An Ardent Admirer Survey
What is the first Austenesque novel you ever read?
An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn
What is the most recent Austenesque novel you read?
Master Under Good Regulation by Kara Louise
Who is your favorite Jane Austen heroine?
Elizabeth Bennet
Who is your favorite Jane Austen hero?
Fitzwilliam Darcy
What is your favorite Pride and Prejudice variation?
That is hard to answer as I have several that I love. I guess my all-time favorite is An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn. Kara Louise’s Darcy’s Voyage and Only Mr. Darcy Will Do and Jan Hahn’s The Journey would all follow pretty closely; then Abigail Reynold’s Mr. Darcy’s Refuge.
What is your favorite Austenesque sequel?
I have enjoyed all of Regina Jeffers’s sequels but guess my favorite is Christmas at Pemberley.
What is your favorite Austenesque modern-adaptation?
I cannot answer this question because as to date, I have not read a modern-adaptation. I prefer the novels set in Regency time and have not ventured into the future. I will make it my mission to read one before the end of the year. Does anyone have any good suggestions? I would love your opinion!
What is your favorite Austenesque cover?
I love the cover of The Journey as it is different from most. I also really like the covers of Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise and Christmas at Pemberley by Regina Jeffers. All of the latest PnP sequel covers of Regina’s have a wonderful feel to them! My granddaughter and I like them immensely! I also really like the cover of Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy by Barbara Tiller Cole. I thought the cover was unique, then after reading the book discovered how truly unique it was! It ties in with the story so neatly.
Who is your favorite ORIGINAL Austenesque character?
I loved Reggie in Kara Louise’s Master Under Good Regulation. I wanted him to be my loyal companion. I had a love/hate relationship with Nate Morgan in The Journey by Jan Hahn. I believe it was Jakki that said something about him being the villain/bad boy that was so charming. (forgive me, Jakki, for retelling it so poorly) Becky in Rainy Days by Lory Lilian and Ben in He Taught Me To Hope: Darcy and the Young Knight’s Quest by P.O. Dixon were darling original characters. I fell in love with both of them.
Who is one of your favorite Austenesque authors?
I am going to cheat and name three that are my favorites, Jan Hahn, Kara Louise and Regina Jeffers
What is one of the Austenesque novels currently on your wishlist?
Mr. Darcy’s Secret by Jane Odiwe and Darcy’s Temptation by Regina Jeffers (I know, you said one, but I want both, along with several others on my rather long list!)
What is one of your favorite scenes from an Austenesque novel?
I absolutely adore the scene of the Harvest Ball in An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn. I have reread that scene many times. It is so touching and filled with love and passion. I also really like the ball at Lady Matlock’s in Rainy Days by Lory Lilian. In Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise, the chess scene was fantastic. I loved the word play.
Which Austenesque character (from which novel) would you like as a best friend?
Mr. Bennet in Emma Hox’s Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker
Which Austenesque character (from which novel) would you not like as a best friend?
Lady Gwendolen in Bewitched, Body and Soul: Miss Elizabeth Bennet by P.O. Dixon
Rosalyn in Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise
Anne De Bourgh Darcy in Goodly Creatures by Beth Massey
What do you love most about Austenesque novels?
I love to read all the different ways that Darcy and Lizzy get together. It is so wonderful that Darcy’s steadfast love, his willingness to be a man deserving of Lizzy and Lizzy’s realization of who she really is,always comes through regardless of the path that they must travel. It is a ‘feel good’ feeling. I like that true love always wins out in these books. The different authors have such a talent for re-imaging many scenarios to keep it interesting and keep us fans coming back for more!
If you could live in any Austenesque novel, which novel would you choose?
I guess I would choose An Arranged Marriage. My reason is that Lizzy and Darcy marry and then go to Pemberley pretty quickly,thereafter. Most of the time, Lizzy is at Pemberley. Since I have recently seen Derbyshire and The Peak District in England, I can truthfully say that I would love living there. It is absolutely beautiful country. Having the grounds of Pemberley to walk and explore would be utterly fantastic! (…and to be Mistress of Pemberley…lovely!)
CONNECT WITH JANET:
- on twitter
@JanetBTaylor1
Nice meeting you 🙂
I have to check out that Hahn book
blodeuedd83 twitter
Thanks for reading my interview! It was fun. Do check out both of Jan’s books. They are very good. I always enjoy reading about situations that put Lizzy and Darcy together.
It is lovely to meet you, Janet. It seems we enjoy many of the same Austenesque books. I love Jan Hahn and Kara Louise. And the scenes you chose as your favorite are some of mine too. I absolutely LOVE the scene of the Harvest Ball in An Arranged Marriage. I could read it over and over again! And for modern adaptations, I would have to recommend Persuade Me by Juliet Archer. It was wonderful!!=)
kellik115(at)yahoo(dot)com
I don’t know how many times I have read the scene from the Harvest Ball. I absolutely love it. Glad to hear that someone else does too. And yes, aren’t both of those authors good. You can’t go wrong with their books! I read here that Kara Louise is working on a new one. I am so excited. I hope Jan Hahn will have a new one out soon too!
Thanks for reading my post and especially for sharing a modern adaption! I will definitely put it on my TBR list. Since we like similar books, I am sure I will find it wonderful too! 🙂
Wonderful interview! I must agree with many of your favorites! I usually prefer regency as well, but I love to mix it up with the modern versions. You get to see your favorite characters in a whole new light. It can be just as fun to watch Darcy and Elizabeth find each other. Thank you for sharing!
cherringtonmb at sbcglobal dot net
Thanks for your comment about the modern versions. I hadn’t really thought about it in those terms. That is a good way to look at it! I will be trying some as I see I have gotten several recommendations.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and comment! It is nice to read that someone else enjoys many of my favorites!
Hello! I have not read An Arranged Marriage but it’s on my wish list. I look forward to it.
Robyn
robynsnest at bellsouth dotnet
Hi Robyn and thanks for commenting. You MUST read An Arranged Marriage. It is wonderful. I have read it four or five times and don’t tire of it! It does not have explicit sex. Jan Hahn has a fantastic way of developing their love and passion, letting the reader feel it with them and then leave the rest to the imagination. I like that as I prefer not to invade their privacy with too much explicit detail.
Lovely to meet you! Again, lots of new additions to my TBR
@samjaymc
Glad you took to the time to stop by and comment, Samantha. Thanks. Hope you enjoy some of my favorites as much as I have and STILL do! I re-read them every so often!
Hello….so nice to meet you…
I agree with all your likes….a regency girl at heart…
but love an Austen re-telling…have enjoyed a few modern tales…
Stephanie
lucasaaron_5297ATyahoo((DOT))com
Thank you and glad you agree with my likes. 🙂 I am truly a Regency girl at heart and I absolutely love the re-tellings. I can’t get enough, it seems. I am always on the look-out for a new/and or good one. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear your likes! I am glad to have heard about several modern ones too. I’ll be anxious to try them.
Thanks again for your comment.
Thank you for sharing with us & telling us about your favorite Austen related books. Several of these are on my list to read & now I have a few more titles for that list. Have a great day.
crystal_dark[at]att[dot]net
Glad you took the time, Chelsea, to come by and read my ‘interview’! It was much fun! I hope you will get a chance to read some of the books and will enjoy them as much as I did.
Thanks and hope you have a great day too!
No problem, it was fun to read.
I have An Arranged Marriage but haven’t had a chance to read it yet. I will have to put it at the top my of my “to read” pile.
drcopeland(at)hotmail.com
I’m so glad to hear that you have An Arranged Marriage. I hope you will get a chance to read it soon. I just know you will love it!
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
So happy to meet you, Janet! You have given me a lot of titles to add to my toppling TBR pile!
June, if your TBR list is anything like mine, it keeps growing, almost exponentially! 🙂 There are so many that I want to read. I love to get lost in a fantastic book and live the adventures with our dear Lizzy and Darcy or the other Austen characters. Isn’t it fun and isn’t it great that there are so many that we want to read!
Thanks for commenting!
I love Regina and Kara Louise’s books too, but I still need to try Jan Hahn. Thanks for sharing, Janet!
sophiarose1816 at gmail dot com
Thank you for commenting, Sophia Rose. Aren’t Regina and Kara Louise’s books great! You can’t go wrong with their books. I hope you will try Jan Hahn’s soon. Hers are wonderful too and I feel sure you will love them.
fun to read your selections – so different than my own JA journey & of course, with that many options, we just keep learning of more authors and more books!
enjoyed your ardent admiration, Janet!
and pleased you’ve had time over in Pemberley country =)
Isn’t it neat that there are so many options! We can learn so much about them be reading each other’s posts and reading reviews on the great blogs. I am always excited to hear about a new one.
Glad you liked my ‘interview’ and thanks for taking the time to comment, both times! 🙂
By the way, I have noticed your name on many posts at the various blogs. I always enjoy your comments.
sorry, Janet, meant to mention modern adaptation recommendations as you’d requested that.. any of Debra White Smith’s, she has one for ea of JA’s novels. Christina Dudley’s ‘The Beresfords’ is a Mansfield Park mod adapt which seems a rarity. ANd Kim Izzo’s JA Marriage Manual is a fun modern read.. enjoy =)
Thank you for sharing some ideas for modern adaptations with me. I will add them to my list. I like the idea that Debra White Smith having one for each JA novel. I will have to look into those, for sure!
Wonderful post, Janet!! And nice to “meet” you, by the way! 😉 I know what you mean about not always being able to pick just ONE favorite book or character! LOL And although I’ve never been to the UK, I would LOVE to see that region of Derbyshire and The Peak District!! *Some day!!*
Valerie R.
txreyn5663 (at) earthlink (dot) net
Valerie, it was great to ‘meet’ you too. I enjoyed your lively post very much! I could relate to much of it! 🙂 I just couldn’t leave my answers to one book or one author! There are too many that I like and I still didn’t comment on all that I would have liked to!
I hope you get a chance to go to the UK someday. I never thought I would but had a great opportunity this summer. It was absolutely wonderful. We went to the places where the 1995 miniseries was filmed. We even spent one night at ‘Hunsford Parsonage’. It was lovely and the grounds were beautiful. The lady that owns it was so nice. We dressed in Regency dresses and she served our dinner that night. I would not take for the trip. I am ready to go back already!
Janet, thank you for sharing your favorites. Rainy Days and Darcy’s Voyage are on the top of my list as well. I have been thinking about reading Master Under Good Regulaion. How did you like it? Do you need to be a dog lover to really enjoy the book?
I suggest Drive and Determination for a modern adaptation~you can’t go wrong with Kara Louise!!
Joy
joyalegra at gmail
I totally agree with you on Becky and Ben being really cute characters! And I was pleasantly surprised with Jan Hahn’s books, I hope she is writing a new one!
arjanne.boneschanscher (at) gmail (dot) com
Hi, Janet. Nice to meet a fellow Austenesque reader. As for modern adaptations, may I suggest According to Jane by Marilyn Brant? It does not closely follow the plot of P&P but there are quotes from P&P sprinkled here and there. Not sure whether you like it, then read my review first.
evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com
Totally agree with you–Jan and Karalou are AWESOME authors. 🙂
araminta18 at gmail dot com
Well, my dearest Janet, it’s a given now – I need to hire you as my publicist! Thank you so much for your praise for my books and for being such a great Austenesque reader! Since last year’s Austenesque, your library has really grown! The modern P&P I want to suggest is “Echoes of Pemberley” by Cynthia Hensley. It’s about modern generations of Darcys still living in Pemberley, and Cynthia is a superb writer.
Joy, thank you for suggesting Drive and Determination. I will read it. It is the only book of Kara Louise’s that I have not read. I am looking forward to her new one too!
I dearly loved Master Under Good Regulation. I am a dog lover but I don’t think you would have to be to enjoy the book. One of the things that I thought was so good about the book was the wonderful insight into a young Fitzwilliam Darcy. Kara Louise gave us a chance to get to know him when he just lost his mother. It took us through some of the things that made him the man he was when he first met Elizabeth. It also gave us glimpses into the man he truly was and became again to be worthy of Lizzy. I thought it was very well done and could have been told by Jane Austen herself. Kara Louise seemed to fill in the blanks but through the eyes of a very loyal dog. As I ‘know’ that most dogs are very intelligent, I had no trouble with the telling through Reggie’s thoughts. It was excellent! As is usual, Kara Louise does a great job with the language of the time. Didn’t mean to write a short review here! 🙂
Weren’t Becky and Ben both adorable?! I enjoyed them and their respective books! I’m also glad you were ‘pleasantly surprised’ with Jan Hahn’s books. I too, hope she will publish a new one soon!
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Isn’t it nice to meet fellow Austenesque readers! I always enjoy the posts and reading how others came to love Jane and hear about their favorite books. (plus it gives me new ideas)
Thank you for the suggestion for a modern adaptation. I am thrilled with all that I have gotten as I now have several to put on my TBR list! I need to add a good modern one or two to my list of books that I have read!
Thanks for commenting!
Aren’t they awesome?! I love their books. I am anxious for more from both of them! Maybe soon!!! 🙂
Thanks for reading my ‘interview’!
Yes, my library has definitely grown since last year’s AE in August and I have loved reading every book in it, some, several times, including yours!
I would gladly take the job as your publicist, my friend, as I have no trouble praising your books. It is always easy to promote what you love!
Thank you for your suggestion for a modern P&P. I have read several reviews of ‘Echoes of Pemberley’ and thought it sounded very good. I will definitely be reading it. That is high praise for it, indeed, when you say Cynthia Hensley is a ‘superb writer’. It must be good.
Thanks for reading my ‘interview’ and for commenting!
Hi! I love your books! I also love that you love JanH’s books. Aren’t they so good?
Nice to meet you!
twitter: rosefire15
Yes, I agree completely that Jan H’s books are so good!
Glad you liked my choices! Thanks for taking the time to read my interview and comment!
Hi Janet! Nice to meet you!
Thank you for sharing all your thoughts and recommendations with us.
I have browsed through the comments and was very surprised that one can actually stay the night at Hundsford Parssonage. Wow!
As for moderns: Kelli recommended it already, I can onyl second that – Persuade Me by Juliet Archer. My absolute favourite modern adaption.
kewinkler at gmail dot com
Thank you for the recommendation! That will be one I read for sure.
It was amazing and so fun to be able to stay at the home that was used for Hunsford. We were on a PnP tour that went to all the places of filming the 1995 miniseries. When we arrived in the afternoon, we had tea. Then some of us stayed the night there. One young woman stayed in the room that was Lizzy’s in the film. It was all so neat. We were able to walk the grounds as much as we liked and take photos. The part of the house that was used for the film was also available. We went to the ‘proposal room’ and sat as much as we liked. We had tea there after our dinner that evening. It was all an experience I will never forget. The first night, we had dinner and Regency dancing at the home that was Longbourn. We were dressed in Regency attire then too. I will send you the link for the homes and/or the tour if you are interested.
Thanks for your comment and your interest.
I agree with you about the ‘feeling good’ feeling gotten from the Austen books. I am the opposite of you, though, and have read mostly contemporary Austenesque books and not many Regency set ones. I am currently reading An Assembly Such as This and am enjoying it. Sort of a look behind the scenes of P&P!
That is a good book! It was one of the earlier ones that I read. Glad to hear you are enjoying it. Thanks for coming by to read my interview. I hope you found some books that will peak your interest. I will be reading some of the contemporary books since I have received several good suggestions.
Thanks for your comment and I hope you find as many good books to give you the ‘feel good’ feeling as I have found this past year!
The last Austen sequel I read was Bewitched, Body and Soul by P. O. Dixon and earlier this year I read Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise. They were both very good and I’ll have to look for other books by those authors.
Haven’t read any of the modern ones yet, as I do prefer the Regencies. I will be getting Jane Odiwe’s latest soon and it has a modern setting in Bath but also involves time travel. I looked at Abigail Reynolds’ modern one about the marine biologist named Cassie, but I haven’t read it.
catbooks(at)rocketmail(dot)com
Nice to meet you Janet! Thanks for sharing your passion for Jane Austen and anything Austenesque! I’ve never read “An arranged marriage” but now it’s on my wishlist!
newyorkgirl82(at)gmail(dot)com
It’s very hard for me to narrow down 1 favorite for many of these but I’d have to choose The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice by Abigail Reynolds as my favorite modern retelling. I read An Arranged Marriage last year during Austenesque Extravaganza, in one sitting. I literally did not get up off my couch ’til I was done. LOL I’ve been wanting to read Kara’s Master Under Good Regulation for such a long time. It’s such a great premise and I think there aren’t enough stories out there with Darcy as a young boy.
My Austenesque reading list grows longer every day. Thanks for sharing your favorites.
@jaffobsession
Nice reading about you. I was pleased by your pick of Emma Hox’ book and Mr. Bennet as a friend. He was so incredibly funny in that book. Loved it.
More Austenesque books I haven’t read! My to-read list gets longer and longer. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
liedermadchen(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you for telling us about yourself and I had not heard of some of the books you mentioned so you increased my wish list!
I tend to read more modern adaptations myself, so if you like mysteries, Tracy Kiely’s series is enjoyable. I also really liked Beth Patillo, I only read the first one so far, but it revolved around a lost manuscript by Jane Austen and it seems like the series will have a little Da Vinci Code feel to it. Shannon Hale’s Austenland books are also fun- modern day people pay to live on an English estate and be immersed in a Regency house party for 2 weeks.