Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in Nov 21 2014 and Pride and Prejudice re-tellings x3

This challenge is organized by Felicia over at the Geeky Blogger's Book Blog

Saturday 1 hour walk

Sunday 1.15 hour walk

Monday 10 km bike and 45 min zumba toning

Tuesday 5 km bike

Wednesday 5 km bike and 1 hour zumba

Thursday 10 km bike and 1 hour zumba

Friday 5 km bike 

Good week, even though I took a free day on Tuesday cos I had the flu, and on Friday no time for anything cos of xmas party :)

Sunday

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A lady's reputation is a fragile thing. If anyone ever discovered that Miss Elizabeth Bennet had received a letter from a single gentleman, she could be ruined... or forced to marry a man she detests. In this Pride & Prejudice variation, Elizabeth takes the safer course and refuses to read Mr. Darcy's letter of explanation. Returning home unaware of Wickham's true nature, Elizabeth confesses everything to him, putting both Mr. Darcy and herself in grave danger from Wickham's schemes. 

My thoughts:

You all know I love these. They are my weakness, I can't get enough and if they are done right then yay. This one begins from the LETTER. She does not read it and does not realize that Darcy is good and Wickham is bad.

But Darcy loves her and longs for her. Some things are the same and some not. I can not go into detail but I really liked one thing that changed. It was hopeful. Another thing I did not like. Lizzy would not behave a certain way, not after the incident. She is no fool. But hey I can live with it.

I have read most of Reynold's variations and they are all fun. I really should read them all. 

Kindle Edition, 264 pages
Published November 28th 2011 by Intertidal Press
Pride and prejudice variation
Own

Spring 1944 - Britain is now in its fourth year of war. In order to defeat Adolph Hitler and his Nazis, everyone in the country must do his or her bit. While a young Elizabeth Bennet makes her contribution by driving a lorry, Fitzwilliam Darcy flies Lancaster bombers over Germany. Because of the war, both are wary of falling in love, but when the two meet near an airbase in Hertfordshire, all bets are off. 

Set against the background of World War II, in Darcy Goes to War, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy battle something more than class differences. The greatest evil of the 20th Century is trying to bring Britain to its knees. In order to be together, they must survive the war. 

My thoughts:

There was not a lot left of the original story. 5 sisters, two fall in love, 1 make a bad decision. That's it. Darcy and Lizzy meet, they fall for each other. No drama, no heartache. Except the heartache that a war is going on and he might be dead the next day.

I like what happened to Lydia, and her sisters. Jane got her HEA as always too.

I actually think I would have preferred this one to not be a re-telling. Instead it would have showed the work women did for their country, and what men did. And how fast people can fall in love (with that I mean all the girls in the village who was preggers by soldiers).

Interesting story. 

Kindle Edition, 260 pages
Published September 4th 2012 by Quail Creek Publishing LLC
Pride and prejudice re-telling
Own

Did you know that Mr. Darcy had an American cousin?!

My thoughts:

The title says it all...Mr Darcy has an American cousin! He is hot too and has money.

Do I like Caroline? Not so much. Did I like her in the end? Not so much, BUT she had improved greatly and we could have been friends. If I only did not hold a grudge ;) I mean come on, she is a hard woman to like in PP. Here she does learn to be kinder, and people even comment upon it. Because she was a bitch ;)

Anyway, enough with my grudge. Caroline and Mr Darcy meets and do not particularity like each other. But they keep ending up together, and in the same room. Damn that fate! Time moves along, and they become somewhat friendly.

The drama around them is Lizzy being ill :/ A houseparty with new friends. Lydia showing up (sigh Lydia). Mrs Bennet trying to marry her 2 daughters off and Caroline being nice!

Fun, even if I still do not like Caroline, ha.

ebook, 368 pages
Published October 1st 2009 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Pride and Prejudice sequel
Own

Becoming Elizabeth Darcy - Mary Lydon Simonsen

In 2011, American Elizabeth Hannigan, suffering from the flu, falls into a coma and wakes up in the bed and body of Elizabeth Bennet Darcy. Beth soon realizes that the only way back to her life in the 21st Century is through the Master of Pemberley, Jane Austen's Fitzwilliam Darcy. But first she must uncover the dark secret that brought her to Pemberley in 1826 in the first place.

Becoming Elizabeth Darcy is a story of love, loyalty, and loss, where a modern woman is called upon to resolve the problems of Jane Austen's most beloved couple.

My thoughts:

This was kind of time-travel and yet not. You have to read and see. The lines are blurry in a way and I never truly knew what was going on.

Beth is really really sick, and as the ambulance takes her away she wakes up in a strange bed. She is suddenly Mrs Darcy, but how did it happen? And where is the real Elizabeth?

Yes it had me wondering, would Beth go home, would she stay? Was she dead, was Lizzy dead? But I can't tell you those things. Instead I can say Beth is there cos Lizzy and Darcy were having problems. A dead child, miscarriages. Sad really, but also it rang true, if that had happened of course they could have drifted apart even though they still loved each other.

The end was a great ending but at the same time I had wished for something else too. But, trust me, everyone was happy, this book has a HEA after all.

Conclusion:

I wish I could go and be Mrs Darcy for a day ;)

Cover

ok

Kindle Edition, 326 pages
Published (first published December 1st 2011)
Historical romance / Jane Austen variation
Own

Author Guestblog and Giveaway: Mary Lydon Simonsen - Mr Darcy's Bite

More Austen goodness coming up now, I have Mary Lydon Simonsen over for a guestpost and you can win her new book Mr Darcy's Bite.

Hi Linda. Thank you for having me at Book Girl. You asked that I write about superstition in Regency England and how I came to write a paranormal variation.

If someone had asked me if I would ever write a werewolf story, I would have shook my head and laughed. Even though my daughter reads every werewolf and vampire novel out there, I simply had no interest in either subject. However, two years ago, a story appeared on A Happy Assembly, a Jane Austen fan fiction site, where Mr. Darcy was a werewolf. I was really pulled in by the sinister atmosphere the author had created. With Halloween approaching, I decided to write a short story, “Mr. Darcy on the Eve of All Saints’ Day.” The story got so many hits and comments that I expanded it until it was the length of a novel, and much to my surprise, I had a good time doing it.

You asked about superstition in Regency England. Did people of that era believe in werewolves? Possibly. But they weren’t a real threat as wolves had been eradicated from England by the time of Alfred the Great (circa 900 A.D.). By early 19th century, old-growth forests had disappeared from the British Isles because of the need for fuel and housing as well as for the ships of the ever-expanding British Navy. (They needed those tall trees for their masts.) As a result, there was no place for a pack of wolves to hide from a population bent on their destruction. Although these creatures of the night would not have been seen looping about the English countryside, in the great forests of the Continent, there was still a belief that a man/beast existed, and such tales were told throughout Europe.

Even though there were no wolves or werewolves in England, that didn’t mean that an author with a good imagination couldn’t reintroduce them into the wild. In Mr. Darcy’s Bite, I do just that. As with wolves, who are hunt in packs, werewolves congregate near each other for protection. For the same reason, they usually marry another werewolf, and Darcy was preparing to do just that when he met Elizabeth Bennet. However, after the Meryton assembly, all thoughts of marrying another went out the window. But can Lizzy love a man who was also part beast? After his first transformation, Darcy wonders what Elizabeth will think about his dual nature and what information she would need to know before making her decision.

The question Darcy feared most was that Elizabeth would want a detailed description of his transformation. She would be repulsed by a vision of a man dropping to his knees as his arms became legs, followed quickly by the thickening of his neck, an emerging muzzle, and the change in his teeth that were designed to tear an animal apart. The metamorphosis was completed when his hair became fur. She would want to know all of that, and his stomach churned at the idea of speaking of such things to the woman he loved.

I hope you will want to read Mr. Darcy’s Bite to find out Elizabeth’s answer to Darcy’s second proposal. (You can probably guess.) Please keep in mind that this is primarily a love story.

So tell me, what would you do if you knew Mr. Darcy was a werewolf and he proposed marriage to you? I’d love to know. Thanks for stopping by.

Giveaway:

1 copy of Mr Darcy's Bite

1. Open to US and Canada

2. Ends October 27

3. Go ahead and enter :) As easy as that.

But be free to answer Mary's question if you want to :D

OUT NOW - Mr Darcy's Bite

In this fresh, original paranormal Jane Austen sequel by bestselling author Mary Lydon Simonson explores Mr. Darcy as the leader of a secret world of werewolves threatened with extinction.

Elizabeth comes to realize that she loves him in both his incarnations, and all his servants protect his secret. But then Elizabeth must confront a shocking danger to her beloved with every full moon, when Darcy is alone and exposed to those who hate wolves...

Mary's webpage 

Review: Mr. Darcy's Bite - Mary Lydon Simonsen + I am guest blogging

Genre: Pride and Prejudice variation
Pages: 352
Published: October 1, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source. For review

Elizabeth comes to realize that she loves him in both his incarnations, and all his servants protect his secret. But then Elizabeth must confront a shocking danger to her beloved with every full moon, when Darcy is alone and exposed to those who hate wolves...

My thoughts:

The blurb did have me thinking that someone was after werewolves and that there would be danger and so on. But there was not anything like that in this book. No, this book is about Darcy and Lizzie being in love, but Darcy never proposes. Something is wrong and Lizzie is growing restless. He obviously likes her so what is the matter?!

This is where the drama comes in, he is a werewolf and of course she is shocked to learn the truth. Who would not be? She is not really prepared for anything like this so there is a shaky times when she tries to come term with it, and then there is another lady who wants Darcy too. Which brings some extra tension to the book. But we all know they will end up together, that is always promised.

Honestly, yes I can see Darcy as a werewolf. That explains somethings in a way and it just fits him. Especially when we get to see him as a wolf, there is just a playful side to him that does not always come out when he is human. He is just a great alpha.

It was another sweet book. They got to know each other, there were a few misunderstandings, and everyone lived happily ever after. 

Conclusion:

If you want something extra in your JA variation then go for this one, you will love Mr. Darcy as a werewolf.

Rating:

Nice

Cover:

ok

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I am over at Vivienne's blog today reviewing Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

Love can never die. Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie? 

I am also guestblogging today about my top 5 books over at Book Lovers Inc. Do stop by cos they are celebrating with lots of awesome contests :D You can even win something if you comment on my post all thanks to BLI
Can you guess which book is nr 1? ;)

Review: A Wife for Mr Darcy - Mary Lydon Simonsen

Genre: Pride and Prejudice variation
Pages: 384
Published: July 1st 2011 Sourcebooks Landmark

When he meets Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy is already courting another young lady and now, in addition to his original qualms, Darcy has a real matter of honor to overcome...

 

My thoughts:

Yes I am back with another variation and this one is actually one of the best ones I have read. I really fell for this story and perhaps it was because things worked out so well.

This is a bit different in the aspect that Mr Darcy is looking for a bride and has settled on a fine young lady with noble blood. He is courting her now and then, since he is not that taken by her. It is just a duty but a duty that must be fulfilled. Until the day he meets Elizabeth. Here the book begins with him coming over to say that he is sorry for that famous comment who she was not pretty enough. So instead they flirt and become friendly and by doing that many other things do not happen. But the big cloud over their happiness is that he knows he must let her go since he is an honourable man and he will not let down the woman he is courting.

Yes I know! Horrible! Mr Darcy, noooo! He should not court another woman *sobs* but he is also so incredibly nice so he can't let her down when her hopes are up and all of London know they will wed. I have to respect him for that. I could not wait to see what happened and how he got out of this mess. Lizzy did of course find out too and got a bit mad after they met again, as was her right. I shall not tell you how it works out but come on, this is a PP variation so of course Lizzy and Darcy will get married, be happily ever after and get lots of cute babies in that awesome mansion. 

The rest then, Bingley and Jane were sweet as always. Lydia has her story and I will not tell you that end. Mr Collins is an idiot as always, Georgiana has a bigger role and is really nice and wants only happiness for her brother. We also meet Colonel Fitzwilliam's brother who is a real scoundrel, but a loving one.

Conclusion:

This is the Pride and Prejudice variation to read. It was sweet and wonderful, just like a nice desert that you just savour. And it will bring a smile to your face.

Rating:

Good

Cover:

nice

Interview and giveaway: Mary Lydon Simonsen with The Perfect Bride for Mr Darcy

Today I have the author of The Perfect Bride for Mr Darcy over.  There will also be a giveaway of two copies at the bottom of this post. But first, please help me welcome Mary Lydon Simonsen.

Welcome to Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell!

Tell me something about yourself, so we can get to know you better.

First, thank you for having me as your guest. Now to answer your question. I am the perfect example of someone who developed a second career relatively late in life. As a working woman, I was a legal secretary and special education assistant, but after taking early retirement, I started to write a novel which would eventually become Searching for Pemberley, my first novel for Sourcebooks, in my mid fifties. It goes to show you that it’s never too late to begin again. Of course, I’m not talking about trying out for the Olympics.

Your newest book is called The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy; could you tell me what it is about?

I chose to use two minor characters to advance the plot of my Pride and Prejudice retelling. The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy is faithful to Austen’s novel in that the set-up of the story is the same: Darcy proposes to Elizabeth at Hunsford, and she rejects him because of his arrogance, his interference in Jane and Bingley’s romance, and his supposed mistreatment of George Wickham. So that’s the end of their romance. Right? Not exactly.  Darcy’s cousin, Anne De Bourgh, realizing that Elizabeth is perfect for Darcy, puts a plan in place to bring the pair together at Pemberley. Along the way, she enlists the aid of Georgiana Darcy as well as Colonel Fitzwilliam and even their rascal cousin, Earl Fitzwilliam. Although there are difficulties, my goal was to write a light-hearted story.

I know that you have written a couple of other books. Could you tell me about those?

This is a question that every author dreams about getting. My first novel, Searching for Pemberley, takes place in post World War II England where American, Maggie Joyce, finds her own Mr. Darcy.  Anne Elliot, A New Beginning, is a parody of Austen’s Persuasion, and I had a ball writing it. Anne becomes a long-distance runner, and the confidence she gains from that experience, changes everything—everything except her love for Captain Wentworth. Finally, I wrote a modern, non-Austen romantic comedy, The Second Date, Love-Italian American Style, that takes place in the late 1980s in the Italian-American community of North Jersey where I grew up.

Now to the important question: what led you to writing Austen variations?

I have been in love with Jane Austen’s writings since I first read Pride and Prejudice in 1969, so Jane and I have been together for more than four decades. For years, I had been thinking about writing an Austen tie-in because Austen is one of those writers who doesn’t detail every single thing, allowing your imagination to fill in the blanks. Over the years, I have imagined many “what ifs.” In addition to The Perfect Bride, I have another novel coming out in July, A Wife for Mr. Darcy. Realizing that he was rude and had given offense at the Meryton assembly, Mr. Darcy apologizes the next day to Elizabeth. Because they don’t start out disliking each other, their romance goes off on a different trajectory. But the course of love never does run smooth or it would be a very short novel.

Are you working on something new and exciting right now?

I have several irons in the fire: a time travel in which a modern  P&P enthusiast travels back to Regency England, Mr. Darcy visiting New York where he meets American Elizabeth Bennet, and a post World War I story where Darcy and Elizabeth meet in a hospital. I don’t lack ideas; I lack time.

Which Austen heroine do you most feel like?

I would like to say Elizabeth Bennet because she has spunk, and I admire spunk. But I’m more like Anne Elliot. I tend to let events come to me, but Anne did end up with Captain Wentworth, one of my favorite heroes in all of literature.

Which Austen hero would be your perfect match?

Again, I will have to go with Captain Wentworth. Despite a separation of eight years, Frederick remained faithful to Anne Elliot in his heart and mind. I would always know that such a man would be there for me. Such devotion provides a foundation for a person to grow. I know this from personal experience. (Thanks, Paul.)

Do you have any insight into why we all love Mr. Darcy so much?

Hmmm. Let me think? Wildly in love with Elizabeth, devoted to those he cares about, good brother, excellent master, a man capable of reform, rich, handsome, a person of rank, portrayed by Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen, master of Pemberley. Should I keep going?

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Getting published is a hard business, so I would tell writers to remember why they started writing in the first place. Keep reminding yourself that this is something you love to do, so do it for that reason. Everything else is a bonus.

Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure.

Thank you :)

Now to the giveaway. Thanks to Sourcebooks I have 2 copies of The perfect bride for Mr Darcy to give away.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Rules:

1. Open to US and Canada

2. Ask Mary a question, comment on the book, the interview, or just tell me which is your fav Jane Austen hero or heroine. Or who would be perfect for you. In the end just something more than enter me  :)

3. Ends January 19th

4. And last, if your email is not in your profile, then leave it here or just email me it. So I do not need to hunt you down if you win (which I will still do anyway but still :)

THE PERFECT BRIDE FOR MR. DARCY BY MARY LYDON SIMONSEN – IN STORES JANUARY 2011

If the two of them weren’t so stubborn…

It’s obvious to Georgiana Darcy that the lovely Elizabeth Bennet is her brother’s perfect match, but Darcy’s pigheadedness and Elizabeth’s wounded pride are going to keep them both from the loves of their lives.

Georgiana can’t let that happen, so she readily agrees to help her accommodating cousin, Anne de Bourgh, do everything within their power to assure her beloved brother’s happiness.
But the path of matchmaking never runs smoothly…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Lydon Simonsen’s first book, Searching for Pemberley, was acclaimed by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and RT Book Reviews. She is well loved and widely followed on all the Jane Austen fanfic sites, with tens of thousands of hits and hundreds of reviews whenever she posts. She lives in Peoria, Arizona where she is working on her next Jane Austen novel. For more information, please visit http://marysimonsenfanfiction.blogspot.com/ and http://www.austenauthors.com/, where she regularly contributes.

Review: The Perfect Bride for Mr Darcy - Mary Lydon Simonsen

Genre: Historical, romance, Pride and prejudice variation
Pages: 384
Published: January 2011 Sourcebooks Landmark

Convinced that the lovely Elizabeth Bennet is her brother's soul mate, Georgiana Darcy enlists her clever and not at all snobbish cousin Anne de Bourgh in ensuring that pride and prejudice aren't able to keep these two hearts apart. All is going according to plan until Lydia Bennet brings scandal on the family by eloping with George Wickham, and Darcy is called away from Elizabeth's side before he has a chance to propose. It will take all Georgiana and Anne's considerable matchmaking talents to ensure that Elizabeth and Darcy are reunited in time to claim their happily ever after.

Plot:

It is Anne who is the matchmaker in this one, after she finds out that Darcy loves Lizzy she puts a plan in motion to get these two together. While Georgiana starts to figure out the clues and later wants to help to see her brother happy.

My thoughts:

I do love my Jane Austen variations, and this one introduces Anne in such a new light. She is quiet, but that is mostly because of her mother. When she is with her cousins she is another woman, but still she is ill and will therefore never marry. I did like this new portrait of Anne. Georgiana was different too, not at all shy but lively and could easily speak with others.

But the rest was just as usual, Lizzy and Darcy were true to the original story, Wickham a scoundrel as usual. One thing happened though and that is that Jane got another suitor. What happened with that you just have to read and find out.

This was a nice variation that kept close to the real story, just that instead of them finding their way to each other we see that someone else is pushing behind the scenes. Kind of made me wish that Anne could find love too, but alas no, she can't. Still she is a strong woman.

Mr Darcy was as lovely as usual, and honestly can anyone be more horrible than Caroline Bingley? That woman drives me crazy.

My final thoughts and recommendation:

Yes for the Austen fans, and for the rest of you too. I liked the fact that this one stayed very true to the course of the story, well fairly close. A 3,5 since it was amusing, sweet, and a good dose of Austen. I enjoyed the tale, and especially Miss Anne de Bourgh.

Reason for reading:

I love JA variations!

Cover:

Not liking it actually

Copy from the publisher