Happy Monday, readers! I am so excited to welcome a new author to Austenesque Reviews today! Leah Garriott is currently celebrating her debut release with her Regency romance titled Promised! And I am thrilled to take part in her blog tour and to have the opportunity to read and review Promised (in a few weeks) because I adore Regency romances stories. Like with most Regency romance stories, we often find that the author is a fan of Jane Austen…and Leah is here to share a little bit about her favorite Jane Austen characters – are they the same as yours? We hope you enjoy Leah’s guest post!

Hi Everyone! Thanks to Meredith for hosting this stop on my book tour. And how exciting that I get to chat about my favorite Austen characters.

I’ll start off by saying Persuasion is my favorite of Austen’s books. There’s just something about carrying the pain of regret for so long and then being given a second chance at happiness. The continual heartache of Anne Elliot adds a depth to the story that really pulls me in. I think this same depth is also found in Elinor Dashwood’s despair as she struggles with her feelings for Edward, which may be why, when I feel like my writing is becoming too contemporary and I need Jane Austen’s words in the background as I work to help me better capture the era, I put on the 2008 BBC version of Sense and Sensibility.

That being said, some of my favorite characters in Jane Austen’s work are her side characters. She does such a wonderful job of making all her characters independent people with likes, dislikes, and agendas, and she uses them to create more emotionally powerful endings. It’s something I feel is very important to a good story and, following Miss Austen’s example, is something I try hard to do in my own writing. Take Mrs. Smith from Persuasion, a seemingly inconsequential woman, fallen from society, whose moment of import is revealing the true nature of Mr. Elliot to Anne. It would have been easy to leave her at this. Yet in revealing that Mrs. Smith works to provide for herself, is constantly cheerful, and seeks an honest and straightforward means to obtain what little her husband left, Austen deepens our dislike of Mrs. Clay and Mr. Elliott, who live off others and strive to obtain their own selfish objectives at great cost to those around them. This juxtaposition of the characters then incites us to cheer all the more for a happy ending between Anne and Captain Wentworth.

Another thing Austen does with her side characters is show how we shouldn’t judge a person by their looks, so to speak. This is magnificently done in Sense and Sensibility with Sir John Middleton and Mrs. Jennings, two somewhat silly people with little of that reserve of character that makes an admirable person during this time period. It is easy to dislike and discount Sir John and Mrs. Jennings because of their meddling and uncultivated ways. Yet it is these two who seem to see straight through to the true character of others, testifying to the good character of Colonel Brandon while being hesitant regarding Willoughby. And we are hard-pressed to find two such generous and wholly happy characters as these two who wish for nothing more than the happiness of those around them. Sir John demonstrates this by reaching out to Mrs. Dashwood with compassion and an offer for lodging while Mrs. Jennings welcomes the family of women with open arms, even to the extent of inviting Elinor and Marianne to London with her. In general as readers, we don’t expect such a depth of graciousness from people who seem so completely lacking in manners.

My favorite character, though, is Mr. George Knightley. Not the most dashing choice of heroes, I’ll admit. There is little of the obvious passion about him. There is no John Willoughby flair, little Fitzwilliam Darcy brooding, and only a bit of Edward Ferrars stalwart suffering. He’s also a little old for Emma, by modern standards (although perfectly acceptable and probably preferable during Jane Austen’s day). But he is steady, refined, and kind. My favorite love story is the slow conversion to love, which Mr. Knightley definitely defines. Then, when he realizes his admiration for Emma and that Emma may be in love with a younger and more charismatic man, he steps back, allowing her the space to find her own happiness. Is there anything more attractive than a man supporting his woman while she figures things out for herself? Also, I bet he could recite poetry if it ever came up.

I’ll just conclude with, “If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am. You hear nothing but the truth from me.” And that, right there, sums up not only Mr. Knightley, but many of our beloved Jane Austen characters. Full of love, directness, honesty—may we all find such people to admire us and be such admirable people in return.

Yes, Leah, I so agree with you! I love Jane Austen’s side characters! She always makes them memorable, distinct, and like you pointed out, purposeful. And Mr. Knightley is definitely one of my favorite Jane Austen heroes!!

~ Connect with Leah ~

Website   ❧   Facebook   ❧   Twitter   ❧   Goodreads   ❧   Instagram

~ About Leah ~

Though she earned degrees in math and statistics, Leah Garriott lives for a good love story. She’s resided in Hawaii and Italy, walked the countryside of England, and owns every mainstream movie version of Pride and Prejudice. She’s currently living her own happily ever after in Utah with her husband and three kids. Leah is represented by Sharon Pelletier at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.

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~ Book Description ~

Margaret Brinton keeps her promises, and the one she is most determined to keep is the promise to protect her heart.

Warwickshire, England, 1812

Fooled by love once before, Margaret vows never to be played the fool again. To keep her vow, she attends a notorious matchmaking party intent on securing the perfect marital match: a union of convenience to someone who could never affect her heart. She discovers a man who exceeds all her hopes in the handsome and obliging rake Mr. Northam.

There’s only one problem. His meddling cousin, Lord Williams, won’t leave Margaret alone. Condescending and high-handed, Lord Williams lectures and insults her. When she refuses to give heed to his counsel, he single-handedly ruins Margaret’s chances for making a good match—to his cousin or anyone else. With no reason to remain at the party, Margaret returns home to discover her father has promised her hand in marriage—to Lord Williams

Under no condition will Margaret consent to marrying such an odious man. Yet as Lord Williams inserts himself into her everyday life, interrupting her family games and following her on morning walks, winning the good opinion of her siblings and proving himself intelligent and even kind, Margaret is forced to realize that Lord Williams is exactly the type of man she’d hoped to marry before she’d learned how much love hurt. When paths diverge and her time with Lord Williams ends, Margaret is faced with her ultimate choice: keep the promises that protect her or break free of them for one more chance at love. Either way, she fears her heart will lose.

Debut novelist Leah Garriott tours the blogosphere February 17 through March 15, 2020 to share her new historical romance, Promised. Forty popular book bloggers specializing in historical romance, inspirational fiction, and Austenesque fiction will feature guest blogs, interviews, exclusive excerpts, and book reviews of this acclaimed Regency romance novel.

**I think readers who love stories by Julie Klassen and Julianne Donaldson should check out Promised!

~ PROMISED: A PROPER ROMANCE BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE ~

February 17 My Jane Austen Book Club (Guest Blog)

February 17 Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (Review)

February 18 Katie’s Clean Book Collection  (Review)

February 18 Wishful Endings (Interview)

February 19 RelzReviewz (Character Spotlight)

February 20 Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen (Spotlight)

February 21 The Lit Bitch (Excerpt)

February 22 The Debutante Ball (Interview)

February 23 Adventure. Romance. Suspense (Review)

February 24  A Bookish Way of Life (Review)

***February 24 Austenesque Reviews (Guest Blog)***

February 24 Half Agony, Half Hope (Review)

February 25  Frolic Media (Excerpt)

February 26 Heidi Reads (Guest Blog)

February 26 The Caffeinated Bibliophile (Interview)

February 27  Wishful Endings (Review)

February 28 Lu Reviews Books (Review)

February 29 KJ’s Book Nook (Review)

March 01 My Vices and Weaknesses (Excerpt)

March 02 Bringing Up Books (Review)

March 02 Christian Chick’s Thoughts (Review)

March 02 For Where Your Treasure Is (Interview)

March 03 Heidi Reads (Review)

March 03 So Little Time…So Much to Read (Excerpt)

March 04 Romance Junkies (Guest Blog)

March 04 Gwendalyn’s Books (Review)

March 05 Laura’s Reviews (Review)

March 06 Scuffed Slippers Wormy Books (Spotlight)

March 07 Fiction Aficionado (Review)

March 08 The Christian Fiction Girl (Review)

***March 09 Austenesque Reviews (Review)***

March 10 Bookfoolery (Review)

March 10 From Pemberley to Milton (Review)

March 11 Faithfully Bookish (Interview)

March 12 Impressions in Ink (Review)

March 13 Robin Loves Reading (Review)

March 13 The Green Mockingbird (Review)

March 14 Inkwell Inspirations (Review)

March 15 The Calico Critic (Excerpt)

March 15 Bookworm Nation (Guest Blog)

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If you are a fan of Regency romances and this guest post with the lovely Leah Garriott intrigues you, pop on over on March 9th to catch my review of Promised!

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My thanks to Laurel Ann Nattress for putting this lovely blog tour together and inviting me to take part!