His Good Opinion by Nancy Kelley: A Review

His Good Opinion

Author: Nancy Kelley

Publisher: Smokey Rose Press (November 23, 2011)

Format: Paperback or E-book

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0984731202

Source: Author supplied ebook

A subtle charm exists between these pages about Darcy’s opinion. The desire to read this book with a cup of tea beside you while you sit on the balcony on a spring day is alluring. It invites you in for a visit and results in your longing to stay.

It has long been wondered just what exactly was going through Darcy’s mind in his unconventional courtship of Elizabeth Bennet. When she set him down, most indelicately, how did he occupy himself and in turn make himself worthy of the wit and intelligence of a woman he supposed to be beneath him at one point?

Darcy himself never did anything without purpose and at times he was deftly slow in his pursuit of particular actions. The craft of deftly noting the change in a character is difficult at best. He cannot change too quickly or it would be unbelievable, but he also cannot change too slowly or readers will think him bereft of any common sense. It has to be done just right. That has been achieved here. We are allowed to explore the twisting avenues in Darcy’s head, which allows us to come away with a better understanding of the man he is.

His Good Opinion is a pleasing addition to the genre of Austenesque works. The writing it strong and specifically crafted to melt itself into Austen’s original prose, which should satisfy purists in the Austenesque genre. The story itself, while mirroring the timeline of Pride and Prejudice, is just as captivating as the original. In the end we are offered the answer to an age old question: What Would Mr. Darcy Do?

Final Recommendation: Learn how to gain Darcy’s good opinion and read this book.

Visit author Nancy Kelley at her blog Austen Aspitations.

Why Jane Austen?, by Rachel M Brownstein: A Review

Guest Review by Laura Handlin (@opheliacat on Twitter)

Explaining Jane

Why Jane Austen? is not only the title of Rachel M. Brownstein’s book—it is a provocatively posed question, open, like so much about Austen and her work, to multiple interpretations. Brownstein’s purpose is, in part, to try “to account for the continuing popularity of the novelist and her novels . . . ” The title is also a nod to scholar and critic Lionel Trilling’s final, unfinished essay, “Why We Read Jane Austen.” Through references to Trilling as well as to numerous other critics, Brownstein shepherds the reader through the changing trends in Austen criticism from the nineteenth century to the present. These critical writings draw upon an area of scholarly endeavor of which even Austen’s most dedicated readers, unless they are scholars themselves, may not be aware.

The prevailing views of Austen have changed over time: early twentieth-century writers viewed her as socially conservative writer who was approved of the conventional society depicted in her novels. The feminist revolution of the 1970s brought about a change in the way critics viewed women writers; their works were examined, for the first time, as products of the female experience—a development that led, one could argue, to a resurgence of interest in Austen. Scholars also began to examine her writings in the context of history, including ever-present background of the Napoleonic Wars. The 1990s—and the films and mini-series of Austen’s books that became so popular in that decade—played up the subversive, satiric side of the novels, the “inside joke” that she shares with her readers (an aspect of her writing that Brownstein illustrates at length). This historical tour of works about Austen makes her seem like a kind of Regency Rorschach, a mirror each age holds up to itself in order to illustrate the values and issues it deems important.

Although the book is divided into chapters with specific subject matter, it seems to blend into a whole, becoming more of a meditation on Austen and an eclectic, although at times unsorted, treasure trove of information about the author, her life, times, and work. Brownstein is a professor of English Literature at Brooklyn College, and some of the book’s most interesting and illuminating offerings are her accounts of how she teaches Austen to her classes—introducing students at a large, public, urban school to the world of early nineteenth-century rural English gentry. The students’ questions and her responses make fascinating reading, and are windows into an accomplished and knowledgeable teacher’s classroom techniques.

Why Jane Austen? contains lots of treats for the Austen devotee, in particular an in-depth analysis of Emma as well as a discussion of English tourism, the cult of scenery, and visits to great houses (Pemberley, anyone?) This includes a mention of what is known as the Frog service of tableware—painted with views of England—that the firm of Wedgwood and Bentley made for Catherine the Great of Russia in 1773–74, a highly publicized commission that jump-started, if you’ll pardon the pun, the English craze for scenery—at a time when travel to the Continent was limited by world events and domestic travel in England became very fashionable.

There is also, of course, Jane Austen the woman—who remains an elusive figure despite all the attempts that have been made to learn more about her from her novels and any other evidence researchers can find. The reticence that Austen displayed in life, Brownstein argues, was a “conscious aesthetic choice,” a rejection of what Coleridge called the “age of personality”—and he had never even seen a reality TV show.

In the introduction, the author describes her work as “biographical criticism,” telling readers that she provides “no bright new take on Jane Austen.” She offers, instead, an enticing assortment of thoughtful analysis, historical context, literary criticism, and personal anecdotes. We continue to read Austen and to reread her because, as Brownstein says, we see ourselves in the novels—and maybe because we think Jane Austen can see us.



Why Jane Austen? by Rachel M Brownstein: A Book Review

Why Jane Austen?

Author: Rachel M. Brownstein

Hardcover: 320 pages



Publisher: Columbia University Press (June 28, 2011)


ISBN-10: 0231153902

Source: Supplied by the Author's Public Relations Dept.



I have to admit for all my love of Jane Austen I have never picked up a biography, except the ones in the front of her novels, which admittedly are brief. Yet, that doesn’t mean I don’t like the art of opposing viewpoints. It’s the one thing I miss about Graduate School----the critical analysis. When the opportunity to read and review Rachel M Brownstein’s Why Jane Austen?, I jumped at the chance.

This book fed my academic loving heart. Miss Brownstein takes a critical look at what draws us to Jane Austen and what makes us stick around. Pop culture is a funny thing as it can cultivate or destroy a beautiful thing. Jane Austen has caught onto the masses like a fever that refuses to abate. So, really what does draw us to Miss Austen?

It seems and I am not surprised after my foray into Women’s Studies that Jane Austen is tied to, at least in critic’s minds, feminism. Brownstein brings this to our attention and explores what it is about Jane Austen that ties her to feminism or the belief in general. Let me not dissuade you into assuming this book is all about feminism, let me caution you for a moment to say that while a look at Jane Austen and feminism is certainly a theme throughout the book that it is in no way the main stage.

Brownstein takes a look through out to study at the use of language in Jane Austen. For example, just moving the word truth to a different area of a sentence can change the meaning entirely and Jane Austen was a master at it. In fact I had not even considered the implications because I read Jane Austen just because I enjoy it, but perhaps I should pay more attention to Austen’s prose.

Taking a look at each of Jane Austen’s works Brownstein takes us on a riveting ride throughout. As I mentioned earlier this is a critical analysis of Jane Austen and what her work meant and still means today. Of all her novels Pride and Prejudice (P&P) is a favorite of most of us. There is a charm about it. Something I did not know is that Mansfield Park (MP) was the novel Austen published after P&P. MP is usually the least favorite of the Austen novels. What inspired Austen to write two dramatically different novels?

I could go on about how Brownstein deftly takes a look at Austen in film, the desire for Austen prequels/sequels and how something of a bygone era continues to draw us to her. Brownstein makes you think---stop and consider and reconsider----your views on Jane Austen.

However there is something almost more interesting than Jane Austen herself in Brownstein’s book and that is a look at Lord Byron and other authors which may have influenced Austen, but by far Lord Byron is the best. Mr. Darcy is an iconic Byronic hero. Was that Jane Austen’s aim? Lord Byron is the antithesis of Jane Austen. For all of Byron’s impropriety Jane Austen counters it with her proper novels. It was a debate, sadly I had been unaware of, but now that I know of it I am intrigued. Brownstein does much to abate my intrigue by exploring the Byron connection.

Wollstonecraft is the perpetuated mother of feminism in academia, also arguably the predecessor of the Byronic approach to human emotion. There are shades of Wollstonecraft in Austen argues Brownstein. They are products of romanticism, a period in literature which gave us arguably the best classics.

Brownstein’s look at Jane Austen and why we gravitate toward her kept me riveted. It’s intelligent work like hers that make me fall in love with reading again. Why Jane Austen should be a part of any Austen devotee’s curriculum.

The Companion of Lady Holmeshire by Debra Brown: A Book Review

The Companion of Lady Holmeshire

By Debra Brown

ISBN: 1937085376

Publisher: World Castle Publishing

Source: Author Supplied PDF

Back Cover Summary: A baby girl was found in a basket on Squire Carrington's doorstep. She was raised and sent to work as a servant girl for The Countess of Holmeshire. The widowed and unconventional Countess chose Miss Emma Carrington as a companion and sent her off for finishing with the goal of dragging her along into genteel Victorian society. What sort of reception would she have at tea and dinners? The young Earl of Holmeshire was engaged by arrangement to a lovely London lady, but their relationship was difficult. Could they work it out? Even the tribulations and banned romances of the servants downstairs play into the story as we follow Emma from a stone fortress to a Victorian village and then into fabulous London mansions. Great surprises unfold at a Midsummer Night's Dream Ball which helps to solve mysteries that have gradually developed. You are invited to predict the great revelation of the last few pages!



The Victorian Age was a time of immense change. New inventions and questions of social norms were arising and it set the established upper crust on edge. Change is not something welcome as it means a reconfiguring of what was. In Debra Brown’s debut novel The Companion of Lady Holmeshire we see all the turbulence of Victorian change dashed with romance and mystery.

The novel was a refreshing change from my usual fare, as I found myself whisked away into the elite society of Victorian living much in the vein of Jane Austen and yet I was also given to the crass and harsh realities of the less fortunate much in the way of Charles Dickens. For all the sweetness and subtle romance I was forced to envision the realities of the less affluent class. It was blunt and could not be ignored.

The intricate weaving of Victorian history with the plot of the story was fabulous. I found myself enthralled by the story and yet learning at the same time. It is not always an easy thing to do and Miss Brown hit it spot on.

The main character of Emma was strong and mysterious and throughout her parentage is veiled in mystery. Lord Holmeshire is the son of Lady Holmeshire and he is a bit of an eccentric, a lovable hero for the novel who is devoted to the plight of the poor.

There is a cast of many interesting characters. I have to say, as well, that this read a lot like a variation of Upstairs, Downstairs. We are given a view of both the elite and servant classes through the cast of characters. It was fascinating.

Yet, what I enjoyed most was the surprises Brown managed to throw at me. None were what I expected and I appreciate that in an author. It was not till the end that all is revealed and I have a hunch Brown took a cue from Shakespeare’s Puck in a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Debra Brown’s debut novel was a valiant and intriguing effort. Her writing style is sophisticated and on point and her ability to weave a story is unique and of a style I have not encountered before. I really enjoyed The Companion of Lady Holmeshire and wait for Brown’s next novel with anticipation.



Final Recommendation: If you want the treat of Victorian mystery and suspense, with a spice of romance.


To learn more about author Debra Brown, please visit her website.

Absolute Liability A Southern Fraud Thriller by Jennifer Becton: A Book Review

Absolute Liability: A Southern Fraud Thriller

By Jennifer Becton

Publisher: Whiteley Press

Source: ARC ebook provided by author

 I love a good mystery. I was spoiled on Agatha Christie and Anne Perry on account of my mother when I was growing up. I was introduced to author Jennifer Becton when I read her debut novel Charlotte Collins: A Continuation of Pride and Prejudice so it was with mild surprise that her next published book was a thriller, but hey if Georgette Heyer can write Regencies and then mysteries then so can Jennifer Becton.


Absolute Liability: A Southern Fraud Thriller is the first in what will be a six part series from author Jennifer Becton. I loved every minute of this book. It is a great weekend or beach read and I didn’t have a clue who the killer was until practically the end. I found this book to be in the vein of Gemma Halliday another mystery writer who I adore.


The heroine, if you will, of Absolute Liability is Julia Jackson and she investigates insurance fraud. Julia is extremely likable. She can handle herself and yet she still has her vulnerabilities. In the course of her investigations she is abducted---or rather someone abducted what they thought was Julia----which brings out a sense of responsibility and justice in her. So the hunt to unfold the mystery begins. Who really wants Julia Jackson gone?

Throw in Tripp, an ex-high school sweetheart who is just a friend and a cop and a hunky and extremely mysterious Special Agent, named Mark Vincent, sent down especially from Atlanta to partner with Julia and the south just got a bit hotter. I really just want to talk about Mark Vincent. I think I drooled just a little when he was introduced. Mark Vincent was intriguing because he’s so mysterious and we don’t know much about him. I do hope he turns up again. Yum!

The mystery of the abduction is solved by the end, but there are some unanswered questions in the book in regards to an incident with which happened in the past. There are also some more opportunities to explore Julia’s family dysfunctions. This is to set up the rest of the series. Miss Becton has a great series on her hands. She wove a fantastic mystery/thriller and I look forward to book two in the series.

Final Recommendation: If you love a mystery where you are guessing till the end who did it.

Can be purchased at Amazon, Smashwords or Barnes and Noble

Visit Jennifer Becton online or at the Absolute Liability webpage

Charlotte and Emily by Jude Morgan: A Review + GIVEAWAY

Charlotte and Emily: A Novel of The Brontës

By Jude Morgan

ISBN: 0312642733

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Source: Library

The historical facts about the lives of the Brontës to tell a fictional story were great. The story of the Brontës is an extremely sad one. First, their Mother dies leaving behind five daughters and a son with a staunchly religious Father. The two eldest daughters, Elizabeth and Maria die of consumption after being away at what was supposed to be a school of opportunities for poorer children. They were sixteen or seventeen upon their deaths.


Later on Branwell, the only son, dies of a combination of alcoholism, laudanum addiction and consumption.

Then Emily dies followed later by Anne, both of consumption.

The deaths of Branwell, Emily and Anne all happened within months of each other.

Charlotte is the only one left beside her father Mr. Brontë. Charlotte marries Arthur Nicholls, her father’s curate, but less than a year into marriage she dies of what is speculated to have been complications from pregnancy.

In this book we are given a glimpse into how Charlotte, Emily and Anne write their novels. The end result was timeless tales such as Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Jane Eyre, The Professor, Shirley and Villette. The Brontë’s were all prolific writers in their own right, but they also where staunchly shaped by their experiences as reflected in their works. Morgan shows this very well.

In fact reading this and remembering the Brontë works I have read I could see the shades of their experiences in their writing. The incidents in Agnes Grey are real events that happened to Anne while she was a governess. Jane Eyre’s terrible time at school are shadows of Charlotte’s time at the school which ultimately killed her sisters Elizabeth and Maria. The Yorkshire moors of Emily’s Wuthering Heights are a reflection of the environment she lived in. One has a greater appreciation for their work when one understands the life they lived.

Jude Morgan does an excellent job of weaving the facts with a good story and while I already knew much of the Brontë’s I learned some more about them through this work. This is a good way for people who may not like biographies to learn about the lives of people they want to know more about. I cannot fault the author with his ability to tell a story because he does it so well.

I had some issues with this book however!

First, it is difficult to read. Morgan’s writing style is blunt, awkward and hard to get through. In a way it almost took away from the story and it wasn’t till I was almost finished with the book that I sort of adjusted to the writing. I don’t know if the way Morgan wrote this book was typical of his usual style, but in my opinion it was doing no favors to the book, but then in a way it was just like the sad, dismal lives of the Brontë’s and perhaps that was Morgan’s point.

Finally, the original title of the book was The Taste of Sorrow, but for the US publication the title was changed to Charlotte and Emily, which makes me upset. Just liked when Anne Brontë was alive she if overshadowed and pushed to the corner. This is a book about the Brontës which means Anne is a member too. It is unfortunate that Anne did not seem to warrant the same recognition as her sisters Charlotte and Emily. The published should have retained the original title as it was aptly reflective of the novel itself, but I digress.

Final Recommendation: Despite my major gripes with this book I would suggest reading it as the storytelling prose which Jude Morgan exhibits is really masterful…if you can get through Morgan’s writing style that is.

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The Watsons by Jane Austen and completed by John Coates: A Review

The Watsons

by Jane Austen

Completed by John Coates

Source: local library

The Watsons was an unfinished manuscript left behind by Jane Austen. It has always caused us to wonder what would have happened had she finished it, so it was with delight that I found a very hard to find completion by John Coates. When I say hard to find I mean it’s out of print. I was lucky my library had a copy hiding in its midst’s.

Coates makes a change to our heroine’s name. Instead of calling her Emma he calls her Emily, which works just fine.

In the initial fragment we are led to understand that Emily had been raised by her Aunt who upon her second marriage went to Ireland effectively sending Emily back home to strangers. Mr. Watson is a sickly man who rarely leaves his room and Mrs. Watson is long since dead which is suggested to be the cause of Mr. Watson’s condition.

Emily comes from a large family---two brothers and four sisters. Her brother Robert is married to a simpering woman named Jane. The other brother Sam is practicing to be a doctor. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, is in essence the lady of the house seeing to all the needs of the parsonage. Penelope is the teasing, witty one and Margaret is vain and self absorbed. What a cast of characters!

Tom Musgrave is considered a flirt a la Willoughby or Wickham. He gets his just desserts when he marries Margaret Watson as he is sure to be miserable in life now. Lord Osborne is the wealthy lord who sets his eye on Emily and proposes to her twice (both time refused), but in a charming twist he finds his heart has been claimed elsewhere for some time. It is Mr. Howard who ultimately wins Emily’s heart despite him only being a clergyman---what is wealth and status to true love?

In other words this is a cast of characters that only Austen could have introduced.

Coates created a balance between Emily and her Aunt and their more prosperous status than that of her family. However it was suggested that Jane spoke to her sister Cassandra and explained that Emily’s father Mr. Watson was to die and she was to be dependent on her snipping sister-in-law and brother. As I knew of this I was saddened to see Coates deviate from that path, but then that is what makes it a completion because we can only speculate how Jane herself would have ended it.

Coates does an admirable job in keeping the transition between Austen’s fragment and his completion without any disasters. What is more is that every Janeite is sure to find similarities to other Austen characters in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe that even Jane herself would have been proud.

Final Recommendation: A book worth the read….if you can find a copy that is.

Have you read this completion or the one by Joan Aiken?

Review of Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts by Mitzi Szereto

Pride and Prejudice Hidden Lusts

By Mitzi Szereto

Release Date: July 1, 2011

Publisher: Cleis Press

ISBN-10: 1573446637

Source: Author supplied PDF

Warning: This book is for those of mature sensibilities.

Drop those breeches and rip open those bodices and enter the scandalous behind the scenes world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Do you want to know what Mr. Bennet really does behind the closed door of his library? Is Lydia Bennet just wild or is she really just a 7-11 kind of girl? What is George Wickham’s real motivation when he chases a skirt? Does Bingley really marry Jane for love or is his eye wandering elsewhere? How does Caroline take out her frustrations of not snaring Darcy? Most importantly, what is going on behind closed doors?

All that is explored here in a new, raunchy twist on the Austen classic Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts by Mitzi Szereto.

Miss Szereto has done an admirable job of melding a classic with the erotica genre to the point that if you didn’t know that it was a spin on a classic romance you would be none the wiser. The author actually took Pride and Prejudice and made it her own with a refreshing spin. I cannot thank the author enough for taking the time to write the book the way she did, because let’s face it she could have easily cut and paste some erotic scenes here and there and not really done any work at all. It happens, but not with Miss Szereto. Thank you!

Something I also appreciated, and we know how I’ve ranted about sex in Austen novels, is the Miss Szereto is completely open about the fact that her book is full of sex. I knew what I was getting into and for that I cannot find fault. Ladies and gents you have been warned this book is full of sex, sex and more sex. It’s good sex too.

In addition, Miss Szereto had a biting wit all her own. This book is funny. It’s got sex, but it is a hoot. I laughed out loud at many places. Take this passage for example,

“Although quite pretty, Lydia was a

lively headstrong girl prone to a breathiness of speech and a

most peculiar fondness for raising up the hems of her gowns

to rub her lower half against objects and furnishings and, to

the embarrassment of all parties concerned, young officers.”

Lydia has the propensity to hump anything in sight. It leads to some humors moments in the novel. I have no desire to give spoilers however, so you should perhaps buy the book. The wit and expert storytelling Miss Szereto exhibits is a refreshing and her talent in a delight to read.

If you have ever been wondering or perhaps, lusting, for that behind the curtain kind of Jane Austen tale then you should peak into the pages of Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts. Indulge your inner fantasies about what really happened.

Final Recommendation: If you like a little dirty with your clean.

For my fairytale friends check out In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed: Erotic Fairy Tales also by Mitzi Szereto.

Synopsis:


Imagine that Jane Austen had written the opening line of her satirical novel Pride and Prejudice this way: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a good romp and a good wife — although not necessarily from the same person or from the opposite sex." In Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts Mr. Darcy has never been more devilish and the seemingly chaste Elizabeth never more turned on.






The entire cast of characters from Austen's classic is here in this rewrite that goes all the way. This time Mr. Bingley and his sister both have designs on Mr. Darcy's manhood; Elizabeth's bff Charlotte marries their family's strange relation and stumbles upon a secret world of feminine relations more to her liking; and, in this telling, men are not necessarily the only dominating sex. And of course there's some good old fashioned bodice ripping that shows no pride or prejudice and reveals hot hidden lusts in every page-turning chapter.





Visit Mitzi Szereto on her webpage or the promotional page for her upcoming novel.

Mitzi Szereto’s Website
Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts Webpage


Note: I did not receive compensation of any kind for this review. I review for free.

Hot Regency Find: Incognito by Suzanne Allain

This is a new feature which I will be showcasing on Sundays. I will showcase a Regency related book, but it will not always have a book review to accompany it. Sit back and enjoy and I hope perhaps you will find a new book to read.

Incognito by Suzanne Allain


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Mistaken identities, stubborn lovers and great comedy; what more do you need, but to go read this book. :)




This delightful book by Suzanne Allain is a quick read. It is in the vein of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.




Lady Smithfield has two daughters, Lydia and Emily. Lydia is considered the most beautiful according to Lady Smithfield. Where Lydia is fair and pale and beautiful, Emily has dark hair and she is not considered the ‘beauty’ by their mother. The Smithfield’s are not as well off since the death of Lord Smithfield (Think Sense and Sensibility and the Dashwood’s thrown out of Norland upon Mr. Dashwood’s death). So, it is with great relief and delight that Lady Smithfield receives a letter from the Duke of Alford honoring the arrangement between his late wife and Lady Smithfield. That arrangement is for his son Lord Wesleigh, to marry Lady Smithfield’s eldest daughter Lydia.




Lord Wesleigh does not want to marry a woman he has never met. Lydia is in love with someone else, so Emily arranges to marry Lord Wesleigh instead. Lord Wesleigh decides to go incognito to the town the Smithfield’s live in and observe his bride-to-be from afar before he decides. In a predictable twist of fate Lord Wesleigh prefers Emily to Lydia anyways. Except now Lord Wesleigh will not stop masquerading as someone else until he is sure Emily’s affection is real and she is not after the-not-incognito Lord Wesleigh’s money. Comedy and laughter ensures.




I read this book in one sitting. While it was very predictable in the outcome I laughed out loud on many occasions. It was well written and was an enjoyable Regency romantic romp. If you like Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen you will like this book.




The only dislike I had was that there was not as much character development as I would have liked due to the short length of the book. Personally, I like well rounded and developed characters. I instantly liked most of the characters in this book and was able to identify with them. I just wish there was a little more.




I would read this book again and recommend it to others. A great Regency romp can be had with Incognito.






View all my reviews

Darcy and Fitzwilliam by Karen Wasylowski: A Book Review

Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A tale of a gentleman and an officer by Karen Wasylowski


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Did someone say Colonel Fitzwilliam? YES! A minor character is getting and given some love. Did someone say bromance? Yes, A bromance between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. I’m sold. Plus the cover is divine. I came, I saw (read), I was extremely satisfied. READ THIS BOOK!




Volume I- Darcy and Elizabeth




I found myself a bit board by the first part of the book, which is no fault of Wasylowski. It has to do with my being sick of reading about Darcy and Elizabeth. They’re everywhere and after a while you grow tired of just one couple and long for other Austen characters to get their day in the spotlight. However, this is a review of Wasylowski’s book and if I put aside my fatigue with all things Darcy and Elizabeth I have to say she has written them well. She gives us a story and not all this mindless sex. Thank you!




Elizabeth is written as the strong woman we grew to love in Austen’s masterpiece Pride and Prejudice, but she has her flaws too. She is slightly insecure in her marriage and when she finds out that Darcy had a brief liaison with Caroline Bingley she flies off into a fit of rage. In regards to her insecurity I think we have to remember that while she is a gentleman’s daughter they were not rich and I believe it is realistic to portray her as insecure in her new role as Mistress of the grand estate Pemberley. Wouldn’t you be intimidated by the expectation of acting like a proper Mistress for a huge place like Pemberley, where one minor mistake could set the servants tongues wagging?




Secondly, is her fit of rage at finding out Darcy had a liaison with Caroline Bingley. I think this would upset any woman. Caroline Bingley makes no secret of her dislike for Elizabeth as she is competition for Darcy’s affections. I think Elizabeth views this as a sort of betrayal, despite the liaison being before her marriage to Darcy, but I also think it has to do with the fact that being from a small country town she has never had to deal with someone openly disliking her. It creates insecurities in her and because she only ever spent her life in the country she is not well versed in what men of the world do. She has been sheltered so it comes as a surprise to her that Darcy has premarital relations and so she questions her trust in him.




Many may not like how Elizabeth is portrayed in this novel, but I think we need to remember that they are human and have faults like the rest of us. I do not think it fair to expect Elizabeth and Darcy to be perfect all the time. Darcy was a man of his time. He was educated and it was not uncommon for them to step out for a nip-and-a-cuddle before marrying. It happens and to think it didn’t is a disservice. Reality is not always pretty.






Volume II- Colonel Fitzwilliam




I adore a man in uniform. This part of the book, staring Colonel Fitzwilliam, was my favorite. It was so touching to get to see Colonel Fitzwilliam really fall in love after years of roughish behavior while serving his country in the Army. When a man like Colonel Fitzwilliam falls in love he falls hard, fast and intends things to work in his favor with military precision. The American widow Amanda Penrod has some fire of her own and disrupts all of his plans. There were some extremely hilarious and heartbreaking moments between them.




Amanda Penrod, a character of Wasylowski’s creation, was a match for Colonel Fitzwilliam. She is a widow with a young son and a monster-in-law. Monster-in-law has custody of Amanda’s son (her grandson) and makes Amanda’s life hell because she believes she is unfit to raise her own son because she is American. A mother’s love is not to be trifled with and there is no doubt that Amanda loves her son. There is also no doubt that Colonel Fitzwilliam and Amanda are passionately in love.




There are some minor sex scenes between the Colonel and Amanda, BUT they are not explicit and they have a reason to be there. They drive the plot. The first intimate scene between the Colonel and Amanda is beautiful. It is the first time the Colonel has made love to a woman and not just used her for sex. It is the final awaking for him and his decision to make Amanda his wife and spend the rest of his days with her. For Amanda it is the first time she has had real intimate relations (her first husband does not count) herself and it is also a discovery for her into the nature of Colonel Fitzwilliam.




I have to commend Wasylowski here because while she had minor sex scenes, if she hadn’t had them at all I would have had no doubt as to the love and passion between Colonel Fitzwilliam and Amanda. The same can be said about Darcy and Elizabeth who had no intimate scenes in this novel. She was able to convey the love, romance and passion through other thoughts and actions. That is difficult to do and she did is exceptionally well.






Volume III- Family




The final volume brought full circle the first two Volumes. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Amanda, with her son, get a happy ending after the battle with the monster-in-law for custody. Darcy and Elizabeth have a newborn and settle their disagreement in regards to Caroline Bingley. They are family men now. It is beautiful to see these men portrayed as bachelors and then taking on the role as husbands and fathers.




The ending scene of the novel almost made me cry. It cements the bromance between Colonel Fitzwilliam and Darcy which is a prevalent focus throughout the novel. These two men were so different and yet they are two peas in a pod. They complete each other and would truly be lost without each other. Through their trials and tribulations they are there for each other, accepting their flaws and helping each other grow and mature.




It was so wonderful to see the relationship between these two men and from their point of view. Wasylowski writes from the male point of view which is refreshing. The men get a chance to shine. She has done an excellent job of showing how these two men grow together, as individuals and in their relationships. It was a treat to be invited to hear their story.




Lastly, I have to say I found Wasylowski’s portrayal of Lady Catherine to be a delight. Lady Catherine is up there in years, so at times a bit senile, but usually sharp as a tack. We as readers get to understand why she is the way she is. She loves her family and will always protect it. She is still the domineering woman of the original novel, but with a softer side. Lady Catherine provided some of the other humorous scenes. I actually wanted to read more about Lady Catherine. I grew to adore this Lady Catherine and that is not something to be taken lightly.




If you have not read this book you should. Darcy and Fitzwilliam was a wonderful ride that I would gladly take again.






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Nachtsturm Castle by Emily Snyder: A Book Review

Nachtsturm Castle: A Gothic Austen Novel by Emily C.A. Snyder


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was a delight!




I have recently found my way to Jane Austen sequels and recently reread Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I fell in love with Henry Tilney and Catherine Moreland and I was curious if there were any sequels available. Northanger Abbey sequels are few and in-between it appears and Pride and Prejudice sequels seem to rule the day. When I found Emily Snyder’s sequel to Northanger Abbey it was much anticipation that I immediately purchased it and eagerly awaited its arrival on my door step. Once it was here I could not put it down.




Miss Snyder maintains the spirit and tongue-and-cheek-parody of Jane Austen’s original Northanger Abbey. Austen originally wrote Northanger Abbey as a parody of the popular gothic novels of Ann Radcliffe. The romp the Miss Snyder takes us on in her sequel is a true delight. I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions.




In Nachtstürm Castle it seems Henry and Catherine have not had the opportunity to go on a honeymoon and so as a present to his bride Henry takes Catherine on a tour of the places that Radcliffe spoke of in her novels. Henry Tilney loves to tease is wife and I’ll admit a scene in the opening sequence made me wonder if this book was going to be ridiculous. However, that scene and what it represents was carried throughout the book and by the end I realized that the gothic genre is ridiculous. I admit to having read Radcliffe myself and I can attest to the ridiculousness of her novels on occasion. Besides, Austen was trying to create a parody which Miss Snyder has continued beautifully.




Catherine Moreland is still a doe eyed, naive young woman. She is finally given the chance to act the part of a Gothic heroine when she and Henry are invited to stay at the mysterious Nachtstürm Castle which is situated Austria. She gets a mysterious castle, hidden passageways, strange happenings and most importantly an aloof, ghost like, servant who wants nothing more than for the intruders to leave the castle. Catherine in her innocence cannot resist the mystery and finds herself in some scrapes.




Henry is not immune to the gothic adventures at all. He is drawn into the mystery and perhaps my favorite part was the dramatic rescue towards the end of the novel. There was something so amusing and sexy about Henry Tilney riding a horse in true gothic fashion in order to rescue his bride. True to form Henry found amusement in social situations and even in Catherine’s naive sensibilities.




Miss Snyder has written a great addition to Austen sequels and a wonderful sequel to Northanger Abbey. I almost enjoyed her sequel to Northanger Abbey better than the original. Almost. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it ended.






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