Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise. © 2011 Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN 9781402241031. Trade Paperback. Historical Fiction. 368 pages. Source: arc copy furnished by the publishers.

Review: A year has passed since Darcy and Elizabeth have crossed paths, and for once he is looking forward to his annual sojourn to Rosings Park to visit his aunt. What he doesn’t know is that Elizabeth’s life has been turned topsy-turvy. Mrs. Bennet’s fears from the original story have come to pass: Mr. Bennet has indeed passed away and therefore Mr. Collins has taken control of her beloved Longbourne putting the Bennet women out. Lizzie now works in London as a governess.

In London, Lizzie ponders the proposal she received from Darcy with sadness, softening towards him as she re-reads the letter he wrote her after her rejection, but still believes she made the right choice in refusing him. Soon Lizzie is thrown back into the world of Darcy when the Willstones (the family she works for) throw a party and among the guests are Mr. Bingley and Georgiana Darcy. Upon discovering Lizzie’s acquaintance with the Darcy family, Rosalyn (Mrs. Willstone’s sister) spills her secrets to Lizzie about how she has been terribly in love with Fitzwilliam ever since she met him. Fearing her job, Lizzie remains quiet about her previous dealings with Darcy and her jealousy at Rosalyn’s divulgence.

As one can assume, Lizzie soon finds herself thrust into Darcy’s social circle and eventually with an invitation to Pemberley. The more Lizzie is around Darcy, the harder it is to deny to herself that she has feelings for him, but will Mrs. Willstone place Rosalyn between them and remind Elizabeth of her place?

Originally self-published in 2008 as Something Like Regret, Only Mr. Darcy Will Do is one of six Pride and Prejudice continuations written by Kara Louise. Kara’s writing is captivating, her characterizations remain true to Austen’s original and I found the plot to be a creative concept which left me decidedly entertained. I’m really looking forward to checking out Darcy’s Voyage now that I’ve gotten my hands on a copy as well. 4/5.

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Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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Today we are joined by Jane Odiwe. Her latest book is Mr. Darcy’s Secret, a Pride and Prejudice continuation, was just released earlier this month and I’m thrilled to have her as a guest today (also, I’ll be reviewing her book next week, so stay tuned). And without further ado, I hand it over to Jane:

Thank you, Teresa, for inviting me to your blog to talk about my book, Mr. Darcy’s Secret, and as we are so close to Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be lovely to tell you about how some of my research was connected with the sending of flowers and love letters.

In Georgian times it was customary to send love letters and tokens, cards cut and pricked with a design to look like lace or flowers for Valentine’s Day. This was the age of the Romantic poet, and so poems were popular, they might be in the form of a riddle, such as the letter that Emma receives when Mr. Elton wishes to court her or an acrostic where the first letter of every line gives the lover’s name. Again, in Emma, Jane Austen has Frank Churchill send Jane Fairfax a very expensive valentine in the form of a pianoforte. Of course, she leaves us guessing from whom this gift has come, and I suppose that’s what makes valentines then and now, so much fun. Part of their charm is that we do not know always know the identity of the sender.

When I was writing Mr. Darcy’s Secret, I wished for Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s sister, to receive such a gift. There are two gentlemen pursuing her, and though I wanted to give the scene an air of mystery, I also wanted her to guess which particular gentleman had sent the tussie mussie, (a country word for a bouquet). Flowers were often sent as love tokens in this time period and every flower had a special meaning, so that if you were a shy suitor you would let your lady know how you felt by sending a particular flower. I chose violets, partly because they are associated with faithfulness and modesty, but also because they are February’s flower. Georgiana’s suitor wants her to know that he is steadfast and will never forget her, and is also illustrating what he feels she represents as a lovely, modest young woman. Here’s a sneak peek from the scene. Georgiana’s maid has entered her room on a spring-like February day.

“Oh, Miss Darcy, look what we have here,” Mary said, as she returned to the bedside fussing about her charge, pummelling pillows and straightening the bedclothes. Georgiana sat up rubbing her eyes but smiling at the sight of Mary who looked most excited. “There’s no note with them, Miss,” she began, “but I expect these beauties are from Mr Calladine.”

A bunch of blue violets, their delicate heads nodding against the glossy green leaves that bound them were wrapped in waxed paper and tied with a purple ribbon. “That’s so romantic, Miss,” Mary continued. “My dear old mum says there’s hardly such a romantic flower for lovers. Faithfulness, I’ll always be true is what a violet says, and a bunch as big as this—he must have been up for hours picking them. Ooh, Miss Darcy, smell them! Just a moment, I’ll fetch a vase of water.”

Georgiana held the posy to her nose and breathed in the sweetest perfume redolent of the scents of woodland in early spring. Hugh Calladine could not be responsible for such a delightful gift, she thought. The only flowers she had received from him were a bunch of hothouse blooms forced from one of his greenhouses on the day after the announcement of their engagement. The only person who really understood flowers and would be aware of their symbolism and meaning was the only man who truly empathised with Georgiana, she knew, and, as she buried her nose deep into the tussie mussie, her happiness at the idea knew no bounds. To think of Tom wandering through the woods collecting the tiny flowers, to know that she must have been in his thoughts at such an early hour was to render her almost delirious with elation. But whilst the sense of euphoria was almost intoxicating, the antithesis of feelings in desolation and despondency soon took hold. Knowing that their love, however sweet, was forbidden and could never be gave rise to feelings of despair.

I wonder if any of your readers have ever received a valentine, whether cards, flowers or other tokens – I’d love to hear about them!

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange. © 2009 Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN 9781402236976. Trade Paperback. Historical Fiction / Gothic Horror. 309 pages. Source: copy from publishers

Review: Told from the point-of-view of the newly Mrs. Darcy, Mr. Darcy Vampyre takes Elizabeth and Darcy out of picturesque England and into Gothic Continental Europe with its castles and haunting beauty. Throughout the book we get a peek inside Lizzie’s innermost thoughts concerning her new husband and his increasingly strange behavior: looks of torment on his face and his refusal to consummate their marriage. On top of that, Lizzie is being haunted by 100 year old memories…

I’ve read some reviews where people were annoyed at the thought of vampires in Pride and Prejudice, but (and I could be mistaken here but this is what I got from reading) I think the author was going for a novel akin to Northanger Abbey in the way that it’s almost poking a little fun at Gothic books (sans the beloved Austen sarcasm, which was truly missed). I didn’t take it as being serious, and I‘m sure this is a book that Catherine Morland would have certainly devoured. I felt like Mr. Darcy, Vampyre was less of a book written for Austen sequel lovers and more of a book written by Grange for Jane Austen herself.

I will, however, agree with the reviews that say Elizabeth’s character was flat and left a lot to be desired. I also found Darcy on the verge of that as well. Her historical detail definitely seemed to outweigh the characters themselves, and perhaps that mattered more as atmosphere itself is a major character in classic Gothic novels. While I didn’t exactly fawn over it, I found this to be a pleasing read, a nice homage to the Gothic titles that Jane Austen herself liked to read, and a good choice for the Autumn season—especially if you like your Regency gentlemen with a little bite. I’m giving it a 3 out of 5.

(This counts as my book #2 in the Austen is My Homegirl reading challenge)

Giveaway

Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks, three winners will be chosen at random to receive a copy of Mr. Darcy, Vampyre for their own collection. Contest ends November 6th and is open to US and Canada residents only—no PO boxes. The books will be shipped by the publisher, not Read All Over Reviews. Rules:

1. Be a follower of Read All Over Reviews (GFC, Facebook or Twitter)
2. Be a follower of Sourcebooks via Twitter or AustenFans.com [optional]
3. and fill out this form; simple as that.

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson and Jane Austen. © 2010 Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN 9781402241345. Trade Paperback. Historical Fiction / Paranormal. 304 pages. $14.99 US. Source: review copy

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Synopsis
In this hilarious retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, screenwriter Wayne Josephson casts Mr. Knightley as one of the most handsome and noble of the gentlemen village vampires. Blithely unaware of their presence, Emma, who imagines she has a special gift for matchmaking, attempts to arrange the affairs of her social circle with delightfully disastrous results. But when her dear friend Harriet Smith declares her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma realizes she’s the one who wants to stay up all night with him. Fortunately, Mr. Knightley has been hiding a secret deep within his unbeating heart-his (literal) undying love for her…

Review
Josephson states that he came up with the idea smashing together Emma and vampires in order to make Jane’s novel ”accessible to modern readers, especially young adults”. And perhaps he does, but I’m not impressed. We have our beloved Knightley, our gorgeous Highbury, a heroine only Austen herself could love and it follows remarkably close to the original storyline (I applaud him for that) … but it’s told in modern nomenclature which reads incredibly dumbed down.

Is Emma really that difficult for today’s young adults to comprehend … really? I could understand it with Shakespeare (and The Scarlet Letter which Josephson has also retold and published), but I just don’t buy it with Austen. Sorry. Also, it’s a bit insulting to insinuate that all teens need vampires in a book in order to read it. Maybe that wasn’t the motives behind the book, but it smacks of Twilight, True Blood and Vampire Diaries influence to me.

Emma and the Vampires is an okay read—quick and doesn’t require a lot of brainpower and slightly humorous—but I just don’t see what is so inaccessible about the original Emma. In fact, if I were to recommend any of Jane’s books to young adults, Emma (along with Northanger Abbey) would be among the first. They are the most teen-friendly, in my opinion.

Oh, and also our Mr. Knightley, besides the not sleeping and not eating bit, is really not much of a vampire at all. *sadface*

Bottom line: I would have had more respect for Emma and the Vampires if it were more like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. At least PPZ kept most of Jane’s original work and certainly continued with the dearly loved syntax and style when change was called for. Throughout Emma and the Vampires, I kept pondering, like others, “why am I reading this when I could be reading the actual Emma?”

Rating: 2 out of 5—it’s decent but just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Note:
This counts as my book #1 in the
“Jane Austen is my Homegirl”
Reading Challenge

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

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