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Review – The Best Part of Love

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The Best Part of Love

by Amy D’Orazio

The Best Part of Love

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Classical Re-write, Adult
Release Date: June 17, 2019
Pages: 410
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Avoiding the truth does not change the truth.

When Fitzwilliam Darcy meets Miss Elizabeth Bennet, his heart is almost immediately engaged. Seeing the pretty lady before him, a lady of no consequence or fortune, he believes he should not form an attachment to her, unsuitable as such a woman is to be his wife.

What he cannot see, however, is the truth, that the simple country girl harbours a secret. Before she meets Darcy, Elizabeth has spent two years hiding from the men who killed her beloved first husband. Feeling herself destroyed by love, Elizabeth is certain she will never love again, certainly not the arrogant man who has offended her from the first moment of their acquaintance.

In time, Elizabeth surprises herself by finding in Darcy a friend; even greater is her surprise to find herself gradually coming to love him and  even accepting an offer of marriage from him. As the newly married couple is beginning to settle into their happily-ever-after, a condemned man on his way to the gallows divulges a shattering truth, a secret that contradicts everything Elizabeth thought she knew about the tragic circumstances of her first marriage. Against the advice of everyone who loves her—including Darcy—Elizabeth begins to seek the truth, knowing she must have it even if it may destroy her newfound happiness with Darcy.

Review – A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity

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A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity

by Amy D’Orazio

A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Classical Re-write, Adult
Release Date: July 7, 2019
Pages: 436
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Is not the very meaning of love that it surpasses every objection against it?

Jilted. Never did Mr. Darcy imagine it could happen to him.

But it has, and by Elizabeth Bennet, the woman who first hated and rejected him but then came to love him—he believed—and agree to be his wife. Alas, it is a short-lived, ill-fated romance that ends nearly as soon as it has begun. No reason is given.

More than a year since he last saw her—a year of anger, confusion, and despair—he receives an invitation from the Bingleys to a house party at Netherfield. Darcy is first tempted to refuse, but with the understanding that Elizabeth will not attend, he decides to accept.

When a letter arrives, confirming Elizabeth’s intention to join them, Darcy resolves to meet her with indifference. He is determined that he will not demand answers to the questions that plague him. Elizabeth is also resolved to remain silent and hold fast to the secret behind her refusal. Once they are together, however, it proves difficult to deny the intense passion that still exists. Fury, grief, and profound love prove to be a combustible mixture. But will the secrets between them be their undoing?

Review – It Started with a Kiss

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It Started with a Kiss

by Beth Wood

It Started With a Kiss

Genres: Regency Romance, Historical Romance, Romance, Classical Re-write, Adult
Release Date: October 1, 2015
Pages: 133
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★☆

When Darcy finds Elizabeth touring the park around Pemberley, he assumes he is in the grips of his dreams and acts accordingly. He is incredibly surprised to discover that the woman he has taken in his arms is not only very real, but also kissing him back.

This lighthearted variation explores how things might have progressed differently had Mr. Darcy left Elizabeth Bennet with no doubt concerning his continued affection upon finding her touring his beloved Pemberley. 

Review – Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes

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Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes

by Beth Wood

Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Classical Re-write, Adult
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Pages: 116
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★★

When Elizabeth receives the news concerning Lydia’s elopement with Mr. Wickham, Mr. Darcy proposes a plan to divert gossip away from Elizabeth’s younger sister in order to save her from a life as Mrs. Wickham.

This humorous variation on Pride and Prejudice follows Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet on a rather unexpected adventure.

Review – A Lady’s Reputation

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A Lady’s Reputation

by Amy D’Orazio

A Lady's Reputation

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Classical Re-write, Adult
Release Date: July 29, 2019
Pages: 470
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★★

“Mr. Darcy, I am eager to hear your explanation for the fact that quite a few people believe we are engaged.”

It starts with a bit of well-meant advice. Colonel Fitzwilliam suggests to his cousin Darcy that, before he proposes to Elizabeth Bennet in Kent, perhaps he ought to discuss his plans with their families first.

What neither man could have predicted however was that Lord Matlock would write the news to his sister, or that Viscount Saye would overhear and tell his friends, or that his friends might slip a little and let their friends know as well. The news spreads just as quickly through Hertfordshire once Mrs Bennet opens the express Mr Bennet receives from Mr Darcy, and in a matter of days, it seems like everyone knows that Mr Darcy has proposed marriage to Elizabeth Bennet.

Everyone, that is, except Elizabeth herself.

Her refusal is quick and definite—until matters of reputation, hers as well as Jane’s, are considered. Then Mr Darcy makes another offer: summer at Pemberley so that Jane can be reunited with Mr Bingley and so that he can prove to Elizabeth he is not what she thinks of him. Falling in love with him is naturally impossible…but once she knows the man he truly is, will she be able to help herself?

Review – The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen

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The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen

by Ada Bright and Cass Crafton

The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen

Series: Austen Adventures, Book 2
Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Adult
Release Date: November 7, 2019
Pages: 322
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My Rating: ★★★★★

Rose Wallace thought her time-travelling adventures were over. Jane Austen is about to prove her wrong.

After becoming trapped in present-day Bath due to a mishap with her time-travelling charm, Jane Austen is safe and sound back in the 1800s thanks to Rose’s help. Now, Rose is ready to focus on her fledgling romance with dreamy Dr Aiden Trevellyan.

But when Jane reappears in the present, it looks like Rose and Aiden have no choice but to follow her back to 1813…

Staying in the Austen household, Rose and Aiden are introduced to a number of interesting figures from the past, including Jane’s eccentric – and surprisingly modern – neighbour. Suddenly Rose’s life is in need of a re-write as she discovers some unexpected ties to Jane Austen’s world and her past.

Review – The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen

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The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen

by Ada Bright and Cass Crafton

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen

Series: Austen Adventures, Book 1
Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Friendship, Adult
Release Date: September 12, 2019
Pages: 366
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My Rating: ★★★★★

When a time travelling Jane Austen gets stuck in modern-day Bath it’s up to avid Janeite Rose Wallace to save her… because she’s the only one who knows that Jane exists!

​Rose Wallace’s world revolves around all things Austen, and with the annual festival in Bath – and the arrival of dishy archaeologist, Dr Aiden Trevellyan – just around the corner, all is well with the world…

​But then a mysterious woman who bears more than a passing resemblance to the great author moves in upstairs, and things take a disastrous turn. Rose’s new neighbour is Jane Austen, whose time travel adventure has been sabotaged by a mischievous dog, trapping her in the twenty-first century.

​Rose’s life is instantly changed – new home, new job, new friends – but she’s the only one who seems to have noticed! To right the world around her, she will have to do whatever it takes to help Jane get back home to write Rose’s beloved novels. Because a world without Mr Darcy? It’s not worth living in!

Review – Pride, Prejudice & Wicked Pleasure

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Pride, Prejudice & Wicked Pleasure

by Em Brown

Pride, Prejudice and Wicked Pleasure

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Classical Re-write, Erotica, Adult
Release Date: October 12, 2017
Pages: 430
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

When Lizzy Bennett arrives at Hunsford Parsonage, she’s unacquainted with the less civilized side of pleasure. But Lizzy isn’t someone who’s easily intimidated. At the encouragement of her new friend, she ventures into a decadent realm where proper etiquette succumbs to primal passions. Little does she know that the masked mentor responsible for her sexual awakening is the arrogant Mr. Darcy, the very scoundrel she blames for her sister’s unhappiness…

Mr. Darcy is relieved to train a new sexual partner. Despite her distaste toward him, he’s unable to take his mind off the clever, captivating Ms. Bennett. He can’t help but think of her likeness in his new protege. When he finds out his student and his obsession are one in the same, Darcy is torn between fulfilling his own fantasies and risking everything for a distant chance at something more…

Pride, Prejudice & Wicked Pleasure is a steamy historical romance that dares to imagine the kinkier side of literature’s most famous couple. If you like sultry chemistry, Regency trappings, and new takes on classic characters, then you’ll love Em Brown’s erotic reimagining.

Review – Taming Demons for Beginners

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Taming Demons for Beginners

by Annette Marie

Taming Demons for BeginnersSeries: The Guild Codex: Demonized, Book #1
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Occult, Supernatural
Release Date: September 13, 2019
Pages: 360
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★★

Rule one: Don’t look at the demon.

When I arrived at my uncle’s house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don’t practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.

Rule two: Don’t listen to the demon.

My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I’m supposed to act like I don’t know how illegal and dangerous it is.

Rule three: Don’t talk to the demon.

All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn’t find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn’t notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn’t break the rules.

But I did, and now it’s too late.

From the author of The Guild Codex: Spellbound comes a new series that will plunge an unprepared young woman into the darkest magic of the mythic world.

Review – Dorothy in the Land of Monsters

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Dorothy in the Land of Monsters

by Garten Gevedon

Dorothy in the Land of MonstersSeries: Oz ReVamped, Book 1
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | KoboiBooks
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Shifters, Zombies, and Vampires? Oh my!

My name is Dorothy Gale, and I think I might be dead.

When my dog Toto and I got swept up in a twister, we landed in hell. A very colorful hell. Like a rainbow dripping in blood. Now it looks as though this dreadful underworld plagued with vampires, zombies, and shifters will be the site of my eternal damnation.

They say this terrifying land called Oz isn’t hell or purgatory and escape is possible, but first I must survive the journey down the blood-soaked yellow brick road to the only place in Oz where vampires dare not tread—The City of Emeralds.

With enchanted footwear and the help of my three new friends—a friendly zombie, a massive shifter lion, and a heartless axe murderer of evil night creatures (who also happens to be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen)—Toto and I have a chance to make it to the Vampire Free Zone. When we get there, I must convince the most powerful wizard in this magical land of monsters to send us out of this radiant nightmare and back to the world of the living. They say he’s just as frightening as this monstrous land, that he detests visitors, and even the most horrifying creatures cower in his presence. But I must seek him out. And when I find him, I’ll do whatever it takes to make him send me home.

Review – Seize

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Seize

by Alexandrea Weis & Lucas Astor

SeizeSeries: Magnus Blackwell, Book 3
Genres: Adult, Supernatural
Release Date: March 26th 2019
Pages: 359
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Lexie Arden has a loving husband, a thriving business, and consults with the New Orleans Police Dept on murder cases. Kalfu has given her everything she desires, but challengers to her authority are closing in.

Her dark secret remains hidden from everyone except Magnus. He sees the evil growing stronger, changing her, and hurting her marriage. If Lexie doesn’t rid herself of Kalfu’s influence soon, the consequences will be irreversible.

When she unexpectedly inherits a cottage in the swamp, she uncovers a library of rare books on voodoo. Their spells can reverse the dark lord’s hold and set right the balance between darkness and light. But such magic requires a great sacrifice; one Lexie isn’t willing to make.

With the shadow spirits and raging voodoo gods vying for her attention, Lexie is on the verge of losing everything—her husband, her power, Magnus, and possibly, her life.

The battle for control of the mambo’s soul is about to begin.

Review – The Unreformed Mr Darcy

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The Unreformed Mr Darcy

by Lin Mei Wei

The Unreformed Mr DarcyGenres: Classical Rewrite, Historical Fiction, Romance
Release Date: November 3, 2018
Pages: 249
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★☆

What if Elizabeth Bennet had accepted Mr Darcy’s proposal in Kent? What if they married before he stopped being the proud, arrogant man she detested? What if, in order to avoid the ruin of her beloved sister, Elizabeth chose to swallow her pride and say yes to a pre-reform Darcy?

Mr Bingley has left Netherfield, and in his stead a rich and unscrupulous man takes possession of the manor. While Elizabeth is in Kent, visiting her recently married friend Charlotte, she receives letters which tell her how Jane is soon to be wed to a man Elizabeth can’t stand. And then, unbelievably, Mr Darcy, the last man in the world she would ever choose to marry, proposes to her. Elizabeth is torn. But thoughts of rescuing Jane make her do something that will change the course of her life forever…

The Unreformed Mr Darcy is a Pride and Prejudice variation romance by the author of Stranded with Mr Darcy.

Review – The Events at Branxbourne

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The Events at Branxbourne

by Caitlin Williams

The Events at BranxbourneGenres: Classical Rewrite, Historical Fiction, Romance
Release Date: May 30, 2018
Pages: 232
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Rating: ★★★★★

“Whatever else happens, and we may expect dark days ahead, never doubt that in this moment, beneath this perfect blue sky, on this warm September day, you are loved as no other woman has ever been loved before. You are loved for all that you are, for all you once were, and for all that you will come to be.”
– Fitzwilliam Darcy

Lady Lambert, or Elizabeth Bennet as she was once known, appears to have made the perfect match. Having refused Mr. Darcy’s proposal of marriage at Hunsford, she is now married to a viscount. While everything seems well, beneath her fine clothes beats a heart filled with regrets. Dark secrets lurk in every corner of her elegant London townhouse, and while she might have at her disposal many excellent and numerous carriages, they all seem to take her places she does not truly want to go.

Into her now desolate existence comes Mr. Darcy again—a changed man, a better man, the very best of men, and still very much in love with her. Is it all impossible? She ought to resist him, yet she cannot stay away. Theirs is a dangerous, scandalous love that proves impossible to resist.

In an age when women are owned by their husbands, can a wife escape a husband she has come to loathe, and when there is blood on her hands, how will Elizabeth explain herself?

Review – The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet

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The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet

by Caitlin Williams

The Coming of Age of Elizabeth BennetGenres: Classical Rewrite, Historical Fiction, Romance
Release Date: June 6, 2016
Pages: 502
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★★

The very worst has happened. Mr Bennet has died, leaving his wife and five young daughters bereft. The family estate, Longbourn, is now lost, entailed away and fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Bennet is to go two hundred miles away to live with strangers. George Darcy, repaying a debt of gratitude, has offered to take her to Pemberley, to live under the mantle of his care and be raised alongside his own daughter, Georgiana.

But on the day she is to leave Longbourn forever, young Elizabeth, grieving and confused, runs off into the Hertfordshire countryside. Fitzwilliam Darcy gives chase, telling his father he will have her back in an hour or two. Luck and fate, however, are not on his side and capturing Elizabeth Bennet turns out not only to be more difficult than he could ever have imagined, but events will conspire to turn her little adventure into his worst nightmare.

The prideful man and the girl prejudiced against him, meet much earlier in this rethinking of Jane Austen’s masterpiece. Elizabeth grows up under the ever-watchful eye of Mr Darcy, from fifteen to twenty one. She errs and falters, there are stumbles and trips, but could this ‘disobedient little hellion’ one day become mistress of Pemberley and the keeper of his heart?

Review – Mistress

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Mistress: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Sophie Turner

MistressGenres: Classical Rewrites, Historical Fiction, Romance
Release Date: March 5, 2017
Pages: 186
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★☆

One night, to decide his entire life’s happiness.

Chastened by Charles Bingley following Mr. Bennet’s untimely death, Fitzwilliam Darcy determines he will offer marriage to Elizabeth Bennet, but she marries another.

Years later, a widowed Elizabeth is mistress of Longbourn, and has vowed she will never marry again. A house party at Netherfield brings them back together, but Darcy will have to win more than her heart if he is to have any chance at making her mistress of Pemberley.

Review – Ardently

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Ardently

by Caitlin Williams

ArdentlyGenres: Classical Rewrite, Historical Fiction, Romance
Release Date: June 7, 2015
Pages: 312
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★★

So much in life depends on chance and sheer luck. How much do we often owe to being in the right place at the right time?

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet plans to visit the Lake District with her uncle and aunt, yet ends up at Pemberley instead, just as, by coincidence, Mr Darcy also arrives home. They meet, understand one another better and all eventually ends well.

But what if they did not have such luck? What if Elizabeth actually went to the Lake District and was nowhere near Pemberley, and she and Mr Darcy never met again until another four years had gone by?

Now they are very different people, altered by marriage, time and situation, although, Mr Darcy’s failed proposal in the Parsonage at Hunsford still haunts both of them in different ways.

Elizabeth is a companion to her Aunt, Mrs Mountford, a widow of great standing in society who married exceptionally well and ‘Miss Bennet’ finds herself accepted in the very best of circles and able to marry whomever she might chose.

Mr Darcy did his duty by his sickly cousin, Anne de Bourgh, and married her to protect her from the tyrannical force of her mother Lady Catherine. He has come to Bath, however, a widower, with his family, the Fitzwilliams, and his sister, Georgiana. Darcy sees Elizabeth, the woman who rejected him, in the opposite box at the theatre and cannot help falling in love with her all over again. Now though, it seems there are even more hurdles to overcome for them to be together, including Elizabeth’s new suitor, the handsome and charming Mr Yorke.

Mr Darcy is still a little proud, still not able to ‘perform to strangers’. Can Elizabeth see past his reserve and awkwardness to the decent man underneath?

This book is a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice from Chapter 36 onwards (Darcy’s failed proposal and the delivering of his letter). It is a light-hearted mix-up of Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, with a nod and a wink towards Northanger Abbey.

Review – The Ruin of Elizabeth Bennet

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The Ruin of Elizabeth Bennet

by Darcie Rochester

The Ruin of Elizabeth BennetGenres: Classical Rewrites, Historical Fiction
Release Date: September 27, 2018
Pages: 340
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★★

After the deaths of their parents and the public disgrace of their youngest sister, the Bennet ladies are alone in the world. It falls upon Elizabeth to navigate their way, a nearly impossible task given their meager funds. When she becomes reacquainted with Mr. Darcy, she hopes she has found her salvation. But it is ruin he offers her.

This book contains dark themes and scenes of a sensual nature. Reader discretion is advised.

Review – The Ghostly Father

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The Ghostly Father

by Sue Barnard

The Ghostly FatherGenres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Classical Rewrite
Release Date: October 6, 2018
Pages: 252
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Was this what really happened to Romeo & Juliet?

Think you know the world’s most famous love story? Think again. What if the story of Romeo & Juliet really happened – but not quite in the way we’ve all been told?

This part-prequel, part-sequel to the original tale, told from the point of view of the Friar, tells how an ancient Italian manuscript reveals secrets and lies which have remained hidden for hundreds of years, and casts new doubts on the official story of Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers.

If you love the Romeo & Juliet story but are disappointed with the way it ended, this is the book for you.

Review – Becoming Mr. Bingley

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Becoming Mr. Bingley

by Samantha Whitman

Becoming Mr. BingleySeries: Ditching Mr. Darcy, Book 2
Genres: Classical Re-write, Historical Fiction
Release Date: July 20, 2018
Pages: 402
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Letting the man of her dreams go would have been much harder had he been a real person. Living happily ever after with her soul mate would be much easier if reality was as uncomplicated as her dreams. And for Elizabeth Baker, the future would be much clearer if the lines between dreams and reality were not blurring yet again.

Review – Ditching Mr. Darcy

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Ditching Mr. Darcy

by Samantha Whitman

Ditching Mr. DarcySeries: Ditching Mr. Darcy, Book 1
Genres: Classical Re-write, Historical Fiction
Release Date: December 7, 2017
Pages: 357
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Rating: ★★★★★

What would you do if you crashed your car into a ditch and woke up as the main character of your favorite book? What if nothing happened the way it was supposed to? What if you met the dreamiest romantic hero in literary history and yet you fell in love with someone else instead? What would happen if you never woke up again? What would happen if you did? Elizabeth Baker is about to find out.