Book Recommendations
Book
Recommendations
I do not give ratings and I do not take review requests. These are books I have read in my free time and have enjoyed. I hope you enjoy them as well!
The Colonel
This is a continuation of Longbourn’s Songbird. (See the post below!) This book will absolutely wreck you. Be emotionally prepared. Keep chocolate nearby. A glass of wine would not go amiss.
I love everything about it. It’s beautiful and sad and tortured and perfect.
Read it and tell me what you think because I love to talk about it!
Pride and Pursuit
This book requires a pretty big suspension of belief, but once you’ve accomplished that, it’s a fun read. It’s interesting, the character development is on track even though it was a little surprising, and the pacing is really good.
I was surprised by multiple things in this book, which hardly happens to me anymore, and it kept my interest, which is also pretty difficult to do.
Mr. Bingley was particularly well written, and I found him extremely believable. Colonel Fitzwilliam was excellent as well.
If you want a somewhat adventurous read, check this one out.
Longbourn's Songbird
Beau North took a long time to write it, and it shows. It’s thoughtful, intricate, thought-provoking, and surprising. On top of all of that, it is beautifully written.
I don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but let me just say that this is one of my favorites, and it will leave you thinking about it long after you’ve closed the book.
Pirates and Prejudice
Even though they are in bizarre circumstances, Darcy and Elizabeth still behave in recognizable ways.
He’s gallant, she’s feisty, and the whole thing kept me laughing and smiling almost non-stop.If you haven’t read it yet, and you’re looking for a light-hearted escape, try this oldie but a goodie.
Nine Ladies
Nine Ladies is a book about time travel—not nine different ladies.
Supposedly, there is this place in England where there’s a circle of rocks and if you stand in the center of this circle on the equinox or on the solstice, you can move forwards or backwards in time.
So Elizabeth lives in modern time, wanders into the stone circle on the wrong day, and winds up in Pemberley 200 years in the past.
This book is as wild, fun, and unexpected as it sounds, and the characters are endearing and believable. I liked the pacing and there was no drama for the sake of drama.
Lots of fun surprises, a few characters you love to hate, and a handful of original characters I could really get on board with.
This book is begging for a couple of alternate endings we can imagine for ourselves. I highly recommend it!
Mistaken
Mistaken is Jessie’s first book, and she is one of the lucky few whose debut novel reads like a tenth. If you’ve ignored every other one of my recommendations, let this be the first one you actually pick up and read.
This book has everything. It’s a master class in deep point of view that will keep you wondering what’s going on until the very end. The characters are beautifully drawn and engagingly complex. The pacing is just right, and the angst is not overwhelming—sprinkled with plenty of comic relief. The main characters are everything you want them to be and then some.
I don’t want to spoil it for you, but know that I cannot say enough good things about this book. It’s one of my all-time favorites in the genre. If you’ve never read it, now is the time! And if you have, maybe it’s time for a reread. Happy reading!
An Affectionate Heart
An Affectionate Heart was not what I was expecting. It was well-written (as all of Heather’s books are) and the pacing was pretty good, though it is more of a steady read than a cliffhanger. The storyline was inventive and the characters were well-drawn.
Mary Bennet was a piece of work and I could not stand her! Lydia was surprising and Mrs. Bennet had a few good moments as well. And I felt really sorry for Jane and her situation, though she did not seem to mind it.
I unreservedly recommend this one. Have a read and let me know what you think!
Rebellion at Longbourn
This was an unexpected premise and one I have not seen before. Mr. Collins was absolutely detestable but unsurprising. Charlotte was disappointing. Elizabeth was spunky and admirable, as were her sisters.
Mary was especially impressive in this book. I found the role she took on to be insightful and true to her character.
Mr. Darcy was prideful in a kind of unexpected way, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Colonel Fitzwilliam was his Jiminy cricket, as per usual. Their relationship was particularly enjoyable.
If you like something kind of meaty and a good, long length, check this one out. I doubt you will be disappointed.
The Zephyr
The Zephyr was a pure delight! Grace Gibson has hit it out of the park, and I am once more left with the feeling that we would be great friends if we ever met.
The book is light but had enough angst to keep me intrigued. There was more than one twist that I was not expecting, and the entire premise is so fun and interesting that I couldn’t put it down. Mostly, I just didn’t want to. The pace was just right, the flirting was fun and sharp without being harsh, and Elizabeth was sheer perfection.
It was an excellent reprieve from the real world and has made me want to learn to drive a curricle. I think I might be good at it… I highly recommend this one.
The Cad, the Couch, and the Cut Direct:
A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Mr. Darcy's Christmas Letters
Full disclosure, I cold read this book. I laughed SO HARD! You should see my notes on the original manuscript—lots of ‘LOL’s and ‘You did not just say that’s.’
In my opinion, this is one of Melanie’s funniest books EVER—it might even be the funniest of them all…
So if you are looking for something light and unashamedly fun—and you want to see Caroline get told just where to put it—check this out.
And it’s holiday themed! So perfect for getting into the spirit of things. Happy reading!
Mistress of Netherfield
This is the only book I’ve read by this author (it might be her only book) and I was a little surprised by it. Elizabeth marries at 16 in troubling circumstances, has an extremely difficult marriage, then is widowed young.
There is a mystery surrounding her husband’s death and Darcy is trying to get to the bottom of it. Their relationship is rocky, but the story didn’t dwell too long on the problems, which I appreciated.
You know I don’t love extreme angst, but I found this relatively easy to handle (and you know how picky I am!). There was plenty of suspense and it kept my interest, but I wasn’t too afraid Elizabeth would wind up in mortal danger.
If you’re in the mood for something a touch darker, but not too dark, give it a try.
*Just so you know, this story has a strong theme of PTSD and its resultant effects. If that’s a sensitive topic for you, you might want to pass on this one.
Interwoven
What I love about this book:
- Elizabeth is gutsy AND powerful, a killer combination
- Darcy is steadfast and strong and talented. Swoon!
- Jane is powerful in her own right
- Bingley is not a wet blanket
- Lydia is getting some much needed discipline in her life, courtesy of my favorite Colonel (don’t worry, there’s no romance between them!)
- The plot is intricate and keeps me on my toes
- There is a mystery that I am dying to know the answer to!
- The angst is manageable and the pacing is good
Confessions of the Scandalous Mrs. Darcy
This is HANDS DOWN one of the funniest variations I have ever read.
I laughed so hard, so many times. The awkward moments are funny, not cringe-worthy (at least not too often). And it was surprisingly heartwarming at times.
Do yourself a favor and buy this book! You will want to re-read it (I read it twice in 18 months)! And the cover is super cute, which always makes me feel better about a book.
An Accidental Proposal
Full disclosure, I was one of the cold readers on this story.
Melanie and I are friends, so we often read each other’s work before it’s published and give feedback.
That being said, this was HILARIOUS!!! I laughed and sighed and laughed again.
If you want a quick, funny, holiday-themed read, check out this novella.
Mages and Mysteries
This was REALLY good.
The story kept me hooked, and I liked the characters and their various traits and abilities. It also has a little bit of a mystery and a twist if you like that sort of thing.
Plus, Victoria is a lovely person, which always makes me feel better about liking someone’s work.
Manor for Sale, Baron Included
Non-JAFF. This was fun and light, but not so sugary my teeth hurt.
I also laughed pretty often, which is necessary for me in a light story. I would read more by this author.
An Accidental Scandal
I recently read Melanie Rachel’s newest book, An Accidental Scandal.
I laughed SO HARD. There was a lot of situational humor and moments where I thought the characters couldn’t get into any more trouble, but then they did. And then I laughed.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Check it out!
Mark of Character
The angst was balanced by plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and I really loved to hate Caroline Bingley in this one. I mean, I REALLY hated her. It was an excellent way to channel some anger. LOL
Colonel Fitzwilliam was fun and Charlotte was the world’s greatest friend. I’d recommend this book if you like soul-mark stories, but even if you don’t like super fantastical things, this one is just a little supernatural, and otherwise feels like a familiar world.
Have you read it yet?
Mr. Darcy's Valentine
This is the newest book from my friend Heather Moll, an EXCELLENT writer. (Don’t I have the most talented friends? I swear, sometimes I feel like I’m sitting at the cool kids’ table!)
If you want your Valentine fix, check it out!
In League With Mr. Darcy
I recently read In League with Mr. Darcy by Laura Hile. I am pretty certain this was my first book by this author, and I quite liked it. I also liked the cover, which you know I’m super picky about, so there’s that. 😉
I enjoyed this story for a variety of reasons. Darcy was more flirty and fun than usual. There was no drama for the sake of drama, which is my least favorite thing, and there was some fun banter, which is my most favorite thing. It moved along at a good pace and made me smile. I hope you enjoy it!
A Repellent Prospect
This book had an interesting premise. I did not 100% love it, simply because I have seen so few truly ugly women in my life. Not beautiful, sure, but actually ugly? That’s a small number.
However, making Elizabeth (and Mary) ugly instead of second to Jane in beauty was a unique take, and the story as a whole was entertaining and well written, with many memorable scenes and speeches. Definitely worth a read.
Reckless, Headstrong Girl
This short book by Grace Gibson was surprising and funny and heartfelt and all around a great read.
It is Lydia-centered, so if you are 100% Darcy & Elizabeth all the time, it may not be your cup of tea.
Darcy is in it and he is rather heroic, I thought, and Elizabeth does play a role. She is simply not the main star. It’s a wonderful and believable what-if story.
Subversive
I just finished this series and I cannot say enough good things about it! I am super finicky about fantasy-esque books. I don’t like a whole new world, I don’t like crazy names I can’t pronounce or bizarre rules I will never remember (at least I don’t like them now). What I do like are books that take the world we live in and add a little something extra. In this series, that something is magic. Only men can perform it, and because of its existence, there are lots of new methods for dealing with life’s problems from healing to farming, but there are also things missing, because regular inventions by regular people were not encouraged – think televisions and contraceptives.
This series is based on that alternate reality and what happens when someone realizes it is in fact not the only reality.
The characters are compelling, the storyline is fascinating, and the writing is good. Pacing, style, organization – all the things that irritate me when they are done badly are done well here.
I stayed up reading until I heard birds and thinking that was weird, I checked the clock and it was 5:22 in the morning! I haven’t read all night in a very long time. And it was totally worth it. Check these books out!
Miss Bennet's Dragon
I am not normally a big fantasy reader, but I LOVED this book by M Verant.
I do not know the author, nor do they know I am recommending it. (Surprise!) But absolutely riveted.