Today I am sharing the books I am currently reading or listening to. I hope you will share what you are reading by posting in the comments at the end.
Clicking on the book covers below will take you to Amazon. Use of these links supports this blog and is very much appreciated. I also recommended checking with your library (if you want to save some $$$).
I am currently reading a reimagined version of Cinderella’s story. It takes place after the ball. At this point, I don’t even know if the Cinderella character is on the side of good. Everybody has an agenda. I think this is going go be a good one! Releases 7/11.
About Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Soria
I’m not who you think I am.
My transformation from a poor, orphaned scullery maid into the enchantingly mysterious lady who snagged the heart of the prince did not happen—as the rumors insisted—in a magical metamorphosis of pumpkins and glass slippers. On the first evening of the ball, I didn’t meekly help my “evil” stepmother and stepsisters primp and preen or watch forlornly out the window as their carriage rolled off toward the palace. I had other preparations to make.
My stepsisters and I had been trained for this—to be the cleverest in the room, to be quick with our hands and quicker with our lies. We were taught how to get everything we wanted in this world, everything men always kept for themselves: power, wealth, and prestige. And with a touchingly tragic past and the help of some highly illegal spells, I would become a princess, secure our fortunes, and we would all live happily ever after.
But there’s always more to the story. With my magic running out, war looming, and a handsome hostage prince—the wrong prince—distracting me from my true purpose with his magnetic charm and forbidden flirtations, I’m in danger of losing control of the delicate balance I’ve created . . . and that could prove fatal.
There’s so much more riding on this than a crown.
I am finally listening to About Time by Jodi Taylor. I’ve been a fan of Ms. Taylor’s The Chronicles of St. Mary’s for a long time. This story is #4 in the spinoff series The Time Police. I never ever regret starting one of these stories. And Zara Ramm, as the narrator, is fantastic.
About About Time
Twenty-four hours is a long Time in the Time Police.
When a fateful mission to apprehend a minor criminal selling dodgy historical artefacts goes very wrong, Commander Hay faces the longest day of her career.
An officer is attacked within TPHQ. A prisoner is murdered. And investigations are about to lead to the one place where no officer can legally tread.
Worst of all, trouble is brewing for Luke, Jane and Matthew as a shocking revelation threatens to tear Team Weird apart for good…
Not too long ago, my library’s book club took on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (P&P). In addition to the original version, each book club member read one or more adaptations of this very popular novel. None of us had read this book in the past.
Note: Clicking on the book covers below will take you to Amazon. Use of these links supports this blog and is very much appreciated. I also recommended checking with your library (if you want to save some $$$). Goodreads links are listed at the end of each review.
The Original P&P
It was a lively discussion! First, I can tell you most book club members did not finish Pride and Prejudice. I was one of two readers that finished it, but only because I am the library director and I felt I needed to complete my research prior to discussions. My precise review is this: Rarely have so many words been used to describe so little substance. I am extremely happy that writing styles have changed. The story, characters and occasional bits of dialog are quite entertaining and very often inciteful and witty. However, the meandering, discourse using 19th century writing styles is difficult to digest. Goodreads
The Adaptations I Read
I read several adaptations to make up for not enjoying the original. Some were quite good! So here they are starting with my least favorite and ending with the adaptation I thought was the best!
3 Stars
Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Mystery, #1) by Tirzah Price – the resemblance to the original story is in the characters names and possibly a little bit of their personalities. This is a mystery first and foremost. Fun, but this could have been written with no tie in to P&P and I would have enjoyed it more because I would not have been anticipating things I thought might happen. Goodreads
About Pride and Premeditation – When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.
Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.
4 Stars
A Dangerous Magic (Magical Mr. Darcy, #1) by Monica Fairview places Elizabeth and Darcy in a magic community where they are forced to bond in order to defend the kingdom. All sorts of people and circumstances try to keep them apart, including Elizabeth’s own style of magic which is a bit out of the ordinary and therefore, frowned upon. This one is not a close follower of the original story, but still entertaining. A bit of a cliffhanger. Goodreads
About A Dangerous Magic – Elizabeth Bennet is stunned when someone from the Royal Mage Academy comes to her peaceful country home to take her away. She is even more bewildered when she is commanded to marry a powerful gentleman by the name of Fitzwilliam Darcy. She has always dreamed of marrying for love, and an arranged marriage with an arrogant stranger was never part of her plans.
Fitzwilliam Darcy is equally dissatisfied with this match. An obscure young lady from the middle of nowhere is hardly worthy of his powerful lineage.
But Darcy and Elizabeth have no choice in the matter. Uniting their two forms of magic is essential if they are to defend King and Country against Napoleon’s mages. They may dislike each other on sight, but they are duty-bound to set aside their differences and find common ground before it is too late.
Fortunately, it is not long before the sparks begin to fly between them.
5 Stars
Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment by Abigail Reynolds – this one started closely mirroring P&P, but the more magical it got, the more it strayed from the original. It’s a long one, 544 pages, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Elizabeth is caught in a magical world and will upend the supernatural status quo. Goodreads
About Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment – Fitzwilliam Darcy is a powerful magician who controls fire, water, and wind. What he cannot control is his growing feelings for Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Elizabeth’s sentiments towards Darcy are quite different. She detests his arrogance, and she fears he will expose her use of forbidden magic – forbidden to women, that is. He is the last man in the world she would choose to help her on a difficult and dangerous task.
But when a magical war looms between the land of Faerie and their world, a Lord of Faerie demands that Darcy and Elizabeth serve together as his emissaries to make peace with the other mortals. That mission throws them into the middle of a chaotic power struggle between magicians whose power dwarfs their own, and everything Elizabeth has ever believed about her family, her friends, and her enemies will be called into question.
5 Stars
The Girl from Summer Hill (Summer Hill, #1) by Jude Deveraux takes place in a community that is staging Pride and Prejudice. This was fun combination of three P&P stories: The original by Ms. Austen, the play of Pride and Prejudice that the characters attempt to stage, and the P&P-like story going on with the major players in the story. The characters mirrored the roles they played in the stage version. There are lots of fun things going on in this one, including putting a modern day ethics spin on the story! Goodreads
About The Girl from Summer Hill – Enter Elizabeth Bennet. Chef Casey Reddick has had it up to here with men. When she arrives in the charming town of Summer Hill, Virginia, she leaves behind a demanding boss at a famous D.C. restaurant and a breakup with a boyfriend jealous of her success. Some peace and quiet on the picturesque Tattwell plantation is just what she needs to start fresh. But the tranquility is broken one misty morning when she sees a gorgeous naked man on the porch of her cottage.
Enter Mr. Darcy. What Tate Landers, Hollywood heartthrob and owner of Tattwell, doesn’t need on a bittersweet trip to his ancestral home is a woman spying on him from his guest cottage. Mistaking Casey for a reporter, Tate tries to run her out of her own house. His anger, which looks so good on the screen, makes a very bad first impression on Casey. Hollywood he may be, but he’s no sweetheart to Casey—and she lets him know it!
The plot thickens. Sparks fly—literally—when Casey is recruited to play Elizabeth Bennet opposite Tate’s Mr. Darcy in a stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Just brushing past Tate makes Casey’s whole body hum. As they spar on and off stage, Casey begins to think she’s been too quick to judge. Tate is more down-to-earth than Casey expected, and she finds herself melting under his smoldering gaze. But then Tate’s handsome ex-brother-in-law, Devlin Haines, who is playing Wickham, tells Casey some horrifying stories about Tate. She is upset and confused as she tries to figure out who and what to believe. As she finds herself falling for Tate, Casey needs to know: Is the intense, undeniable chemistry between them real, or is this just a performance that ends when the curtain falls?
5 Stars
Miss Bennet’s Dragon (Jane Austen Fantasy, #1) by M. Verant came the closest to mirroring the actual plot, characters and sequence of events of the original story. The dragon lore is both fascinating and pretentious, but trust Elizabeth to change things up. This was my favorite of the adaptions I read. I actually went ahead and purchased #2, Emma’s Dragon. It’s on my TBR list. Goodreads
About Miss Bennet’s Dragon – Elizabeth Bennet is hiding a forbidden power. She can speak to draca, the fire-breathing creatures kept as status symbols by English gentry. But Mr. Darcy has noticed, and he has his own dark secret.
When Elizabeth’s sister falls deathly ill, the cure lies in the mysteries of draca. Elizabeth, aided by her brilliant sister Mary, defies restrictive English society to hunt for lost draca lore. She must hurry. England’s war with France has drawn other dangerous hunters.
Elizabeth’s search leads her to the fabulous Pemberley estate, home of the entitled and infuriating man whose proposal she scorned. There, Elizabeth’s worlds smash together—protocol against passion, and exultation against the risk of love.
But the stakes are greater than her sister’s life. Elizabeth must test herself against a distant war.
A man with the name of Croaksworth, croaks. Who saw that coming?
In A Most Agreeable Murder, Croaksworth’s murder at a ball, during a terrible storm leads to an investigation at a country house located by a swamp. The investigators: Eye-patched Inspector Vivik Drake, who has fled the shadow of London’s greatest celebrity investigator. And Beatrice Steele, secret true crime podcast addict. Er, I mean true crime newspaper article reader.
The semi-locked house mystery is full of colorful characters, ridiculous situations, dreadful weather and a perfectly horrendous Lady’s Guide to Swampshire, the local 1200-page guide book that informs young ladies of the do’s and don’ts of polite society. No, the guide book is not funny at all.
Beatrice investigates with her heart while Drake looks for the facts. Beatrice observes, Drake hunts. Beatrice defends, Drake accuses. Together they make a pretty good team.
I did not engage with any of the characters in this story, so I can’t say I loved it. However, I found the story to be quite entertaining, so I liked it.
The story was a bit predictable, down to me predicting the actual murderer. The author is influenced by Agathe Christie and Jane Austen, and indeed, elements of the only Austen book I have ever read, Pride and Prejudice, were all over this story. All the loose ends were nicely tied up in a manor that pretty much ignores the entire Lady’s Guide to Swampshire, which means, it was a good ending!
Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.
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About A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township–she is terrible at needlework, has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters– beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper. If anyone in her etiquette-obsessed community found out, she’d be deemed a morbid creep and banished from respectable society forever.
For her family’s sake, she’s vowed to put her obsession behind her. Because eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the approaching autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that Louisa will steal his heart. If not, Martin Grub, their disgusting cousin, will inherit the family’s estate, and they will be ruined or, even worse, forced to move to France. So Beatrice must be on her best behavior . . . which is made difficult when a disgraced yet alluring detective inexplicably shows up to the ball.
Beatrice is just holding things together when Croaksworth drops dead in the middle of a minuet. As a storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy of panic, fear, and betrayal as it becomes clear they are trapped with a killer. Contending with competitive card games, tricky tonics, and Swampshire’s infamous squelch holes, Beatrice must rise above decorum and decency to pursue justice and her own desires–before anyone else is murdered.
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