where at first they are annoyed by one another, but soon they become quite comfortable with each other. When Darcy exits the carriage, to finish his trip in his personal carriage that is waiting for him, they both realize that they never got the other's name.
The story then jumps ahead two years to when Elizabeth, who is going to visit her Aunt & Uncle Gardiner in America, again meets Mr. Darcy aboard Pemberley's Promise where they literally bump into one another on two different occasions - though neither of them remember that they had met two years before. Darcy is traveling to America to escort his sister Georgiana home, whose companion has had a family emergency and can't leave America for a unknown amount of time.
Elizabeth cares for the women in steerage who have fallen ill, even giving up her bunk to one of them - she then sleeps on the floor! Darcy keeps noticing Elizabeth, that she cares for her fellow passengers welfare; that she, unlike the rest of the women aboard ship, seems to take little notice of him and that she enjoys taking early morning walks. While on one of these walks, Darcy joins Elizabeth and they begin to converse. After a few days of early morning walks together, they realize that they have a lot in common and that they really enjoy each other's company. With most of the original cast of characters not aboard ship (i.e. Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Wickham, Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine de Bourgh), Darcy and Elizabeth are able to fall in love without anyone or anything to hinder them - though neither lets the other know of their feelings. When Elizabeth falls ill, Darcy is so deeply concerned for her welfare that he makes a most unusual proposal.
I won't get into too much detail about the rest of the story or I might give too much away, but I thought that the characters were very well written and that the story makes you want to keep reading until you reach the end. The story flawlessly intertwines many parts of the original story, such as the conversation where Darcy says that his"good opinion once lost is lost forever". I loved how even with such a twist in the story, it somehow stays true to Jane Austen's style of writing - you feel as though these are the real Elizabeth and Darcy, just in a different situation and not just someone's interpretation of them.
Darcy's Voyage has now become my favorite Jane Austen fan fiction book. I absolutely love this book and it is one that I could & will read again and again. I highly recommend that you read this book, especially if you love 'Pride & Prejudice' fan fiction books. I hope that this is one that you will love as much as I do. AUTHOR'S WEBSITES http://karalouise.ahhhs.net/ http://www.austenauthors.com/
