Exploring Steventon Rectory and Jane’s Romance with Tom Lefroy
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
In her first phenomenal timeslip novel, Searching for Captain 
Wentworth, Jane Odiwe takes readers to Bath, England in the year 1802 where the main character transports back in time to the body of Jane Austen’s neighbor and friend. (ugh! Such a lucky girl!) In her second timeslip novel, readers travel to Steventon, Hampshire in the year 1796 where the main character transports back in time to the body of…Jane Austen! (so not fair, right!?!)
In Project Darcy, our main character, Ellie Bentley travels to Steventon with several of her friends to participate in an archaeological dig at the site of Jane Austen’s former home. Although Ellie looks forward to capturing the beautiful countryside of Steventon on canvas and taking part in the dig, she ends up learning more about Jane Austen and her beloved childhood home than she ever intended! For some inexplicable and uncontrollable phenomena, Ellie is able to transport into Jane’s body and experience her brief romance with Tom Lefroy – the witty banters, the exhilarating dances, the clandestine encounters…
What a delight it is to read another timeslip novel by Jane Odiwe! Thank you, Jane, for once again exploring the unknown secrets of Jane Austen life and for taking us back to Steventon! What a treat it was to visualize Jane Austen’s beloved home and surroundings! Oh! And thank you for fleshing out her relationship with Tom Lefroy…*sigh* What an enchanting and plausible romance!
One of my favorite things about Jane Odiwe’s writing, is her ability to paint lush, striking, and vibrant scenes using just her words. She truly does write with an artist’s eye and describes the world of her novels with such incredible sensory detail! Another aspect I love about Ms. Odiwe’s works is that she often writes novels with two main 
intertwining storylines (kind of like Once Upon a Time – one of my fave TV shows). Each storyline is captivating and complex, full of intrigue, romance, and drama, and just when you least expect it…torturously put on hold while she switches to the other storyline!
Similar to Searching for Captain Wentworth and its gentle nods and parallels to Persuasion, Project Darcy holds some strong connections and similarities with Pride and Prejudice. Of course, I loved spotting these clever parallels in Jane Austen’s romance with Tom Lefroy, but sometimes the modern-day counterparts with Ellie felt little forced and stilted by comparison. In addition, there was a pretty surprising twist at the end that came about quite unexpectedly. While I do love a good surprise, I kind of felt the unexpectedness of this outcome made the story’s beautiful conclusion feel just a little less satisfying and complete.
Despite my quibbles, Project Darcy is another brilliant and reverent work of fiction by the talented and always artistic Jane Odiwe! I do hope that she has some more timeslip novels in mind! I would love to explore more of Jane Austen’s life and works with some lucky heroine who is transported back in time!
32 out of 30 completed!
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Jane kindly brings with her one BEAUTIFUL paperback copy of Project Darcy for me to give away to ONE lucky reader. Woot Woot!
To enter this giveaway, share a comment about Project Darcy.
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Jane!
- This giveaway ends November 27th!
DOUBLE your chances of winning by commenting on the lovely excerpt Jane shared with us on Wednesday!
I am looking forward to this one. Time travel and Tom Lefroy, what more can you ask for? Hope to win.
My thoughts exactly! I must admit I’m a little bit in love with Tom Lefroy after reading this one!
Thanks Meredith for this review, so I have already more motives to read it. I sound so interesting about this story.
Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy.
Thanks for reading my review! There is a lot that is wonderful about this novel, I do not wonder at you having so many motives to read it!
Yay! Every time I hear about it I get more excited! Can’t wait read it!
Yay! Hope you get to read it soon! Thanks for commenting!
I have not heard the term “timeslip” before. I like it! Looking forward to reading the book sooner or later!
I didn’t know of the term prior to these novels by Jane Odiwe, it makes sense over “time travel” because the characters really have no control over where or when they wind up. They really do just slip into a different era!
🙂 Hope it is sooner!
I love the idea of switching story lines. I enjoy stories like that.
Oh me too, Robyn! And like I said in my review, Jane does a wonderful job of switching them on us at the most inopportune moment! 😉
Time travel is one of my favourite storiy lines i.e.in Star Trek and Stargate so I am sure I will love this with Jane Austen
Oh I bet you will, Vesper! I can’t think of anything better than being able to time travel back into Jane Austen’s world, these heroines are just too lucky! 😉
These heroines are lucky girls for sure. Glad it was another good one. Thanks for sharing your review thoughts.
I’m awaiting my own copy of the book right now so please don’t enter me in the contest.
How nice! Hope you get to read it soon, Sophia Rose! Yes, I can’t help but feel a little envious of these fortunate heroines! 🙂
Lush settings, rich characters, and well-developed, intricate plots? I can’t wait to dig into this one!
LOL! Yes, Jane delivers a full package with her writing!
I Love how Jane Austen’s life and story characters continue to charm us all. I’d love to read this author’s work. I often wonder how much of her real life has been rewritten into her story lines…
Wouldn’t it be great to find that out, Betsy? I do wonder what commonalities or experiences she shares with her heroines. 🙂
I’m following Jane Odiwe’s blog tour and I have to say that with all the excerpts I’ve read so far, it’s one of the books I’ve been most excited to read in a long while! Indeed, it has many ingredients to tempt me : time travel, Jane Austen, some P&P, archeology, history, an English countryside, complex storylines and even some ghosts… 🙂 I wish Jane great success with this book!
Thank you for stopping by my blog, Lena! Yes!! There is so much Jane tempts us with this book! 🙂
So excited! Love the idea of this book. Definitely going to put these books on my to read list.
Thanks for reading my review! Both of these timeslip books are marvelous, I’m sure you will love them!
Oh I love sensory detail too 🙂 I find that it makes a story more 3D & that’s wonderful!! Sounds lovely, definitely have to read this book.
Absolutely! You fee like you are in the scene instead of just reading about it!
If it’s by Jane Odiwe, it’s absolutely worth reading. I’ve been looking forward to Project Darcy and to more time slip, travel, switch, whatever – but it’s been difficult to obtain a copy. Winning one would be simply wonderful!
I quite concur! Hope you can track down a copy soon, Lilyane!
I haven’t read anything by Jane Odiwe yet, but this sounds like an interesting one to start with!
Arjanne! You most definitely need to read Jane’s novels! 😉 I honestly can’t decide which is my favorite – Searching for Captain Wentworth, Willoughby’s Return, or Lydia Bennet’s Story. She writes so beautifully!
Thank you for the giveaway. I, too, have liked Jane Odiwe’s writing, and I look forward to Project Darcy because let’s face it – what better project could there be!
LOL, Eva! So true!
Sounds like a good book. I have all her other ones so I’d like to add this to my collection. I’m sure I’ll like the archaeology angle, too. I like the time travel aspect.
It was fun to dip into some archaeology with this book. What a great project to participate in!
Lovely review, Meredith. I loved Searching for Captain Wentworth and this new book sounds just as good. I love the idea of finally meeting Mr Tom Lefroy!!:)
Thank you, Kelli! Yes, I was not really in love with Tom Lefroy prior to this novel. (Sorry James McAvoy fans!) But just like Catherine Morland learned how to love a hyacinth, “I have just learnt” to love Tom Lefroy by way of Jane’s wonderful writing!
Beautiful review, Meredith! I wish Jane had experienced true love 🙂
Thank you, Maria! I do wish that too! Part of me feels it just has to be true!
I’m nearly done with this book and am enjoying it so far. Glad you really liked it and only have minor quibbles with it. 😉