Book and Gift Basket Giveaway!!

 Have you read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson yet?? 

I loved it and so did my reading group! 

And to celebrate celling over ONE MILLION COPIES, the publisher is having an amazing giveaway! A Kentucky themed gift basket and a signed first edition of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek!

  Here is the link to ENTER and read more about it. Good luck!

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald... Blog Tour and Review!

Welcome to Broken Wheel, a whisper of a town, almost beyond repair. But to a girl named Sara, who lives practically on the other side of the world (ok, maybe just across the Atlantic), Broken Wheel is her adventure of a lifetime!

Amy lives in Broken Wheel, Iowa, a sleepy little rural town that has seen better days. Sara lives in Sweden, would rather read a book than participate in life and works in a bookstore, or did, until the bookstore closed. But because of Amy and Sara's shared love of books and reading, they become pen pals, and eventually Amy invites Sara for a visit...

So, Sara crosses the Atlantic, thousands of miles away from home, and arrives in Iowa, waiting for Amy to pick her up from the next town over... and waits... and waits... only to find out that Amy checked out of Broken Wheel...permanently!  And not only did Sara miss Amy, but she missed her funeral as well! Oh, what's a girl to do?! Not to worry, the town takes Sara in, kind of adopts her and so begins, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald.

Quirky characters, a bit of romance, and a good story make this a fun read! After a while, it just feels like you're a part of the story too! Katarina Bivald is a wonderful writer, and gives life to her characters and Broken Wheel. For all of us book lovers, Broken Wheel is a great place to visit, especially since Sara decides to pay back the kindness of the town, by sharing her love of reading by opening a bookstore, where there's "something for everyone"!

I really enjoyed the premise of "the town" adopting Sara. It really showcased what small town America is all about. And the bookstore was wonderful because as a reader it was fun to see what books Sara would recommend to people, and how some of the choices were a bit "controversial". But I think my favorite parts of the book were the letters between Amy and Sara. They really gave me insight into the characters and the town. And, the letters were sprinkled throughout the book to add a bit of background depending on what was going on in the story.

If you enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and/or 84, Charing Cross Road, you will definitely enjoy The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, which has the same kind of charm and is partly written in that wonderful epistolary style. Charming, heartwarming and a book lovers kind of read. Put this on your TBR list now!  I thoroughly enjoyed it! 4 stars from me. And not only will you enjoy it, but this has all the qualities of a great book club selection! It's the January Indie Next Pick! AND, this coming Tuesday, January 19th, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend will be released! I want to thank the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for the eGalley for my reading pleasure and in exchange for my honest review!

Chick with Books is hosting the official blog tour today! And I've got a link from Sourcebooks Landmark for a giveaway they are running! They are giving away copies of this book to 3 lucky winners! Here is The Link. They will be contacting the winners directly. Good luck!

The Sunday Salon and 4 Women You're going to Want to Meet

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's that day of the week we relax a bit and talk virtually with our reading friends about what bookish things we've been doing. So, pull up a chair, grab a cup of Joe and let's talk books…

It's going to be another snowy weekend in Connecticut, but I am tired of "snowy" reads and want something a bit warmer. Let's turn our attention to some great books where not a snowflake can be found, where all the attention this week is in the bookish world and to these 4 great women...

I like books with strong female characters. Whimpy and whiney are not for me. And these days there are so many great female characters.This week, I found 4 women telling their tales from within the pages of some hot new and soon to be released books! We travel to the Jersey Shore, Tombstone, Arizona, and to France during WWII to meet these women, and here are their stories...

The first book that caught my eye this week and that I downloaded an eGalley of was The Summer after Me and You by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski. The premise sounded like your typical teen summer romance, but when I read the excerpt I fell in love with the easy going, wonderful writing and have been turning the pages for the last day or so. Here's the publisher's blurb...

 Then Superstorm Sandy sweeps up the coast, bringing Lucy and Connor together for a few intense hours. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm, and Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and her broken home. Time may heal all wounds, but with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, Lucy's summer is sure to be filled with fireworks.
For Lucy, the Jersey Shore isn't just the perfect summer escape, it's home. As a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in during Memorial Day weekend, crowding her costal town and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Still, she can't help but crush on charming Connor Malloy. His family spends every summer next door, and she longs for their friendship to turn into something deeper. 

You've got the Jersey Shore, that stirring of first love, a great FEMALE lead character and plenty of sunshine for a great summer read! The book reminded me of a teenage version of Barbara Delinsky's Sweet Salt Air, which I absolutely loved! Our girl Lucy, is a wonderful character. She's fresh and honest with her feelings, which made me open my heart to her. But you'll have to wait until May 5th to put your flip flops on with this one, because that's when Sourcebook Fire has it slated for publication! It looks like it's going right to eBook and Trade Paperback when it comes out. When I finish this read up, I'll let you all know what my final judgement is, but so far, it's two thumbs up.

Next book I stumbled across was Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell. It's a novel about Wyatt Earp and The O.K. Corral, but it's told through his wife, Josephine Sarah Marcus, and I was so frustrated by only getting a sample of the first few chapters, because it is so GOOD! Josephine opens the story in Tombstone, Arizona. We soon learn she is the live-in girlfriend of not Wyatt Earp, but the sheriff, Johnny Behan. Hmmm, now how does she end up Wyatt Earp's wife? We also learn the creative way Josephine ends up in Tombstone, which just goes to show you this girl has spunk (I don't want to spoil anything here by telling you how)! What a compelling character! If this were not a book about the O.K. Corral, Mary Doria Russell could have probably written a great book on Josephine Sarah Marcus, because her back story is that interesting! The writing definitely grabbed me from the start, and whether or not you are familiar with the O.K. Corral and all that legend says about those boys in Tombstone, Mary Doria Russell brings this time period to life from a different perspective… The Girl's. Coming March 3rd! Here's the blurb from the publisher about the book...

A deeply divided nation. Vicious politics. A shamelessly partisan media. A president loathed by half the populace. Smuggling and gang warfare along the Mexican border. Armed citizens willing to stand their ground and take law into their own hands... That was America in 1881. All those forces came to bear on the afternoon of October 26th when Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers faced off against the Clantons and the McLaurys in Tombstone, Arizona. It should have been a simple misdemeanor arrest. Thirty seconds and thirty bullets later, three officers were wounded and three citizens lay dead in the dirt. Wyatt Earp was the last man standing, the only one unscathed. The lies began before the smoke cleared, but the gunfight at the O.K. Corral would soon become central to American beliefs about the Old West. Epitaph tells Wyatt’s real story, unearthing the Homeric tragedy buried under 130 years of mythology, misrepresentation, and sheer indifference to fact. Epic and intimate, this novel gives voice to the real men and women whose lives were changed forever by those fatal 30 seconds in Tombstone. At its heart is the woman behind the myth: Josephine Sarah Marcus, who loved Wyatt Earp for forty-nine years and who carefully chipped away at the truth until she had crafted the heroic legend that would become the epitaph her husband deserved.

And finally, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. There has been so much press about this book. And again, we have female voices, two sisters, telling the tales of war and of love from their own perspectives. Weaving a story of WWII, one of my favorite historical fiction time periods, I wanted more from The Nightingale after reading about 30 pages. It just came out this week and definitely on my wish list! Here's the blurb from the publisher…

In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939. In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front.  She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth.  While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely.  But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

What else is happening? Did you hear the news about the NEW Harper Lee novel? Yes, a new novel called Go Set a Watchman is about Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) 20 years later. The book was found recently among some of Harper Lee's papers, and actually was the novel Harper Lee intended to write instead of To Kill a Mockingbird. Her publisher liked the flashbacks from Scout and asked Harper Lee to develop that aspect of the story and the result was To Kill a Mockingbird. I wrote about it this past wednesday, Follow this link for more details and links for a few other sources about the book and the controversy surrounding it. Questions abound about whether Harper Lee wrote it, and actually approved of it being published some 50 years after writing it without editing it. In frail health in an assisted living facility, people are questioning whether anyone is taking advantage of her. Fiercely private, it does seem suspect that she would welcome all the hoopla after so long. What do you think?

ALSO...For the past few years, publishers have put together a digital download called Buzz Books for Spring and Summer books. I love taking a peek and reading through the excerpts. There were about 40 books in all different genres and I bookmarked quite a few of them for future reading, a few books I downloaded to continue reading the full book and one book I downloaded and finished reading in about 3 days, which was about the romance of Audrey Hepburn and William Holden, called Audrey and Bill by Edward Epstein. It is a biography of Audrey Hepburn and William Holden written about them separately and as a couple. It was so wonderfully written and I was totally absorbed! Tomorrow, "Memoir Monday", will highlight that book and you can read my full review. Let's just say, if you are a true romantic and love old movies, this books for you!

What's on your reading plate this week? Any new books we need to know about!? Hope you found something here today!

Happy Reading… Suzanne

The Splintered Kingdom by James Aitcheson, a Review

"They came at first light, when the eastern skies were still gray and before anyone on the manor had risen. Shadows lay across the land: across the hall upon the mound and the fields surrounding it, across the river and the woods and the great dike beyond that funds from sea to sea. And it was from those shadows that they came upon Earnford, with swords and knives and axes: a band of men perhaps as few as a dozen in number, perhaps as many as thirty. In truth no one knew, for by the time enough of us had woken, armed ourselves, and gathered to stand against them, they had already turned and fled, slipping away amid the trees, taking seven girls and women front the village with them."

Welcome to Earnford, the summer of 1070 and a fabulous tale of honor among men, vengeance to your enemies, swords and arms, knights and the battles they fought to  protect the lands that they claim. James Aithcheson has earned my praise for creating an amazing story that wrapped itself around me and held me until I turned the last page and then as the story released me from its grasp, I desperately wanted more. Strong characters, well drawn setting, great plot.

The landscape of the Norman Conquest was not new to me, but it was far from being a part of history I  paid much attention to past high school. During this period of Britain's history, the English, Welsh and Normans were all struggling for control of England. James Aitcheson creates a hero we grow quickly to embrace, and helps us navigate the war torn Country known as England. Tancred a Dinant is our hero, a man good with the sword who is eventually rewarded with a lordship and manor to call his own, as he proves valiant in battle. Why did I love him? He is honorable, confident, appreciative of those around him, not full of himself, and has a good head on his shoulders. He's a born leader, though a reluctant one at times. And why did I love this book? Because with each turn of the page, I became more part of the book, until I felt as if I was right in the midst of everything. James Aitcheson created such a realism with his characters and setting that it didn't feel like a story after a while. And why wouldn't Aitcheson do such a good job of writing about this time period? While studying history at Cambridge, he fell in love with the time period surrounding the Norman Conquest and did extensive research. To put his knowledge to work in a piece of historical fiction was easy for him. Fortunately for him, and us,the writing flows easily too.

The Splintered Kingdom navigates the battles well known for this time period without getting bogged down and boring. It does this through the eyes of Tancred a Dinant, a Norman, who seeks vengeance for the death of his Lord, the deaths of the men he has fought besides and the death of his one true love. We follow Tancred as he protects his lands and the people under his new found lordship, as he is called to arms to fight for his Country, and as he lives through victories and defeats. We get a feel for the way people lived during the middle ages and how fleeting life can be. There is a hint of romance here and there, but the meat of the book is how Tancred lives his life in battle and in 11 century England.     Tancred's story is wonderful and so is the writing. I became addicted!

The Sunday Salon and Addicted Reading...

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! This is the time of the week we all get together virtually to talk about what we love - Books and reading! This week I've had my head in a book and had to tear myself away to do my "chores", but now that I'm almost done (with the book, not the chores) I'm trying to slow down because I am going to hate to come to the end of this tale… Am I addicted?!

We've all been there… a book that just grabs a hold of you and won't let go. Sometimes it's a book that you've been anticipating, book #2 or the next in a sequel, or sometimes it's a book that is totally not what you expected or better than you expected. There is nothing more satisfying than starting a book reluctantly only to find yourself all wrapped up and having to remind yourself to breathe… and this week I was totally wrapped up in a book that isn't my normal reading, though I do love historicals, and took me to unfamiliar terrain that I just lost myself in. The sites, the sounds, the smells, the way the people lived, the honor among men, all of it swept me up before I realized it and I was hooked.

The setting for the book is the Normandy Conquest. English, Normans, Welsh, Vikings and the like all battling for the English land they all want to claim for their own. The book? The Splintered Kingdom by James Aitcheson, a book I got an email from the publisher about reviewing, and after reading a 60 page sampling of the first book, jumped at the chance to read it.

I haven't quite finished it, but the writing is wonderful. The characters are so well rounded and the landscape is so easy to visualize. Before I read the sample I was a bit apprehensive because Knights, war, and 11th century England are not what I normally would call fun, (mostly the war part not being fun) but this book and this series is terrific! Every free moment I've got my head in this book! I'm addicted...

The great part about this book, besides being able to read it courtesy of the publisher, is that next month James Aitcheson is going on a Virtual Tour and making a stop here!!! I'll be "officially"reviewing The Splintered Kingdom AND HAVING A GIVEAWAY!!! Yes, I have a beautiful hardcover copy of The Splintered Kingdom and another copy of the first book in the series Sworn Sword to giveaway to one lucky Chick with Books reader! All the fun starts Sept.4th! Mark your calendar! But in the meantime…

Let me know what books you have been addicted to lately! Any books surprise you when they swept you away?

Happy reading… Suzanne

It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare... A Review

I'm chasing the cold away this week with some hot reads! Today I want to share with you It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare...

Blaire Lindsay has been warned that her ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands is haunted. But it will take more than tales of fictional ghosts to frighten Blaire, a battle-born witch with supernatural strength and the ability to make sparks fly from her fingertips. Hearing spectral wails, she decides to search for their source, and is surprised to find a handsome English baron chained to the dungeon wall. Once Blaire frees James, Lord Kettering, from his bonds, she quickly finds herself in the arms of the vampyre lord, whose perfect manners are more dangerous than anything Blaire has ever faced... Soon her family’s castle is overrun with vengeful vampyres from James’ past, which threaten both of their futures. Blaire and James join together in the fight of their lives to save everything they hold dear from the forces of evil...

Do you love your Historical's with a wee bit of witchcraft?! Well, It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare is a Paranormal Historical! The setting is one of my favorites... Scotland! And the time frame is 1817! Add to that mix a heroine that is feisty and a witch, a handsome vampyre that almost melts our heroine's heart, and a dark and mysterious castle!

The story opens up in Edinburgh, 1797. Five witches have hunted down a particular vampyre, charming in appearance, but deadly. Deadly to the daughter of one of the coven... sometime in the future. The vampyre is James Kettering and the witches take his very essence away and bury him in a castle in the Highlands, never to be heard from again... or so they thought.

The story jumps 20 years in the future. Those five witches have passed down their powers to their daughters, one of which is Blaire Lindsay. Upon the death of Blaire's mother, eventually it is found out that her mother had an estate... in the Highlands. Are you seeing part of the picture here? Buried in the basement of that estate is James Kettering, and when Blaire shows up to claim her ancestral home, guess who is discovered stirring in the basement?! But this is just the start of a fantastic story! When Blaire frees James from the basement, she knows he's not your average man, and what ensues is just amazing!

The banter between Blaire and James is so wonderful! She is a great heroine, who is feisty and strong willed, but yet she can't help but melt at James Kettering's touch. Sparks and passion ignite every time Blaire and James get near each other, but love between a witch and a vampyre? And especially since it was Blaire's mother who helped banish James for 20 years in the basement! Why did they banish James into the Highlands? What secrets lie in wait for both Blaire and James to discover?

There is so much more to this novel than the fire between Blaire and James. The story feels fresh in its approach, sprinkled with humor and filled with an intriguing mystery. The writing is wonderful. Blaire does talk with a Scottish Brogue, but it should only take a few pages before the dialect feels natural. And that Scottish Brogue is only coming from Blaire's family and relations, the rest of the dialogue is written without the added Highland "flavor". But the way Blaire talks also adds authenticity to the time and place. And I really enjoyed "listening" to her.

Simply put... I just loved this book! Lydia Dare's writing just pulled me in! I became totally absorbed in the story, which had just enough witchcraft and vampyre lore to satisfy me without overwhelming the whole plot. The romance was smart & sexy. And the characters were were well developed and entertaining. Blaire herself kept me reading as I just had to know how she was going to handle all that was put in front of her. If you enjoy vampyres, a bit of witchcraft and "The Highlands", plus romance, a great story and a bit of mystery, Read This Book!

I want to thank Sourcebooks for sending along a copy for review! I loved it! AND I hear that It Happened One Bite is the start of a new series by Lydia Dare! I can't wait!

Legacy by Jeanette Baker... A Review

Legacy by Jeanette Baker...

When a distant relative bequeaths a Scottish castle to Christina Murray, the beautiful college professor is off to a distant land to claim her inheritance. It is there that she meets Ian Douglas, a breathtakingly handsome man who may hold the key to the secrets of Traquair House...and to her heart. As Christina enters the elusive passageway to love, her all-too-lifelike dreams reveal that she is tied to three ghostly ancestors: Katrine, a spirited Jacobite, in love with an Englishman...Jeanne, a Renaissance wife accused of witchcraft...and Mairi, the medieval maid Who shares a forbidden passion with England's king.

Destined to become the curse's next victim, Christina travels through time to unveil the mystery of her family. But she soon discovers that her assumptions about Ian and their, newly found love, as well as her own life, may have put her in grave danger....

Do you love Historical Romance? Does just the mention of Scotland make you imagine foggy cliffs and mysterious men? Ladies, do yourself a favor and pick this one up! I can't resist a Scottish romance, but when you add an ancient curse, ghostly ancestors, and a bit of time travel, then I'm totally sold! And as soon as I started reading Legacy by Jeanette Baker I fell in love with her writing. Her characters are well developed, the setting is painted beautifully onto the page, and the story just takes you by the hand and leads you away...

The story begins with Christina Murray receiving a mysterious letter from Lady Maxwell along with a plane ticket to Scotland. When she arrives, she finds Lady Maxwell on her deathbed, and one look at Christina was all she needed to finish her life. Fear gripped Lady Maxwell as she looked upon Christina's face, and she died. At this point I was wondering if it was coincidental, but we are soon to find out that Christina is the spitting image of one of the cursed ancestors of Traquair House. And the real reason for Lady Maxwell to want to meet Christina was soon to be revealed - Lady Maxwell's husband willed his estate, the castle, Traquair House, to Christina. What comes along with Traquair House is the curse...

As the story unfolds, the stories of the other three women, Christina's ancestor's that were doomed by the curse, are also revealed. We are transported back in time and place, and treated to what seems like 4 stories, as each woman steps forward to share their forbidden love and life with the reader. The stories are woven seamlessly together, and are passionate, sexy, and painful. And each story stays within its historical context, as Jeanette Baker immerses us in the sights and sounds of the day. I loved being transported back, and almost didn't want to come back to the present. Christina must resolve to solve the mysteries behind all their lives so as not to suffer the same ill fated curse.

I rate this delicious! A multi-layered story that doesn't loose it in the details. Equal parts of mystery and romance, I enjoyed it thoroughly and hope to add more Jeanette Baker novels on my shelves! I want to thank Sourcebooks for the review copy of this Cassablanca Classic Romance!

A Little eBook Treat from Sourcebooks

Here's a little ebook treat from Sourcebooks!

The following three eBooks will be free from today until Sunday:

Lydia Bennet’s Story by Jane Odiwe

Her new release Mr. Darcy’s Secret just came out on February 1st

Love at First Flight by Marie Force

Her new release Everyone Loves a Hero just came out on February 1st

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick

Her highly anticipatded release, To Defy a King will be released March 1st

Click on the book titles to go directly to the free Kindle versions of these ebooks. If you have a different eReader, here's the link to go directly to Sourcebooks to choose the book for your particular eReader. The PDF or ePub books you can get directly from the Sourcebooks site, and there are links below the author's book to take you to Nook, Kobo, Sony and iBooks.

Thanks Sourcebooks! And thank you to Beth from Sourcebooks for passing along the information!

First Lines...

"Alpina Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't been easy locating a vampyre none of them had ever met, but finally, after nights of searching for the man, there he was! He certainly matched the description of the man Fiona Macleod had seen in her vision. Leaning against the stone facade of the old inn, Lord Kettering drew deeply on his cheroot as he gazed up at the crescent moon, seemingly without a care in the world."

... It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare (coming March 2011)

January Starts Sizzling with Romances by Judi Fennell

The Tritone Trilogy

by Judi Fennell

Let's Start January Sizzling with Romances by Judi Fennell!

Judi Fennell delivers a romp in the ocean with 3 gorgeous guys and 3 fun stories- All part of the Tritone Trilogy! If you'd like to try a little something different, Judi Fennell has got you covered! A Romantic comedy starring men from under the sea, Judi Fennell has created a wonderful world with rich characters. In Over Her Head is the first book in the series. We meet Reel Tritone who is a Mer and "is the rebellious royal second son of the ruler of a vast undersea kingdom (think of Atlantis) , and he's always been fascinated by humans"... and one human in particular- Erica Peck. Beautiful, water weary and his destiny. One sticky issue though- he is Mer and she is human... They eventually embark on a madcap adventure to recover some stolen treasure, after he saves her from a watery grave... Wild Blue Under is the second book in the series. Rod Tritone is gorgeous, going to inherit the Mer Kingdom and needs to fulfill his destiny with a woman who is "terrified of water". Valerie Dumere doesn't know it yet, but she isn't quite all human. She is part Mer due to a discrete love affair between a human and Mer. Now Rod must convince Valerie of who she is to save his world... Catch of a Lifetime is the final book in the series due to be released in February of this year. Meet Angel Tritone, she’s on a mission to save the planet… "Mermaid Angel Tritone has been researching humans from afar, hoping to find a way to convince them to stop polluting. When she jumps into a boat to escape a shark attack, it’s her chance to pursue her mission, but she has to keep her identity a total secret… When he finds out what she really is, they’re both in mortal danger… For Logan Hardington, finding a beautiful woman on his boat is surely not a problem—until he discovers she’s a mermaid, and suddenly his life is on the line…"

I read the first two books in the series and was simple taken by the fun, believable world of the Mer Kingdom. All the excitement doesn't take place in the water though, the Mer are able to "alter" themselves to be able to come above water. Fun, delicious and a great read, the Tritone Trilogy is refreshing and light. Judi Fennell's writing is terrific! If you'd like to try something a little different, dive into Judi Fennell's watery romances! It'll leave a smile on your face! Want to learn more about Judi Fennell? Check out her Website. I want to thank Danielle of Sourcebooks for sending along In Over Her Head and Wild Blue Under! Thanks Danielle these were so much fun to read!

Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen... A Review

Could Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice have been Inspired by a Real Love Story...

Join Maggie Joyce as she searches for the answers...

Searching for Pemberly by Mary Lydon Simonsen is wonderful historical fiction! Filled with romance, history and the mystery behind the real life characters of Pride & Prejudice. Instead of reinventing Pride & Prejudice into a different story, Mary Lydon Simonsen gives us Maggie Joyce, a girl who loves Jane Austen, who happens to be working in London and has "stumbled upon a rumor that Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was based on the lives of a real couple."

What could be more fun then solving the age old question of who the real Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are?! Just after World War II, a young Maggie Joyce, a Jane Austen fan, has just graduated from business school and leaves her coal town in Pennsylvania for office work in Washington, DC. The time just after the war was a dark and dreary time, similar in some respects to the world that Jane Austen writes about in her novel Pride & Prejudice, and we can see the connection that Maggie Joyce has with Jane's work. When it's time to move on, we see a little spark of adventure in Maggie as she travels to work first in Germany and then finally in London, England, home to her heroine Jane Austen! It's here where the story really begins... With a tour of what is thought to be Pemberly and the rumors of the real life love story that Pride & Prejudice was based on!

Although this is fiction, you just can't stop yourself from wishing that all that Maggie uncovers is the truth behind the actual romance between "Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy". The story is so well thought out that it is quite believable. Through correspondence and long forgotten diaries & letters Maggie finds, we are propelled into the mystery ourselves! The writing is good, the research done to stay true to the times is evident, and of course the characters are likable and believable. A very unique take in what is a large number of Jane Austen inspired books, Searching for Pemberley is a wonderful story. I so enjoyed this book! And if you are a Jane fan, you will enjoy it too! Mary Lydon Simonsen treats us to a leisurely paced story! Like enjoying a steeping cup of tea, you slowly breathe it all in. Maggie doesn't uncover anything earth shattering, but what Mary Lydon Simonsen uncovers is a story that will keep your interest! A wonderful mystery, a nice heap of romance, and this all adds up to a book well worth any Jane Austen fans' time. Thank you to Danielle of Sourcebooks for this wonderful review copy! The story was more than I could have hoped for!