Review: Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen

Title: Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen

Author: Sally Smith O'Rourke

Publisher:  Victorian Essence Press

Published: September 22, 2012

Series: The Man Who Loved Jane Austen #2

Format: Kindle

Pages: 261

Source: Received from author in exchange

for an honest review.

Synopsis: 

Was Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel really possible? For pragmatic Manhattan artist Eliza Knight the answer to both questions is absolutely, Yes! And Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley Farms, Virginia is the reason why!

His tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza in no doubt that Fitz Darcy is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero. And she’s falling in love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable Jane Austen ever love average, ordinary Eliza Knight?

Eliza’s doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things start to happen in the quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could change everything. Will the beloved author become the wedge that divides Fitz and Eliza or the tie that binds them

My Rating:

3 Stars

Melissa's Musings:

When Sally Smith O'Rourke first approached me about doing a review of this book I was hesitant. Ashamedly, I have never read any of Jane Austen's work, (Horrible, I know. Though they are on my TBR) So, I was afraid that I wouldn't be the best candidate  to do a review. She assured me that I didn't need to be familiar with Jane Austen's work in order to enjoy the books, and she was right.

I did thoroughly enjoy this book. It is told in alternating chapters, that flash back and forth between a span of a few years in the 1800's and the present day.

The story itself is an easy read. I wouldn't say that I got swept away by it, but it was enjoyable. I wish that there had been more rounding of some of the characters, but I understand why there wasn't. The main focus of the story was on Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the progression of his relationship with Eliza. 

Jane's role could possibly be seen by some as a love triangle of sorts, depending on how you look at it. Except Fitz is never in love with Jane herself, only the idea of her. Though Eliza's jealousy of the time he spent with Jane, is a very real thing that she has to work through so that they can move forward with their own relationship.

I would say that the story is very much romanticised. Fitz says a lot of things that are just right, and the disagreements between he and Eliza don't last all that long.They're  solved in what seems like seconds.  The details are perfect in setting the scene for the romance between  Eliza and Fitz, and although Eliza puts up some resistance, it didn't feel genuine to the vibe I got from her character. I would have liked to have seen more of a struggle between them, instead of them just feeling "like home" for each other throughout.

The one naggingly unexplained detail is the whole fact that no one ever really figured out the time travel element. That was too easily wrapped up and explained away. 

Simmons, the stable hand employed by Jane Austen's brother wants to go through the portal that is open between the two times to see if there will be better opportunities for him in Fitz's time. So, he goes through the portal in a field of the Chawton estate that opens at sunrise and sunset.

There just happened to be a renactment going on the day that Simmons stepped through the portal, so he fit in well enough. They assumed he was Amish to explain away his lack of understanding of technology, and they automatically assume that he knows Fitzwilliam Darcy without checking to find out for themselves. I wish that there had been some mention of how the portal was discovered in the first place. Since this is the 2nd book in the series the explanation isn't there, but I feel it would have helped to have a brief recap of some sort.

Overall, the story is very enjoyable. It's a nice look at Jane Austen's world for someone who isn't quite ready to delve into her work, with a nice glimpse of what she might have been like. If you're looking for an easy, romantic read, this is it.

If you'd like more information on the author and her books, be sure to check out this guest post

Book Tour Review: Her Loving Husband's Curse

Hello fellow readers I must start with apologies as I was supposed to have this review posted some time ago and had a scheduling mix up on my end. Read on to discover my thoughts about this book.

Title: Her Loving Husband's Curse

Author: Meredith Allard

Series: Loving Husband #2

Publisher: Copperfield Press

Published: April 20, 2012

Format: Kindle

Pages: 284

Source: Received from Author in 

exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

How far will you go to protect the one you love?

Finally, after many long and lonely years, James Wentworth’s life is falling into place. Together with his wife, Sarah, the only woman he has ever loved, he has found the meaning behind her nightmares about the Salem Witch Trials, and now they are rebuilding the life they began together so long ago.

But the past is never far behind for the Wentworths. While Sarah is haunted by new visions, now about the baby she carried over three hundred years before, James is confronted with painful memories from his time with the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears. Through it all, the persistent reporter Kenneth Hempel reappears, still determined to prove that the undead walk the earth. If Hempel succeeds in his quest, James and Sarah will suffer. Will the curse of the vampire prevent James and Sarah from living their happily ever after?

Her Loving Husband’s Curse is Book Two of the Loving Husband Trilogy. Book One, Her Dear & Loving Husband, is now available from Copperfield Press

Melissa's Musings:

My Rating: 4 Stars

I was pulled in from the very first page. I was immediately enthralled with James and Sarah's story. Their love story is very romantic, but not too overly done. It's simple realistic, and true.

I have the first book on my kindle, I had purchased it a while ago when it was free on Amazon. I had hoped to read it before I read this book for the tour, but I ran out of time. Her Loving Husband's Curse works well as a stand alone novel, but I did feel a slight lack of connection as I knew there was more to the story and that there were details that I was missing. The lack of cohesion in the story from my not being able to read the first book in the series in time was very slight, and not enough to detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I always enjoy when an author incorporates smells, colors, and other small touches into a story. Here it was smells. The author pointed out that Sarah's "smell" for James was strawberries and cream, and that their daughter Grace smelled like cinnamon. As much as I enjoyed this detail, I did feel that it was mentioned a few too many times and was over done.

There is a great deal of history that is intertwined with this story, which makes it both an enjoyable and somewhat educational (in a sense) read. I paid close attention to the author's descriptions and references to the Trail of Tears. It's not something I remember learning much about in school so those parts were particularly interesting.

I also enjoyed all the different paranormal elements and characters that are woven into this series. There are vampires, witches, werewolves, and ghosts. Sometimes such an eclectic mix of paranormal characters can make a story crowded. That's not the case here. I think this may be due to the fact that the author does such a good job of seamlessly weaving the paranormal aspects into the story overall that you really focus more on the characters as they are, not what paranormal species they are.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable series. I look forward to reading this series in its' entirety and to reading more from this author.

Review: Montana Wildfire

Title: Montana Wildfire

Author: Rebecca Sinclair

Publisher: E Publishing Works!

Published:  June 9, 2011

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: Historical Romance

Pages: 436

Source: Received in exchange for an honest review

Read: April 13-May 6, 2013

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads: Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

After her father's sudden death, lovely Amanda Lennox had no money for the long trip from Boston to the ranch she inherited in faraway Seattle. When she saw the advertisement for a wilderness expert to escort eleven-year-old Roger Bannister,III to Montana, the adventure-loving woman jumped at the chance, never guessing she'd end up lost in the wilds of Idaho with a twisted ankle. Then an arrogant halfbreed on a palomino stallion came to her rescue and comforted her with is healing touch. Rugged ranch hand Jacob Blackhawk Chandler knew from experience that prissy white princesses meant trouble. He'd seen Amanda Lennox's type before, haughty and citified and utterly unequipped to survive in the wide open country. He couldn't just ride off and leave the lovely minx alone and hurt but he sure wouldn't be taken in by that sweet smile, either!

Melissa's Musings:

Historical Romance isn't a genre I have read much of, I'll admit. But, I've been trying to expand my reading horizons, so when the author's assistant reached out to me to review this book, I was a little skeptical, but I'm glad that I decided to read and review it. 

The characters in this book are well fleshed out and somewhat complex. There's Amanda, a proper Bostonian lady, who's taken a job of chaperoning a young boy back to his father's home, to make some extra money to get home to her inherited ranch in Seattle. 

Then there's Roger, Amanda's willful, insolent charge, who ends up being kidnapped early in the story.

And there's also Jacob Blackhawk Chandler. A man who walks between two worlds, the white world and the Native American world as he is half white, half Native American.

Each of these characters goes through a great deal of growth and maturity throughout the novel, which is nice to see. I like to read multidimensional characters who are constantly changing for the better. They make for much more interesting characters than those who are too dense to have any real change or growth.

The author expressed Amanda's dislike for Roger so well that I grew to dislike him too, and was actually somewhat glad when he got kidnapped and the story switched focus to Amanda and Jacob. I was worried that when they finally found out what happened to Roger and caught up with him again, I wouldn't like the story as much because of Roger's personality, but he too, became more mature and changed his ways over the course of the novel.

As for Amanda, she learns to break free from the hold of proper societal norms (although you can sense a willingness to do this in her character from the very beginning.) She also manages to teach Jake a lot about himself and the way he carries himself, and how that makes him look to the rest of the outside world.

I have to note that amongst all this change, growth and racial tension, there is also a lot of sexual tension between Jake and Amanda. There are some racy sex scenes between Jake and Amanda, so if those make you uncomfortable, be forewarned. They are tastefully written, even the most heated ones.

The only thing that really bothered me about this book is that some of the language and phrasing got extremely repetitive. I understand the need for it, to keep the language consistent with the historical theme, but I would have really liked it if the author could have varied some of the phrases a little more. The same phrases every few pages just got old after a while.

That fact aside, if you're looking for a tension filled historical romance to read, this would be it.

Have any of you read this? Or are there any other historical romances you can recommend that I try out?