FROM MY AUSTENESQUE SHELF - QUICK REVIEWS & GIVEAWAY

2012 was a feast for any fan of Austen-inspired fiction and non-fiction. Lots of new books were released and I've been able to read and enjoy many of them as well as  to interview or feature their talented authors here at My Jane Austen Book Club. My bookshelf  labelled Austenesque is crammed with review copies and lovely paperbacks. Would you like to get one? I'm ready to give away one book at your choice among the ones below. Read my quick reviews and choose the book you like best among Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight, His Good Opinion by Nancy Kelley and All Roads Lead To Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith. Then leave your comment adding your e-mail address. Spread the word through twitter or facebook, your blog or site! This contest is open worldwide and ends at the end of the month, September 30th.

HIS GOOD OPINION BY NANCY KELLEY

Though tired of Society's manipulations, Darcy never thought to be enchanted by a country maiden. However, on a visit to rural Hertfordshire, Elizabeth Bennet captivates him. Lovely and vivacious, she is everything he is not and everything he longs to have. Unfortunately, her connections put her decidedly beneath him, and the improprieties he observes in her family do not win his favour. Putting her firmly out of his mind, Darcy returns to London, but Elizabeth is not so easily forgotten.

When chance throws them together, Darcy can no longer deny his love, but Elizabeth, put off by his manners refuses him. To change her mind, he must set aside his pride and learn how to please a woman worthy of being pleased. It takes a serious incident for his true character to shine, and for Elizabeth to learn just how valuable he is. 

Mr Darcy speaks from his heart and makes the magic live again. Nancy Kelley re-writes Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's point of view and she's very good at it. Other Austen authors had already tried the Darcy perspective on the notorious facts, but even compared to theirs,  Ms Kelley's debut novel ,  His Good Opinion,  doesn't make a poor impression at all.  A truly pleasant reading which adds to the very familiar story what was the hidden side of its hero. His passionate heart is totally naked at the mercy of the reader - who can't but sympathize with him - and at that of Elizabeth Bennet with whom he is definitely in love. Enjoyable, quick, lively and very romantic.

Released November 2011, it is available in paperback and kindle version.

AUSTENTATIOUS BY  ALISSA GOODNIGHT

In this quirky, sexy novel set against the lively, music-filled backdrop of Austin, Texas, a young woman learns that romance can wreak havoc with even the best laid plans. . .

It started innocently enough. While browsing in one of Austin's funky little shops, Nicola James is intrigued by a blank vintage journal she finds hidden among a set of Jane Austen novels. Even though Nic is a straight-laced engineer, she's still a sucker for anything Austen-esque. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to disbelief once she starts writing in the journal--because somehow, it's writing her back. . .

Miss Nicola James will be sensible and indulge in a little romance. Those twelve tiny words hit Nic like a thunderbolt, as if her diary was channeling Austen herself! Itching for a bit of excitement, Nic decides to follow her "Fairy Jane's" advice. The result: a red-hot romance with a sexy Scottish musician who charms his way into Nic's heart in about five seconds flat.

Sean MacInnes is warm, funny, and happens to think Nic is the most desirable woman he's ever met. But a guy like Sean doesn't exactly fit into her Life Plan. With no one but Fairy Jane to guide her, Nic must choose between the life she thought she wanted--and the kind of happy ending she never saw coming. . ..

Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice or Austen-inspired modern romance. Call it as you like it better, but Austentatious is a brilliant new story among the host of Austenesque reads. You'll be as puzzled as Nicola at experiencing her unbelievable meeting with "Fairy Jane" through her journal. Nicola is as sensible as Elinor Dashwood,  but she is compelled to believe in passionate love like Marianne once she meets Sean Mac Innes. Fortunately, her Sean is not the Willoughby-type. He's more a modern version of Mr Darcy in a kilt. If you like sexy modern romance with a bit of Jane Austen, this is perfect for you!

Available at Amazon.com as paperback and kindle book.

AMY ELIZABETH SMITH, ALL ROADS LEAD TO AUSTEN

With a suitcase full of Jane Austen novels en espanol, Amy Elizabeth Smith set off on a yearlong Latin American adventure: a traveling book club with Jane. In six unique, unforgettable countries, she gathered book-loving new friends-- taxi drivers and teachers, poets and politicians-- to read Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.

Whether sharing rooster beer with Guatemalans, joining the crowd at a Mexican boxing match, feeding a horde of tame iguanas with Ecuadorean children, or tangling with argumentative booksellers in Argentina, Amy came to learn what Austen knew all along: that we're not always speaking the same language-- even when we're speaking the same language.

But with true Austen instinct, she could recognize when, unexpectedly, she'd found her own señor  Darcy.

All Roads Lead to Austen celebrates the best of what we love about books and revels in the pleasure of sharing a good book-- with good friends.

I read this book all through this summer, a chapter from time to time, enjoying and sharing Amy Elizabeth Smith's enthusiasm for Jane Austen and her work and envying her the luck of living such an extraordinary non-academic but enriching experience . All Roads Lead to Austen is a vivacious travelog telling about her experience in different book clubs all over Latin America, but it is also her declaration of love for Jane Austen's work.  A travel book full of amusing anecdotes, real experiences, interesting meetings and a lot of Jane Austen! Amy Elizabeth Smith gives Janeites a new perspective on their beloved writer's novels and a cross-cultural approach to those familiar tales. It is an interesting, unforgettable read.

Released in June 2012, this book is available as a paperback and kindle at Amazon.