Austenesque Reviews’ Favorites of 2021 + GIVEAWAY!!!

January 3, 2022 • Austenesque Lists, Giveaways • 124 Comments

Hi friends! A few days ago I shared my Stats and Summary post for 2021. I loved looking back at my reading and blogging for the year, and I am always happy to find any excuse to make charts! 📊

But today’s post is LITERALLY my MOST favorite post to make every year! ❣️

 Reflecting back on these special books that I had the good fortune to read is like reliving all the wonderful joy and pleasure they inspired. 🥰

These 15 books truly brought me immense delight and I’m so incredibly grateful that they were a part of my year. 📚

Here are my 14 Austenesque Reviews’ Favorites for 2021!

~(drumroll)~

…and the honors go to…

for Favorite Pride and Prejudice Variation

(5 books)

A Wilful Misunderstanding by Amy D’Orazio

Thank you, Amy! This story pierced my soul. What a consuming and intricate tale.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

Blinded By Prejudice by KaraLynne Mackrory

Thank you, Karalynne! I’m completely in love with every aspect of this story.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

Fallen by Jessie Lewis

Thank you, Jessie! This story is so captivating, beautiful, and moving.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

Nameless by Julie Cooper

Thank you, Julie! Your writing is exquisite and I loved the thoughtful exploration of healing and dealing with trauma.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

The Price of Pride by Abigail Reynolds

Thank you, Abigail! I continue to adore your emotionally turbulent prose!

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

for Favorite Austenesque Modern Adaptation

(2 books)

An Unexpected Harvest by Cat Andrews

Thank you, Cat! The setting, the creative deviations, the soul-bearing romance – I loved it all!

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev

Thank you, Sonali! The reverence, creativity, and thoughtful parallels of this series is just incredible.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

for Favorite Sense and Sensibility Variation

(1 book)

The Year in Between by Christina Morland

Thank you, Christina! You have bestowed such a beautiful gift with your recounting of this ‘missing’ year.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

for Favorite Austenesque Secondary Character Novel

(1 book)

The Heiress by Molly Greeley

Thank you, Molly! The vivid imagery, the intimacy, the brave and honest portrayal – so much to appreciate in this tale.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

for Favorite Austenesque Time Travel

(1 book)

 Nine Ladies by Heather Moll

Thank you, Heather! Your execution of this romantic time travel adventure was brilliant.

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

for Favorite Regency Romance

(3 books)

A Captain for Miss Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

Thank you, Julie! I adored Caroline and Captain Scott! Their sparks were electric!

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

Georgana’s Secret by Arlem Hawks

Thank you, Arlem! I was completely swept away by this swashbuckling adventure!

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

School For Love by Christina Dudley

Thank you, Christina! I love the romance, I love the comedy, I love the Hapgoods!

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

for Favorite Historical Fiction Novel

(1 book)

John Eyre by Mimi Matthews

Thank you, Mimi! This imaginative and bold retelling was completely ingenious!

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

And now time to share the Austenesque Reviews Readers’ Choice Favorites!

Thank you to all who voted!

There were  1️⃣0️⃣8️⃣ different Austenesque books nominated in total for this award!!! And so many that received multiple votes.

The top 5 that received the most votes and are specially recognized as Austenesque Reviews Readers’ Choice Favorites are…

Old Boots by Grace Gibson

Buy the Book    I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

Nameless by Julie Cooper

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

A Gentleman’s Honor by Melanie Rachel

Buy the Book    I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

Dangerous Magic by Monica Fairview

Buy the Book    I   Add to Goodreads

~~~

So Material a Change by Amy D’Orazio

Buy the Book   I   Read My Review   I   Add to Goodreads

 

Congrats to these 5 ardently admired and loved works!
I’ve read 2 and loved them already, and now I cannot wait to read the other 3!!
~~~

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

We admired and honored, now let’s celebrate! I’d like to offer  2️⃣ of you lovely readers a chance to win one of the magnificent books on either of these lists! (winner’s choice from any of the books listed above, paperback, ebook, or audiobook)

All you need to do is comment below and share with us one (or some) of your favorite reads of 2021!

  • This giveaway is open internationally.
  • This giveaway will end January 10th.

~~~

Disclaimer: The Amazon links used in this post are affiliate links. 

124 comments

  1. Gentleman’s Honor by Melanie Rachel
    So Material a Change by Amy D’Orazio
    Total Want of Propriety Volumes 1&2 by Cherith Boardman
    An Unexpected Harvest by Cat Andrews
    A Wilful Misunderstanding by Amy D’Orazio
    Transforming Mr. Darcy by Melanie Rachel
    Dre to Refuse Such a Man by Mary Smythe
    I could seriously keep going a while but I will stop there 😉

    Reply

  2. Great picks. I have read about half (most variations of P&P) and loved those. Thanks for your generosity. I want to read the John Eyre one as Jane Eyre was a favorite with me while in HS.

    Reply

    1. I loooved Blinded by Prejudice may have read it twice and will definitely read it again! Dangerous magic and a gentleman’s honor were also excellent books!

      Reply

  6. So many awesome reads! I loved Nine Ladies, Nameless, So Material a Change, Fallen, Old Boots, A Willful Misunderstanding, and Blinded by Prejudice. We are so fortunate to have so many great authors!

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  7. I have read quite a few of these titles, and most of the others are in my TBR. Looks like I’m in good company.

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  8. I read only 3 books out of the above list (I have a H-U-G-E and endless TBR list ) which are Nine Ladies by Heather Moll, Fallen by Jessie Lewis, and Abigail Reynolds’ The Price of pride.

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  9. Now I have more to add on my to read list! The ones to read next would include An Unexpected Harvest, A Gentleman’s of Honor, John Eyre, Old Boots & Blinded by Prejudice. Really enjoyed Dangerous Magic,
    So Material a Change, A Wilful Misunderstanding, Fallen, Nameless, Georgana’s Secret and The Price of Pride (I think I have read/listened to each of these at least twice)! Thank you again for all the hard work that you do in reviewing the books for us, we all appreciate it!!!

    Reply

    2. So happy to hear that we shared so many favorites! I’m especially glad to see Georgana’s Secret on your list as well!

      Thank you so much for your kind words!

      Reply

  10. Hi Meredith,
    I also like this post you put every year because it reminds me so many good novels to spend my free time. I couldn´t participate in the Reader´s choice favorite because all the austenesque books I read in 2021 belonged to 2020 or previous years LOL, but, in Christmas I´ve been able to read a 2021 novella: “A Yuletide dream” by Julie Cooper and it has been a wonderful surprise to witness when “Charles Dickens meets Jane Austen” (I don´t want to say more…)
    Thanks for the giveaway because, if I win, I´ll be proud to say that I have in my hands a “2021 novel”…although, now we are in 2022, I´ll have to catch up with the new releases… What a stress LOL

    Reply

    1. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed ‘A Yuletide Dream’. I so agree about it being a wonderful surprise!

      Lol! Indeed! We are forever struggling to keep up!

      Reply

  11. This is a great list and I have read most of these books (all of the JAFF). I think my favourite was Nameless, but it us so hard to choose 1 favourite. It was a very good year for reading.

    Reply

  12. Of this list I’ve read Dangerous Magic. I’ve also enjoyed Darcy and Diamonds, Darcy and Deception, and Elizabeth Bennet in Disguise. So excited to add these other books to my to read stack! Thank you for all the efforts you put into reviewing and sharing!

    Reply

  13. Thank you so much for the mention of Old Boots, and to those who voted, your encouragement and appreciation mean everything. So grateful for such wonderful readers!

    Reply

  14. What a nice collection of books ! I have really enjoyed Mr Darcy’s Persuasion, it was a ling book but I wished it would continue even further,. Please count me in for the giveaway, I would love to win Nine Ladies by Heather Moll 🙂

    Reply

  15. Lovely post full of treasures! Loved the way you thanked the authors. I can see I have a lot more reading to do. I thoroughly enjoyed The Heiress, The Year in Between, and Incense and Sensibility. Dangerous Magic is one I’ve been hoping to read.

    Reply

  16. Always love the posts about lists and favorites!
    Understandably I found a lot of my choices and a lot of new ones!
    But I have to say, we had an awesome lot all year long to be picky and choosy about!
    So, for that, thank you to all wonderful authors!

    Reply

  18. 2021 was the year I discovered JAFF! Your blog has been very helpful. So much more JAFF to read, so little time! My two favorite reads were both published in 2019…”Through a Different Lens” by Riana Everly and “Dear Nameless Stranger” by Jannie Peneaux. I loved the perspective of Darcy in Everly’s book and Peneaux book was also a nod to one of my favorite books, “Daddy Long Legs” by Jean Webster.

    Reply

    1. Woot woot!! That’s so wonderful, Heather! I hope reading JAFF has been a bright spot of your year! Excellent choices, those two are unique and special.

      Reply

  19. Thank you so much for including A Gentleman’s Honor on the Reader’s Favorite list. I appreciate everyone who took the time to vote and thank you, Meredith, for your work with these lists every year. I’m so grateful for the JAFF community!

    Reply

  21. I absolutely loved the P&P books you chose. I also loved the Reader’s Choices. I’m thrilled to know how many more I still have to read as there are many of your reviewed I don’t have. This year looks promising and will keep me busy. Thank you for your work, take care and have fun!

    Reply

  24. I only have read a few of these books, so even more to add to my never ending list of books to read.
    Some of my favorite reads of last year have been written by GL Robinson, Emma V Leech, and it was also the year I discovered the vastness of the JA world.

    Reply

  26. I’ve read some, but there are many left to enjoy. And the covers – so gorgeous! JAFF authors are writing faster than I can read – my TBR pile is immense.

    Thank you, Meredith, for all you do. Wishing you the happiest of new years.

    Reply

  27. I read a lot of books this past year but of the ones that were actually published in 2021, I really enjoyed Nicole Clarkston’s Along for the Ride. That P&P novella was really cute. I have started Old Boots but have not yet finished it.

    Reply

  28. Fabulous list. I read so many, but the last five were Silver Buckles, Pemberley’s Christmas Governess, In the Tower with Mr. Darcy, Twists of Fate, and A Reason to Hope.

    Reply

  29. The Price of Pride, A Willful Misunderstanding and Blinded by Prejudice were my 3 favorite books from last year! There were so many others that I enjoyed. 2021 was a great year for JAFF! Thanks for the opportunity to win one of these books!

    Reply

  30. The price of pride was one of my favorites too! (A 2021 read for me, but published in 2020- All that this entails by Noell Chesney . )

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  31. Old Boots was wonderful, but as busy as I was reading, I didn’t get to the rest on the Austenesque Reader’s Choice award list. Life gets in the way!

    Reply

  32. Wow! I have become a voracious reader since I began reading Austenesque books. Some of my favorites of this year were “Old Boots”, “A Gentleman’s Honor” and “There You Were”.

    Reply

  33. Thank you so much for including An Unexpected Harvest on your list of favorites! Such an honor. And what a wonderful list it is, I’m thrilled to be in such fabulous company!

    Reply

  36. Excellent books, all of them! (Okay, I haven’t read them all yet, but those I haven’t are at least high on my TBR pile.) So many wonderful titles this year, I had difficulty narrowing down my votes…it was a great year for Austenesque fiction. Thanks for the roundup, Meredith!

    Reply

  37. Wow, there are a lot of good books here, I definitely also enjoyed Nameless, The Year in Between, and So Material A Change.
    I would be interested in receiving A Captain for Caroline Gray.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

  41. Congratulations to all the winners. I have read many of them. There are a few I would like to read. Thanks for giveaway.

    Reply

  42. Congratulations to all the winners!!

    This year was so, so tough; I think I only read eleven books this past year, and I usually read well over 100!! It was one of those Murphy’s Law years when everything that could go wrong, did: the end of a 36-year marriage, the loss of our century-old home in the mountains, the death of my father (plus three aunts/uncles, a brother-in-law, and our dog of 15 years), and we’re ending with COVID!! Aaargh!!

    However, we did find a lovely little apartment not too far from our mountain village and just a mile from my married son and his wife (and my first grandbaby is due in July), plus my friends and church have been wonderfully supportive!! 😀

    So I’ve only read Monica’s excellent Dangerous Magic, and I would LOVE to read Abigail’s The Price of Pride. I am hoping to have more “brain” to spare for reading in 2022!!

    Thanks so much, Meredith, for promoting and reviewing the work of authors and for this lovely giveaway!! 😀

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    Reply

    1. Oh Susanne, I’m so very sorry to hear about all the things you faced this past year. I can very well understand how such events could prevent your normal pleasures with reading. Your resiliency through them all is so inspiring, and I’m so happy to see your frequent visits again. And I’m glad to hear that you have some lovely things to look forward to in 2022!

      Such an excellent choice, it is a very special one!

      Reply

  44. At the end of 2020 I was so dismayed that I just didn’t manage to read a lot of the top ten, etc., lists of books that were so many others’ favorites that year including Austenesque Reviews.

    I tried so hard to keep up to speed this year and for the most part I reached my goal. Except for the moderns. At least I now own the first in the series of Sonali Dev’s, and my first Cat Andrews. We weren’t asked to list our favorite Regency romances or fave historical fiction books, SMART WOMAN. I do remember your reviews got me to put them on my wish list though. I wasn’t at all sure I’d like John Eyre, but I love Mimi Matthews and I received John Eyre from a giveaway by the author. What a story!!!

    Jessie Lewis’s Fallen and Grace Gibsen’s Old Boots, I read respectively three and two times. Amy D’Orazio’s So Material A Change definitely goes on my reread shelf, as well as Nine Ladies and Blinded By Prejudice! Nameless was as shocking and as dark to me as John Eyre. I’ve got only a few Austenesque books from the lists above that are still on my wish list still to read. But I read so many of the new books that come out on Kindle Unlimited so I’d love to be included in the giveaway.

    Congratulations and thank you to all the talented authors. And always, thanks to you Meredith for all the reviews and interviews, all the lists and charts. Someone said ‘what a great year for reading JAFF ’21 has been,’ which is nearly an understatement. It has been a fantastic year. Happy reading in 2022 everyone.

    Reply

    1. That’s so wonderful that you reached your reading goals! I love Sonali Dev’s and Cat Andrews’s series and I hope you do as well!

      And yes, I felt the same about John Eyre! It sounds like you enjoyed some fabulous reads (and rereads!)

      Wishing you a very happy 2022, dear friend!

      Reply

  45. I’ve read ten of those and put five of them on my own Top 10 Lists a few weeks back. It was a year of gold reads. Definitely ‘thank you authors’!

    And, thanks for sharing your list, Meredith!

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  47. This year, I loved “Nine Ladies” and “Blinded by Prejudice,” and “Faults of Understanding.” I’d love to win “So Material a Change.”

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  48. Thank you so much for including Fallen in your list Meredith! I’m delighted you enjoyed it. Happy New Year and thank you for supporting our JAFF community!

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  49. I’ve read some of those Meredith, and have others on my kindle waiting to be read! I do hope to be able to read them soon.
    It’s so hard to pick favourites from so many books this year but I would definitely go with Cat Andrews An Unexpected Harvest, Grace Gibson Old Boots, Heather Moll Nine Ladies, Joana Starnes Twists of Fate, Leslie Diamond Agony and Hope and KaraLynne Mackrory Blinded by Prejudice. There are loads more but I struggle to know whether they were this year or not! Many thanks to all the authors who satisfy my craving for Darcy and Elizabeth stories! 🙂
    Apologies to the ones I haven’t mentioned!

    Reply

  50. I’m satisfied with myself because I have read many of the books in the lists (I thoroughly enjoyed Blinded by Prejudice, I have loved The Year in Between!) and I have some of them patiently waiting for me (Nameless, Fallen, A Gentleman’s Honor etc.) In my personal list of favorites I have Joana Starnes’ Twists of Fate.
    The best thing though is that I found a couple of books I hadn’t heard about and now I want to read.
    Thank you for the post!
    I wish everyone to have a Happy New Year!

    Reply

    1. Woot woot! Good for you!

      I love hearing about your won favorites and the books you are looking forward to reading! (I have Twists of Fate in my TBR – I can’t wait!)

      Reply

  51. Thanks Meredith for the 2021 Austenesques Review and Reader’s Choice selections. I always look forward to this so i can add the many books I’ve not read to my TBR. My favorites 2021 were His Perfect Gift, So Material a Change, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, in His Own Words. Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply

    1. I love hearing that you look forward to this post!

      Thanks so much for sharing your favorites! I have read the first two and have the third in my TBR pile!

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  54. I read over 500 P&P variations this year on Kindle, so I can enlarge the type, and cannot pick just one. If I am fortunate enough to win one from the list, I’ll pick an audiobook as my vision continues to decline.

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  55. I liked several on your list, and many more. I’d like to add Snowflakes at Pemberley by Jennifer Kay. Wonderful book!

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  56. Such wonderful books. It is really hard to have a pick but neat to see the list that most enjoyed the most 😉 I say these are the must haves in our collection.

    Thank you for compiling/sharing and the giveaway

    Reply

  57. I’m late to reply, but many, many thanks, Meredith, for taking the time read and review The Year in Between — and so many other books! I’m that awkward, dorky shy kid who’s like, How in the world did I manage an invitation to this great party? 🙂 Thanks for all you do to make this community possible!

    Reply

  58. I didn’t have much time to read books published last year but I love the choices that you have included for your favourite reads, Meredith. There are a few Austenesque novels which I have added to my list. And thank you for offering the giveaway.

    Reply

  59. Meredith, I always love your lists of favorites and your data lists. I would love to have the audiobook of John Eyre. It just so intrigues me. Thank you as always for your generosity.

    Reply

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