Author: Katie Patchell

Katie is an avid reader, adventurer, and fitness enthusiast. She balances her Regency postings through Austenprose.com with an ongoing grad degree and her work as an ACE-certified PT and GFI...not to mention her full-time duty as Cat Mom.

The Matchmaker’s Request: A Regency Romance (Larkhall Letters Book 4), by Ashtyn Newbold — A Review  

From the desk of Katie Patchell:  

Matchmaker: For me, this word conjures up frightening images of domineering great-aunts and nosy neighbors, all wagging their fingers in my unwed face to the beat of Fiddler on the Roof’s justly titled song, “Matchmaker Matchmaker.” While these dreams may have more to do with my unresolved issues (or a rich diet of too sharp cheese), I do have to say in my defense that the word “matchmaker” would be Continue reading “The Matchmaker’s Request: A Regency Romance (Larkhall Letters Book 4), by Ashtyn Newbold — A Review  “ →

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Isabel: A Regency Romance (Families of Dorset Book 2), by Martha Keyes — A Review    

From the desk of Katie Patchell:

First love or second love? Sometimes we (and our heroes and heroines) end up with our first loves–these are often the “salad days” stories of childhood and college sweethearts. But sometimes the field is won not by the person we or our heroes/heroines love first, but the person loved last. In Isabel, Martha Keyes’ second novel in her ‘Families of Dorset’ series, readers encounter a thoughtful, romantic take on the Continue reading “Isabel: A Regency Romance (Families of Dorset Book 2), by Martha Keyes — A Review    “ →

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The Valet’s Secret: Proper Romance Regency, by Josi S. Kilpack — A Review 

From the desk of Katie Patchell:   

Last year I had the immense good fortune to review Love and Lavender by Josi S. Kilpack. Trusting the logo of Shadow Mountain Publishing–one of my favorite Regency publishers–I cracked open its pages, not knowing what to expect…and then discovered that I was reading a work of art. For months I waited for news about Josi S. Kilpack’s next novel, and it’s finally arrived! Without further ado, let me introduce Continue reading “The Valet’s Secret: Proper Romance Regency, by Josi S. Kilpack — A Review “ →

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The Letter from Briarton Park: The Houses of Yorkshire (Book 1), by Sarah E. Ladd — A Review  

From the desk of Katie Patchell:   

Hidden letters. Long-lost relatives. Unlooked-for love. The Letter from Briarton Park is Sarah E. Ladd’s eleventh and most recent Regency novel. Set in small villages, lofty halls, and shadowy forests, its pages tell a page-turning tale created of equal parts chilling suspense and swoony romance.

Unknown Beginnings 

Without knowledge of her parentage, Cassandra Hale feels as if her life up until twenty-four has been a Continue reading “The Letter from Briarton Park: The Houses of Yorkshire (Book 1), by Sarah E. Ladd — A Review  “ →

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Summerhaven: A Regency Romance, by Tiffany Odekirk — A Review    

From the desk of Katie Patchell: 

Dear readers, what I am about to say will have you thanking your lucky stars: if this was a space for spoiler-filled reviews, I would have written a word count of thousands. Fortunately for us all, this shall be as abridged and spoiler-free as possible; a tricky task, as Tiffany Odekirk’s 2022 debut, Summerhaven, keeps one guessing about the heroine’s journey to a happy ending until the very last pages. Continue reading “Summerhaven: A Regency Romance, by Tiffany Odekirk — A Review    “ →

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Wyndcross: A Regency Romance (Families of Dorset Book 1), by Martha Keyes — A Review  

From the desk of Katie Patchell:  

Henry Tilney (of Northanger Abbey fame) is an underrated hero of a vastly underrated novel. It’s almost impossible for me to name a favorite Jane Austen work, as (like all the best stories) each speaks into one’s life in different ways and seasons. Yet if I applied myself to the question—and ducked away from Mr. Knightley’s accusing gaze—I would have to say that yes, Northanger Abbey is my favorite and Henry Tilney the best of all heroic Henrys. In Wyndcross, the first in Martha Keyes’ “Families of Dorset” series, a hero quite like Mr. Tilney is accompanied by Kate, a heroine as willing to brave danger as Austen’s own Catherine Morland. Continue reading “Wyndcross: A Regency Romance (Families of Dorset Book 1), by Martha Keyes — A Review  “ →

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Matchless Margaret: The Hapgoods of Bramleigh (Book 4), by Christina Dudley — A Review  

From the desk of Katie Patchell:  

Who has seen the 1999 Wives and Daughters miniseries, adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell’s Victorian classic? It’s a powerful study of 19th-century life in a small English village, played by a phenomenal cast. Because of the miniseries, I recently devoured the 720-page volume and subsequently forced a family member to read it (which was a heroic accomplishment, because this specific family member has “Large Book Phobia”). Who can forget Squire Hamley, the character who acts like a character? To him, the Hamleys of Hamley Hall have a long history of honor to uphold…but they never quite live up to his Continue reading “Matchless Margaret: The Hapgoods of Bramleigh (Book 4), by Christina Dudley — A Review  “ →

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The Mistletoe Countess, by Pepper Basham — A Review  

From the desk of Katie Patchell: 

‘Tis the season. This is the time of year that especially prompts me to curl up with my cat in a window seat, sipping tea, and breaking into my TBR pile.

Just in time for a Thanksgiving Day read, let me introduce you to a new Edwardian romance, The Mistletoe Countess, by Pepper Basham. Combining electric romance with mysterious adventures, this novel is sure to kick off this winter season with a bang.  Continue reading “The Mistletoe Countess, by Pepper Basham — A Review  “ →

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Love and Lavender: A Mayfield Family Romance (Book 4), by Josi S. Kilpack — A Review    

From the desk of Katie Patchell: 

Unconventional heroines are becoming more common in Regency-inspired fiction, which is something worthy of applause. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the genre’s beloved originator. Jane Austen was the queen of unconventional heroines living in a conventional world; something Elizabeth Bennet, Catherine Morland, and company attest to. But I ask: how often do we Janeites discover an equally unconventional hero? Josi S. Kilpack shares just that in Love and Lavender, her recent addition to the Mayfield Family saga. Both a unique romance and a sympathetic study of physical limitations in the Regency world, Love and Lavender shines a spotlight on two very unconventional leads. Continue reading “Love and Lavender: A Mayfield Family Romance (Book 4), by Josi S. Kilpack — A Review    “ →

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With Love, Louisa: A Regency Romance (Larkhall Letters Book 3), by Ashtyn Newbold — A Review  

From the desk of Katie Patchell:

When I was younger, I hated Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte’s tale of passion and self-discovery seemed a wasteland to my teenage self—bleak in Yorkshire moor and stark in romantic love. I watched every adaptation and read the novel countless times, but the results were the same. Until one day, in the midst of 2021, I was stunned to encounter colorful beauty where once I saw only monochrome. Evil cousins and madness in attics no longer reigned. What captivated me as never before was the magnetism of Rochester and Jane’s equal meeting of heart and mind. Enter With Love, Louisa, Ashtyn Newbold’s latest Regency novel. A tale set in the open skied Yorkshire moors that Charlotte Bronte loved. This novel Continue reading “With Love, Louisa: A Regency Romance (Larkhall Letters Book 3), by Ashtyn Newbold — A Review  “ →

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The Scoundrel’s Daughter: The Brides of Bellaire Garden (Book 1), by Anne Gracie — A Review

From the desk of Katie Patchell:  

 When I was a teenager, I “met” Georgette Heyer for the first time. Bath Tangle was my introduction to her Regency world via a battered, coffee-stained copy housed at shoe-level in my library’s ‘H’ section. Serena and Rotherham’s banter and Heyer’s madcap plot was the perfect entry to the world of Heyer (I’ll never forget the line: “You may set the county alight, if you choose, but ride rough-shod over me you will not!”). In months I checked off the rest of her Regencies. Gray-eyed hero after gray-eyed hero made my acquaintance; so too did Heyer’s remarkably clever, daring heroines. Two of her main leads are the Continue reading “The Scoundrel’s Daughter: The Brides of Bellaire Garden (Book 1), by Anne Gracie — A Review” →

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A Bright Young Thing: A Novel, by Brianne Moore — A Review  

From the desk of Katie Patchell:

I have a question for you, fellow bibliophiles: Have you read P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves series? Written between 1915 and 1974, this series of short stories and novels is a sometimes biting (yet always fun) satire of Britain’s posh upper class. Starring wealthy and hapless Bertie Wooster and his much-put-upon butler, Jeeves, these stories dazzle with Wodehouse’s charming turn of phrase and list of characters with bizarre surnames. There’s a brilliant adaptation as well, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, that further Continue reading “A Bright Young Thing: A Novel, by Brianne Moore — A Review  “ →

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