Jane Austen State of Mind

It is my pleasure to kick off the blog tour for Mary Smythe's debut novel, Dare to Refuse Such a Man.  It was released just today and is available through this direct  link via Amazon. When I received a copy of the book (check out the beautiful cover!), and opened it to the first page of text, I was instantly drawn in by the riveting and nonconventional prologue. I have been an avid reader of Austenesque fiction for many years now. While some tried and true scenarios (e.g., forced marriage, kidnapping, etc.) yield interesting results, I've lately been most drawn to the new and different. Luckily for me,  I don't believe I have ever read a book with the same starting premise as this one. The book's blurb describes it better and more succinctly than I ever could... He is the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never dare refuse anything which he condescended to ask." -Mr. Bennet, Pride and Prejudice Volume III, Chapter 17 It had never occurred to Fitzwilliam Darcy...

My reading time has been limited as of late, and my attention has been all over the place. I blame Spring Fever! No doubt some of my readers can relate. While I've struggled to focus on my reading, I've actually started five separate JAFF books (yes, you read that right). Sadly, in recent weeks, I've not made steady progress on them. However, Lucy Marin's new release, The Recovery of Fitzwilliam Darcy has been an exception. I've breezed through it and am almost finished with it (at the time of this post). It's a page turner full of angst (which I love). The angst, however, does not stem from any common tropes (e.g., force marriage scenario, etc.). This book presents an alternative reality that from the beginning of the story does not follow cannon. Oftentimes, books like this that take a sharp, alternate path don't work for me, but when they're good, they're SO SO GOOD! I'm thinking Caitlin Williams'  The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet a...