Guest review by Kimberly Denny-Ryder of Reflections of a Book Addict Have you ever finished reading Pride and Prejudice and wondered how Darcy became so filled with pride and conceit? Now, you might find your answer. Pamela Aidan, author of the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy is back with Young Master Darcy, a novella focusing on... Continue Reading →
My Dear Charlotte, by Hazel Holt – A Review
The book positively reeks of academic and literary esteem. Written by the great Hazel Holt, who is known far and wide for her Mrs. Malory mystery series, My Dear Charlotte had all the appearances and praise of a work of one seriously admired author. It boasts a beautiful cover and spectacular printing, but, more impressively, also includes a raving introduction by Jan Fergus, a noted and appreciated literary scholar from Lehigh University. By the time you’ve flipped through the first few pages, you’ll begin to think, “Wow. This is gonna be good.” And to some extent, you’d be right.
Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion: Jane Austen’s Classic Retold Through His Eyes, by Regina Jeffers – A Review
Guest review by Kimberly Denny-Ryder of Reflections of a Book Addict There are few readers of Jane Austen’s Persuasion who have finished the novel and not been more than a little in love with the dashing Captain Frederick Wentworth. His famous “you pierce my soul” letter to heroine Anne Elliot is one of the most... Continue Reading →
Mansfield Park Revisited: A Jane Austen Entertainment, by Joan Aiken – A Review
When a book written twenty five years ago is reissued as confidently as Mansfield Park Revisited: A Jane Austen Entertainment by a publisher who specializes in Jane Austen sequels, you hope that it is laudable. Of all of the past sequels to select, (and there are more than a few), why choose one based on Jane... Continue Reading →
Intimations of Austen, by Jane Greensmith – A Review
Gentle Readers, please do not be fooled! Neatly tucked into this slim volume are nine short stories entitled "Intimations of Austen", and not "Imitations of Austen", which on first glance at the thin and fluid type face on the cover stopped me cold! To imitate Jane Austen would be only a forgery! I am happy to... Continue Reading →
Lydia Bennet’s Story: A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Odiwe – A Review
The true misfortune, which besets any young lady who believes herself destined for fortune and favour, is to find that she has been born into an unsuitable family. Lydia Bennet of Longbourn, Hertfordshire, not only believed that her mama and papa had most likely stolen her from noble parents, but also considered it a small... Continue Reading →
Cassandra & Jane: A Jane Austen Novel, by Jill Pitkeathley – A Review
She knew herself that sometimes she overstepped the proper boundries and could only do so safely with me. In later years, when she wrote something particularly scandalous she would urge me, ‘Take the scissors to this at once.' She was right to surmise that others might judge her comments more harshly, but with me she... Continue Reading →
Impulse & Initiative: A Pride and Prejudice Variation, by Abigail Reynolds – A Review
Darcy tried to focus his attention on her kisses, tasting the passion that was clearly sweeping between them, but the rest of his body remained all too aware of how little stood between them, and as he finally pulled Elizabeth to him, the sensation of her softness molding itself to him stole away any remaining... Continue Reading →
The Matters at Mansfield: Or the Crawford Affair (A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery), by Carrie Bebris – A Review
More accurately, Lady Catherine conversed. Anne listened silently, her attention straying to other parts of the busy room as her mother soliloquied unchecked. Wandering concentration, however, was endemic to participants in Lady Catherine’s conversations. It was how one survived them. Chapter 2 Austenesque author Carrie Bebris ventures into her fourth excursion in the Mr. and... Continue Reading →
The Darcys and the Bingleys, by Marsha Altman – A Review
Now they had come to it, the moment he dreaded. "We are to marry in nearly two days -" "It has not escaped my notice, I assure you." "- and I find myself in need of some . . . advice." Mr. Bingley & Mr. Darcy, The Darcys & the Bingleys And so gentle readers,... Continue Reading →
Pemberley Shades: Pride and Prejudice Continues, by D. A. Bonavia-Hunt – A Review
It is with great pleasure that I learned that the classic Pride and Prejudice sequel, Pemberley Shades by Dorothy Alice Bonavia-Hunt, would be re-issued in September by Sourcebooks. Originally published in 1949, it was the second Jane Austen sequel ever to be written and not easily available for purchase unless you were lucky enough to... Continue Reading →