The story is poignant with a likable heroine who inherits a cottage by the sea. Just in time too, as her love life and career need an infusion of inspThe story is poignant with a likable heroine who inherits a cottage by the sea. Just in time too, as her love life and career need an infusion of inspiration. Moving back to a sleepy seaside place that meant so much to her in her youth just might be what Anna needs to focus on herself and reevaluate what she wants out of life. Weighty decisions for someone in her late twenties but that felt authentic, and I liked Anna and all her insecurities as well as her thoughtfulness, loyalty, and courage. I was anxious to know what would happen when she finally met up with her teenage crush, Alex (I am a sucker for second chances), and my heart pounded almost every encounter with Oliver, the handsome mysterious writer (I loved him!) from across the bay. And there is plenty of intrigue about the cottage and her surprise inheritance that kept me turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning. I admit that this story brought a few tears to my eyes — happy tears too. This one is a MUST READ. Smart prose and inventive story—and I can’t wait for the next in the series....more
When shy Meg Burton-Smythe falls from her horse and is rescued by a handsome and charming gentleman, she recognizes him at once as a son of her fatherWhen shy Meg Burton-Smythe falls from her horse and is rescued by a handsome and charming gentleman, she recognizes him at once as a son of her father’s sworn enemy. Ivo Beresford, a forward-thinking bespectacled gallant, has no time for old family grudges and begins a friendship with her.
“It is why we're in this middle. All this emphasis on tradition at the expense of progress. One is supposed to keep doing something just because it's what's always been done. It's mindlessness.”—Chapter 2.
Of course, romantic feelings brew and life becomes complicated.
“Meg privately cursed her terrible luck. It was bad enough that the gentleman coming to her aid should be gorgeous beyond imagination, but a member of a family as abhorrent to her own family as the Montagues ever were to the Capulets.”—Chapter 1.
Doomed “Romeo and Juliet” may be a tale as old as time, but Ivo and Meg’s spirited romance is a positive, refreshing spin of a classic trope. The reimagined plot is page-turner worthy. Ivo and Meg’s chemistry verily crackles. My only complaint is the novel ends too quickly. In the words of Jane Austen: “If a book is well written, I always find it too short.”
“Appointment in Bath” is another page-turning installment in Mimi Matthews’s oeuvre of happily-ever-after historical romance. The "Somerset Stories" series is not to be missed!...more
This is the great Joana Starnes at the top of her game. When a snowstorm and carriage accidents require Elizabeth and Jane Bennet, along with their auThis is the great Joana Starnes at the top of her game. When a snowstorm and carriage accidents require Elizabeth and Jane Bennet, along with their aunt and uncle Gardiner, to become guests at Pemberley, the last thing Elizabeth expects is a charming and considerate host. Yet cheating death has awakened Darcy to the idea of Fate and second chances, and he is determined to change Elizabeth’s opinion of him and win her love. His kindness and attention beget her affection and consideration. "The opportunity to tease him on that score was too good to miss—but Elizabeth missed it all the same, for it vanished as swiftly as it came. He stopped closer, dipped his head, and a moment later, his lips were on hers, very warm, very soft, in a feathery caress that robbed her of her breath and sent the strangest tingle down her spine."—Chapter 9 Ha! Moments like that stole my breath and sent tingles down my spine, too.
With a balance of humor from surprising standouts like the indolent Mr. Hurst, I was turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. “‘ I say,’ Mr. Hurst muttered. ‘This has all the markings of hysteria. In cases such as these, the only thing that does the trick is a quick, sharp slap. I fear it falls on you, my dear, to deliver it.’ ‘Mr. Hurst!’ his wife cried in horror. ‘I will do no such thing. You had much better let her have a sip of brandy. It will settle her [Caroline] nerves far more effectively.’ ‘Will it, now?’ Mr. Hurst scowled. ‘Oh, very well,’ he finally conceded, holding out the flask with manifest reluctance. ‘But have a care, madam, lest she drops it. ’Tis fine stuff, this. A damn shame to waste it.’”—Chapter 2
And who would have imagined Elizabeth would have a champion in Lady Catherine?! I loved how Starnes deftly pens her clever backstories through quick dialog and concise letters, building connections and weaving them into her full-bodied character driven plots. “…wicked amusement that had come from playing cat and mouse with Miss Bingley soon cooled into nothing, once Lady Catherine was left alone in her apartments. She wandered towards the escritoire but did not avail herself of a fresh sheet of paper. The letter that preyed upon her mind had been written already in the late hours of the night. Or half-written, rather.” –Chapter 15
As a fan for over a decade, I’ve been looking forward to this latest from Joana Starnes. Not only do I buy her ebooks and audiobooks, but I also add the print copy to my home library. "Snowbound" is easy to recommend. I confess it’s imaginative storytelling and excellent writing like this that keep me reading Austenesque fanfiction....more
BEACH MUSIC. Epic world building. Beloved characters. Unyielding love. Heartbreaking love story. Layers of family history. A lifelong favorite, I’ve rBEACH MUSIC. Epic world building. Beloved characters. Unyielding love. Heartbreaking love story. Layers of family history. A lifelong favorite, I’ve recommended this book countless times since I first read it two decades ago. I don’t know why it hasn’t been made into a film yet....more
Could be my favorite contemporary romance all year! Smart, sexy hero. Honest, honorable heroine. Theo and Lizzy had amazing chemistry from page one anCould be my favorite contemporary romance all year! Smart, sexy hero. Honest, honorable heroine. Theo and Lizzy had amazing chemistry from page one and I read straight through till dawn. Have that book hangover for sure. This is a must read!...more
Generic chick lit? This is anything but! Everyone knows Lizzie’s bad reputation and won’t let her forget it. But in the summer of 1959, when Billy RayGeneric chick lit? This is anything but! Everyone knows Lizzie’s bad reputation and won’t let her forget it. But in the summer of 1959, when Billy Ray Davenport, son of preacher, arrives in her small Southern town, they become friends—better than friends—before he heads off to medical school. Told from Billy Ray's POV, with the primary story from 1959-1961, we see how each recognizes the value of the person—and not what society demands.
Originally published as “At the Edge of the Sea,” the male & female protagonists, Lizzie & Billy Ray, have a little too much pride as well as prejudice...and through out the novel, there are slight nods to the timeless masterpiece “Pride & Prejudice.” Smart, Poignant, Timeless, and Heart-pounding love story.
About the audiobook: I’ve read this many times and am so glad it has finally become an audiobook. Narrator Blake Lockheart’s tone and pacing of Cox’s lyrical, smart prose, and his interpretation of the varied characters was perfection. Like I’ve said, this is a favorite read and I had high hopes for the audiobook. Was not disappointed! Easy to recommend....more
“Twists of Fate” begins when Darcy is at Netherfield Park and Mr Collins makes his proposal to Elizabeth—but then that’s where author Joana Starnes di“Twists of Fate” begins when Darcy is at Netherfield Park and Mr Collins makes his proposal to Elizabeth—but then that’s where author Joana Starnes diverts from Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice”. Escaping the clutches of a handsy, unscrupulous,smarmy Collins, she takes herself on a walk toward her aunt Philips in the village. The weather turns and she is caught in a downpour with none other than Mr. Darcy. Afterwards, he escorts her to her aunt’s, only to be observed by a meddling maid who progresses to spread wild tales and innuendo about Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy—Darcy finds he can do nothing but follow his heart, despite the differences in their social standing, and ask for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. “There was but one answer she could give to his offer of marriage, and they both knew it. But by now Elizabeth had sufficient cause to hope that, despite the hand they had been dealt, they might make a good life together. Thus, her smile was shy rather than forced when, with one word, she pledged herself to him in a low whisper.”—Chapter 8
Though neither knows much about the other, they come to find that in essentials they are well-matched, maybe even in a love match... Alas, soon after the wedding, Darcy overhears a private conversation between Elizabeth and her sister, and well, let’s just say, their marriage begins on a rocky road to Pemberley. “Breath caught in his chest as Darcy turned his head to stare unseeing out of the window. Heaven help him, he wanted her! No change there, even if everything else had changed. If anything, he wanted her more than ever.” —Chapter 14
A riveting and absorbing read… You’ll savor the unraveling of their fledgling love and the brilliance of the heart-pounding romance when truths are revealed. A thoughtful tale full of familiar, swoon-worthy characters and sizzling scenes! “Twists of Fate” is a real gem that we expect from the incomparable storyteller, Joana Starnes. ( I was lucky to receive an advance reader copy—looking forward to the published copy to add to my shelves!)...more
This book should come with a warning: once opened, be prepared to do nothing else but turn the pages. Engaging from the first. I can easily see this dThis book should come with a warning: once opened, be prepared to do nothing else but turn the pages. Engaging from the first. I can easily see this developed into a screenplay or a TV series. Caroline Lowrie is a talented storyteller, master of tight, smart prose, and this intriguing, suspenseful crime fiction is not to be missed....more
When single mom and data statistician Jess Davis takes the new DNA-based matchmaking test to find her soulmate, no one could be more skeptical when shWhen single mom and data statistician Jess Davis takes the new DNA-based matchmaking test to find her soulmate, no one could be more skeptical when she learns she matched at an almost perfect score with GeneticAlly CEO River Peña. He can’t believe it either but as it’s his company, he wants to believe in his science.
Anyone who knows me knows I am an unabashed fan of all things Austen and Austenesque fiction. So when Jess overhears Dr. Peña disparage her looks, declaring her “entirely average”...well, my Mr. Darcy-senses were activated. But, of course, this puts Jess against the brooding, tall, handsome, and aloof scientist at once... No way Peña could be her soul mate! She even describes him to her grandparents: “Think Mr. Darcy, but without the lovely proclamations. He called me average, didn’t hold the elevator, speaks with less emotional fluency than the Alexa in your kitchen, and doesn’t know a thing about parking lot etiquette.” —Chapter 9. Boom! I was hooked. (The two other mentions of Austen made me like these characters all the more.)
When GeneticAlly offers her a generous stipend—simply to get to know the handsome Dr. River Pena, see if there is something to the numbers after all—she agrees. However, after only a couple dates, their surprising, natural compatibility and their undeniable attraction shrouded in sexual tension makes her start to believe the science too. “I don’t know about soulmate, but I’d admit to lust.” She turned her face to the side. His mouth was so close to hers. River stilled, glanced down at her lips. “Is that right?” —Chapter 12.
She discovers his quiet charm, his thoughtful actions to her and her quirky author friend, Fizzy, and his amazingly generous way with her young daughter, Juno, make her reevaluate her first (and second impressions) of him. Then she learns he wants her too: “I want to be here to bring you coffee. I want to take you out to dinner and order the same food and hear you recite the odds that we would have met. ... I want to feel like I can kiss you again by your car at the end of the night.” He swallowed. “I want you in my bed.” —Chapter 17.
Warning: Despite all the steam and smart dialogue, Fizzy, Jess’s best friend and bestselling romance author, steals the scene every time she’s on the page. “...if you think I haven’t written down every word of this, you’re both high.” —Chapter 25. Trust me. She’s the ideal best friend.
The writing team of Christina Lauren’s prose is tight, quick-witted, and sprinkled with comic deadpan dialogue yet always with an honest connection. The characters feel alive and the story so unbelievably believable, you can’t help but want it to be real. The passion between River and Jess is white hot even before their pants come off. Christina Lauren give their characters words that we wish we had said as well as the all too human ones we regret. “The Soulmate Equation” will make you laugh out loud and, in the next breath, weep.
My favorite romcom of the year! Surely Hollywood will option “The Soulmate Equation” for film ASAP. Let me know if you are interested in my Dreamcast. I have a shortlist.
ARC via NetGalley. Pub. Date: May 18, 2021....more
Christina Morland is a masterful writer as I have reviewed her previously when these were published individually. On point with the characters we know Christina Morland is a masterful writer as I have reviewed her previously when these were published individually. On point with the characters we know and expect—and perfection introducing new characters to her storytelling. Always poignant and always gorgeous prose. I love that all three stories are compiled in one here—convenient for those who have never read her before. The two bonus excerpts for her coming works have me all anticipation....more
A forbidden love between the young stable boy and daughter of a country squire is never to be when young Nicholas Seaton is wrongly accused of stealinA forbidden love between the young stable boy and daughter of a country squire is never to be when young Nicholas Seaton is wrongly accused of stealing Maggie's jewels and must run for his life. But not before she promises to wait for his return. After ten years of no word from him, and years of loss and other strife, her father’s will was drawn in such a way to give all her rights to the untrustworthy Frederick Burton-Smythe unless she is married and Fred must approve the marriage, Margaret Honeywell heads for London to find a husband—and aid from her own friend, Miss Jane Trimble. But when Fred, the very man who has control of her property and monies—and the last man in the world she wishes to marry despite his intentions—finds he has an appointment with Viscount St. Clare for pistols at dawn, she takes it upon herself to stop the duel. (She only fears what will happen to her inheritance if he is killed!) But what happens when Maggie meets this handsome viscount, newly returned from the continent, and recognizes the grown man as someone she used to know...?
Well, all this happens within the first few pages! And the fast pace does not stop.
From start to finish, my heart was in my throat, cheering for Maggie, hoping for Viscount St. Clare to triumph, and wishing Fred would just go away. “Gentleman Jim” is a charismatic combination of drama, historical saga, and romantic intrigue that you must read sooner than later! Outstanding!...more
I have never read a book that made me root for the hero and heroine more. Never have I wanted the happily ever after to be real for them, to find a meI have never read a book that made me root for the hero and heroine more. Never have I wanted the happily ever after to be real for them, to find a meaningful, honest to goodness fairytale ending—but when the heroine suffers from an almost all-consuming OCD and the hero learns he has a debilitating disease that will rob him of his life as he knows it, believe me, I could not envision a happy resolution for anyone. But author Annabelle Costa weaves a colorful, honorable and clever tale of the most unlikely of love stories that makes it seem not unlikely at all—and made me question why I thought love wouldn’t triumph after all. “Crazy in Love” is a masterpiece and already I am a dreamcasting who should play whom in the movie. Every once in awhile, a book comes along that lingers with me, makes me wonder about the characters for days... This is such a book! Read this. Sooner than later....more
Anyone who claims to know Austen is all too familiar with the ill-fated ‘Hunsford proposal’ scene in “Pride and Prejudice”. You know the scene? Mr DarAnyone who claims to know Austen is all too familiar with the ill-fated ‘Hunsford proposal’ scene in “Pride and Prejudice”. You know the scene? Mr Darcy comes to Miss Elizabeth Bennet when she is alone in the parsonage and professes his love amongst a litany of unromantic and arrogant reasons why he has struggled against his feelings... In Joana Starnes’s new release, “A Timely Elopement”, his ill-worded delivery of a proposal is interrupted when the colonel barges in and declares their cousin Anne has eloped.
When Elizabeth unexpectedly finds herself as a guest at the Darcy townhouse as a companion of sorts to his formidable aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr Darcy soon realizes that he has dodged a bullet by not proposing to Elizabeth, a woman who was misinformed about him and had thought him the last man in the world she might marry—and takes this new found intelligence as an opportunity to show her he is a man worthy of her. “He would secure his hearts desire—secure her—and if the world at large could not understand that happy men did their duty better, then they could go hang!”
Starnes has long been a household name when it comes to Jane Austen inspired fiction. Her banter between Darcy and Elizabeth is second to none, and their romance is swoon-worthy without the saccharine syrup that so often one finds in this sub-genre. I love how Starnes shows Elizabeth as a woman who does not willfully misunderstand, rather she studies Darcy’s words and deeds to see he very well might be the best man of her acquaintance—even when another admirable suitor is introduced into their circle—all the while bestowing Elizabeth’s charm and wit we love and expect.
In London and later in Hertfordshire, Darcy and Elizabeth cannot but have private conversations, secret looks, and pulse-raising moments: “She gasped, not so much at the question as at the feel of his thumb brushing over her lower lip, once his hand had curved around her cheek. She saw him swallow hard and unwittingly did likewise, her throat suddenly dry. For all his admirable traits she discovered in him, she was reminded in a flash that he was strong-willed, often domineering, and patently accustomed to having his own way. Everything about this unnerving moment worked to confirm it. His hand on her cheek—an almost propriety gesture, and far too intimate for a proposal that had not been accepted. His demand for an answer—insistent and so very premature. His eyes flicking to her lips time and again, as if any moment now he would forget himself and kiss her.”
In this smart comedy of manners and intrigue, Starnes shows us the folly of judging by first impressions and this, like her previous Austenesque romances, delighted me with the tender, fledging relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. The inventive twists are a welcome surprise and absolutely believable. “A Timely Elopement” is humorous, with the perfect measure of angst, a gloriously smitten Darcy, a bright and sparkling Elizabeth, gorgeous interaction with Georgiana and the colonel, and features a cousin Anne de Bourgh who I genuinely applauded. I loved this! Loved. Just the timely Austenesque fix I needed to read in a world gone mad....more
It’s 7:27am and I didn’t go to sleep all night. I haven’t pulled an all nighter in quite some time. I am going to be a zombie all day because of “All It’s 7:27am and I didn’t go to sleep all night. I haven’t pulled an all nighter in quite some time. I am going to be a zombie all day because of “All That Jazz” by Natasha Boyd. I didn’t think I could find a contemporary character that I loved more than her Jack Eversea but I think her Dr Joseph Butler might have done it. Thank you for writing this sultry, emotive and smart story that hit all the right notes for me during these strange times. ...more
I can honestly say I love all these authors — and was honored they all agreed to write a story for this homage to Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet. I think tI can honestly say I love all these authors — and was honored they all agreed to write a story for this homage to Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet. I think there is something for everyone—yet believe the stories work well together, offering readers the authors’ take on a beloved story. (Full disclosure: I edited this anthology AND my own story is included.)...more
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