SO, I am a lover of Jane Austen and romances written in that style and time. What can I say, I love a clean romance with wonderfully written characters I can get behind and villains I can despise. Also seeing what characters and plot lines I can tie back to Jane's books. These two books did not disappoint on any level.
EDENBROOKE by Julianne Donaldson
This thoughtful, wonderfully written, proper romance has a spirited heroine, a handsome troubled hero and more than enough plot twists to keep you guessing and the book in your hands. Highway men, principals, sisterhood, responsibility, families grieving for lost loved ones, other suitors, etc. are just a few of the obstacles Ms. Donaldson puts in Marianne's and Phillip's paths to keep them apart and yet they are nearly together on every page! That is romance 1000 level stuff. As a romance writer I greatly appreciate the difficulty of accomplishing such an impossible task. If you want a lovely romance to read or just a beautiful book, then pick up Edenbrooke and don't plan to put it down. I'll be reading it again soon.
Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston
I am a little wary of novels that perpetuate the story of Elizabeth Bennett's and Fitzwilliam Darcy's family. But I've wanted to read one of Ms. Aston's books for a while now. When I came across this one, I couldn't resist. (Not to mention it was second hand and a great deal!) I'm so glad I picked it up and read it. We find ourselves in London with the Darcy's five daughters who are staying with Colonel Fitzwilliam and his wife Fanny. The two young boys are left back at Pemberley, while The Darcy's are off to Constantinople. These five girls get into a lot of trouble, hi jinks, mixed up engagements, rule breaking and more cause more than their fair share of mayhem in the London scene. We also meet some old friends, the Gardiners, aunt Lydia, Caroline Bingley Warren to name a few. Enjoy this proper romance with a few improper twists and characters to see how it all turns out in the end. It won't be how you expect.
Do you have a good clean romance you can recommend for my next read?
I loved both of these books. Sarah Eden writes some good austen like books too.
ReplyDeleteI bought one of her's at Storymakers. It is next to my bed, in the cue of "Must Read".
DeleteSounds like a couple of awesome books. I ditto anything by Sarah Eden. And don't forget Joyce Dipastena.
ReplyDeleteI bought Joyce's Illuminations of the Heart last year and loved it! I planned to buy more at Storymakers this year but she wasn't there!
DeleteI loved Edenbrooke and read it three times in a week! I agree that the amount of time Marianne and Phillip were together made it remarkable (and the development of their relationship more believable). Now I'll have to give Ms. Aston's book a try.
ReplyDeleteIf you like YA, I recommend Lisa Bergren's River of Time series (Waterfall is the first). It took me a few chapters to get past the teen vernacular (since the mc comes from the present but travels to medieval Italy for the duration of the book), but I found it a perfectly delightful/romantic read after that.
THanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out soon.
DeleteI loved The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson--really sweet book.
ReplyDeleteI'll check it out.
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