What I've Read This Week

What I've Read This Week . . .

Mr. Darcy Forever by Victoria Connelly -- Austenesque/ Contemporary Romance/Women's Fiction

Sarah and Mia Castle are sisters and the best of friends. They are complete opposites. Little sister Mia is messy, impulsive, romantic and dreams of being an actress. Older sister Sarah is neat, cautious and worries about everything. She uses her OCD to control her surroundings when things don't go her way. She springs for a magical dream vacation to celebrate Mia's 21st birthday at Barton Cottage, the Dashwoods cottage in the Emma Thompson/Ang Lee version of Sense and Sensibility. It's supposed to be a girls' week away from men and everything else wrong with their lives, but when handsome neighbor Alec rescues Mia from a fall, all their plans are forgotten. Three years later, the sisters are not speaking to each other. They haven't seen each other since not long after their vacation to Barton Cottage. Something happened that drove them apart. Sarah can't help but worry about her little sister so she decides to head to Bath for the Jane Austen Festival in hopes of reuniting with her sister. She's worried her sister won't want to see her, but with some encouragement from a new friend, she proceeds with her plan. Mia's life isn't going so well. Her dream of becoming an actress is becoming harder and harder to achieve. She's looking forward to this weekend in Bath with her good friend Shelley. Shelley fears Mia has changed and she's determined to get to the reason why. She also wants to play matchmaker for her handsome yet, older neighbor Gabe.  Mia fears she'll never find her Mr. Darcy. Has fiction ruined her for life? This story is a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility without the social etiquette of the original. Thus, it's an incredibly predictable, boring story about two obnoxious grown women acting like teenagers. I could easily figure out what was going to happen based on the plot of Sense and Sensibility and waiting for it to happen was like waiting for a disaster. None of the main characters are redeemable. Sarah's OCD is out of control and she doesn't even consider trying to get help. The only time she's not obsessive compulsive is when it's convenient to the plot, which I thought wasn't very accurate. . Her OCD keeps her from functioning like a normal human and it's both tragic and annoying to read about her quirks and obsessing over every possible thing that could go wrong. If she's really so OCD, I doubt she'd ever want to get married. Mia is even more silly and impulsive than Marianne and she behaves very very badly. I didn't like her behavior or anything else about her except she's a Janeite. The leading men are too perfect. They don't resemble the flawed Austen heroes at all, except for the obvious parallel to a character in Sense and Sensibility. The best part of this book was the descriptions of the festival and Bath. The festival sounds like a lot of fun and I wish more time had been spent on the activities rather than flashing back to past events just when the fun was about to start. This book is the weakest in the trilogy. You don't necessarily have to read the first two but if you plan to, read those first because this one contains spoilers. 

Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus -- Inspirational Regency Romance

Julia Witherington, daughter of a naval officer and newly minted baronet, has had a crush on her father's lieutenant William Ransome since she was 10. She's now seventeen and ready to marry, but when William doesn't propose, Julia is heartbroken. William refuses to take advantage of his patron's generosity and take Julia's dowry for his own. He's determined to make his own way in the world. Julia returns to her family's home in Jamaica, where she runs the plantation with precision. Thirteen years later, Julia is in England once more. Her life has changed dramatically in the passing years with the deaths of her twin brother and her mother and the subsequent move to England. Julia enjoys getting to know her father better but can't help but be jealous of his devotion to the Navy. She also does not like her chaperone, her aunt, Lady Pembroke, who doesn't approve of mere sailors. William Ransome, now a Captain, has returned to England now peace has come. While he waits for his ship to be refitted, her stays with family at the home his closest friend Collin, Captain Yates. Collin's wife Susan is Julia's dearest friend, and thus they are thrown together once again.  

If Julia doesn't marry by her 30th birthday next month, she'll receive her inheritance in full. Julia is determined to return to Jamaica and live her life freely, as she chooses. Julia's aunt has other ideas about Julia's fortune. She hatches a plan that is utterly disagreeable to Julia and threatens the honor of the Witherington name if Julia doesn't comply. With her father away on business, Julia turns to the only person she knows can help, William Ransome. Julia proposes a business arrangement marriage of convenience to her former love. He's not so sure he wants to be married. His devotion is to the Navy and nothing else, but yet, he can't help wanting to protect Julia. Julia is determined not to fall in love with William all over again. She feels he used her only to get close to her father, but she can't help but begin to feel the stirrings of her heart once again.

This story is a rewrite of Persuasion, my favorite Austen novel, so I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. The plot was full of gaping holes that didn't make much sense. Honor is overemphasized in the plot to a ridiculous degree. I didn't believe any of the reasons characters invoked honor to do something stupid. Julia is also of age and no one can force her to do anything. Even if rumors are spread, it's pretty obvious that soon everyone will know Julia was the wronged party so her actions are not justified. The romance was a bit hollow too. It's supposed to be a slow burn but never fully develops and is rushed at the end. It leaves room for development in the sequels, I suppose, but it wasn't the ending I hoped for. The characters are all pretty bland. Not one of them is memorable. Julia is whiny and easily persuadable. William is too stiff and they're both too proud. The villains are typical stock villains of this sort of novel. The only character I found interesting is Charlotte Ransome, William's headstrong sister. I didn't like her enough to want to read her book (#2 in the trilogy). It's pretty obvious what is going to happen. This is supposed to be an inspirational novel, but it's pretty tame on the religious end of things. The characters pray for guidance one in awhile but they take responsibility for their own actions, which pleased me. If you like this sort of novel, try Regina Scott's Everard Legacy and other inspirational novels instead.

What I've Read This Week

What I've Read This Week . . .

A Weekend With Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly -- Austenesque/ Contemporary Romance/Women's Fiction

Dr. Katherine Roberts is looking forward to a fun weekend away at a Jane Austen conference in Hampshire. She's a busy  career woman, a lecturer at Oxford who would be laughed at if her secret obsession with Jane Austen's novels was known.  She adores not just Austen's novels, but the numerous sequels, spin-offs and Regency novels, especially those steamy romances by bestseller Lorna Warwick. Katherine has had more than her share of man troubles and dreams of finding a true love like Mr. Darcy. She wishes she could write to Jane Austen about how the novels make her feel but instead, she's become pen-pals with Lorna Warwick, sharing thoughts on the novels, Jane Austen, life, love and everything else. She hopes Lorna Warwick will come to the conference so they can finally meet. Lorna Warwick has a dilemma. Lorna would love to meet Katherine in person. They have so much in common and have formed such a deep connection - the only problem is, Lorna is actually a man. Warwick Lawton was brought up with an appreciation for good literature and he loves Jane Austen as much as any woman and even dreams of finding his own Elizabeth Bennet or one of his heroines. He thinks he's found that soul mate in Katherine, but how to convince her? He decides to attend the conference incognito so Katherine will get to know him as himself. At first, like Elizabeth and Darcy, they don't get along, but Warwick is determined to woo Katherine and win her over. The only problem is, what will happen if she finds out he lied? Katherine is no stranger to heartache and can't stand liars! Robyn Love is also attending the Jane Austen weekend conference. She loves Jane Austen novels and watching the movies and sighing over the romances. Her real life romance bears little resemblance to one in the novels. Her long-time boyfriend Jace Collins, loathes Jane Austen and doesn't understand Robyn's interest. He's immature and perpetually drunk and Robyn hopes the weekend away will give them space to begin a permanent separation. Jace has trouble letting go, however, and tags along to Hampshire only to cause trouble. Robyn finds a sympathetic listener in Dan, a stable worker on the estate where the conference is being held. Dan is everything an Austen fan would want in a hero but Robyn isn't free. Will she have the courage to break up with Jace? This is a sweet romantic story that vaguely resembles Pride and Prejudice. Katherine is outspoken and witty, like Elizabeth and I liked and admired her. I loved that she's an independent career woman and she's also a romantic. Warwick isn't really anything like Darcy except that he makes a fool out of himself when he first meets Katharine. I think he would be a great hero but I couldn't forgive him for lying to Katharine and using his knowledge of her to win her over. Robyn is sweet and lovely like Jane Bennet and I felt sorry for her and rooted for her to find herself. Dan is the perfect romantic hero. He's a bit too perfect to be true but like Bingley, his needs are simple and he has a big heart. I think many women could easily fall in love with him. I liked Robyn's story a bit more than Katherine's. It was more sincere and realistic. She had real problems to overcome and challenges to face before she can think about happily ever after and I appreciated the realistic aspects of her plot. Katherine's plot dragged too long in the middle and was rushed at the end. I would have done the ending a bit differently, but it works fine the way it is. The Jane Austen conference sounds amazing and I would love to attend! Janeites who like the old sweet style romances will enjoy this one. There is one bedroom scene but it fades to black after a lot of kissing.

Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly Austenesque/ Contemporary Romance/Women's Fiction

In Connelly's second book about Jane Austen lovers, the heroine, Kay secretly dreams of finding her own Mr. Darcy while toiling away at a job she hates.  She also dreams of being a painter and living by the sea, but none of that will ever happen to her, will it? When a dear friend dies and leaves Kay an inheritance, Kay decides to relocate to Lyme, the setting of Persuasion, to get back to her illustrations of Austen heroes. She opens a Bed and Breakfast Wentworth House (of course) and is surprised when the cast of a new film version of Persuasion descends on her doorstep. Kay is thrilled to have movie stars staying at her home, especially the handsome roguish Oli Wade Wilson, her celebrity crush, who is playing Captain Wentworth. The cast members are a mixed bag of personalities: besides Oli, there's Beth, the diva and Sophie the nice but gossipy one and Gemma, sweet and shy. Gemma is the daughter of a famous actress and living in her mother's shadow. She fears she can't live up to her mother's expectations or worse, she'll become her mother, vainly reliving past glories when the glory days are long gone. There's only one person who is sympathetic and it comes as a huge surprise. Meanwhile, Kay's days are spent cleaning, cooking, watching the shoot and exploring the area with Adam, the screenwriter, who lives nearby. Adam fell in love with Kay the minute he saw her, but his shyness prevented him from making a move. Adam's Nana keeps telling him to seize the moment, but how can he when when Kay's head is filled with Oli? While Kay finds Adam nice and encouraging, she's convinced he's perfect for Gemma! Will the path to true romance ever become clear or is Adam destined to be alone with his cat for the rest of his life? I liked the twist on the shy spinster plot. It's unusual to see a shy hero in literature. I found Adam very kind and charming but didn't quite fall in love with him. I liked him much better than Kay, however. Reading this novel was painful. Kay is a grown woman, a Jane Austen fan, who compares herself to Emma without realizing the moral of the story. She spends most of the book mooning over Oli like a silly school girl, despite repeated warnings from others not to lose her heart. Kay comes across as annoying and obnoxious and I couldn't stand her. She doesn't deserve Adam. Likewise, Oli is a typical rake, easy to see through and fun to crush on but not to commit to. Even his plot twist at the end was obvious to me. Kay should have seen it coming. Gemma is a likeable character, more than Kay. I would have liked more of the story from her point of view. She's sweet and her needs are simple like Jane Bennet. She's not a typical heroine or a stereotype though. Her inner turmoil is justified by the actions of her stereotypical mother. Her romance seems to come out of thin air and doesn't really develop. The focus on Kay makes the much more unconventional romance take backstage. Kay's plot drags on way too long and the romantic climax comes way too late and is too rushed. There's an epilogue which is entirely unnecessary and makes the book even longer. I didn't like this one as much as the first. This one is totally clean, with one bedroom scene fade to black before anything happens.