Mr. Darcy’s Refuge By Abigail Reynolds

Awesome! I was thrilled to hear Abigail Reynolds was releasing a new book, Mr Darcy’s Refuge! As soon as I got it, I started reading it! It was fabulous! This just became one of my favorite of Abigail’s books! 

The night of Darcy’s proposal at Hunsford is a stormy night. While he is proposing, the river is rising and washes out the bridge, leaving Darcy and Elizabeth trapped at the parsonage--alone. (What’s better than that? To be trapped with Darcy in a rainstorm...mmm...Need I say more?) Elizabeth may have refused him, but now her reputation is at risk. 

Spending a few days alone with Darcy forces Elizabeth to see what he is really like, someone who takes his responsibility very seriously; who can be caring. As her opinion of him starts to improve, Colonel Fitzwilliam shows up and throws a wrench into all of Darcy’s plans.

I was a little confused by Colonel Fitzwilliam at first, and I wasn’t sure if I liked him. As the story progressed, I started to see what he is about. Although he says he is at Darcy’s disposal, he knows how to manipulate people into seeing situations in a different light.  He may not have even realized it at the time, but I felt he helped Darcy and Elizabeth along in their relationship, and he was able to maneuver his father’s anger away from Darcy. He is very good at playing the part he needs to get the job done. He is still my favorite secondary character! 

This was also an interesting look at Mr. Bennet. Reynolds added an element to the story that would explain his unwillingness to ever travel far from Longbourn and his preference to spend much of his time in his library. It also caused him to act irrationally when he finds out about Elizabeth and Darcy.

Well done! I loved it and would highly recommend it!

5 out of 5 stars!

I would give this a mature rating for some sexual scenes.

I purchased my copy of Mr. Darcy's Refuge.

Buy a copy here.   (Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. Should you purchase a copy through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!)

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Winner of Darcy Goes To War!

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Author Interview: Mary Lydon Simonsen and GIVEAWAY

I'm super excited to have Mary Lydon Simonsen on my blog today! It is such an honor! Last Thursday I posted my review of Mary's new book Darcy Goes to War and I thought it would be fun to ask her a few questions about her new book. Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter below!  

Thank you, Candy, for having me back at So Little Time… It’s always a pleasure. You have asked me to answer a few questions.

I know you have written a few books set in the World War I and World War II eras, like Searching for Pemberley and Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy, what is it about these periods that you find fascinating?

When I was in high school, I found a picture of my grandfather, William Mahady, born in 1888, sitting in front of a pup tent. Although he was married and had two children, he had been drafted to fight in World War I. He was on a ship on its way to France when the armistice was signed. Because of that picture, I started to read about The Great War, as it was then known, which led me to World War II. To understand the reason for these two epic wars, you must read the history of both.

Since writing the first two, how much research did you have to put into Darcy Goes to War?

In addition to stories told to me by my parents, uncles, and aunts, who were all young adults during World War II, I have done a ton of research on both wars. I particularly enjoy reading British authors. They have a different slant on things, and their research is impeccable. I have a whole bookcase dedicated entirely to the two wars. Through my brother-in-law, I also have the German side of the story. He was born in Germany two days after the German surrender. His mother first had to escape the Russians, and then the whole family fled from East Germany to West Germany to escape the Communists before coming to America in the early 1950s. One of our favorite topics of conversation is the history of World War II.

How hard was it to drop Elizabeth and Darcy into this period?

It wasn’t hard at all. Both Elizabeth and Darcy are solid characters, who always do the right thing. Their temperaments would have been well suited for the ordeal the British faced between 1939 and 1945 as well as the post-war years. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy races off to London to save Lydia from Wickham. In Darcy Goes to War, he climbs into his bomber to save England from Germany.

Why did you decide to have Darcy's parent still living in this story?

Because Jane Austen had so little to say about Darcy’s parents, I have always wondered what Old Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne Fitzwilliam Darcy were like. I once started a story about Lady Anne, but it’s on the “did not finish” shelf. Because of lengthening life spans, I thought that Darcy’s parents would still be alive in 1944. Through them, I was able to illuminate the devastating effect a second war had on those who had lived through the first conflagration.

What's up next for you?

I am doing a final edit on my second mystery in the Patrick Shea series, A Killing in Kensington. My first novel, Three’s A Crowd, featured Detective Sergeant Shea, who wants to be on a murder investigation team at Scotland Yard. In A Killing in Kensington, he gets his wish and investigates his first high-profile murder. It will be released in early October. 

On the Jane Austen front, I am working on two novels. The first is a sequel to Mr. Darcy’s Bite, in which Darcy is a werewolf. The story takes place in the first year of Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage. The hook: Is it possible that someone knows of Darcy’s secret and is trying to expose him? The second has Darcy and Elizabeth meeting in Italy several years after his failed proposal at Hunsford. I’m still working on it.                                                                        

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway of an e-book of Darcy Goes to War. To enter, enter the Rafflecopter and leave a glowing comment on my post. It’s that easy. Last day to enter is September 20th.

Thank you, Mary! It was a pleasure having you here today!

Connect with Mary:
Twitter: @MarySimonsen
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Blog: Austen Inspired Fan Fiction
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Review and GIVEAWAY: Darcy Goes to War By Mary Lydon Simonsen

World War II is a time in history that has always interested me.  It was a time when so many people banded together to fight for a cause.  People were willing to do their part for the war efforts; food and gas rationing, scrap drives, and blackouts, are a few sacrifices everybody had to endure. I’m sure Hollywood romanticized it for me, but it always seemed like a fascinating time to me. Now drop Darcy and Elizabeth into that period and... BAM! ...you have a story that I absolutely love!

It is now the fourth year into WWII and the Bennet girls are all doing their share to support the war effort. Elizabeth’s job is driving a lorry, she hauls around everything from food to manure, she even picks up the local girls and drives them to dances. Lizzy has also seen some horrific sights during her travels, making her wary of falling in love until the war is over.

Darcy is a pilot, he needs to keep his mind clear for the dangerous missions he has to fly. The last thing he needs is to become distracted by a woman, but the first time he sees Elizabeth he knows they are meant to be together.

I loved that not only did I get to read about my favorite couple, but I also learned a few things about the war that I didn’t know. I was on the computer looking up information about Hurricats. It’s amazing, they actually ditched those planes into the ocean and the pilots had to wait in the water to be rescued.

I could feel the burden of war, such as eating cabbage and potato soup, putting off heating the house until it was necessary to save coal, worrying about loved ones. During the invasion the family was listening to the radio and Mr. Bennet was placing pins in his map to follow the troops progression through out Europe. 

It didn’t matter if you were from the upper class, everybody had to make sacrifices. The Darcy Townhouse was being used as an officers club, and even Pemberley was being used by His Majesty's Government. Georgiana was volunteering in Italy as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD).

I also really liked how Mary handled the Wickham and Lydia situation. She was able to adapt it to the era quite well. 

I loved this story! Mary did it again! I would highly recommend reading this one!

5 out of 5 stars.

I was provided a copy of Darcy Goes to War for review.

Buy a copy from: Amazon. (Disclaimer: Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!)

Connect with Mary:

Twitter: @MarySimonsen

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Blog: Austen Inspired Fan Fiction

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**Stop by on Monday the 17th for an interview with Author Mary Lydon Simonsen! Comment on that post for an extra entry in the Rafflecopter!**

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Mary is generously giving away one Kindle or Nook e-book copy of Darcy Goes to War to one lucky reader! All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below! This giveaway is open Internationally. This giveaway ends September 20, 2012.
 Thank you and good luck!   

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Book Tour: Willow Pond By Carol Tibaldi

I’m pretty excited to be a Pump Up Your Book Tour Host! 


Set in 1930, Laura Kingsley Austin and her adorable baby boy, Todd, are living in Greenwich Village. She has been separated from her husband, Phillip Austin, for three months now, and life couldn’t be better.

Phillip, a hot shot actor, is not happy with his wife’s living arrangement. He would prefer to have her at Willow Pond and under his control. But after one too many affairs, Laura left him. Now he must find away to get her back.

Then the unthinkable happens, Todd is ripped away from Laura’s life. Kidnapped! A ransom note asking for $250,000 has been delivered and Phillip, figuring to be a big hero, pays the ransom, but that doesn’t bring home the baby. Now, Todd and the money are gone and there aren’t any leads.

With nothing much to go on, the police question Laura’s aunt, Virginia Kingsley, owner of Bacchanal, a speakeasy. They suspect Virginia’s ties to the mob might have something to do with the kidnapping. Could someone be using Todd to get to Virginia?

Then there is Phillip Austin, who has been known to pull publicity stunts in the past to keep him in the limelight. Could he be using his own son in such a way?

The timeline jumps quite a bit in this story. While I’m still grieving Todd’s disappearance, Laura is moving on with her life. Within a few months after the kidnapping, Laura starts seeing Erich, the reporter investigating the crime. While the romantic in me loves their relationship, the mom in me was having a hard time with it. 

The mystery itself was really good. I never knew how it was going to be resolved.  Virginia, who has some idea who might have kidnapped Todd, is doing her own investigation, but she is not sharing information. Erich is finding some dirt about Virginia, but that information is driving a wedge into his relationship with Laura. And nobody is sharing info with the police!  I won’t tell you how it turns out but it does wrap up nicely, with no lose ends.

If you like a mystery with a little romance, this might be the book for you!



I was provided a copy of Willow Pond for review.

Buy a copy from: Amazon (Disclaimer: Should you purchase a copy of the book through the Amazon link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks.)

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About the Author:

Carol Tibaldi was born and raised in Bayside, New York and attended Queens College of the City University of New York. She loves to travel and has lived in London and Los Angeles. For twenty five years she worked as a newspaper reporter and covered the crime beat. She is a history buff and loves to research different time periods having a special affinity of the prohibition era and the Civil War. Willow Pond is her first novel and she is hard at work on the sequel.

Carol Tibaldi’s website: http://caroltibaldi.com

You can read an interview with author Carol Tibaldi here. 

Any thoughts? I would love to hear from you!

Review: Persuade Me By Juliet Archer

Loved it!! Persuade Me is an excellent modernization of Persuasion. Ms. Archer was able to bring it into the modern age without any major changes to the basic storyline.

Rick is returning to the UK, to promote his new book, Sex in the Sea. Anna Elliot has a ticket to his book signing, but would she go? Ten years ago, after a summer in love, Anne left him and returned home to finish her schooling. Persuaded by her father and godmother to fulfill her mother’s dream for Anna to get a degree in Russian Literature at Oxford. Rick was furious and they never spoke again. She has always regretted it. 

“Never forgive, never forget” are words Rick tries to live by and he has never forgiven Anna. With his sister, Sophie, staying near Kellynch, the manor owned by the Elliots, Rick knows he will probably see Anna again. All of his good intentions of proving to himself he is over her are put to the test after the first time he sees her, and it only gets harder with every meeting.

You could feel the bitterness Rick still felt over Anna leaving him, and with a few stinging comments he lets Anna know it. Poor Anna! What I like about Anna is she is always nice, even when she is put in situations that are unpleasant for her. Not only is it torturous to be around Rick and Lou, but she receives many text messages from Mona (Mary Musgrove) with updates on how things between Rick and Lou are progressing.

In this modern age, when letter writing is becoming a lost art, Rick writes Anna a swoon worthy letter! You can’t have a Persuasion story without The Letter, and Ms. Archer did not let me down! 

You know your into a good book when you’re up way too late reading and when you finally do go to bed you can’t sleep! Well, this was that book for me! It was so good! I would highly recommend it!

5 out of 5 stars!

I purchased my own copy of Persuade Me.

Buy a copy here.

Any thoughts? I would love to hear from you!