Hi friends! Happy 2019!! The new year has started and I already feel behind! LOL! Might be a growing trend for my life I fear…Anyways before I try and catch up on 2019, I’d like to share one of my favorite posts of the year – and of course, it is a list!
I love recap posts, it is always fun to look back and reflect. 🙂 And it is always better when those reflections are about all the books you read! 😉
I loved so much of what I read in 2018! 68 out of the 70 books were new reads for me and I thought it would be fun to recognize some of my special favorites!
Which to be honest…was really hard because I read sooooo many superb stories this year! I rated 24 books 5 stars alone!
Here are my 12 Austenesque Reviews’ Favorites for 2018!
~(drumroll)~
…and the honors go to…
for Favorite Pride and Prejudice Variation
(it’s impossible to pick just one, or three…)
A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity by A. D’Orazio
Thank you, Amy! What a poignant and heartrending story! This compelling story with touches of Persuasion was beautifully crafted!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
Mistaken by Jessie Lewis
Thank you, Jessie! I loved how emotive and ardent this story was and that you had the daring to do some surprising character evolutions!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
Proof of Love by Brenda J. Webb
Thank you, Brenda! This is such an inventive and riveting tale! I love these fantastic scenarios you dream up!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
The Child by Jan Hahn
Thank you, Jan! Your stories are always a wonderful treat and this beautiful and endearing tale is no exception!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
The Events at Branxbourne by Caitlin Williams
Thank you, Caitlin! I loved this seemingly impossible and emotionally turbulent story you masterfully created.
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
These Dreams by Nicole Clarkston
Thank you, Nicole! This enthralling and epic saga is like no other! I loved the many threads to this encompassing story!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
for Favorite Austenesque Short Story Anthology
Rational Creatures edited by Christina Boyd
Thank you, Christina! You’ve already gifted the Austenesque genre so much, but this collection truly is a most outstanding treasure!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
for Favorite Austenesque Modern Adaptation
A Higher Education by Rosalie Stanton
Thank you, Rosalie! I loved your modern-day Will and Elizabeth story. I loved the thoughtful and emotional journey both characters went on in this tale!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
for Favorite Austen-Inspired Work
Green Card by Elizabeth Adams
Thank you, Elizabeth! I adored this fresh and expressive romance! I loved the originality of your characters but also the subtle nods to Jane Austen’s Darcy and Elizabeth.
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
for Favorite Austenesque Nonfiction/Reference Work
Jane and Me: My Austen Heritage by Caroline Jane Knight
Thank you, Caroline! I so enjoyed this information and inspiring autobiography! It was so interesting to see how your life paralleled Jane Austen’s!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
Sense and Sensibility: An Annotated Edition edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks
Thank you, Ms. Spacks! I’ve so enjoyed your comments, insights, and elucidations on Jane Austen’s works! They are edifying and entertaining!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
for Favorite Non-Austenesque Work
Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
Thank you, Julianne! Such a phenomenal work and such a heart-stopping romance!!
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
~~~
*Honorable mentions go to Chance and Circumstance by Kara Louise and Runaway Heiress by Syrie James. Both just terrific stories that I loved every minute of reading!
And now time to share the Austenesque Reviews Readers’ Choice Favorites!
Thank you to all who voted, I loved learning your favorite reads of the year!! It felt like seeing a list of recommendations from dear friends! I am so appreciative of your input – I know it was extremely hard!!! Hopefully next year it will be easier since I will be switching to 5 write-in votes!
There were 81 different Austenesque books nominated in total for this award!!! Wow – that is such a high number!
And the top 4 (I went with 4 books since we had a 3 way tie for second) that got the most votes and are specially recognized as Austenesque Reviews Readers’ Choice Favorites are…
Rational Creatures edited by Christina Boyd
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
London Holiday by Nicole Clarkston
Buy the Book I Add to Goodreads
Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment by Abigail Reynolds
Buy the Book I Add to Goodreads
The Events at Branxbourne by Caitlin Williams
Buy the Book I Read My Review I Add to Goodreads
Congrats to these 4 very special and very loved works! I’ve read 2 and loved them already, and now I’m even more excited about reading the other 2!!
~~~
And now…without further ado the winner of 1 Readers’ Choice Vote Favorite (in paperback) of their choice is…Shelley Hoisington!!!
Shelley, when you get a chance send me an email to let me know which of these 4 lovely books you’d like me to send to you and what address I should send it to!
~~~
Thanks so much for checking out my favorites! Please feel free to share yours!!
Wishing you all happiness, health, and lots of fantastic reads for 2019!! 🙂
Congratulations to the winners!
denise
Thanks for checking out my list!
Every one was truly a wonderful read!
So glad to hear you say that!
Great choices Meredith! I loved all the P&P based books. My ultimate favourite of the year didn’t make the list but my vote still goes to Cat Gardiner and In Good Conscience. I loved this series.
Saying that, there were many outstanding books published last year so it was such a hard choice.
Congratulations to all the very worthy winners and thank you for all the pleasure you give to your readers.
Thank you, Glynis!! In Good Conscience did receive a fair amount of votes in the RC vote, it isn’t on my list for 2018 though because I haven’t read it yet! I am hoping to soon though, I just need to reread Without Conscience first.
I have not read Jane & Me or Blackmoor. But I have read the others and enjoyed them. Great picks. Like Glynis, I loved Cat Gardiner’s In Good Conscience and the whole series. Congratulations to the winners. Thanks for the work you do putting this blog out and complying these lists.
Awesome! I can’t wait to read In Good Conscience!
Thanks so much for checking out my list!
I am honored that my book was among those chosen. There are so many wonderful stories being published that it is very hard to pick favorites. When I voted for my 3 favorites, I kept changing the list whenever another book came to mind.Thank you for all you do to promote and support authors.
I’m so thankful to you for sharing such a terrific story, Brenda! What a gem! I very much understand…so many great and worthy books for 2018! The Austenesque genre definitely had a banner year!
What a fabulous year 2018 was!!! So many fantastic, engaging and entertaining books were released. After perusing my reading list I believe I rated about 108 (give or take) 5* books of the 366 I have read this year.
Some are bound to escape my radar though and your list reminded me of two I have not read yet, one I have already bought. I do love your lists, especially this and the monthly on new releases. Heartily appreciate the effort you put into make us up to date!
Congratulations to the winner, Shelley!
Yes!! I completely agree! That is awesome that nearly a third of all your reads were 5 stars!! And wow!! You read 366 books? That is more than 1 a day!
Oh yay! I’m so glad you find the lists helpful! 🙂 Thank you so much for all your kind words!
Thank you Meredith for including my book among your favorites! I am honored!!!
This book is very deserving of all the praise it receives! I am glad to see I’m not the only one to recognize it for a favorite read!! Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing story with us!
Wow! Sixty-Eight new ones. I really need to step up my game, but I say that every year when I see all the wonderful books you and others are loving on. I’ve got all but two already on my TBR pile just waiting for me and love seeing that Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment was a vote winner since that was my end of the year fav. Oh course I’m tickled pink like our Rational Creatures to see her on the list.
Your game is amazing, Sophia! I wish I could read and review as much as you do!! #Goals 🙂 I’m so glad one of your favorites was the winner! I am so happy for Abigail Reynolds to have her books twice selected as RC favorites! And yes, I’m thrilled Rational Creatures was not only one of my favorites, but many other readers as well!
This is excellent! I’m thrilled that readers AND reviewers alike were so fond of Rational Creatures! Happy New Year, Meredith! I look forward to what this new year brings us.
Yes!! Me too! That book is so deserving of all the wonderful praise and accolades it receives!
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful 2019 so for, Beau!
Good grief, Meredith. At present, I am sitting in the parking lot having dropped my son off for winter quarter at his college, feeling rather melancholy and not a little old—and saw this announcement. Am beaming with pride as I scroll through, noting Authors I have worked with on my anthologies (Jessie Evans, Nicole Clarkston, Jan Hahn, Elizabeth Adams, Amy D’Orazio) and even edited (Caitlin Williams) their books that you favorited! So delighted to see that our “Rational Creatures” was your favorite anthology too!!!! And then turn into a blubbering mess seeing that it too was selected as a Readers’s Choice! Thank you so much. It means so much to me—and I know all the Authors and every part of that #RationalCreatures team to make it the book I hoped it would be feel especially proud. This is a wonderful way to start the year—and is just the encouragement my little indie team needs! My heart is full. (Now to pull myself together and drive 3-4hours home. XO)
I’m happy that this brought you some cheer! I immensely loved all these books in my top favorites and am so thankful for the authors and people like yourself that make them all possible!
I’m super happy that Rational Creatures was voted a Readers’ Choice favorite, too!! Although, it doesn’t surprise me!
I am sooooo happy! Thank you so much! I chose Rational Creatures. I have had that book on my radar for a while.
Oh my goodness! Thank you—so honored you chose Rational Creatures as your prize. Hope you enjoy our collection in the same affectionate spirit it was written! Love to hear what you think. And thank you, Meredith, for offering the giveaway!
Congrats, Shelley!! excellent choice! I hope you love this one as much as I do!!
I am stupid excited to be on this list! I’ve never been on one before! Thank you for reading my baby and for loving it!
Congrats to all the other amazing authors on this list! I’m thrilled that most of them have become friends. It’s always great to be in good company. 🙂
I do love it!! And I’m so happy to have had the chance to read it this year! Thank you so much for writing such a unique and fun story, Elizabeth!
Congratulations to the winners. As always Meredith has got it spot on again!
Thank you, Michelle! I’m so happy to hear that you agree with some of my picks!
Well, I’m dead chuffed and pleased as pie. Thanks to everyone who voted for The Events at Branxbourne. To also be named as a readers favourite gives me incredibly warm and fuzzy feelings of happiness. Thanks for your lovely blog, Meredith, and for supporting JAFF like you do. Congratulations to all the other authors – getting a book to publication involves so much blood, sweat tears, that I think everyone who manages it should get gold stars. I hope everyone has a fantastic 2019.
And you had a fantastic story in Ratioonal Creatures too! XO
LOL! I love that expression. 🙂 It makes me smile whenever I hear “chuffed” I’m so happy to have had the lovely opportunity to read your mesmerizing story and I’m thrilled it was voted a Readers’ Favorite as well!! It is very much deserved!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful stories with us, Caitlin! We are so grateful!
Thank you so much Meredith for including Mistaken on your list. I’m honoured that you enjoyed it and Rational Creatures, and honoured to be amongst so any other notable authors. Congratulations to everyone else on the list, and to every other JAFF author putting their stories out there for everyone to enjoy. Happy New Year everyone!
Thank YOU for writing such a terrific story! I absolutely love the new twists you add, Jessie! And what a fantastic Lady Susan short story in Rational Creatures! I’m so grateful to you for sharing your stories with the world! Hope you are enjoying a wonderful 2019!
Meredith, thanks so much for another fantastic list of recommendations! I love all of these selections and am thrilled to see Brenda Webb’s Proof of Love part of the offerings. Happy New Year to you and Happy Reading in 2019! It’s going to be an awesome year! Jen Red
I’m so glad you enjoyed this list, Jennifer! I enjoyed such wonderful books this year and that is because of lovely writers like yourself who are sharing their stories! Thanks so much for the lovely visits and kind support you continually give!
I’m giddy! What a treat to see These Dreams, London Holiday and Rational Creatures all on your lists! This is such rich company. What a year you and your readers had! Congratulations to all the winners! Thank you for sharing your book reviews with us
Yes! I’m sure if I allowed write-in votes for North and South stories, Nowhere But North would have been chosen as well! Congrats on all your lovely stories, Nicole!! Thank you so much for writing them!
Congratulations to all!
Thanks so much for checking out my favorites, Wendi!
Wow! Great list of winners of which I have read 5 and own 3 that I plan to read in 2019. I really loved that you included a ‘Non-fiction’ category as I too read and enjoyed ‘Jane and Me’. Congratulations to all on the list!!!
As for my favourite reads from 2018 (I had to break it down and it was hard to choose) are:
2018 P&P Favourites:
1. The Countess Visits Longbourn – Don Jacobson
2. A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity – Amy D’Orazio
3. The Events at Branxbourne – Caitlin Williams
4. Yours Forevermore – Karalynne Mackroy
5. Conceit & Concealment – Abigail Reynolds
6. On Equal Ground – Elizabeth Adams
7. To Save & Protect – Paisley James
8. Lovers Knot – Jenetta James
2018 Modern P&P Favourites:
1. In Good Conscience – Cat Gardiner
2018 Persuasion Favourites:
1. Mercy’s Embrace series – Laura Hile
2018 Mansfield Park Favourites:
1. A Marriage of Attachment – Lona Manning
2. A Contrary Wind – Lona Manning
2018 North & South Favourites
1. Nowhere But North – Nicole Clarkston
2. Collide (Modern) – Melanie Stanford
2018 Novellas/Short Stories:
1. Newness & Wonder – Alexis Lynne
2. Yuletide – Various edited by Christina Boyd
2018 Favourite All Around:
1. A Moment Forever – Cat Gardiner
SO many of my favorites on your list too! Thank you for including Rational Creatures amongst such good company, Carole.
Love that you shared your favorites, Carole! Excellent choices! And I’m adding any that you have on your list that I haven’t read to my wishlist!!
I’m especially happy to see the Mercy’s Embrace series on your list as I’ve loved that series for a long time now! I’m glad you read and loved Lona Mannings books too! I’m so happy she is writing Mansfield Park inspired stories!
What a fantastic year of reading for you, my friend! I’m hoping 2019 brings you more of the same!
Late to the party but so happy readers and Meredith gave the Rational Creatures anthology some love. If you haven’t read it yet, don’t be daunted by the length. It’s a collection – think of it as a box of Godiva chocolates. You pick out one at a time and nibble on it while on the subway, or right before bed, or waiting in the car line, or on your lunch hour, or…well, you get the idea 🙂 Thank you Meredith, for everything you do for Austen-inspired authors and readers. Happy New Year!
So thrilled to see The Child among your favorite variations, Meredith! This genre has so many good authors. Thank you for your support of JAFF, and a special thank you to the wonderful, loyal readers!
I completely agree! There are so many good authors in this genre! And we are so thankful to them for sharing their stories! Thank you so much for sharing The Child with us! I loved it so much and I’m so happy I got to read it after hearing some recommendations about it for years!!
Ah, these lists are just great fun. (And bittersweet, like dropping your child off at college, sniff) But like Caitlin Williams said everyone deserves an award just getting to publication. I have books from these lists I’ve yet to read, which I knew would happen, just like last year. Two I voted for were on the reader’s choice list. But there were so many I wanted to vote for. Anyway, we don’t have room here for my list of favorites for 2018, (that is, not restricting myself to three!) 🙂 But I love the comments others have made regarding their favorites! Thanks, Meredith for the work you put into this, you really do give us so many ways in which to enjoy our little obsession. 😉
Congratulations to all the authors who were winners on these lists. And to those who didn’t make the lists we still love you, and I’m absolutely sure everyone of us were thinking of your books that came out in 2018 as our top favorite of the year. We should just have a big end of year party and celebrate all of you.
Absolutely! I’m so thankful for all these stories that authors share!
Thank you for your kind words, Michelle! I am love celebrating Austenesque stories and I’m so glad I can do so with lovely people like yourself!
Yes! I love the idea of a virtual end of the year party!!! It would be such a fun celebration!
Love your 2018 faves, Meredith! What a fabulous list! I read almost all of them and can’t wait to read the rest. All the best, my dear friend and have a wonderful New Year!!
Thank you, sweet friend! 🙂 I’m so thankful to all authors who share their stories and continue to write and feed this wonderful genre!! What good fortune for all us readers! We are so thankful! Happy 2019 to you!!
Great list! I loved These Dreams as well. The rest are all on my to-read list!
Awesome! I hope you love them as much as I do!