A wonderful Austen inspired anthology
356471
This is the third collection of winning entries from the Jane Austen Short Story Competition hosted by Chawton House Library (Dancing with Mr Darcy in 2010, and Wooing Mr Wickham in 2011). Having read anthologies in the past, I thought that this would be another interesting break from the normal P&P variation I've been reading.

I enjoyed that all 20 of the enclosed stories were based on the secondary characters, allowing them to have a voice. Though I must say that several or the stories were more dreary than I was in the mood for when reading it (I guess due to the dreary weather we've lately had where I live). I have to note that several of the stories aren't immediately identifiable as to who they are written about.

I must state that I would recommend this anthology of Austen inspired stories to all JAFFers in search of more stories about those secondary characters we either forget about or love.
3895585
I love this collection. I have all the Jane Austen books now. Persuasion is also one of my favorite Austen books.
4343185
Wonderful collection!! A fine group of authors with an intersting theme. You will want to read this. One of the best anthologies of the year.
3956765
A wonderful anthology of MacDonald's writing, lovingly selected and curated. The physical book is well-made and feels good in the hand. My only (minor) complaint is that more of his fantasy work was not selected for inclusion, particularly from Lilith and Phantastes. However, the excerpts from sermons and letters--most of the passages unfamiliar to even a pretty-well-read MacDonald nerd like myself--make up for the lack.

This belongs on the shelf with William Raeper's EXCELLENT MacDonald biography, and should find a place in any Christian reader's library. Of particular interest for pastors, who will find rich inspiration from this greatest of Victorian Christian imaginations. Thank you, Plough Publishing!
4420809
Christmas Collections is a set of four short stories set in England in the early 1800's.  The stories are all set at the time of the war with two unlikely characters brought together in extraordinary circumstances.

The stories quickly draw you and and have just enough of the story to leave you satisfied but also almost wishing they were longer stories.  I especially thought this of the first story The Christmas Ornament as I would love to continue following the main character's story.

It is called a Christmas collection  as all four of the stories take place around Christmas time and sometimes bring in aspects of the season and ideas of giving, gifts and the meaning of the season.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen era novels then you will love these collection of short stories.  At times the stories were predictable but I still really enjoyed reading them and it leaves you feeling happy and with faith in love.

These books are all clean books, free of language and sexual material.
3588892
Great read for fans of Jane Austen. I enjoyed the German influence, which is yet another part of the English experience. The well crafted sentences were a descriptive delight to read as well as offering classic examples of English humour.
2087056
I absolutely adored this anthology. Each of these stories features a marginalized kid and the stories address and incorporate their identity without being exclusively an "issue" story. They were all enjoyable reads with thought-provoking themes. My personal favorites were The Difficult Path by Grace Lin, in which a poor servant girl who loves to read finds an unexpected way to use her skill; Secret Samantha by Tim Federle, which involves a queer/gender-nonconforming kid developing a crush on the new girl in their class and drawing her name for Secret Santa; and Flying Lessons by Soman Chainani, in which a shy Indian American boy goes on vacation to Europe with his grandmother and finds unexpected friends.
4906742
I really enjoyed the range of stories in this anthology. Each one was thought provoking in its own way. I especially liked "Fade" and " Steps " for their strangely realistic characters and compelling writing styles. What a great group of stories about women...whose purchase suppose a fantastic cause!
2371990
How much fun is this?  A whole book about women who love to read Jane Austen--a book filled with coy plot allusions, character references, settings and themes.  What's more, it's a book that's filled with humor and hilarity.  Fowler--dare I say this?--is almost as observant about the foibles of human nature as Austen herself.  If I weren't getting enough of an Austen fix this year from the all-Jane-all-the-time marathon on Masterpiece, Fowler's book would be a happy alternative supplier of Austen's crackest crack.

Much of the fun in the book is the slyness of Fowler's emulations of the six Austen plots in the lives of her six characters.  You realize fairly early on that Jocelyn is the efficient and matchmaking Emma, but it takes more time to understand that Sylvia's decorous restraint makes her a dead ringer for Elinor Dashwood.  Grigg's childhood experience of being near-abandoned at a strange castle run perfect counter to Catherine Morland's fanciful dread of Northanger Abbey.  I loved the book's wily use of Austen's plots and characters.

And then there is the book's delicious back matter.  Fowler has more appendices than the trio of endings to Return of the King, including, most entertainingly, a chronology of reviews and comments about Austen from the turn of the nineteenth century to the present.  Austenites can puff up with righteous indignation at Mark Twain's infuriating comment that he would like to dig up Austen's shin bone and smack her skull with it (!), or Sir Walter Scott's scathing, patronizing review of Emma.  (Scott later changed his tune.)  And we can all cheer at E.M. Forster's confession that he was "slightly imbecile about Jane Austen," who was his favorite author.  I always knew there was a reason I liked Forster.

Also great fun are the discussion questions for book clubs, brilliantly presented in each character's voice.  ("In The Jane Austen Book Club, I take two falls and visit two hospitals," writes Allegra.  "Did you stop to wonder how a woman who supports herself making jewelry affords health insurance?  Do you think we will ever have universal health care in this country?") Definitely worth checking out.
1349179
I admit that I'm one of those people who loves Pride and Prejudice (both hardback and ebook, so I can read it whenever the mood strikes me) and who needs to watch the movie (BBC) once a year. And yes, I do go to Jane Austen tea parties. So it was a treat to find this book. I have most of Sarah Eden and Donna Hatch's books, but I hadn't read anything by Regina Scott before so that was a double treat!
1316964
Through her enchanting trilogy about Jane Austen addicts, Victoria Connelly takes her readers on a beautiful and vivid sojourn to all the best Austenesque haunts.  Whether they are attending a Jane Austen conference in Hampshire (A Weekend with Mr. Darcy), witnessing the filming of a Jane Austen adaptation in Lyme (Dreaming of Mr. Darcy), or taking in the Jane Austen Festival in Bath (Mr. Darcy Forever), readers are gifted the opportunity to tour Jane Austen's England through the pages of charming prose.

Utilizing the ever present theme of sisters in Jane Austen's novels, Victoria Connelly weaves a story about the relationship between two sisters, Sarah and Mia Castle.  These two sisters, despite their nine-year age difference, once shared a closeness and openness similar to Jane and Elizabeth Bennet or Cassandra and Jane Austen, but because of a terrible falling out over a man, they have endured a three-year-long separation and silence.  But it looks like that will soon change, as both sisters have decided to attend the Jane Austen Festival in Bath this year...

While A Weekend with Mr. Darcy remains my favorite in this trilogy, I'd say Mr. Darcy Forever comes in as a close second.  I loved that this story sort of resembled a modern-day Sense and Sensibility, with two heroines that bear strong resemblances to Elinor and Marianne.  In addition, I took great pleasure in how the present-day story-lines were interlaced with flashback scenes.  Since we aren't told right away what caused the rift between Sarah and Mia, it was intriguing to learn about their past through these revealing little scenes.

I'm finding it a bit of a challenge to name what I like best about Victoria Connelly's writing.  The many parallels and allusions to Jane Austen that are such fun to discover?  The dual plot and dual point-of-views she creates giving readers double the drama and double the romance?  Or, the vivid images and tangible impressions she gives her readers by describing in great detail the city of Bath?  See the predicament I am in?!?  I cannot possibly choose!  Suffice it to say, Victoria Connelly is a very accomplished and estimable author, and I dearly hope she continues to write more for the Austenesque genre.

Similar to Dreaming of Mr. Darcy, I did sometimes feel that characters fell in love a little too quickly, and their romances were a little underdeveloped.  But my main complaint for this novel is with Alec Burrows (Willoughby).  For me, he just didn't make sense!  What was his interest with Sarah?  Was he like Henry Crawford and toying with her affections for sport?  Did he have an ulterior motive (money?)  Did he really love Mia?  Moreover, his reappearance and actions towards the end of the book were a little unbelievable, especially since he showed no inclination of these feelings before.  In Sense and Sensibility, Willoughby's motives are explained, we know why he acts as he does; and while we don't approve, we understand him.  I didn't feel that with Alec.  I think I would have liked him more if his character was more developed.

Regardless, there were plenty of other aspects to this novel that I did enjoy, so my quibbles about Alec did not cause much disappointment.  I adore Victoria Connelly's trilogy about Jane Austen addicts and consider them to be treasures in the oeuvre of Austenesque literature!  This trilogy is recommended for: Anglophiles, hopeless romantics, travel junkies, and ALL Jane Austen Addicts!

Austenesque Reviews
108446
I love proper romancesyou get all the good stuff without all the inappropriate.  Sarah Eden is my favorite author next to Jane Austen but these anthology collections have introduced me to some other really great authors as well.
4303761
Quite often when I read anthologies, one or two of the stories are excellent and the others just OK.  I really enjoyed all the stories in this anthology. The first two stories (by Lynsay Sands and Lisa Cach) are historical, which I don't often read, but I enjoyed them both very much. The last two (by Julie Kenner and Susan Grant) are the reason I bought this and they were both wonderful.
"Mother, May I?" by Lynsay Sands is set in Medieval England. The story is about Lord Jonathan, a knight, whose mother goes to some extreme and sometimes funny antics to get him to finally wed.  This was a sweet and humourous story. This is the first story I've read by this author and I liked this one so much, I will now look for more.
"The Breeding Season" by Lisa Cach is also a historical.  Charles and Evelina's mothers force them to spend time together. She is very flamboyant and he is very shy...at first <g>  I wasn't sure at first if I would like these characters, as they did not seem to be the usual romance hero/heroine, but I did and the story was very good.
"Seeking Single Superhero" by Julie Kenner is set in the same world as her novel "Aprodite's Kiss" and was excellent. Jennifer works along with her mother at the Mortal-Protector Liaison Office and is NOT looking for a protector (superhero) boyfriend.  Her mother has other ideas <g>.  I loved this one...it was funny, sexy and I can't wait until the release of "Aprodite's Passion" next month.  If you haven't read Aprodite's Kiss before this, you will want to after!
"The Day Her Heart Stood Still" by Susan Grant is also a science fiction romance and it was fabulous!  Andie is a pilot and astronaut who's mother is (much to her dismay) a UFO fanatic.  Imagine her surprise when her mother brings home a handsome and very sexy alien. It's a lovely and touching story and Susan's dedication before the story brought tears to my eyes. Excellent and highly recommended, as are all of Susan's stories!
An all around excellent anthology.
4402184
I just happened upon this little gem at my local bookstore and after thumbing through the pages for about a minute, I knew I had to have it.  The layout of the book is superb as it highlights each of Miss Austen's novels and gives facts, fun lists and quotations in a light-hearted yet interesting manner. There is something for the long-time fan as well as anyone new to the novels. A must-have for any Jane Austen fan and a fantastic resource for any book club reviewing a Jane Austen novel.  Well done.
2999076
I really enjoyed this book.  For the most part the author does an excellent job of capturing Austen' voice and sense of place. There are a few examples of modern expressions and social issues that rang a bit false. However, it's an ejoyable read for Austen fans.
447690
Then Comes Winter is a collection of Holiday short stories influenced by the works of Jane Austen. As an avid reader and lover of all things romance, I was excited to get my hands on this anthology. It is perfect for this time of year, when you might only have a few minutes to read. I started with debut author Denise Stouts "Christmas Miracle on Oyster Bay."

"Christmas Miracle on Oyster Bay" is a story about an independent bookstore owner Lissa and law professor Simon. Lissa needs a Christmas miracle to keep her bookstore open. The bookstore is located in the house she inherited from her grandparents, and her grandfather ran a newsstand out of it when she was growing up. Lissa is feeling the crunch from a big box store that moved into the neighborhood. She also lives in part of the house. Lissa has known Simon for a bit through mutual friends but thinks he is stuffy and standoffish. Simon enlists Lissas help as a caterer and hostess for a party he needs to throw for colleagues. Lissa agrees, and they use part of the bookstore for the party. I enjoyed getting to know Lissa and Simon as they got to know each other. Does Lissa get her miracle? You will have to read for yourself to find out!

This was a wonderful story, perfect for a chilly night read and sparking some holiday spirit. I am looking forward to reading more stories in this collection and from Denise Stout.
2819302
There was no way I was going to miss reading this anthology. It's written by some of todays best names in historical romance. I'm a fan of all four women that have written it and it's no surprise I liked all four stories. All four tales have a common thread, and while it isn't necessary to read them in order, I think you'll enjoy the stories much more if you read them in order.

I have to say that despite the short length of each story, these authors are way to good and gave us three dimensional characters, complex plots and plenty of chemistry between the leads. If you've never read any of these fantastic authors, please consider getting this anthology and  get acquainted with them. You won't regret it.

If you're a fan of one or all four of these authors, I guarantee you'll have a few hours of unmitigated fun reading this collection of stories.

Taken by the Duke - Shana Galen

As this story opens the common thread of Prince Regents birthday and Battle of Waterloo celebration at Vauxhall Gardens, we find Henry, newly minted Viscount Bexley put in charge of organizing the festivities.

Shana Galen had managed to capture my attention with this unique and intriguing heroine, while developing a vastly entertaining plot. I enjoyed these two characters and loved their journey to their happily ever after. Hope you will too.

Fighting For His Lady -  Christi Caldwell

I'm always apprehensive when authors decide to pair two leads that come from vastly different backgrounds. To have a son of a duke fall in love with a commoner didn't happen that often, so I always have to suspend my imagination and pray the author would find a way to make the story believable and plausible.

Christi Caldwell did a great job of having me believe this second chance at romance story and I loved every character she introduced me to, but especially the heroine. It was about time this young woman found her hero.

The Prodigal Duke - Theresa Romain

Theresa Romain is one of those authors that manages to surprise me every time I read her new book. I'm still getting used to her writing voice and that's a good thing. I like it when she keeps me guessing as she did in this complex and wonderful telling of reconnecting two people that are meant to be together but the road to their happiness just seams to be harder then they deserve.

I know you'll love this one!

The Buccaneer Duke - Vanessa Kelly

When it comes to complex plots and well rounded characters, this author delivers every time. She plots her stories very carefully and gives her characters plenty of flaws and a lot of baggage, but by the end of the tale, you'll find yourself well satisfied.

In this story, I found myself drawn to both leads and I honestly didn't know how these two would pull off their happily ever after. There were too many obstacles to their happiness, but I should have had more faith in this author ;)

By the time I read the fourth and final tale, I was very happy with all the endings and wasn't surprised that the authors managed to inter weave all stories with ease.

Listen, these women know their craft and I for one am happy they're sharing it with me.

Melanie for b2b
Gift copy provided by the publisher for an honest review