Georgiana Darcy's Diary, Pemberley to Waterloo, and Kitty Bennet's Diary by Anna Elliott -3 Reviews and a FREE Book!

 

(Georgiana Darcy's Diary is free on Nook and Kindle.  I purchased the other two books.)

Georgiana Darcy's Diary Blurb:
Mr. Darcy's younger sister searches for her own happily-ever-after...

The year is 1814, and it is springtime at Pemberley. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have married. But now a new romance is in the air, along with high fashion, elegant manners, scandal, deception, and the wonderful hope of a true and lasting love.

Shy Georgiana Darcy has been content to remain unmarried, living with her brother and his new bride. But Elizabeth and Darcy's fairy-tale love reminds Georgiana daily that she has found no true love of her own. And perhaps never will, for she is convinced the one man she secretly cares for will never love her in return. Georgiana's domineering aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has determined that Georgiana shall marry, and has a list of eligible bachelors in mind. But which of the suitors are sincere, and which are merely interested in Georgiana's fortune? Georgiana must learn to trust her heart--and rely on her courage--for she also faces the return of the man who could ruin her reputation and spoil a happy ending, just when it finally lies within her grasp.

Pemberley to Waterloo Blurb: 
Can their love withstand the trials of war?

Georgiana Darcy and Edward Fitzwilliam want only to be together. But when the former Emperor Napoleon escapes from his exile on the Isle of Elba, Britain is plunged into renewed war with France... and Edward is once more called away to fight.

To be with the man she loves, Georgiana makes the perilous journey to Brussels, in time to witness the historic downfall of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. But when Edward is gravely injured in the battle, she will need more courage than she ever knew she had to fight for their future together.

Pemberley to Waterloo is the sequel to Georgiana Darcy's Diary and is Book 2 of the Pride and Prejudice Chronicles.

Kitty Bennet's Diary Blurb:

A story of hope and second chances in Regency London.
Kitty Bennet is finished with love and romance. She lost her one-time fiancé in the Battle of Waterloo, and in the battle’s aftermath saw more ugliness and suffering than she could bear. Staying with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in London for the winter, Kitty throws her energies into finding a husband for her hopelessly bookish sister Mary, and discovering whatever mysterious trouble is worrying her sister Jane. But then she meets Mr. Lancelot Dalton, a handsome clergyman with a shadowed past—and discovers that though she may be finished with love, love may not be at all finished with her.
Kitty Bennet’s Diary is Volume 3 of the Pride and Prejudice Chronicles. It can be read alone, but refers to events from Volumes 1 and 2.

REVIEWS
Georgiana Darcy's Diary:
It's delightful to catch up with Georgiana after Pride and Prejudice. Living at Pemberley with her brother and Elizabeth, she's become a more self-assured young woman, and is conquering her shyness. She's also trying to put her youthful mistakes with Wickham behind her, as she navigates the matchmaking waters her Aunt de Bourgh has tossed her in.  But being surrounded by fortune hunters only makes her dream of Edward Fitzwilliam more and she wants the kind of true love Darcy and Elizabeth share.  But Edward is not recovered from his physical and mental wounds.  Plagued by PTSD, he feels he has nothing to offer Georgiana.  Watching Georgiana gain confidence and come into her own, as she tries to draw her cousin Anne out from under the iron OCD thumb of her mother, had me silently cheering them on.  An unexpected twist gave even more emotional depth to these characters, and made me feel pity for even Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Overall, the machinations of her Aunt, the societal expectations of a wealthy young woman, and the ever-present conversational dance of manners is a lot of fun, and I felt the tone and vibe would have made Jane Austen happy.

Pemberley to Waterloo:
Pemberley to Waterloo picks up where Volume 1 leaves off, with Georgiana and Edward happily engaged.  But Edward soon receives orders to fight Napoleon, and Georgiana arranges to travel to Brussels with Kitty Bennet to be closer to him.  What starts out as an adventure soon turns into an experience of the horrors of war.  The balls and social reveling on the eve of battle are soon contrasted with the gritty reality of fighting, as Georgiana and Kitty realize that they are just a few miles from the fighting.  When the injured and dying stagger through the streets of Brussels and are left, Georgiana and Kitty rise to the occasion and care for the wounded and sit with the dying.  As the fates of their loved ones are learned, both women are forever changed. 
I felt that this book was quite removed from the tone of traditional Jane Austen novels, but I loved it. Georgiana and Kitty grow up fast in this novel.  Watching these pampered, upper-class women suffer through the horrors of the aftermath of battle and yet stay and take care of the soldiers, was a test of their characters that changed them forever, giving them a perspective few have, and an appreciation for life that few truly enjoy.

Kitty Bennet's Diary:
A newly somber Kitty, suffering from both personal regrets and nightmares of Brussels after the battle of Waterloo, has resolved to keep a diary and become a better person.  She is determined to help her somber sister Mary find a husband, and to personally avoid the foolishness of love at all costs. I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a comfortable return to the world of Pride and Prejudice, with familiar characters, the world of class, manners, balls and social requirements.  There's drama caused by misunderstanding and jealousy, and the return of a truly shallow and reprehensible rake.  My favorite part of this novel was watching Kitty forget about herself and just BE herself.  Kitty shines here, shrugging off her foolish and scandalous past behavior and letting her kind heart lead her actions. I loved seeing the sweet, funny, nutty scenarios Kitty keeps finding herself in, and of course that's when Lance turns up as well, seeing Kitty for who she truly is.  The scenarios may have been improbable and unlikely but this book was always delightful!



Georgiana Darcy's Diary is currently FREE from AMAZON and NOOK.
Pemberley to Waterloo on AMAZON and NOOK.
Kitty Bennet's Diary on AMAZON and NOOK.

Visit Anna Elliott's website HERE.
Anna Elliott's Goodreads page.

About The Author
:
The daughter of two English literature PhDs, Anna Elliott grew up in Connecticut in a house filled with books. She is a longtime devotee of historical fantasy and fell especially in love with Arthurian legend and Celtic history while at university. Anna now lives in the Washington, DC, Metro area with her husband and two daughters. She likes Jane Austen, British TV, Castle, Firefly, The Big Bang Theory, sewing toys for her children, and rainbows and unicorns, especially those drawn by her daughters. Mosquitos love her.

The Ghost of Castle Ravenswych by Charlotte Louise Dolan

(I purchased this book.)

Blurb:
When Marcus Lord Cheyne takes possession of his inheritance, he is not expecting the castle to be haunted by a ghost—especially not such a beautiful ghost as Rowena. As for Rowena, her biggest problem is not that she is trapped within the walls of Castle Ravenswych, which she is, but that she is not, in fact, actually deceased… 

Review:
Originally published in 1992, this Regency romance novella is quite charming and has an unusually feisty heroine.  It begins with spunky and supremely annoyed young Rowena fighting off the extremely unwelcome advances of her slimy guardian just weeks after her uncle's death.  After Rowena knocks him down with a crystal decanter, he chases her into a dark forest where she has the presence of mind to fake her own death by drowning.  After the inquest he returns to London, and Rowena takes up secret residence in the castle under the protection of the elderly housekeeper and her husband.  She must stay hidden for one year. When she turns 21, her guardian will have no control over her.  Her only relative, a second cousin who inherited the title and castle, is a soldier off fighting.
Rowena was a lot of fun to read.  She's practical, tough and smart.  She loves the housekeeping couple, who treat her like a daughter.   A refreshing change from heroines of traditional Regency romances, particularly as this book was originally published in 1992.
When Lord Cheyne returns to claim his inheritance and recover from severe injuries, Rowena has a hard time staying hidden.  And soon Rowena and Lord Cheyne are left alone in the castle for an entire weekend. (By now I'm wondering how dirty this huge castle must be, with just an elderly couple as caretakers, and 2 girls who come from the village 2x a week to clean.)
At this point the story took a left turn at Albuquerque, when smart and steady Rowena falls madly in love with Lord Cheyne while nursing him back from the brink of death.  One of the first things she does upon finding him feverish and barely alive in his bed is kiss his scars, imagining the pain and loss he has suffered as a soldier.  They are definitely soulmates and true loves, because he senses her love through his delirium, of course.  Luckily he remains feverish all weekend so he's not entirely sure if Rowena is real or a ghost, further protecting her secret for the last few days before her 21st birthday.
Luckily there were only a few pages left at this point, or I might have stopped reading.  The charm of the earlier story, and fresh take on a Regency heroine, were somewhat spoiled by Rowena's drastic discovery of her true love and the bizarre emotional trip of her and Lord Cheyne.

Visit her Goodreads page HERE.

Author Bio:
Charlotte Louise Dolan earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in German from Middlebury College. She has lived throughout the United States and in Germany, the Soviet Union, Canada, Taiwan, and Austria. A bookworm since the age of four, she fell in love with Regency England when she read her first Georgette Heyer book. Besides writing, she has worked as a high school German teacher, a toymaker, a tech editor, a genealogist, and a craft designer. She is the mother of three children.

 

FREE BOOK ALERT! The Governess Affair (The Brothers Sinister 0.5) by Courtney Milan

This novella is currently free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
(I downloaded this for free.)

BLURB from Amazon:
 The start of a critically acclaimed historical romance series by New York Times bestselling author Courtney Milan...

Hugo Marshall earned the nickname "the Wolf of Clermont" for his ruthless ambition--a characteristic that has served him well, elevating the coal miner's son to the right hand man of a duke. When he's ordered to get rid of a pestering governess by fair means or foul, it's just another day at work.

But after everything Miss Serena Barton has been through at the hands of his employer, she is determined to make him pay. She won't let anyone stop her--not even the man that all of London fears. They might call Hugo Marshall the Wolf of Clermont, but even wolves can be brought to heel...

REVIEW:
The Governess Affair was a wonderful novella, with a heroine I adored and cheered for, and a hero who I love, love, love.  Serena is a governess who has been sacked by her employers after being raped by the visiting Duke of Clermont.  She's one ticked off lady with nothing to lose, and she's going to make the Duke pay for ruining her so she can provide a decent life for her unborn child.  Since most of England knows that the financially destitute Duke is desperate to reunite with his estranged and very, very wealthy wife, Serena calculates that a little (well, a lot) public humiliation might encourage the Duke to admit his crime and pay for her troubles.  But when the Duke turns over the whole distasteful business to Hugo Marshall.  Hugo may be ruthless but he also has a conscience.  And when he realizes he may have met his match in Serena, his heart also wakes up.
I absolutely loved the witty-yet-polite smack talk between Hugo and Serena, which culminates in the most entertaining exchange of letters EVER. 
At the end the author deals with the fact that Serena was, in fact, raped and the emotional aftermath created by such a traumatic event.  Hugo's actions are so sensitive, so kind, and so compassionate, he is now my standard for romance heroes.  Yep, he is that amazing.

This novella is free on Amazon and B&N now - go get it.  Courtney Milan's writing flows like water and will sweep you away.

Amazon LINK
Barnes & Noble LINK


The books in the Brothers Sinister series:
½. The Governess Affair (prequel novella)
1. The Duchess War
1½. A Kiss for Midwinter (a companion novella to The Duchess War)
2. The Heiress Effect

Coming soon:
3. The Countess Conspiracy
4. The Mistress Rebellion


       

Unlocked (A Novella) by Courtney Milan

Publisher's Blurb:  A perpetual wallflower destined for spinsterhood, Lady Elaine Warren is resigned to her position in society. So when Evan Carlton, the powerful, popular Earl of Westfeld, singles her out upon his return to England, she knows what it means. Her former tormenter is up to his old tricks, and she's his intended victim. This time, though, the earl is going to discover that wallflowers can fight back.

Evan has come to regret his cruel, callow past. At first, he only wants to make up for past wrongs. But when Elaine throws his initial apology in his face, he finds himself wanting more. And this time, what torments him might be love...

Unlocked is a novella of about 28,000 words (about 111 printed pages).

Review:  This was my first Courtney Milan book, and I can definitely see what all the fuss is about!  Her writing is sparkling and witty, with characters I quickly came to love.  Although the story is set in 1840, the theme of bullying and its consequences is timeless.  Elaine was so severely ridiculed and cruelly teased by Evan and his cousin Diana during her first season ten years ago, that she has become a pariah of society, existing on the fringes.  Essentially the popular kids ganged up to torture a single girl, and all their mindless lemming asshat groupies copied them, causing Elaine to be treated with mockery and disdain.  In all the years since Evan left (after becoming so ashamed of his rotten behavior toward the woman he secretly had feelings for), Elaine has transformed from a vibrant girl who openly enjoyed laughing and life to a quiet woman who hides behind bland colored gowns and stays in the corners.
When Evan returns to England after a decade of wallowing in self-pity for his actions (and mountaineering which taught him lessons in the true value of people and friendship), he is resolute in apologizing and making amends to Elaine.  But Elaine is pissed and has no intention of taking anymore abuse.  She does not trust Evan's apology, and certainly doesn't believe his offer of friendship.
I really loved Elaine.  She had been beat down at a young age, but was not going to stay down.  She maintained her self-respect, her dignity and her sense of self in spite of how she was treated.  Although her outward behavior allowed her to blend in and hide, she was strong and tough inside, never allowing anyone to see her break down.  Evan's genuine attempts at friendship eventually win her over, and her affections, but her trust is much harder to earn.  Which is as it should be after his past behavior.  I couldn't stop reading until I knew how Evan earned Elaine's trust.


For more information check out her website at http://www.courtneymilan.com/.

-.