Mr. Bennet Level: 51+ Books

[Sophia]

Me, too, Sheila! 'Tense' is good.

[Sheila]

Cat sent me a link to a uTube tango...new book has dancing at the beginning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As0QH...

This video is sooooo sexy. In the sample I read ODC's first contact is a dance in which nothing is spoken, then he gets on his bike and rides away. Check out the uTube!

Can't wait to read the book.

[Erika]

Sophia, did you see my posted of Iceman Darcy and DG visiting me in Milwaukee? Too much fun doing this!!

[Sophia]

Really? I'll have to scroll through and check it out, Erika. How cool!

[Sheila]

57.) Anne's Adversity: A Pride & Prejudice Variation 4.5 stars
58.) Chance Encounters 5 stars
59.) The Darcy Madness 4.5 stars
60.) Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer 4.5 stars

[Sophia]

Yowsers! Look at you go, Sheila!

[Sheila]

61.) Denial of Conscience: A Modern Darcy & Elizabeth Adventure 5 stars

[Claudine]

Can't wait to hear go you liked it!!

[Claudine]

Just saw the five stars... Glad you loved it!!!

[Sheila]

Do you want to borrow it?

[Claudine]

Should I read Lucky 13 first? Was this better?

[Sheila]

Both are good. Read Lucky 13 and let me know when you are done.

[Claudine]

Ok. Thank you!!

[Dung]

Hello Ladies,

For those who have sent a friend request to view my Austen related books, I've broken it down to two categories: 1) Austen-inspired (means I've read them) 2) Austen TBR (Have not read). I have 1086 books on the TBR and 161 that I have read. All the books I've read in the Austin-inspired are P&P related. The Austen TBR are 90% P&P and there are a few JA related as well as some inspired adaptations by other authors. I've tried to simplify the list and take out any duplicates. Happy reading!

[Sophia]

Thanks for the clear explanation, Dung. It's always fun to look over someone else's shelves and find new books to consider.

[Carol]

Thank you Dung for your list of books.

[Sheila]

62.) Game of Kings: a Thrilling Modern Reimagination of Pride & Prejudice
63.) A Royal Disposition: A Pride and Prejudice Novel

[Sophia]

My my, impressive, Sheila!

[Sheila]

64.) Darcy and Elizabeth: Behind Pemberley's Walls: A Pride and Prejudice Short Story 4 stars

[Talia]

I read a few books but haven't been around to post about them so here it goes. :)

Pride, Prejudice & Secrets: I loved it. The Wickham storyline was fantastic.

Mr. Darcy's Forbidden Love: This is the first book that I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more. They are a bit pricey for me right now but looking forward to future readings. :)

Mistaking Her Character: I originally read this as installments. I liked it then but I loved it in the book form. I don't know how much was changed but it was a beautifully written book. The author is very skilled. This may be my favorite title by her so far.

[Sophia]

Very nice, Talia!

I liked Pride, Prejudice, and Secrets, but I can't quite remember much about it. I'll have to do a re-read apparently.

I got Mistaking Her Character in installments too. I look forward to seeing how it is all put together in one book.

[Shannon]

So I just realized how little I have been reading Austenesque novels of late. Since my last update I have read only read 6 out of my last 20. There are plenty on my list so I will be moving them up. I am now 34/51.

Seeking Persephone - Regency - 4 Stars:
I included this because it takes place in the regency time period. It was Beauty and the Beast-esque and was an overall enjoyable story. I actually really love this author but this was one of my least favorite of her novels because the romance felt a little rushed at the end.

The Marrying Type - Modern Persuasion - 4 Stars:
A solid book. Towards the end I felt like there was something missing... (drama, sparks?). Still enjoyed it and would recommend.

Pride, Prejudice & Secrets - P&P Alternate - 4 Stars:
This was a solid 4 star book for me. There wasn't really any conflict for the last two thirds of the book but the author still kept it interesting. There were a number of story lines in this book and while they seemed unnecessary they were still enjoyable.

Suddenly Mrs Darcy - P&P Alternate - 4 Stars:
I really like the forced marriage alternates. I guess I like angst lol. This was a lovely read but pretty mellow for a forced marriage alternate. Very enjoyable nonetheless.

No Cause to Repine - P&P Alternate - 4 Stars:
Another forced marriage alternate. I also felt this one was a little too mellow. Darcy and Elizabeth worked out their problems pretty quickly. I still enjoyed the book though. This was my first book by this author and I will be adding more of her books to my list.

Frederica - Regency - 4.5 Stars:
I have finally read my first Georgette Heyer novel! Loved it. The characters were so much fun. My only quibble is that the romance was a bit weak as the focus was more on the shenanigans of the family. Will most definitely read more of her novels though.

I am currently reading Definitely Not Mr Darcy and have the following up next: Ardently, Henry Tilney's Diary, Epic Fail, The Deception at Lyme, and Miss Darcy Falls in Love.

[Abigail]

Wow, Shannon, that doesn’t look like just a little Austenesque reading!

Welcome to the Georgette Heyer fan club! I wanted to let you know that there is a Georgette Heyer group on Goodreads, and they do monthly group reads. July’s is The Reluctant Widow. If you want Heyers where the romance is more front-and-center, you might try Faro’s Daughter or Devil’s Cub (which is a sequel to These Old Shades but can be read as a standalone) or Arabella or even Venetia.

[Sheila]

65.) For Peace of Mind: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 3.5

[Sophia]

That is a very impressive amount to me, Shannon!

Fantastic update!

[Ceri]

Great update Shannon! I am glad you enjoyed Frederica. It's my favourite GH book (joint favourite with 'The Grand Sophy') and it always makes me happy to see that somebody else has enjoyed a book that I've enjoyed so much.

[Talia]

I reread Fate And Consequences: A Tale Of Pride And Prejudice yesterday. I love that book. I tend to go back and read my faves a lot. This one is terrific.

[Sheila]

I, too, love that book. Some day or another I will re-read it.

[Sophia]

I love that story, too, Talia. One of these days I want to re-read it.

[Carol]

I love this story, too. Both sad and happy at the same time. Had Wickham been killed in Austen's original Pride and Prejudice, how much angst from him could have been prevented in all of the variations! Oh well, have to have a bad guy to add to the drama.

[Talia]

Carol wrote: "I love this story, too. Both sad and happy at the same time. Had Wickham been killed in Austen's original Pride and Prejudice, how much angst from him could have been prevented in all of the variat..."

I like having bad boy Wickham to add angst. I prefer it when he is at his worst. I have no idea why!

[Shannon]

Thanks Abigail! I will definitely look into those
Heyer novels. I just recently purchased the Grand Sophy and Arabella. Ceri I am happy to hear that The Grand Sophy is also a fav of yours.

I haven't read the book Talia posted either. Adding that to my list. Love this group!

[Abigail]

I adore Arabella! Includes perhaps Georgette Heyer’s greatest dog—and you’ll find that she has wonderful dogs in many of her books.

[Ceri]

Agreed, Abigail, Ulysses is her best dog, and he has the sweetest relationship with Mr Beaumaris!

You've chosen some fantastic reads there Shannon! A while ago I blogged about my top 8 Heyers and the ones you mentioned are all there http://babblingsofabookworm.blogspot....

I keep meaning to blog about my next favourite 8 books by her. I wrote the list but haven't got round to blogging it yet.

[Sophia]

Next time we do a challenge, we will have to open it up to more than Austenesques. There are so many wonderful classic and classic-like authors out there and many still sitting on shelves ready to be read.

And yes, Ceri, I would love to see your second list of Heyers. She is a favorite author so I love seeing which books everyone else loves. The Grand Sophy is one of my top five.

The dogs are so much fun in her books.

[Shannon]

Going to try to update more frequently from now on.

35/51

Definitely Not Mr Darcy - 4 Stars
Really fun premise that made me LOL at times. The book started off strong but lost some steam in the end. I would have preferred to at least have an epilogue. I enjoyed the heroine for the most part but did have some quibbles about her motives and actions. I really liked the period details that the author included. Despite reading a number of Regency novels I learned a few things from this book.

I am going to start the Regency novel The Curiosity Keeper by Sarah Ladd next.

[Sophia]

Oh good, Shannon! I'm glad it was good for the most part and that's neat that you learned something new. I love it when that happens to me.

[Shannon]

36/51

The Curiosity Keeper - Regency - 4.5 Stars
This book has been on my list for awhile because I love mixing romance and mystery. I was lucky enough to win a Goodreads giveaway for it. Loved the characters. The romance was subtle but sweet. I guessed the twist but I still couldn't put the book down.

Starting Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen next.

[Sheila]

66.) Romances from the Heart: Darcy and Elizabeth Short Stories Collection 1 4.5 stars
67.) A Will of Iron 5 stars
68.) A Noteworthy Courtship 4 stars
69.) Rocks In The Stream 4 stars

[Claudine]

Glad they were good reads...

[Sophia]

Nice group of reads there, Sheila!

I read A Noteworthy Courtship and Rocks in the Stream a while ago and found them nice reads.

So glad to see A Will of Iron got high praise. I have it on the wish list after reading the blurb.

[Shannon]

Sophia wrote:

So glad to see A Will of Iron got high praise. I have it on the wis..."

Same! Glad to see you liked it Sheila :)

[Shannon]

38/51

Lady Maybe - Regency - 5 Stars
I am a pretty big fan of Julie Klassen's work so my anticipation for this book was high. It met all my expectations and I blew through it in a day. It has a lot of twists so I won't say anything else about it because I don't want to spoil.

Matters of Trust - P&P Variation - 3.5 Stars
I liked the premise of this book. I thought the characters were true to the original and the new character Lady Alexandra was also good. My main complaint is that the book was short and left me wanting something more in the end.

I am currently reading Henry Tilney's Diary. The Deception at Lyme and Mr Darcy's Rival are next :)

[Sophia]

Way to go, Shannon!

You are really on a role. I loved Henry Tilney's Diary. Oh, and you remind me that I need to get back and catch up on Carrie Bebris' Darcys mysteries.

[Ceri]

I got the whole set of those Carrie Bebris books (aside from the Sanditon one), really want to get to read them.

[Sophia]

Same here, Ceri! I have them and just need to get busy and read them. So many books...ugh!

[Claudine]

I haven't added to my list here, but I just looked at my GR app and I read 9 books this week... Crazy... And that now makes 86 JAFF books for the year, once I add the rest of the books I read this week. This means I don't watch any TV and I don't read anything but JAFF and work-related texts.

[Sophia]

That's amazing, Claudine! I look forward to seeing what books you read.

[Sheila]

I have posted 96 reviews this year so far on Amazon but not all are JAFF and have not read 9 books in any one week. So that is fantastic, Claudine. I usually average 3 books per week.

[Claudine]

Thanks!! I usually follow what you read and suggest, so thanks for being a JAFF mentor!