Book picks similar to
Willoughby's Return: A Tale of Almost Irresistible Temptation by Jane Odiwe
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historical-fiction
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romance
I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend
Cora Harrison - 2010
At fifteen, Jane is already a sharp observer of the customs of courtship. So when Jenny falls utterly in love with Captain Thomas Williams, who better than Jane to help her win the heart of this dashing man? But is that even possible? After all, Jenny’s been harboring a most desperate secret. Should it become known, it would bring scandal not only to her, but also to the wonderful Austen family. What’s a poor orphan girl to do? In this delicious dance between truth and fiction, Cora Harrison has crafted Jenny’s secret diary by reading everything Jane Austen wrote as a child and an adult, and by researching biographies, critical studies, and family letters. Jenny’s diary makes the past spring vividly to life and provides insight into the entire Austen family—especially the beloved Jane.
Presumption: An Entertainment: A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice
Julia Barrett - 1993
Darcy's younger sister, who must choose between two suitors, a well-placed navy captain and a brash young architect. Masterfully adapted to Austen's original nineteenth-century style, Presumption brings back to life the book's most memorable characters, the Bennets, Darcys, Collins, and de Bourghs."An elegant emulation and continuation of Pride and Prejudice. . . . Jointly composed by two admirers of Jane Austen, the book often achieves crisp replication of her style. . . . Presumption shows how sequel-writing can, like parody, be a sharp exercise in literary appreciation."—Peter Kemp, Times Literary SupplementJulia Barrett is a pseudonym for Julia Braun Kessler and Gabrielle Donnelly.
Darcy's Ultimatum
Jennifer Joy - 2015
George Darcy, gives him an ultimatum: Marry by the end of the London Season or risk disinheritance. Can Darcy cast aside society’s frigid attitude toward marriage and find true love? Or will his desire to honor his deceased mother’s memory hold him back?Elizabeth Bennet faces the greatest challenge of her life: Find a husband by the end of the London Season or be forced to marry the heir apparent of her family home, Mr. Collins. A romantic at heart, will Elizabeth find a gentleman to meet her high expectations?After a disastrous meeting, Darcy and Elizabeth determine not to like each other.But, the London Season has only begun…
Austentatious
Alyssa Goodnight - 2012
. .It started innocently enough. While browsing in one of Austin's funky little shops, Nicola James is intrigued by a blank vintage journal she finds hidden among a set of Jane Austen novels. Even though Nic is a straight-laced engineer, she's still a sucker for anything Austen-esque. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to disbelief once she starts writing in the journal--because somehow, it's writing her back. . . Miss Nicola James will be sensible and indulge in a little romance. Those twelve tiny words hit Nic like a thunderbolt, as if her diary was channeling Austen herself! Itching for a bit of excitement, Nic decides to follow her "Fairy Jane's" advice. The result: a red-hot romance with a sexy Scottish musician who charms his way into Nic's heart in about five seconds flat. Sean MacInnes is warm, funny, and happens to think Nic is the most desirable woman he's ever met. But a guy like Sean doesn't exactly fit into her Life Plan. With no one but Fairy Jane to guide her, Nic must choose between the life she thought she wanted--and the kind of happy ending she never saw coming. . ..
Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field
Melissa Nathan - 2000
Field's delicious contempt for the arrogant, overbearing Harry Noble goes from being wicked fun to infuriating. Her brief moment of theatrical glory looks as if it's going to be overshadowed by the betrayal of her best friend, the disintegration of her family and the implosion of her career. And suddenly she can't remember a single one of her lines. But, worst of all, Harry Noble -- who, incidentally, looks amazing in tight breeches -- has started to stare hard at Jazz with that sort of a glimmer in his eyes...Fresh, wild, wonderfully romantic and absolutely hilarious, Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field is Jane Austen as the great lady herself never imagined it.
Mr. Darcy's Promise
Jeanna Ellsworth - 2013
Georgiana Darcy makes her way to Netherfield Park to meet the woman her brother so admires. While at first Georgiana’s presence smooths the course of true love between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, the ghosts of her past appear to wreak havoc on all of them. Unhappily, Elizabeth finds herself placed in the care of the Darcy family at Pemberley. Assuming he knows the cause of Elizabeth’s distress, Mr. Darcy makes a promise on his gentleman’s honor. The promise, although made with good intentions, becomes nearly impossible to keep for Mr. Darcy, and somewhat vexing for Elizabeth. Some promises are made to be broken but will the ever-trustworthy gentleman let go enough to secure Elizabeth’s heart?
The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World
Margaret C. Sullivan - 2007
Film adaptations of her books are nominated for Academy Awards. Chick lit bestsellers are based on her plots. And a new biopic of Austen herself Becoming Jane arrives in theaters this spring.For all those readers who dream about living in Regency England, The Jane Austen Handbook offers step-by-step instructions for proper comportment in the early nineteenth century. You'll discover:How to Become an Accomplished LadyHow to Run a Great HouseHow to Indicate Interest in a Gentleman Without Seeming Forward How to Throw a Dinner PartyHow to Choose and Buy ClothingFull of practical directions for navigating the travails of Regency life, this charming illustrated book also serves as a companion for present-day readers, explaining the English class system, currency, dress, and the nuances of graceful living.
The Companion
Jann Rowland - 2017
Collins in Kent to be a pleasant and uneventful time spent with her dear friend, engaged in nothing of more import than laughing about Charlotte's ineffectual husband and walking the woods of his patroness's estate.But a sudden tragedy leaves Elizabeth directly in Lady Catherine de Bourgh's sights, and though Elizabeth is reluctant, she accedes to the lady's demands.It is not long, however, before the peace of the estate is shattered, for a woman long-oppressed has begun to spread her wings. What comes after is a whirlwind of events, in which Elizabeth discovers that her carefully held opinions are not infallible. Furthermore, a certain gentleman of her acquaintance might be the key to Elizabeth's happiness.
Miss Austen
Gill Hornby - 2020
For the two decades following the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen has lived alone, spending her days visiting friends and relations and quietly, purposefully working to preserve her sister’s reputation. Now in her sixties and increasingly frail, Cassandra goes to stay with the Fowles of Kintbury, family of her long-dead fiancé, in search of a trove of Jane’s letters. Dodging her hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and confronts the secrets they hold, secrets not only about Jane but about Cassandra herself. Will Cassandra bare the most private details of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames?Moving back and forth between the vicarage and Cassandra’s vibrant memories of her years with Jane, interwoven with Jane’s brilliantly reimagined lost letters, Miss Austen is the untold story of the most important person in Jane’s life. With extraordinary empathy, emotional complexity, and wit, Gill Hornby finally gives Cassandra her due, bringing to life a woman as captivating as any Austen heroine.
Emma & Knightley: Perfect Happiness in Highbury
Rachel Billington - 1996
the wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony, were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union."Thus the last line of Jane Austen's Emma. A year later, Emma and Knightley are still living at Hartfield, surrounded by the Westons, the Eltons and the Bateses. But as events unfold, the couple must deal with the return of Frank Churchill, now widowed, and Knightley's apparently endless patience is tried by events in his brother's family, as well as his beloved Emma's whims and fancies.But the irrepressible Emma is restless ...Emma wants Knightley to stop treating her like a child. Knightley meanwhile wants his young bride to love him as a husband, not as the man she's always looked up to. With tragedy in the offing, and events unfolding that include beloved characters from Emma, the couple must find their way to each other, and to perfect happiness.With a wonderful grasp of the manners and style of the day, this warm and witty exploration of a marriage between a sheltered (not to say spoiled) young lady and the man she looked upon as an older brother fulfills the romantic longings of Jane Austen lovers everywhere.
What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved
John Mullan - 2012
Asking and answering some very specific questions about what goes on in her novels, he reveals the inner workings of their greatness.In twenty short chapters, each of which explores a question prompted by Austen's novels, Mullan illuminates the themes that matter most in her beloved fiction. Readers will discover when Austen's characters had their meals and what shops they went to; how vicars got good livings; and how wealth was inherited. What Matters in Jane Austen? illuminates the rituals and conventions of her fictional world in order to reveal her technical virtuosity and daring as a novelist. It uses telling passages from Austen's letters and details from her own life to explain episodes in her novels: readers will find out, for example, what novels she read, how much money she had to live on, and what she saw at the theater.Written with flair and based on a lifetime's study, What Matters in Jane Austen? will allow readers to appreciate Jane Austen's work in greater depth than ever before.
A Constant Love
Sophie Turner - 2015
Darcy, all while helping her shy new younger sister come out into society. Georgiana Darcy must deal with more suitors than she expected, when she fears nothing more than once again being persuaded to think she is in love with the wrong man.
Sense & Sensibility
Joanna Trollope - 2013
But his wife, Fanny, has no desire to share their newly inherited estate with Belle Dashwood's daughters. When she descends upon Norland Park with her Romanian nanny and her mood boards, the three Dashwood girls—Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret—are suddenly faced with the cruelties of life without their father, their home, or their money.As they come to terms with life without the status of their country house, the protection of the family name, or the comfort of an inheritance, Elinor and Marianne are confronted by the cold hard reality of a world where people's attitudes can change as drastically as their circumstances.With her sparkling wit, Joanna Trollope casts a clever, satirical eye on the tales of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Re-imagining Sense and Sensibility in a fresh, modern new light, she spins the novel's romance, bonnets, and betrothals into a wonderfully witty coming-of-age story about the stuff that really makes the world go around. For when it comes to money, some things never change. . . .
Into Hertfordshire
Stanley Michael Hurd - 2013
Bingley, has acquired a new manor. Darcy accompanies his friend into the wilds of Hertfordshire, where each of them encounters the lady who will change his life. Follow the beginnings of a story that will take Darcy from the heights of wealth and status, to the depths of pain and self-condemnation, and, ultimately, to the safe haven of the love and respect of his heart’s mistress. This lovingly crafted companion to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice will give her fans a feeling of homecoming, and a chance to see this beloved story from a new perspective, all the while immersed in the endearing world of Regency England Austen so masterfully created. Darcy’s Tale was written first for the readers who were enchanted by the original and wanted the chance to return, to learn more about one of the most popular characters in English literature. But it is also for those new to the Pride & Prejudice saga: Darcy was a wealthy, well-intentioned, intelligent, and educated man; how on Earth did he become so thoroughly tangled by his acquaintance with Miss Elizabeth Bennet? She, too, is among that rarefied firmament of favourite English characters: her pert manners, quick wit, and quiet beauty made her a strong, independent figure of a woman who was over a hundred years ahead of her time. The clash of their personalities and the nearly constant misunderstanding between them, founded on an unfortunate first impression, has delighted readers for two hundred years. This, then, is a new view of their first year as seen through Darcy’s eyes, and written by a man who insisted both that Darcy should be true to Austen’s vision of him, and that he should be a man throughout: wrong, perhaps at times, but always prepared to stand up and do what he saw as necessary and right, especially when he found himself to be in the wrong. Darcy’s Tale is written in the richly textured style of Regency English, and even the most demanding Austen fan will find little here to cavil with—but they will certainly find many new thoughts, perceptions, and interpretations to revel in. Volume 1 takes Darcy to Hertfordshire and the beginnings of his relationship with Elizabeth. In Volume 2: Into Kent, the two meet again at Rosings, the estate of Darcy’s Aunt Catherine. In Volume 3: Back Home, Darcy’s many trials and labours are concluded, and he finds his true place in life, at last.
Miss Bingley's Revenge
Wendy Soliman - 2013
Darcy, Lizzy is determined to prove her detractors wrong by throwing a magnificent house party at Pemberley. The smallest details have been worried over for weeks; nothing can possibly go wrong, can it? Lizzy starts to wonder about that when a distraught Lydia descends upon Pemberley on the eve of the party. Wickham has quit the army and gone to London to resurrect his career in the law.Miss Bingley is quite determined to rescue Darcy from his reckless marriage, convinced he must now regret it. She finds an unlikely ally in George Wickham, both of whom wish to avenge themselves on Lizzy, albeit for very different reasons. If Darcy were to find his ‘fine-eyed’ wife in a compromising position with Wickham of all people, he would surely never forgive her.Lizzy finds herself in a desperate fight to save her marriage, but can only do so by exposing Miss Bingley’s evil machinations. What damage will that do to Jane’s happiness with her Mr. Bingley? And what of Lydia? Even if Lizzy can prove to Darcy that she has been manipulated, how can she protect her sister in the face of Wickham’s desperate and despicable actions…A sparkling continuation of Pride and Prejudice.