Your online source for Jane Austen and her legacy
From the desk of Katie Jackson:
When World War II ended and Europe was rebuilding, there was another war of ideologies simmering in the shadows, waiting for a chance to seize control. These ideologies and the influential men conspiring to achieve their glory are the targets of sophisticated spies in a suspenseful tale of espionage, The Mozart Code, by Rachel McMillan. Continue reading “The Mozart Code: A Novel, by Rachel McMillan — A Review”
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:
My tulips are sprouting! Spring is on its way here in the Pacific Northwest along with a great selection of new historical novels.
Here is a curated list of my favorites for March, April, and May. The range of stories and settings are diverse: Georgian, Regency, WWII, and post war England to Gilded Age Newport and 1930s Hollywood. Continue reading “The 12 Best New Historical Novels to Welcome Back Spring 2022”
From the desk of Sophia Rose:
Like every other television historical drama lover, I noticed the promos for HBO’s The Gilded Age. So, when the Gilded Age Mystery series cropped up as a newer audiobook release, I relished the opportunity to dive into this lavish world set in Newport, Rhode Island where the Vanderbilts and Astors and the rest of the Four Hundred came to play. Continue reading “Murder at the Breakers: A Gilded Newport Mystery (Book 1), by Alyssa Maxwell, Narrated by Eva Kaminsky — 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 “
From the desk of Katie Jackson:
Jane Austen—that lauded, shrewd observer and chronicler of humanity—was also a skillful sleuth. Or so readers are thoroughly convinced in the fourteenth book of acclaimed historical mystery author Stephanie Barron’s Being a Jane Austen Mystery series, Jane and the Year Without a Summer.
Off to the Less-Celebrated Watering Hole
It is 1816, and Jane Austen is facing ill health of unknown cause. In an attempt to treat her ailments, she travels with her sister Cassandra to drink allegedly restorative mineral waters, attracted to the remedy Continue reading “Jane and the Year Without a Summer: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 14), by Stephanie Barron — A Review”
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:
Happy news for historical book lovers. The selection of new novels available in the next two months is so exciting. From forgotten events in history, to deep dives into the social machinations of Gilded Age New York, to feisty heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, the selection is deep and broad and satisfying for those who enjoy being emersed in another era.
Here is my curated list of my favorites to entice you.
Best, Laurel Ann Continue reading “12 Highly Anticipated Historical Novels to Ring in the New Year, 2022”
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:
Happy New Year’s Eve dear readers!
2021 proved to be a fabulous year in the historical book arena. From creative Austenesque variations, to Regency romances upending tropes, to reimagined gender-switched classics, to compelling historical fiction and mystery, we have been duly entertained and enchanted. A big thank you goes out to all of the authors and their publishers for keeping us supplied with so many stories to binge during these challenging times. Continue reading “Austenprose’s Best Austenesque & Historical Novels of 2021”
From the desk of Katie Jackson:
In Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, Henry Tilney teases Catherine Morland’s overactive imagination with a ghostly tale that, among other things, suggests that “the part of the abbey you inhabit is undoubtedly haunted.” Such is the brooding tone and setting of the atmospheric romantic mystery Shadows of Swanford Abbey, by popular Regency romance author Julie Klassen.
After two years traveling the country as a lady’s companion, all the Continue reading “Shadows of Swanford Abbey, by Julie Klassen — A Review”
From the desk of Sophia Rose:
“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, then she must seek them abroad.” Jane Austen says of Catherine Morland in the beginning pages of Northanger Abbey. However, what is true for Catherine is decidedly not true for Lady Juliette Thorndike or the young Bow Street Runner trying to solve his first big case. Erica Vetsch introduces a sparkling new mystery series set in Regency London featuring an intrepid and unlikely detecting pair and a cunning mystery. Continue reading “The Debutante’s Code: Thorndike and Swann (Book 1), by Erica Vetsch — A Review”
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:
Happy Wednesday, dear readers. Please help me welcome bestselling author Karen Odden to Austenprose today. Her new Victorian murder mystery, Down a Dark River, released yesterday.
I have been hearing wonderful things about this book for months. Isn’t the cover gorgeous? I am rather partial to detective mysteries. Since it is the first in the series, I will be starting at the beginning of the Scotland Yard detective’s journey.
Inspector Michael Corravan is an interesting character. As a former Continue reading “A Preview & Exclusive Excerpt of Down a Dark River: An Inspector Corravan Mystery (Book 1), by Karen Odden”
From the desk of Sophia Rose:
Crusaders come in all shapes and forms and some don’t even realize they are such a person until they face down injustice at the expense of reputation, career, and even life to see a wrong is righted. The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson, a historical mystery that balances Regency backdrop with legal thriller, contains a crusader that captivated me from page one.
A Regency period barrister, William Snopes, who champions the commoner in his clever and cunning way Continue reading “The Barrister and the Letter of Marque: A Novel, by Todd M. Johnson — A Review”
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:
I have great news to share today. Bestselling historical mystery author Stephanie Barron has a new “Being a Jane Austen Mystery” in the queue.
Jane and the Year Without a Summer arrives on February 8, 2022, marking the fourteenth novel in the popular series. Set in Regency England, the series is based on actual events and people in Austen’s life and times. Inspired by the author’s life-long admiration of Austen and her writing, Barron’s skill at channeling her voice and the historical detail is nonpareil. Here is a description of the book, the big cover reveal, and an exclusive excerpt from the novel. Continue reading “A Cover Reveal & Excerpt of Jane and the Year Without a Summer: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 14), by Stephanie Barron”
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