Monday, April 1, 2019

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: A Very Austen Valentine by Robin Helm, Laura Hile, Wendy Sotis, Barbara Cornthwaite, Susan Kaye, Mandy H. Cook


About the Book



Book: A Very Austen Valentine  
Author: Robin Helm  
Genre: Historical Romance (Regency), Religious and Inspirational  
Release Date: December 29, 2018

Six beloved authors deliver romantic Valentine novellas set in Jane Austen’s Regency world. Robin Helm, Laura Hile, Wendi Sotis, and Barbara Cornthwaite, together with Susan Kaye and Mandy Cook, share variations of Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility, featuring your favorite characters in sequels, adaptations, and spinoffs of Austen’s adored novels. 

Experience uplifting romance, laugh-out-loud humor, and poignant regret as these authors deftly tug on your heartstrings this Valentine’s Day.  

I Dream of You by Robin Helm

Newly-married Elizabeth Darcy has a plan: to charm her too-busy husband into desiring her company as much as he did when he was courting her. A series of romantic dreams gives her just the push she needs to put that plan into action. S

ir Walter Takes a Wife by Laura Hile

Faced with a lonely future and finding himself strapped for cash, Persuasion’s Sir Walter Elliot manfully decides to marry again. But his careful plans go sadly awry! A lighthearted Valentine mash-up featuring two of Jane Austen’s worst snobs.  

My Forever Valentine by Wendi Sotis

Jane and Charles Bingley have married, even though Miss Elizabeth Bennet remains certain Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy gave his best effort to keep them apart. After Mr. Darcy refused to stand up with Bingley and did not attend the wedding, she despises the gentleman more than ever and finds his company intolerable. How will she endure her visit to Kent if Mr. Darcy turns up everywhere she goes?  

Pretence and Prejudice by Barbara Cornthwaite

A chance encounter with a handsome stranger forces Elizabeth to resort to subterfuge in order to discover his true intentions.  

My Valentine by Mandy H. Cook

Little Charlotte was always determined and independent, traits which served her well as she battled a serious childhood illness and later as she took on Polite Society. Will those traits now deprive her of true love? Or would her lifelong Valentine win her heart?

The Lovers’ Ruse by Susan Kaye

 In this Persuasion alteration, Anne is so altered by Wentworth’s love in the summer of 1806, she refuses to give him up when both her godmother and father try to persuade her. “The Lovers’ Ruse”follows Frederick and Anne through their whirlwind courtship and their secret engagement. When Wentworth returns for his Annie girl, the cat comes out of the bag.  

Click here to purchase your copy!





My Thoughts:

A Very Austen Valentine was a nice collection of anthologies by six different authors all writing about Jane Austen characters. Whether it is getting to see married life with Elizabeth and Darcy (my favorite), or take two larger than life characters from Austen’s stories and bring them together, or just getting another look at favorite scenes and what may have happened if certain plot lines went a little different, this is an enjoyable book; especially if you are an Austen fan.

The stories center on Valentine’s Day and I found reading about that holiday and how they celebrated during Regency with Valentines very interesting. I found each of these stories cleverly told and staying true to the characters and the times they lived in.

I have not read any other books by these authors, so this is a very nice way to sample their writings. My ever growing wish list has certainly gotten a lot longer after this collection.

I received a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author



Robin Helm’s books reflect her love of music, as well as her fascination with the paranormal and science fiction. 

Previously published works include The Guardian Trilogy: Guardian, SoulFire, and Legacy (a guardian angel protects a supernaturally gifted girl), the Yours by Design series: Accidentally Yours, Sincerely Yours, and Forever Yours (Fitzwilliam Darcy switches places in time with his descendant, Will Darcy), and Understanding Elizabeth (Regency sweet romance). 

She contributed to A Very Austen Christmas: Austen Anthologies, Book 1, an anthology featuring like-minded authors, in 2017, and A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 2 which was released on December 29, 2018. 

New releases for 2019 include More to Love, a standalone historical sweet romance dealing with body image; Lawfully Innocent, a historical U.S. Marshal romance book in the Lawkeepers series; Maestro, a historical sweet romance featuring a brilliant musician and his student; and A Very Austen Romance: Austen Anthologies, Book 3

She lives in sunny South Carolina where she teaches piano and adores her one husband, two married daughters, and three grandchildren.  

More from Robin


Do you love Historical romance, but avoid “those” covers like the plague? 

Would you enjoy an anthology featuring six Valentine-themed novellas set in the Regency period written by Christian authors? 

In A Very Austen Valentine, stories range from a young wife searching for a way to bring her marriage back to the way it was, to a laugh-out-loud courtship between Jane Austen’s worst snobs.

Misunderstandings, concealed identities, and romance abound. There is even a sequel featuring the children of the Darcys and the Brandons. 

Every reader will find something to love in this wonderful collection.

Blog Stops

Emily Yager, March 29
Moments, March 31
Mary Hake, March 31
Pause for Tales, April 1
Book by Book, April 2

The Becca Files, April 7

Giveaway


 
To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away
Grand Prize: a $50 Amazon gift card 1st Place: An autographed paperback of A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 1 2nd Place: An autographed paperback of A Very Austen Christmas: Austen Anthologies, Book 2 3rd Place: A set of three ebooks – Reader’s Choice of any three of my books and 4th Place: a $5 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/ddfa/a-very-austen-valentine-celebration-tour-giveaway


13 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hi Rita! Thanks for the kind encouragement. Good luck in the giveaway!

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  2. A great way to meet some new authors!

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    1. Thank you , Patty. This is our way of introducing our writing friends to each reviewer's friends. Good luck in the giveaway!

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  3. This book sounds like an awesome read.

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    1. Thank you, Debbie. This book is all about lighthearted escape, romance, and laughter. The kind of thing I like to read! Because as a middle school teacher, my daily life has enough "real." :)

      Good luck in the giveaway!

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  4. Excellent review! This book sounds like such a wonderful, fun, exciting, romantic read! Totally can't wait to check it out!

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    Replies
    1. Ally, you've nailed it -- "fun" is what we like to read. Something immersive and escapist, plunging the reader back into Austen's wonderful fictional world.

      Good luck in the giveaway!

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  5. Thank you for hosting us today! It takes time to read and review -- time that we just don't have, right? I very much appreciate your work on our behalf.

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    1. Who has time? ;-) I enjoyed these stories a lot. I don't watch much TV because I would rather spend my spare time reading.

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    2. When my children were small -- and I was always broke, right? -- I used to think the main investment in books involvved money. But now I realize that a reader invests something even more precious: her free time.

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  6. This collections sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Caryl, thanks for the kind encouragement. Good luck in the giveaway!

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