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Change of Heart by Tina Marie Noel

Change of Heart by Tina Marie Noel

In this Pride and Prejudice re-telling, Lady Catherine would be well and truly within her rights to say that Elizabeth had used her female guile and accoutrements to turn Darcy's head.

She flirts outrageously and use double entendres, stroking Mr Darcy's snooker cue while telling Mr Darcy she likes to play with his stick.

This is definitely not an Elizabeth that Jane Austen would have liked and some might say it slips into the category of housewife porn. But this elizabeth does the impossible, she changes Lady Catherine's heart as well.

Lady Catherine even coming to the defence of Elizabeth with a serious dressing down to Caroline Bingley and her friend for this alone the book has to be worth reading. because, let's face it wouldn't we all love to give Caroline Bingley a verbal slap around the face and who could  possibly do it better that the totally acidic Lady Catherine DeBourgh. yes this is smutty but at least it is entertaining smut.
Masses of fumbling and heaving breasts.

Even Jane gets a bit naughty and that is very out of character.

Pride and Prejudice - The Thug Notes Summary

Sara Baartman - You should watch this, very moving.

All my Friends should watch this it is very moving The Story of Sara Baartman Who died in 1815 Some of this film is sexualy explicit & rather harrowing .

http://peacebenwilliams.com/who-is-sara-baartman-every-black-woman-should-know-her-name-photos-video/

Only A Heartbeat Away by P.O.Dixon

 

P.O.Dixon - Only A Heartbeat Away

So I was looking forward to reading this book and dived in eagerly.

Darcy goes to the Mereton Assembly but Elizabeth is not there, Elizabeth is at the Netherfield Ball, but Darcy is Absent.

I was beginning to think that they would never meet.

Elizabeth had already travelled to Pemberly and instead of meeting Darcy she has met up with Georgina and become friends through correspondence and she eventually meets up with Darcy through Georgina at a ball in London.

I loved the way P.O. Dixon changed the situations completely but still stayed true to the story. Making an interesting tale that you wanted to keep reading, just to see how she would get all the main characters to the places they needed to be.

Grab a copy and jump in!

Passions of Dr Darcy by Sharon Latham

Passions of Dr Darcy 

Sharon Latham

It is a considerably long time since I reviewed an Austen prequel or sequel. I was in need of a new battery for my pacemaker and thought I would take the opportunity of forced rest to read something that I had fancied tucking into  for quite some time.

I say tucking into as these books are not small or light! I embarked on George RR Martins Game of Thrones books, spurned on by the sumptuous television series.

I did take quite a while to finish all five books in the series and now I am left wanting more.

But thankfully I had Sharon Lathams latest book to kickstart my Jane Austen obsession.

Passions of Dr Darcy brought me happily back into that world again.

I have enjoyed the character of the irrepressible Dr Darcy in Sharon's series of tales of Darcy and Elizabeths adventures and I was delighted that she had chosen to give him a book of his own. Telling his vivid back story and taking us all along with him through his loves and heart breaks in the exciting Indian sub-continent. 

Enlisted as a Doctor for the East India Company and very eager to learn every bit of medical knowledge and practice the new found techniques his already glowing reputation growing quickly.

He is sort after professionally, but his love life is not as smooth as his professional life. In fact the poor fellow really has a terrible time with the ladies.

I really enjoyed this rich colourful book almost smelling the spices and seeing the Dr Darcy's colourful outfits. I can totally relate to his choice as I live in Malaysia and have chosen to wear traditional Indian clothes for comfort.

If you have not read this book yet, well, move it up your list. It's worth it.

Becoming Elizabeth Darcy by Mary Simonsen

Becoming Elizabeth Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

A modern day variation with our herione suffering from swine flu and going into a coma as the story opens.

As she goes into a tunnel of light she is escorted through time awakening as Elizabeth Darcy many years into her marriage.

Totally clueless at first she can't believe they expect her to use a chamber pot! And some of her behavour is putting her at serious risk of being dragged of to an Asylem.

But after the initial shock and the horror at the hygiene and medical treatments of the time, she settles down to make the best she can of the situation. 

She finds Darcy to be charming and humorous but the last few years of their marriage have not been smooth and she feels she has been put there to mend some of the tragedies in Darcy and Elizabeths lives. Hoping that it will earn her a passage home to the family she misses terribly.

She sets about introducing some basic hygiene essentials to Pemberley and even teaches the making of pizza which becomes a giant success with all.

Warm funny and caring, while dealing with some very difficult subjects.

I enjoyed this book immensely.

Murder at Rosings by Joann Louise

Murder at Rosings by Joann Louise

If you can get past some very iffy grammar and my personal pet hate words like critters instead of creatures, also there are no Vultures in England, not now and not 200 years ago. It would be far better to have had the aptly named "murder of crows" sharing the where abouts of the victim.

OK rant over. 

There is plenty to entertain:

Lady Catherine by her mismanagement and overbearing personality has set the scene for the disasters that befell Rosings Park. 

Unfortunately Elizabeth Bennet gets mixed up in the murder plots and comes face to face with the murderer.

Once he knows she has seen his face her life is in mortal danger.

Thank goodness then that Mr Darcy will move Heaven and Earth to protect his Elizabeth.

And, that's not going to be an easy job as the body count rises.

Whilst dealing with the terrible situation at Rosings Park he is not let off  the hook from sorting out Lydia and Wykham. The poor man is harried from all sides but being Fitzwilliam Darcy was never going to be easy and he is the hero of the day when the tale brings him between the killers knife and Elizabeth.

This is the first Murder mystery set at Rosings That I have read, it makes a change from Pemberley.

Love Will Grow by P.O. Dixon

Love Will Grow by P.O. Dixon

A Pride and Prejudice Story

We open this story in Kent shortly before Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive for there anual visit to Rosings Park.

The first shift in the tale comes with Elizabeth being befriended by Anne DeBurgh.

Anne having watched Elizabeth's effects on Darcy and her vivacious banter with him and the Colonel, decides that Lizzy is just the person she needs to help her win the heart of her cousin Darcy ,who she tells Elizabeth that she has always loved deeply.

Lizzy questions Anne as to his suitability as a husband as she still has her prejudices firmly in place and Mr Wykham lies still are believed.

Anne shows Lizzy her letters from Georgiana  and puts her straight but this is not enough to change the outcome when Darcy proposes to her in a different venue but with the same result.

As far as Elizabeth is concerned she does not want to be part of a love triangle between Darcy, Anne and Herself caring for her new friend.

How is he going to get out of this one and win the woman he loves.

Pick up Love Will Grow and find out how this charming tale unfolds.

Dreams and Expectations by Wendi Sotis

Wendi Sotis - Dreams and Expectations

Well this version of Pride and Prejudice has everything plus a whole lot more!

As Lady Ann lies dying she gets young Darcy to promise to marry well.

On his mothers death her sister, Lady Catherine De Bourgh makes sure Darcy understands that marrying well is marrying her own daughter, Anne.

So, when he meets and falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth he is unable to tell her how much he loves her as his mothers death wish has too strong a hold on him.

Once again Wendi Sotis relishes making Lady Catherine into the vilest of villans, she is so evil in this story and her evil  henchman is non other than Mr George Wickham.

There is treason and ruination, there are smugglers and Lady Catherine is the mastermind of them all.

There are so many interesting twists and sub plots in this story you are left grieving with Darcy and Lizzy as they both pine for each other.

You follow Jane as a really rotten Caroline Bingley makes sure she is also in the same boat.

Poor Charlotte is tied to an even more repulsive Mr Collins than Jane Austen dared write.

Don't let the simple covers of these books put you off, you don't need an expensive glitzy cover to make an interesting entertaining read.

This story goes right through to a modern day Lizzy and Darcy which I feel would have been better saved for another book.

Thank you Wendi for another entertaining read, I hope there is more on the way.

Promises by Wendi Sotis

Wendi Sotis - Promises

I really loved this story, it's so full of energy and misunderstandings.

Darcy and Elizabeth meet as children and the bond between them grows strongly as the years pass.

By the time she is sixteen  Darcy is totally devoted to her and he proposes to her.
Although she is willing, Mr Bennet won't give his consent until she has had a season and turned 17.

Now this is where all the disasters, skullduggery and misunderstandings set in.

Leaving each feeling abandoned by the other and on her 17th birthday Lizzy has to face the fact that Darcy is not coming to claim her hand.

Three years on and Darcy and Elizabeth meet at the Mereton Assembly. Can their love heal the terrible wounds that have been inflicted.

Once the truth is known who will stop the wicked plans of Lady Catherine and Lord Matlock.

Such an engaging tale that had me rooting for Lizzy and Darcy and wanting to slap Catherine around the chops and stamp on her brothers toes.

A really good read full of interesting twists and turns you will it enjoy it I am sure. I am enjoying Wendi Sotis Books very much and am there for on to the next one with anticipation of more delightful entertainment.

All Hallows Eve by Wendi Sotis

All Hallows Eve by Wendy Sotis

In this Jane Austen fan fiction the story is quite unique.

While Darcy is torturing himself as he has realised he loves Elizabeth even though her standing is so inferior to his own. He walks to clear his head and on hearing Elizabeths lovely voice finds her in a clearing performing an ancient ritual.

Everything he knows is turned on its head. He and Elizabeth are linked and she is the one that out ranks him.

She is a high priestess and it is his destiny to protect her, she is in terrible danger.

Darcy enlists the help of Richard Fitzwilliam and his older brother as well as Bingley to be guards for Lizzy.

I don't want to give away the story, but, it is full of action and excitement  Loads of danger for Darcy to save his Lizzy from and some very neat twists that put some of Jane Austen's characters into a completely different light.

This is not for you if you are a purist but it is a lot of fun. And, having read this I shall have to find more books by Wendi Sotis to read as this one has really whetted my appetite.

Janeites Taking Over The World

Janeites: The curious American cult 
of Jane Austen

By Jon Kelly BBC News Magazine, Washington DC

Two centuries after her most famous work, Jane Austen inspires huge devotion in the US. What makes this most English of writers so appealing to Americans?

She wrote it herself in 1813: "How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book."

Jane Austen's own work is a case in point. It may be 200 years since her most celebrated novel, Pride and Prejudice, was published, but in the US she is the subject of more wildly devotional fan-worship than ever.

With their conventions, Regency costumes and self-written "sequels" to their heroine's novels, Austen's most dedicated adherents display a fervency easily rivalling that of the subcultures around Star Trek or Harry Potter.

Some Janeites, as they call themselves, write their own fiction imagining the marital exploits of Mr and Mrs Darcy. Others don elaborate period dress and throw Jane Austen-themed tea parties and balls.

Blogs and forums dedicated to Austen and Austen-style fan fiction abound across the internet. The Jane Austen Society of North America (Jasna) boasts 4,500 members and no fewer than 65 branches.

In October 2012, over 700 Janeites - many attired in bonnets and early 19th Century-style dresses - gathered in Brooklyn, New York for a Jasna event that incorporated three days of lectures, dance workshops, antique exhibitions, a banquet and a ball.

It's a curious phenomenon when one considers that Austen won little fame in her own lifetime, dying aged 41 in 1817 with only six novels to her name.

While she may be regarded as one of the greatest writers in English literature, it's difficult to imagine a similar level of fandom emerging around a novelist like, say, Charles Dickens.

For all that her stories can be by turns bleak and waspish, however, it's the romance of Austen's world that many Janeites say drew them in.

"There's a longing for the elegance of the time," says Myretta Robens, who manages one of the most popular US Austen fan sites, The Republic of Pemberley. "It's an escape."

Screen versions such as Andrew Davies's 1995 BBC adaptation Pride and Prejudice - famously featuring Colin Firth in wet breeches as Mr Darcy - and the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, contributed to an upswing of interest in all things Austen.

But this alone does not explain why so many Janeites want to inhabit their favourite writer's world, whether by dressing up in the fashions of the era or writing their own Regency fiction.

"I think it's to do with the fact that we only have six novels and she died fairly young," says Laurel Ann Nattress, who runs the Austenprose blog and edited Jane Austen Made Me Do It, a collection of short stories inspired by the author.

"People just love her characters and they don't want to give them up."

Robens, however, believes there is a more straightforward reason why readers feel compelled to compose their own versions.

"Quite frankly, I think a lot of people want more sex, particularly with Elizabeth and Darcy," she says.

A perusal of Austen fan sights reveals an abundance of stories with titles like Darcy Meets His Match and The Education of Miss Bennet.

It is not only online amateurs who have attempted to re-imagine these characters, however. Linda Berdoll's 2004 Pride and Prejudice "sequel", Mr Darcy Takes A Wife, was a bestseller.

Helen Fielding has stated her own Bridget Jones's Diary was loosely based on the original Austen plotline - hence the presence of a character named Darcy, played in the film version by Firth. The 1995 comedy Clueless was inspired by Austen's Emma.

Nor is all ersatz Austen concerned with affairs of the heart. PD James's Death Comes to Pemberley involves the married Darcys in a murder mystery. Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies re-casts the original novel in an alternate version of Regency England populated by hordes of undead.

The Janeite subculture was itself the subject of a popular comic novel, Shannon Hale's Austenland, a movie version of which premiered at the 2013 Sundance film festival.

Nonetheless, it might be seen as incongruous that Austen's fandom is so extensive in the US, a nation founded on the rejection of aristocracy and old world manners and traditions.

Indeed, when Pride and Prejudice was first published, the UK and US were at war. Nattress, who lives in Snohomish, Washington state, believes US Janeism is an expression of a persistent Anglophile streak in American society.

"I think that we look back to the motherland in many respects," she says.

"Look at the incredible impact Downton Abbey has had over here. It's a perfect example of how America is fascinated by British culture."

But while Austen's sharp prose, ironic wit and vivid characterisation are all key to her appeal, Robens believes that it is the romantic entanglements of her strong-willed heroines that draw so many to the books.

"It's women, in general, who fall in love with them," says Robens. "It's a truth universally acknowledged that women want to read about relationships."

From The Janeites by Rudyard Kipling

It was not always the case that Austen's fanbase was seen in these terms, however.

Indeed, the term Janeite was initially coined by the male literary critic George Saintsbury. Rudyard Kipling's 1926 short story The Janeites describes a group of soldiers brought together by their passion for the works of Austen.

According to Claudia L Johnson, an Austen expert and professor of English literature at Princeton University, the author was widely regarded well into the 20th Century not as a romantic novelist but as a steely, tough-minded, sardonic social critic.

"Now, alas, Austen is typically seen (by my students and others) as chick lit and she is beloved for her love stories," laments Johnson, author of Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel. "I think this is a real loss."

Johnson draws a distinction between the extravagant, amateur Janeites and their more academic counterparts, whom she terms Austenites. They are not categorisations which meet with much approval among most fans.

Nonetheless, Johnson acknowledges that attempting to remake Austen in the reader's own image is a valid exercise.

"Janeites - at least in the US - regard their excesses with a curious mixture of irony and seriousness," she says.

"They know it's absurd to throw tea parties, but the fundamental drive here - to try to be somehow connected with the world and life of a beloved author - isn't absurd."

It's likely Austen would agree. In her early writing she pastiched the 18th Century's so-called novels of sensibility and parodied historical tomes.

As the author herself put it in Pride and Prejudice: "A person who can write a long letter, with ease, cannot write ill."

an article on BBC.Co.Uk - Read the full article here

Sons and Daughters by Karen V. Wasylowski

Sons and Daughters by Karen V. Wasylowski

If you read my earlier review of Karens book: Darcy and Fitzwilliam you'll know that I enjoyed it immensely  So, I was eager to read this continuing story taking the reader on through the years with the families of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Richard Fitzwilliam.

The first part of the book watches the nurseries fill, with Richard married to a good Catholic girl, his house is bulging at the seams. and, his ofspring are called a mob for good reason. They are a high spirited bunch full to the brim with life.

Darcy has his heir and his precious daughter and has been warned that Elizabeth should have no more children, it does not stop her wanting another.

The two families are so very close and the cousins are all like one big family, there appear to be special bonds between some of them from an early age.

As the children grow up these bonds change as do the families. Richard Fitzwilliam loses his older brother and has to become the Earl causing many upheavals for his family.

While Darcy is almost tempted to take up a political career, but the price is too high for a man unwilling to put his position above his family.

As the children have left childhood and started to find their own life partners there are even more upheavals for both families.

Uplifting gripping and oh so enjoyable Karen V. Wayslowski has not disappointed with this book. 

Darcy Goes to War by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Darcy Goes to War by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Well and truly into the Second World War and Darcy is a Bomber Pilot with the RAF and Lizzy is driving trucks around war torn Britain.

They meet in a pub where Darcy is trying to drown his sorrows after a traumatic bomb raid and Lizzy is delivering vegetables from the farms. He feels he knows her face but is still insufferably rude to her.

She thinks he is good looking but intolerable and so the story starts in time honoured tradition.

But how can they fall in love when she vowed to keep her heart safe after her beloved Sister jane lost her fiancee early in the war, Elizabeth won't even dance.

Darcy is confined to barracks with each mission and will be moved to the other end of the country for training. It looks hopeless for them.

All the Bennet family are fighting the war by doing their part to help the war effort.

But Lydia still gets into trouble as she falls for Wykhams lies. 

This tale of Elizabeth and Darcy is gripping, romantic and a real pleasure to read.

Mary brings the London blitz back to life as we hide under the table with Lizzy and Darcy as buzz bombs fall all over London.

Christmas with Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Christmas with Mr Darcy - Victoria Connelly

Victoria Connelly collects up the leading characters from her Jane Austen Addicts Series and takes them all back to Purley Hall the home of Dame Pamela and her Butler Higgins.

This year she is hosting her first Christmas Austen Convention in her grand home.

As all the usual characters turn up the snow is falling fast and some guests are more welcome than others as the black sheep of the family shows up.

Everyone is set for a sumptuous Christmas but not everything is going quite to plan from the drunken Angel who will not sit straight on top of the Christmas tree to the terrible shock that finds the air ambulance on the snowy lawns of Purley Hall, there is never a dull moment, romance and skullduggery included,

The story becomes a real country home who dunnit and I can tell you it definitely was not the Butler Higgins. You could grab this book electronically and still read it for Christmas.

While on the subjects of who dunnits, I would like to mention a book by another beloved Austen author: Mary Lydon Simonsen. A Killing in Kensington although this is not an Austen adaption it is a good detective story with plenty to keep you guessing and some really vile characters. I enjoyed it greatly especially as it was set in an area I lived in for many years.

Merry Christmas to you all.

A Darcy Christmas ~ A Holiday Tribute To Jane Austen

A Darcy Christmas ~ A Holiday Tribute To Jane Austen

Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, Carolyn Eberhart

As the book blurb goes: "Share in the magic of the season in these three warm and wonderful holiday novellas from bestselling authors".

If you need a little nudge to get you in the christmas mood, here is a good push in that direction.

Three christmas themed stories in one book, starting with:

Mr Darcy's Christmas Carol by Carolyn Eberhart

Where a remake of Dickens Christmas Carol meets Pride and Prejudice in quite a clever blend.

Staying with Austen's characters Darcy is visited by Ghosts and Christmas Spirits in an effort to show him how badly his life will turn out if he does not get off of his high horse and go and propose to the woman he loves.

The spirit of Christmas past shows him he was not always such a prideful and judgemental man and the ghost of Christmas future shows him such a bleak future with no Elizabeth in it that he is galvanised into action. 

A fun mash up of two classics.

The second story is:

Christmas Present by Amanda Grange

Mr Darcy receives the most welcome christmas present of all, an heir for Pemberley.

In this heart warming story Jane has already pipped Lizzy to the post and given birth to a lovely baby boy and Charles is besotted.

Lizzy in the latter stages of her pregnancy persuades Darcy to let her go and see Jane and the baby and spend christmas with her family.

Caroline is ruling the roost while Jane is recovering and has organised a ball. Lizzy cant help but want to dance, resulting in labours onset.

This is a warm uplifting story with a full cast brought together over christmas.

and finally we have:

A Darcy Christmas by Sharon Lathan 

If you are a fan of Sharon Lathan's books you will love this collection of glimpses into the Christmas's through the years as the Darcy family increases and new arrivals join the loving family, some come  through marriage some through birth and of course some leave them through death.

The stories sweet or sad are all heart warming and full of love.

Romance is Sharon Lathan's forte and this collection of christmas stories delivers plenty. 

I always enjoy her character Dr Darcy, he is a real splash of colour on the page.

Young Master Darcy by Pamela Aidan

Young Master Darcy by Pamela Aidan 

A Lesson in Honour 

This is the story of a young Fitzwilliam on his return from his first term away at school.

He has started his transformation from a boy to a young man but it doesn't prepare him for the news on his return home. His beloved Mother is sick and nothing can be done to save her.

The tale of young Darcy coming to terms with the grief of losing his Mother and how it is going to affect him and his family.

To escape for a little while from the stress of a household that is grief stricken.

Darcy gallops off on his horse and finds a bit of adventure of his own to take his mind off the trouble at home for a few hours.

He feels the first stirrings of youthful longing as he spends stolen hours with other youngsters .

Lord and Lady Matlockand their Son's join the Darcy's for Christmas at Pemberley and all valiantly try to keep Lady Anne Darcy's spirits up as she has requested a 'normal family Christmas".

But Darcy runs into disaster as he tries to make both his new friends and his family happy.

Poor Fitzwilliam cannot sit down to eat his Christmas lunch after his Father has finished making his point about family honour.

This is a touching story very nicely written, thank you Pamela. 

Compulsively Mr Darcy by Nina Benneton

Nina Benneton's - Compulsively Mr Darcy 

The title of the book is explained by the fact that in this modern Pride and Prejudice, Mr Darcy's controlling demeanor thinly masks his OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). yes, under the Chairman of the boards steely glare, there is a nervous wreck.

Poor old Bingley is on medication to cope with his ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), all that smiling and bounciness is explained in three letters, they are both top CEO's (Chief Executive Officers) in New York.

Now Jane and Elizabeth are in Vietnam, Jane is running the Grace Church Orphanage for her Aunt.

Elizabeth is an infectious diseases specialist working out of the hospital there, but spending most of her wages on medication for the patients.

Now you would think it impossible for these four to get together.

Enter Caroline Bingley with a plot to adopt a 'designer' baby for Louisa and her Husband as they are the latest accessory to have in New York.

The entire Bingly family plus Darcy (there to make them look serious) fly in their private jet to Vietnam to visit the  orphanage and to get a baby to dress up!

And that is where the fun starts, yes, it is fun.

I enjoyed this story very much, no one is missed out but they are all recreated in modern style, even a few people sneak in from other books.

It's fast paced and there are plenty of misunderstandings between Elizabeth and Darcy, some crazy near disasters and the the bad guys are as usual horrid, with Wickham and De Bourgh's doing their best to make this story gripping. 

Throughout this story the humor shines through. It really is a good giggle.

Matter of Trust by P.O.Dixon

Matter of Trust by P.O.Dixon

The Shades of Pemberley

Another P.O. Dixon what if, and again an excellent read.

It's full of deviations and twists and turns, these turn the original story of Pride and Prejudice around and send it off in a completely new direction.

This variation has Darcy being told by his Father on his death bed that George Wickham is a Darcy. But, he dies before he can explain how they are related. Darcy thinks the worst, that they are probably half brothers which is why he has kept bailing George out and kept scandal from his door.

We also have the return to Pemberley of Alexandra, younger sister to Darcy's father who has been out of the country for twenty plus years and has some big chips on her shoulders. She moves back into Pemberley and is determined to be the mistress of the house and  rides rough shod over the newly wed Elizabeth Darcy.

Darcy and Elizabeth have married hastily after an incident with Wickham at the Netherfield Ball causes Mr Darcy to guard Elizabeths honor by announcing their engagement.

As you can imagine this changes the plot in so many ways......

I will say no more of the plot as you need to read this book for yourself and find out what happens to poor Lizzy. Now she has Lady Catherine and Lady Alexandra looking down their very aristocratic noses at her.

P O Dixon's Blogspot: Matter of Trust

podixon.blogspot.com/p/matter-of-trust