From the desk of Kimberly Denny-Ryder: Some series are just too good to let go, whether they be movies, TV, or books. Sharon Lathan’s Darcy Saga, inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is one such series. I’ve had the pleasure of reading all six of the previous novels, and I was sure that book... Continue Reading →
The Best Intentions: A Regency Romance, by Candice Hern – A Review
“Hell is paved with good intentions.” ― Samuel Johnson I just couldn’t resist throwing in this famous quote by the great literary genius, poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer of the 18th century, Samuel Johnson. His moral and literary influence on Jane Austen has been well documented by scholars. Austen’s inspiration on... Continue Reading →
The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things, by Paula Byrne – A Review
From the desk of Br. Paul Byrd, OP “This book is something different and more experimental. Rather than rehearsing all the known facts, this biography focuses on a variety of key moments, scenes and objects in both the life and work of Jane Austen…In addition, this biography follows the lead of Frank Austen rather than... Continue Reading →
A Garden Folly: A Regency Romance, by Candice Hern – A Review
In landscape design, a garden folly is a structure whose only objective is to deceive. They have no purpose other than as ornament—to delight the eye and draw one to their door to evoke a romantic scene or time. How apt that author Candice Hern chose to name her Regency romance A Garden Folly, since... Continue Reading →
The Tutor’s Daughter, by Julie Klassen – A Review
From the desk of Katie Patchell: In keeping with her much loved style of traditional Regency romances, Julie Klassen has recently published her sixth novel, The Tutor’s Daughter, a romantic mystery set in Regency England. This novel blends the satisfying romance of Jane Austen with the Gothic surprises of Charlotte Bronte, coming together in a... Continue Reading →
Mr. Darcy’s Diary: A Novel, by Amanda Grange – A Review
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: In 2005 author Amanda Grange gave Pride and Prejudice fans what they had been craving for centuries—Jane Austen’s classic story retold entirely from the perspective of its iconic romantic hero—Mr. Darcy. It was certainly not the first novel to explore this concept, but Mr. Darcy’s Diary remains, after... Continue Reading →
The Ashford Affair: A Novel, by Lauren Willig – A Review
From the desk of Christina Boyd In a departure from her Napoleonic spy romances of the Pink Carnation Series, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig ventures into new territory with The Ashford Affair. Entwining one generation’s story with that of another, from post-Edwardian British society to modern-day Manhattan to a coffee farm in Kenya, the... Continue Reading →
Attempting Elizabeth, by Jessica Grey – A Review
From the desk of Veronica Ibarra: Ever love a book so much that it is committed to memory? Have a favorite book that provides comfort and escape from life’s more troublesome realities? Pride and Prejudice is just such a book for many, including Kelsey Edmundson, the heroine of Jessica Grey’s new Jane Austen-inspired novel Attempting... Continue Reading →
What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved, by John Mullan – A Review
From the desk of Sarah Emsley “The closer you look, the more you see,” writes John Mullan in What Matters in Jane Austen? Elizabeth Bennet learns this lesson in Pride and Prejudice when she reads and rereads Mr. Darcy’s letter “with the closest attention” to understand why he separated Bingley from Jane and why he... Continue Reading →
An Affair of Honor: A Regency Romance, by Candice Hern – A Review
An English gentleman lived by a code of honor, but does that also apply to rakes? Even if he is a gentleman by birth do his actions make the man? An Affair of Honor plays on that premise in an amusing way. After being thrown from his curricle and hitting his head, Colin Herriot, Viscount... Continue Reading →
Loving Miss Darcy: The Brides of Pemberley (Volume 2), by Nancy Kelley – A Review
From the desk of Katie Patchell:Â An innocent young lady with a secret past preparing for her first Season. Her guardian torn between chasing off suitors and becoming a suitor himself. His friends (who just so happen to be spies) preparing to do what they do best to fend off the rogues. All of this... Continue Reading →
Return to Longbourn: The Next Chapter in the Continuing Story of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, by Shannon Winslow – A Review
From the desk of Kimberly Denny-Ryder: Ever since Shannon Winslow debuted with The Darcys of Pemberley (DoP) in 2011, she’s been an Austen fan-fiction author that I’ve kept on my radar. In the two years since she published DoP I’ve not only read everything else she’s written, For Myself Alone (2012) and Mr. Collins’s Last... Continue Reading →