Threads of Magic by Monica Fairview

What would happen if Darcy and Elizabeth lived in a magical world?  Threads of Magic picks up right where the first novel in the series, Dangerous Magic left off.  I would recommend reading Dangerous Magic first.  It’s been about a year since I’ve read it and it took me a bit to remember the details and get back into the story.  Once I was back in though, I couldn’t stop reading this story!

The French have attacked the Mages’ Hall with a giant fireball, but Elizabeth was able to connect with others and stop the attack.  Unfortunately that has left Bingley and the two others as a walking shell.  Unable to verify that the attack took place, people are wary of Elizabeth and think her type of magic is dangerous.  Darcy and Elizabeth are newlyweds but must learn to work together to make their Twin Janus powers stronger.  In order to hide from the French, the Mages lease Netherfield Hall.  Soon, Darcy and Elizabeth realize there is an enemy within their, and it is bound and determined to get rid of them.  Who is the enemy on the British side? Will they be able to determine who their French prisoner is and why they were attacking?  Will Bingley be restored to normal?

I love this fantasy world and the inventive tale.  I really liked the action and the mystery of who was after Elizabeth and Darcy.  I love that we get to see some of our favorite characters, in a new way.  Fairview is great at writing Austen characters, and they stay true to their source characters.  I really love how Elizabeth and Darcy had to focus on building their relationship.

Favorite Quotes:

“There was something particularly poignant about having Bingley immobile in a ballroom.  Bingley loved dancing, and the glittering crystal chandelier about him seemed to mock his inertness.”

“That was what marriage was about.  A lifetime of possibilities together.”

“People believe what they choose to believe. Evidence has little bearing on the matter.”

“You always think the best of people, even when evidence points to the contrary.”

Overall, Threads of Magic by Monica Fairview and the Dangerous Magic series is a great new magical Regency fantasy series starring some of the best characters from literature.

Book Source:  Review Copy from author Monica Fairview.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Longbourn Entanglement by Monica Fairview

 

What is your favorite literary gift to give or receive for Christmas?

I just finished A Longbourn Entanglement by Monica Fairview.  It’s a “sweet and short” Pride and Prejudice variation.  In this variation, Mrs. Bennet falls ill the morning after the Netherfield Ball while Mr. Bennet is away visiting an old friend.  Instead of leaving abruptly for London, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley stay to help out the Bennet sisters in their time of trouble.  Will this situation bring the Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy closer together or drive them apart?

I loved the variation in this one.  Monica Fairview always captures Austen’s characters so perfectly.  I love how Elizabeth finally is able to tell the truth of the situation to Darcy and how he responds with a crushing set-down.  It seemed so in character!  I also loved how Mr. Bennet came back and had some wonderful moments.  This was just the type of book I needed right now.

Overall, if you are looking for a sweet variation on the classic Pride and Prejudice tale, I highly recommend A Longbourn Entanglement. 

Book Source:  A Review Copy from author Monica Fairview.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Dangerous Magic (A Pride and Prejudice Variation) by Monica Fairview

What is your favorite retelling of a classic tale?

In an alternate Regency era, England is in a war with France and losing.  In order to project England, Elizabeth Bennet is plucked from her family at their country estate at Longbourn and brought to the Guild Hall in London.  Once there she is expected to marry and bond with the powerful Royal Mage, Fitzwilliam Darcy.  She has always hoped to marry for love and is unhappy over this forced union.  Will Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love?  Will they be able to bond and protect England?

 I enjoyed this new spin on a classic tale.  Monica Fairview understands and perfectly writes the characters from Pride and Prejudice.  It’s amazing reading how true they are to their original characters, but in this new magical setting.  The story was unique, but familiar and I really enjoyed it.  I was just sad it ended but was pleased to see that this is the first in a series and there will be a Book 2 of Jane Austen’s Mages.  I look forward to it. 

I also loved the reimaging of some of the side characters, in particular Caroline Bingley.  I thought it was interesting that the book focused on “bloodlines” and how many people were obsessed on being of noble pure blood in order to be the best Mage.  It seems like Mr. Darcy would think along these lines, but he is friends with the Bingleys.  I liked this and how Elizabeth in turn defies everyone’s expectations of her.

Overall, Dangerous Magic is a fun magical reimagining of Pride and Prejudice.  I loved the story and the characters!

Book Source:  Review Copy from author Monica Fairview.  Thank-you!

Fortune and Felicity by Monica Fairview (Fortune and Felicity Blog Tour)

After proposing to Elizabeth Bennet despite his reservations, Fitzwilliam Darcy is shocked that she has refused him.  He thinks about writing her a letter to explain his position, but instead decides to propose to his cousin Anne de Bourgh instead.  A few years have passed, now Anne is dead, and their daughter Kathy, is a lonely child with a temper and tendencies like her grandmother Catherine de Bourgh.  Mr. Darcy needs a governess to help him out with Kathy, but he needs just the right kind of governess.  He advertises and when he goes to interview the candidates, he discovers one candidate, Mrs. Heriot, is the Elizabeth that he proposed to years ago.  He also realizes she is the best candidate for the job.  Can he keep his old feelings under control while she is his employee?  Will Kathy be able to handle having a governess?  How does Elizabeth feel with her change in status?

I loved this novel and read it quickly.  Author Monica Fairview has a vivid understanding of Austen’s characters and is able to write them so believably it is like having another Jane Austen novel.  I really like the look into the “what if” scenarios and how one small change can ripple through a family and make a difference.  Lydia still ran off with Wickham, but he abandoned her.  Jane was the saddest to me.  She married a respectable tradesman and has a passel of kids. The sense is that she married him to help her family out rather than for love.  Elizabeth married a navy captain for love, but after his death left her without the means to live on her own, she has moved in with her sister Jane.  After overhearing that Jane’s husband is in tough financial straits, she decides to strike out on her own as a governess and ends up getting a job at Pemberley.

I really loved a tough conversation that Jane has with Elizabeth.  “Think, Lizzy, for once in your life, instead of being guided by emotions.” Jane gives her some hard truths about how her emotions have put the family in their current predicament.  I loved it!  It was a new way to think about Elizabeth.

I loved Elizabeth’s time at Pemberley and the predicament of being a governess which is a difficult situation.  She is above the servants, but below the family.  It makes for a lonely life.  I love how Mr. Darcy thinks of this and helps her to find a new friend in the village. 

Mr. Darcy has had a lonely life without love and I enjoyed how he learns to open up to the possibility of love.  It was a romantic story.

Overall, Fortune and Felicity is a not to be missed Pride and Prejudice variation which perfectly captures Austen’s beloved characters while telling a compelling new story.

Book Source:  Review copy from Author Monica Fairview.  Thank-you!

Mysterious Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview

What if Pride and Prejudice did not happen the way you remember it? What if Mr. Bingley had not let Netherfield Hall at the exact time he did?  What if three years had passed, with Jane already married when Mr. Bingley and his guests arrived?  What if Mr. Darcy had a mysterious past that has led him into a life as a recluse?  If Meryton does not know him as the wealthy man of his past, how would he be treated?

Mysterious Mr. Darcy is a Pride and Prejudice variation.  It changes items about the original story and goes through what could have happened instead.  I’ve read many of Monica Fairview’s Austen sequels and variations in the past and I really enjoy them.  Fairview knows and loves all of Austen’s characters.  Her stories convey this love and they are written so believably that it is like picking up another work by Jane Austen.  Mysterious Mr. Darcy was no exception.

I had a hard time putting Mysterious Mr. Darcy down once I started reading it.  I LOVED the storyline and wondered, what had Mr. Darcy done to be a recluse trying to hide who he was.  It was an interesting look at if Jane wasn’t around, how would the story have played out?  Would Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth be suited for one another?  I loved that Fairview captured the romance and humor of the characters and brought them forth in the story, but also discussed Elizabeth’s worry about her situation.  In particular after Mr. Bennet has a near death experience, she really has to think about what Mrs. Bennet has been saying all along.  What will happen if Mr. Collins and Charlotte come to take over Longbourn?   

I also enjoyed the fact that Mr. Darcy was a recluse at an estate in Cornwall.  I kept envisioning him at Manderley from Rebecca!  Wrong book and century I know, but hey, Laurence Oliver was both Mr. Darcy and Max de Winter so it sort of works!  The cover is also very beautiful for this book.

I also loved Mr. Bennet in this novel.  Mr. Bennet goes hunting with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley.  He thinks Mr. Darcy is a nobody, but he treats him nicely.  Mr. Darcy respects that and I could see them having a better relationship than in the original novel.

Favorite Quotes:

“This is what Darcy had always liked about Bingley – his willingness to throw himself wholeheartedly into any scheme he had decided on.”

“The trouble was, she wanted more out of marriage than simply convenience.  Something inside her yearned for love.”

“Only now did she realize how close they were to destitution.  Everything depended on her father’s health.  If it gave way, they would be left with nothing.”

“For the first time, Darcy felt there was an advantage to being unknown.  It gave him a clearer idea of who his friends really were.”

Overall, Mysterious Mr. Darcy is my favorite Austen variation yet.  I loved the mystery and romance, but especially the wonderful characters.  The twists to the story were very intriguing.

Book Source:  E-book review copy from author Monica Fairview.  Thank-you!

A Merry Christmas Chase by Monica Fairview

I LOVE Christmas regency romances.  When I was asked by one of my favorite authors, Monica Fairview, to review her new regency romance, I jumped at the chance.  Monica Fairview has written some of the best Austen fiction that I’ve ever read and I highly recommend it (especially The Other Mr. Darcy) to all fans of Jane Austen.

The daughter of the local vicar, Cherry, is also a poacher by night.  She helps out the starving people of her small village by poaching animals from the land of the Earl of Sorrelgate Lodge.  When the new Earl, Lord Carsdale, comes to visit his property, he catches Cherry red-handed at poaching on his land.  Dressed as a young lad, Cherry is able to avoid captor, but her father decides to send her to her Aunt Lady Ashburn’s estate for safekeeping.  As the heir intended, Cherry is more than dismayed when Lord Carsdale arrives for a Christmas house party.  Will he recognize her as the poacher?  Why do sparks seem to fly whenever they are together?

I enjoyed this novella immensely.  Monica Fairview writes charming characters and completely captures the regency time period.  I loved the character of Cherry.  She was a spunky woman that cared about the people of her village enough to go against the law to care for them.  I loved her Cinderella story of going from a genteel poor daughter of a vicar to the potential heiress of a rich aunt on a grand state.  I also loved how Lord Carsdale was a Darcy like character with a haughty demeanor and certain prideful ideals that are misinterpreted by Cherry, similar to Elizabeth and Darcy.  Setting the action during a regency Christmas house party was icing on the cake.

Overall, if you are looking for a wonderful enjoyable Christmas story, you will love A Merry Christmas Chase.  It will appeal to all fans of a good, clean, light romantic story, especially fans of regency and Austen novels.

Book Source:  Review E-book copy from author Monica Fairview.  Thank-you!