Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen... A Review

Could Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice have been Inspired by a Real Love Story...

Join Maggie Joyce as she searches for the answers...

Searching for Pemberly by Mary Lydon Simonsen is wonderful historical fiction! Filled with romance, history and the mystery behind the real life characters of Pride & Prejudice. Instead of reinventing Pride & Prejudice into a different story, Mary Lydon Simonsen gives us Maggie Joyce, a girl who loves Jane Austen, who happens to be working in London and has "stumbled upon a rumor that Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was based on the lives of a real couple."

What could be more fun then solving the age old question of who the real Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are?! Just after World War II, a young Maggie Joyce, a Jane Austen fan, has just graduated from business school and leaves her coal town in Pennsylvania for office work in Washington, DC. The time just after the war was a dark and dreary time, similar in some respects to the world that Jane Austen writes about in her novel Pride & Prejudice, and we can see the connection that Maggie Joyce has with Jane's work. When it's time to move on, we see a little spark of adventure in Maggie as she travels to work first in Germany and then finally in London, England, home to her heroine Jane Austen! It's here where the story really begins... With a tour of what is thought to be Pemberly and the rumors of the real life love story that Pride & Prejudice was based on!

Although this is fiction, you just can't stop yourself from wishing that all that Maggie uncovers is the truth behind the actual romance between "Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy". The story is so well thought out that it is quite believable. Through correspondence and long forgotten diaries & letters Maggie finds, we are propelled into the mystery ourselves! The writing is good, the research done to stay true to the times is evident, and of course the characters are likable and believable. A very unique take in what is a large number of Jane Austen inspired books, Searching for Pemberley is a wonderful story. I so enjoyed this book! And if you are a Jane fan, you will enjoy it too! Mary Lydon Simonsen treats us to a leisurely paced story! Like enjoying a steeping cup of tea, you slowly breathe it all in. Maggie doesn't uncover anything earth shattering, but what Mary Lydon Simonsen uncovers is a story that will keep your interest! A wonderful mystery, a nice heap of romance, and this all adds up to a book well worth any Jane Austen fans' time. Thank you to Danielle of Sourcebooks for this wonderful review copy! The story was more than I could have hoped for!

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange... A Review

A legendary and immortal love story ...

for a legendary and immortal couple...

a test of love that will take them to hell and back...

Girl loves Boy... Boy loves girl... Boy has BIG secret... and FANGS! I know what your thinking, but I'm talking about... Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange! It is a wonderful gothic adventure! If you love Jane Austen, you will already feel right at home as the story opens on the morning of the wedding of Elizabeth Bennet and the brooding Mr. Darcy. It is to be a joint wedding, the sister she is closest with, Jane, is marrying her Mr. Bingley...

But things seem a bit off after the vows... Elizabeth writes to her sister, "...Tell me, Jane, is marriage what you thought it would be?" Elizabeth is perplexed by her new husbands "quirks"... First he doesn't seem happy, has he regrets so soon? Secondly, he doesn't seem to want to "consummate" the marriage, actually seeming to avoid her! (That certainly doesn't seem too normal!). And finally, there seems to be something on his mind... Something BIG! Hmmm, wonder if it has anything to do with those fangs? Mr. Darcy thus whisks his new wife off to unexpected places, visiting strange relations...

My dearest Jane,

My hand is trembling as I write this letter. My nerves are in tatters and I am so altered that I believe you would not recognise me. The past two months have been a nightmarish whirl of strange and disturbing circumstances, and the future . . .

Jane, I am afraid. If anything happens to me, remember that I love you and that my spirit will always be with you, though we may never see each other again. The world is a cold and frightening place where nothing is as it seems. It was all so different a few short months ago. When I awoke on my wedding morning, I thought myself the happiest woman alive . . .

Unlike a lot of the Jane Austen "Vampire" inspired spin-offs, this book is not just written as a humorous take on Pride & Prejudice, although it was a fun book to read! It is a wonderfully written alternative take on Mr. Darcy and why he is such a dark, handsome, brooding character! Written in a style similar to Jane Austen's writing, it is a well written page turner that you will truly enjoy! The characters come alive and so does the scenery around them! Ms. Austen would definitely have a smile on her face as she read this book! I know I did! If you love Jane Austen and the occasional vampyre, pick up Mr. Darcy, Vampyre! You won't be sorry! Thank you to Danielle of Sourcebooks for sending me this wonderful book to review! Mr. Darcy was never a more interesting character!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Memoir Mondays... We start the Jane Austen Birthday Week with The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James!

What if, hidden in an old attic chest, Jane Austen's memoirs

were discovered after hundreds of years?

What if those pages revealed the untold story of a life-changing love affair?

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James... From the Publisher, "The premise behind this spellbinding novel, which delves into the secrets of Jane Austen's life, gives us untold insights into her mind and heart. Jane Austen, her sister Cassandra, and their mother are left homeless and nearly penniless when Jane's father dies. Although Jane's brothers pitch in to offer financial support, Jane still lacks privacy and a settled place in which to live and write. She has long since give up her dream of becoming a published author.

On a fateful trip to Lyme, Jane meets the well-read and charming Mr. Ashford, a man who is her equal in intellect and temperament. The two fall deeply in love. Inspired by the people and places around her, and encouraged by Mr. Ashford's faith in her, Jane begins revising Sense and Sensibility, a book she began years earlier, hoping to be published at last.

Written in a compelling and witty style that echoes Austen's own, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen stays faithful to the facts of Jane Austen's life, while revealing the untold story of Jane's impassioned, life-changing love affair. At the same time, the novel showcases Jane's struggle with her own talent—and offers a possible scenario for the inspiration behind some of her most beloved romantic tales."

This book has gotten so much positive buzz! And since it is Memoir Monday, Jane never wrote really wrote her memoirs, and we are celebrating Jane Austen's birthday this week, I thought we could all enjoy this "memoir" that is written so convincingly in Jane's style! Syrie James did extensive research to truly understand all things Austen, and writes,

"I felt a great responsibility to remain true to Jane Austen's known history, and to accurately represent not only her, but her real-life friends and family members. It was a challenge to interweave my love story with the known dates, times, places and facts of Jane Austen's life. When I was finished, I hoped it would be difficult for even the most discerning Jane Austen scholar to determine where fact ended and fiction began."

Read more about her research at her website HERE. There is even a Reader's Guide HERE, for book clubs interested in reading The Memoirs of Jane Austen as a group! Would you like to read an excerpt? Here's a link to CHAPTER ONE. And this book is Kindle Ready too!

Stop by the rest of the week for more books based on the writings of Jane Austen! And Celebrate Jane this week- her birthday is Dec. 16th!