Welcome to Austenesque Extravaganza, a month-long celebration of Austenesque novels and authors! My name is Meredith Esparza, and I’m an ardent admirer of Austenesque novels and your host for this month-long tribute to Austenesque novels and authors.
Today’s Austenesuqe Event is: MY RECOMMENDATION MONDAY
- For this event, readers are given a scenario and are asked to recommend their favorite Austenesque novels in the comment section below. The purpose of this event is for readers to voice their opinions, exchange ideas, and maybe receive some book recommendations. Just read the scenario below and share your thoughts!
*Remember, each time you comment during this event it counts as an entry for the Amazing Austenesque Giveaway! Don’t forget to fill out this form so I can contact you if you win! (You only need to fill this out one time for the whole month.)
THE SCENARIO: Your co-worker, Audrey, is a big Pride and Prejudice fan. She has read the book, owns several movie adaptations, and just loves the romance between Darcy and Elizabeth. Knowing that you love Pride and Prejudice as much as she does, Audrey asks you if you know of any good books about Darcy and Elizabeth falling in love.
Can you help Audrey out? Sounds like she would like some Pride and Prejudice VARIATIONS or RETELLINGS (not sequels). What would you recommend she read? What are some of Your Favorite Pride and Prejudice VARIATIONS and RETELLINGS?**
**Be sure to only recommend books that fit this description!
- Answers CAN include:
- What-ifs
- Stories from Darcy’s point-of-view
- Modern retellings
- Alternate Universe stories
- Fan-Fiction
- Answers CANNOT include:
- Sequels
- Austen-Inspired stories without Darcy and Elizabeth
Need help thinking of some titles? These lists of Austenesque novels might help!
*The fantastic graphics you are seeing for Austenesque Extravaganza were created by the wonderfully talented Lady Turner! Thank you, Lady Turner!
An r rated retelling is Pride and Prejudice-Hidden Lusts by Mitzi Szereto
An Erotic Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
Definitely definitely the three-book series by Pamela Aidan (An Assembly Such As This; Duty and Desire; and These Three Remain). A beautiful retelling through Fitzwilliam’s eyes.
I would suggest Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Maya Slater, which is also known as The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy in the US. You get to hear Darcy’s thoughts and opinions but beware that Darcy is not so virtue as you think.
Besides this, I would also recommend Mary Lydon Simonsen’s Searching for Pemberley. What if Darcy and Elizabeth are inspired by real person? Not sure how to classify the title. It’s not sequel but some sort of retelling. Besides it has many stories within a story but I definitely love it. My review is here.
I’d suggest What Would Mr. Darcy Do by Abigail Reynolds. It’s one of my favorite variations.
If Audrey also happened to be interested in an AU story, I’d hand her Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell. He did an excellent job of maintaining the characters even though he set the story in post Civil War Texas.
I’m going to like My Recommendation Mondays–this is half my job at the library!
Have to agree with Luthien84. Mr. Darcy’s Diary has been my best JA read in quite a while. It was magnificently done. I didn’t want it to end. I think our fictional “Audrey” would quite enjoy the incite into Mr. Darcy’s private thoughts.
The Pamela Aidan books – definitely.
I would recommend Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise. I thought this was one of the best P&P variations I have ever read!!
Oh my! How do I narrow it down and choose? Funny thing, I just had this convo with a cousin. 🙂 So many good books were listed already. Because I would want my friend to be as addicted to Austenesque novels as I am, I would want to know if she would prefer a variation with history, a modern, a Regency variation. If she likes history, I would suggest Searching for Pemberley or Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy by Mary Simonsen. If she would be more interested in reading a modern, I would suggest The Man Who Loved P&P by Abigail Reynolds or The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini. Finally, if she wanted a what-if or variation set in Regency England, I would recommend (hands down my fav) Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise, any of Abigail Reynolds books, The Truth about Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani, or Rainy Days by Lori Lilian. But, if I had to choose just one from all of these, it would by Darcy’s voyage. I know this is a long post, but I just couldn’t find a way to make this short since there are so many great books! 🙂
For something steamy, I would pick The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy. For a more religious slant, the modern variations by Debra White Smith are great. The P&P one is called First Impressions. I loved parts of Pride and Prejudice and Jasmin Field, as well as Conviction and The Man Who Loved Jane Austen. Of course, choosing any something from any of my fellow authors at AustenAuthors. net is the perfect way to start or end your day.
I also would recommend Darcy’s Voyage, and my most recent read,A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen.
Laura Hartness
The Calico Critic
An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn is an excellent variation.
By Force Of instinct or Impulse and Initiative by Abigail Reynolds, the Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy, Rainy Days, Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Being a Gentleman are some of my favourites.
To begin, I think Audrey couldn’t go wrong with anything by Abigail Reynolds, Jan Hahn, or Pamala Aidan. When she’s ready for something AU, Jack Caldwell’s Pemberley Ranch is really good, and as for a modern, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rockstar, when it becomes available in September, will rock her world.
I would recommend To Conquer Mr Darcy (originally titled Impulse&Initiative, which I much prefer) by Abigail Reynolds. It’s one I keep coming back to, when I need just the right D&E fix. All of her books are fabulous, actually.
Pemberley Ranch and Darcy’s Voyage are great, too. It’s so hard to make a short list, there are so many great ones out there!
If they wanted to stick to regency stories:
A Woman Worthy by Nacie Joy
By Force of Instinct by Abigail Reynolds
A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Simonsen
Remembrance of the Past by Lory Lillian
If said person thought they might like a modern:
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heatherlynn Rigaud
The Trial of the Honorable F.Darcy by Sara Angelini
Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange
The Darcys and the Bingleys by Marsha Altman
The Darcy Saga series by Sharon Lathan
I’ve enjoyed all of these (and many more!)
Oh, I think I would also add Pride and Platypus by Vera Nazarian if they were interested in a light fun read that is totally AU.
Definetley The Darcy Saga by Sharon Lathan and the variations by Laurie Viera Rigler such as Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
Some of these are mentioned already
Mr Darcy;s Diary by Amanda Grange
Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready, which is a time travel book
-Patricia
My favourite Regency retelling would be Pamela Aidan’s trilogy, Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman. I have read it many times over and it’s still as enjoyable and absorbing as the first read.
My all time favourite modern retelling has to be Sara Angelini’s, The Trials of the Hon. F. Darcy. I have the original online posted version, her self-published paperback version, the Sourcebooks paperback version, and it was the first kindle e-book I bought. Don’t think it needs any more recommendation than that… do you?!
I love all the different variations so it is hard to only recommend a few but these are some of my favorites: for a what if – LOVE Abigail Reynolds’ To Conquer Mr. Darcy, for a modern version – My BFF, 1932, Pemberley Ranch or Lost Along the Way, for a variation – LOVE Darcy’s Voyage and I even love the YA version of Prom and Prejudice if you want an easy, quick read.
Jennifer W. (sorry wouldn’t take my google account name)
“Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman” by Maria Hamilton is an all time favorite of mine. It’s a regency what-if that supposes how Darcy might have tried to win Elizabeth over if he had gone back to Hertfordshire after their disastrous parting in Kent.
I would recommend Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict partly for the Elizabeth and Darcyish romance and partly for a look at the realities of regency life that contemporary readers would not be aware of.
I would also recommend Murder at Longbourn, another P&Pish coupling with a nice murder to liven things up!
There are so many good choices that have been suggested besides the 2 novels that I stated at comment #3.
Just want to add that I like Pamela Aidan’s Gentleman series, Abigail Reynolds’ variations and Prom & Prejudice (Thanks Jennifer W for reminding me).
I enjoyed Jane Austen and the Madness of Lord Byron by Stephanie Barron. If I was scanning the bookshelves looking for a good Austen book, I would buy Vera Nazarian’s books just for the covers!
Man! So many good books. I have to agree that Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman, Pamela Aiden’s series, and My BFF are all great. Prom & Prejudice is a great light and quick read. I just added An Arranged Marriage to my Amazon wishlist (thanks Kaydee)! There are also so many more on Fan Fiction sites too; I could go on and on!
Trez, I can’t find A Woman Worthy on Amazon. Is it on a fan fiction site or published somewhere? Thanks!
Oh, and I cannot leave out Mary Simonsen’s A Wife for Mr. Darcy! Excellent read! 🙂
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jakki, actually I think a Woman Worthy is more of a sequel so it does not count, sorry. But you can find it here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/a-woman-worthy/730813
So many good books! It is hard to pick just one!
These are the ones I love love love!
1. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Last Man in the World
2. The Trials of the Honorable Fitzwilliam Darcy
3. Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman
4. Darcy’s Voyage
5. Pemberley Ranch
Definitely Mr. Darcy’s Obsession and To Conquer Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds! Love her books!
I know this takes place after they are married, but I love Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange.
There are so many that I love but here are my top four favorites:
1.What Would Mr. Darcy Do? by Abigail Reynolds
2.An Assembly Such As This; Duty and Desire; and These Three Remain by Pamela Aiden
3. Mr Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange
4. Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise
A big fan of modern retellings, I would recommend Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman, a charming and funny YA take on P&P.
Excellent question. 🙂
There are so many! :o)
Hmm…I think I’d have to offer these two for sure though:
Mr Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange
and
First Impressions by Debra White Smith
Two very different takes on the story, but I think they’d help meet the need :o)
This is way too fun, btw!
Pamela Aidan’s trilogy caught my attention as the truest in spirit to the original novel, and some great language; so if you loved the book, I would start there. As far as variations, I have read all of Abigail Reynolds’ books, and because I like the emotional undercurrents she stirs up in ODC, I would pick Last Gentleman in the World (published under a different title, originally, I think). I personally loved Linda Berdoll’s Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, because the author used some great innuendoes and double entendres to describe the ummmm… action.
I would recommend absolutely anything by Abigail Reynolds, particulary Last Man in the World and Mr. Darcy’s Obsession as well as her modern version, The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice. I also love The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Simonsen and Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise. Though I must say, I love pretty much anything with Mr. Darcy. 🙂
Abigail Reynold’s ‘A Pemberley Medley’ would be the first thing I would recommend. Her short stories would be a great way to introduce a new person to what a variation is. I’d then follow them up with ‘A Wife for Mr. Darcy’ by Mary Lydon Simonsen for its comedic timing, and Kara Louise’ ‘Darcy’s Voyage’ for sheer originality. And, as soon as Jack Caldwell finishes his farce ‘Mr. Darcy Comes to Dinner,’ I’d add it to the list!
Don’t forget “Bridget Jones’ Diary” by Helen Fielding. It is one of the earliest of the modern retellings, and very clever. The movie was okay, but the book is hysterical!
I am a fan of Pamela Aidan’s trilogy, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman. My favorite of the three books is At an Assembly Such as This, since it shows the passion Darcy comes to feel for Elizabeth, all while she is completely ignorant of the spell she has cast over him.
Still the best Darcy POV book, as far as I’m concerned!
Mr Darcy – The Last Man in the World – Abigail Reynolds. All her books are great, but the angst in this one makes it a favourite.
I have to agree with all of the other ones already mentioned, Abigail Reynolds, Kara Louise, Mary Lynn Simonsen are some favorite authors of mine. Also anything by Linda Wells.
There are several JAFF works that I can’t believe are not published. Some of my favorites are AU stories after Mr. Bennet dies and everything shifts and the stories are a bit darker. One that I really enjoyed was Disguise of Every Sort by SusanB, which is available at meryton.com in the Pemberley Library. Also An Honourable Man by Brenda Webb and The Mistress’s Black Veil by MK Baxley, which are both published. For something quite different setting from the norm is a modern story, Longbourn & Pemberley Go To War – Written by HeatherLynn. I missed her story Slurry when it was online, so I can’t wait for when it is published next month as Rockstar.
Sorry, there are just too many to name!!
I would have to go with Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise. My favorite!
I feel pretty new at this and actually learned more than I can share. However, I LOVED (and reread a lot) the Pamela Aiden trilogy. I guess I started at the top and now want to make sure I get something just as good so I have a hard time picking what to read now. I will look into some of these titles. I guess I am “Audrey” LOL! Thanks for the idea of Austenesque Extravaganza. It will be a fun month! JenniferofSENC
Well Meredith what a way to start off…wow there are so many we could all name. For Audrey I’d say Darcy’s Voyage is my all time favorite retelling. I loved it as Pemberley’s Promise as well. A good modern retelling is Drive and Determination by Kara Louise. One I absolutely adore is Emma Hox’s Longbourne’s Unexpected Matchmaker. First Impressions by Alexa Adams is sweet and funny and kind and romantic. Impulse and Initiative by Abigail Adams is a good what if. And thru Darcy’s eyes one good one would be Darcy’s passions by Regina Jeffers. Of course it’s so hard to narrow it down.
Oh, there are so many that it’s hard to pick just one! But here I go! Rainy Days by Lory Lilian, From Lambton To Longbourn by Abigail Reynolds, Pemberley’s Promise by Kara Louise, A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen, My BFF by Ruth Phillips Oakland, The Rules of Reason by Abigail Reynolds, anything by Linda Wells. I could go on and on, I just named a few of my favorites.
Oh my goodness!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pride & Prejudice variations and retellings!! I would have the person diving into so many stories! LOL I would definitely recommend:
– Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen
– The trilogy by Pamela Aidan, especially “An assembly such as this”
– Only Mr. Darcy will do by Kara Louise
– Darcy’s Passions by Regina Jeffers
– The series by Rebecca Ann Collins … There are quite a few books in this series!
– In the arms of Mr. Darcy (which is part of a series) by Sharon Lathan
I could go on & ON!!! HF is my favorite genre, and my most favorite “subjects” are Darcy & Elizabeth! Can’t get enough of them 🙂
For light quick read Amanda Grange’s Mr. Darcy’s diary is fabulous. For modern day story is The Man Who Loved Pride & Prejudice. For regency from Darcy’s POV Mr. Darcy’s Passion.. A great fanfic website is 50miles of Good road…
SuzeJA
Oh to narrow it down….for the plain, old E&D fix I would have to recommend Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds. But I have to say the most orginial ones have to be The Mistress with the Black Veil, a P&P Vagary by M. Baxley, 1932 by Karen Cox and Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell….can’t go wrong with any of them.
Too many to choose from, but the ones that I would recommend are ‘Charlotte Collins’ by Jennifer Becton and ANY of the books written by Elizabeth Aston. Those were so unique, and you did get to see some of Austen’s characters, if but briefly.
It is interesting to think what would have happened if the story Jane Austen wrote got distrupted or thrown somewhere. How would that change the outcome? Or would it?
One of my favorite fanfictions is called “An Earlier Understanding” LissaMU . Also interesting is the book “Being Elizabeth Bennet” in the form of a choose-your-own-adventure
When I thought about this I totally forgot Bridget Jone’s Diary so that should be included.
But to the real stuff
A wife for MR. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen
Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy by Sbigail Reynolds
And tons more but I will go with those 😉
Hm.. I have read Darcy’s Story – Janet Aylmer and thought it was quite okay, though I did not love it as I had expected.
I second the recommendation of Darcy’s Voyage, especially the first half makes wonderful reading and is a very fresh approach to a retelling.
I’m curious about The trilogy by Pamela Aidan myself, it is high up on my wishlist 🙂
[i’m sorry to write again ..i don’t know if my comment was accepted ]
i would like to recommand “lost in austen” . i think ,since is so keen , so addicted about , why not read this version ..it would be like she could imagine to be at Amanda ‘s place and meets him… this is would be great for het to read this one because it is like non others retelling
I recommend Darcy’s Voyage, Prom and Prejudice, and Love, Lies and Lizzie.
The “Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman” series by Pamela Aidan are quite lovely! 🙂
Being so late to the game I had to think really hard about this one. I wanted to add some new titles to the mix so I came up with “Love Lessons” or “How to Save a Life” by juliecoop (two really great modern retellings of P&P) and “The Course of True Love” by Lucy S (if she is interested in something long and involved).
I realized my other post was all modern. Here are a few of my favorite Regency retellings (again, trying to throw a few new ones into the mix). First off, I absolutely loved “The Birthright” by Bekah (written when she was only 15 years old — a spectacularly gifted young writer), “Overthrowing Such Schemes” by Ali and “His Wife” by Kathy Taylor. She could not go wrong with any of these IMO.
Definitely Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise. Such a fun retelling!
It’s finally the August Extravaganza! I love reading everyone’s picks. A couple of people mentioned Slurry, and I’m currently reading the manuscript for Heather Lynn Rigaud’s Fitzwilliam Darcy: Rock Star which is coming out next month. Those of you who read and loved the original Slurry will be pleased by the new version!
Only Mr. Darcy will do by Kara Louise. I recently read this and couldn’t have loved it more!
I would recommend she read ‘Darcy’s Voyage’ by Kara Louise – it’s my favorite!
Check out Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter. Nice balance between a modern re-telling and fantasy in having a modern women see what it would be like to be courted by the real Mr. Darcy.
I would not be able to choose just one of Abigail Reynolds’ books, (I’ve reread them so many times depending on what mood I was in) so I would have to recommend the entire Pemberley Variations series. Also, Marsha Altman’s series – especially The Darcys and the Bingleys. 🙂
it is a bit hard do choose one, but my favorites are Abigail Reynolds’ what-ifs.
The first books that come to mind are the Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman series by Pamela Aidan. They definitely give Darcy’s point of view in a much more in depth and thorough way than others I’ve read.
i’d recommend ‘Only Mr Darcy Will Do’ by Kara Louise. it had me reading straight through to the wee hrs of the morning “) deliteful…
Ooh, I’d recommend what ifs! Anything by Jan H is good–An Arranged Marriage, The Child, The Journey.
Or you have Kara Louise’s “Darcy’s Voyage”–one of my favorites.
Or Kathy Taylor’s “Hiw Wife” is fantastic–gott alove it. 🙂
First, I will copy and paste Regina Jeffers post. Those are all definately on the top of my list, along with anything Abigail Reynolds. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud (I read it as Slurry), Kara Louise, Regina Jeffers, Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange. The list goes on and on!!
Here’s another vote for anything Abigail Reynolds, especially “To Conquer Mr. Darcy.” I’d also recommend “The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy,” a modern Elizabeth and Darcy story.
I couldn’t suggest any but I’m glad to see some of the other suggestions here. I’ll keep them in mind for my wishlist. Thanks!
I would recommend Enid Wilson’s stories (especially “Bargain with the Devil”) and Barbara Tiller’s “White lies and other half truths” if you are looking for funny and sexy.
If you want more serious angsty: “An honorable man” and “The mistress black veil” recommended before.
And for a not adult reading: “Promises” by Wendy
How could I forget this: you must read everything by Jan Hahn! (“An arranged marriage”, “Sins of the fathers” and all the others)
I’m really late to the party, but LisaS mentioned Kathy Taylor’s ‘His Wife’, which is currently unpublished (as far as I know), but available to read online at Meryton.com – I loved it from the first moment I read it, and have read it many times since. Her writing is lovely, and the story she weaves between Darcy and Elizabeth is undeniably moving.
I love Abigail Reynolds’ books – especially Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World; Mary Lydon Simonsen’s stories; The Trials of the Honourable F. Darcy (a modern retelling) by Sara Angelini; and cannot wait until Heather Lynn Rigaud’s Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rockstar is released next week. Pamela Aiden’s books first lured me into the world of Austen sequels and prequels, but I believe my favorite is Helen Halstead’s Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride. It’s the first sequel I’d ever read and it still holds a special place on my bookshelf.
Saw this already mentioned but I would suggest Only Mr Darcy Will Do by Kara Louis. I got it for my birthday and kept it with me for the rest of the week until it finished reading.
I love any story with Darcy and Elizabeth, but my two favorite are
-Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise
And
-Rainy Day’s by Lori Lillian
They both stay true to the characters and have very entertaining plots.
don’t have any titles to add, but wow, just wanted to thank you for the comprehensive book lists you’ve got linked on this page! Pretty amazing!
I would suggest a funny book with a strange situation: Mr Darcy, Vampyre, by Amanda Grange. Just the thought of a powerful and tortured Darcy fighting the dark forces surely would put a smile on her face!! And it is a unique story in which Elizabeth and Darcy have to prove the depth of their love.
I definitely would pick Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange or Darcy’s Voyage. There are so many great ones, but those would be for re-tellings…
KatherineV said:
A must read is An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn. This book goes down the WHAT IF situation of Lizzy being asked by all her family to accept Darcy (AKA an arranged marriage) to save her family from destitution when her father dies. At this point in the novel, Elizabeth has turned down Darcy’s proposal in Kent, has received his letter but hasn’t had enough time to properly digest its contents until months after her wedding. Darcy very much still loves Elizabeth but she doesn’t realize this at the time and cannot understand why a man like Darcy would want to “help” their family and marry into it. The Lydia sandal occurs before the marriage arrangement but Lizzy is completly unaware of Darcy’s involvement. So much more adds to Elizabeths prejudice against her husband. Darcy is a complete gentlemen throughout the novel. Though he wants an hier, he will not impose on Elizabeth or exercise his husbandly rights until Elizabeth comes to him of her own free will. What an interesting tale to see Elizabeth starting to fall in love with the last man in the world she ever thought she’d marry and yet she tries to deny it – it scares her to think that she could actually be attracted to her husband. But as soon as Darcy can see the glimmer of hope in her eyes after their first kiss (which is not on their wedding day) – he will pursue his Elizabeth and work to resolve their marital issues.