The Dashwood Sisters Tell All

GIVEAWAY!

PATTILLO, BETH
THE DASHWOOD SISTERS TELL ALL

Two sisters set out on a walking tour of Jane Austen's England and uncover her long-lost diary -- and the truth of how her relationship with her sister Cassandra inspired Sense and Sensibility.

Ellen and Mimi Dodge have never been close, but their mother's dying wish sends them on a walking tour of Hampshire, England, that follows in the footsteps of Jane Austen.  Their mother also left them something: a mysterious diary that belonged to Jane's sister Cassandra. These private pages shed light on the secrets that nearly tore the Austen sisters apart and inspired one of the greatest love stories of all time.

As the Dodge sisters visit sites that were important to the Austen sisters, from Steventon Rectory to Chawton Great House to Winchester Cathedral, they are drawn together in ways they never expected. They also discover that Cassandra's diary holds clues that will ultimately lead them to the holy grail of Austen lore: Jane's own diary. But someone doesn't want the Dodge sisters to discover Jane's secrets and will stop at nothing to keep Ellen and Mimi from finding the truth.

As the sisters stumble along their own paths toward love, they discover how Jane and Cassandra inspired the characters Marianne and Elinor Dashwood, and Ellen and Mimi come to realize that despite their very different sensibilities, they are a vital part of each other's happy endings.

My Review:

Opening up this book was like greeting an old friend. The Formidables are back! And Mrs. Parrot!!! I squealed when she made her appearance! You needn't have read either of the first in the series, Jane Austen Ruined My Life and Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, but you might just appreciate this one a little bit more if you have.

Told from both sisters' point of view, the chapters flip from one first person POV to the other. It was easy to follow and interesting to see their different takes on certain situations. And of course there's romance...and a wee bit of intrigue amidst the English countryside! Perfect combination for a cozy summer read.

And dare I mention the book binding and quality of the paper? (LOL -- it's the librarian in me, I can't help it.) Does anyone else feel books? You know how some of the covers feel richer, smoother..okay, maybe you don't, but trust me this one is high quality. And the pages are thicker and the binding...a librarian's dream. This book won't fall apart after multiple readings. Sorry...I just had to get that out of my system.

Ahem.

Giveaway: If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Pattillo, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. The draw will be held on Sunday June 19. Good luck!

Jane Austen ruined my life

PATTILLO, BETH

JANE AUSTEN RUINED MY LIFE

English professor Emma Grant has always done everything just the way her minister father told her she should -- a respectable marriage, a teaching job at a good college, and plans for the requisite two children. Life was prodigiously good, as her favorite author Jane Austen might say, until the day Emma finds her husband in bed with another woman. Suddenly, all her romantic notions a la Austen are exposed for the foolish dreams they are.

Denied tenure in the wake of the scandal and left penniless by the ensuing divorce, Emma packs up what few worldly possessions she has left and heads to England on a quest to find the missing letters of Jane Austen. Locating the elusive letters, however, isn't as straightforward as Emma hoped. The owner of the letters proves coy about her prize possessions, sending Emma on a series of Austen-related tasks that bring her closer and closer to the truth, but the sudden reappearance of Emma's first love makes everything more complicated.

In the end, Emma learns that doing the right thing has very little to do with other people's expectations and everything to do with her own beliefs. Laced with fictional excerpts from the missing letters, Jane Austen Ruined My Life is the story of a woman betrayed who uncovers the deeper meaning of loyalty.

SCHOLARS ESTIMATE THAT JANE AUSTEN WROTE OVER THREE THOUSAND LETTERS IN HER LIFE TIME. ALMOST ALL OF THEM WERE DESTROYED AT HER DEATH IN ORDER TO PROTECT HER PRIVACY...BUT WHAT IF MORE HAVE SURVIVED THE PASSAGE OF TIME THEN WE THINK? THE PLOT OF JANE AUSTEN RUINED MY LIFE IS BUILT UPON THIS UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.

THE DELICIOUSLY MYSTERIOUS TASKS THAT EMMA IS GIVEN IN ORDER TO PROVE HERSELF TO THE FORMIDABLES, A SECRET JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, TAKE THE READER ON A TOUR OF AUSTEN'S ENGLAND. BUT IT'S EMMA'S PERSONAL STRUGGLES THAT COME TO THE FOREFRONT DURING HER AUSTEN PILGRIMAGE THAT REALLY CAUGHT -- AND KEPT -- MY ATTENTION.

PATTILLO HAS CREATED MEMORABLE CHARACTERS -- INCLUDING THE FLAMBOYANT FORMIDABLE, MRS. PARROT. AND THEN THERE'S ADAM -- THE PERFECT, LONG-SUFFERING HERO. POOR ADAM, HE DOESN'T QUITE GET HIS HAPPILY EVER AFTER -- MORE HAPPILY EVER HOPE. I'D LOVE A SEQUEL THAT SORTS THAT OUT!

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart

PATTILLO, BETH

MR. DARCY BROKE MY HEART

Claire Prescott doesn't understand Mr. Darcy's appeal. She's been uncomfortably dating Neil, a nice -- if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when she agrees to stand in for her sister at a Jane Austen seminar in Oxford, England, she finds herself holding a lost version of Pride and Prejudice. Scholars thought Austen's original manuscript was destroyed centuries ago, but as Claire reads the beloved author's first draft, she discovers that Austen didn't always have Darcy in mind for Lizzie Bennet.

And when a tall, dark, and dashing stranger crosses Claire's path, will she suddenly discover her inner Lizzie Bennet? Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her true romantic lead, and she discovers that finding the right hero can be more difficult than she ever imagined.

TRUE CONFESSION: I'VE NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD ALL THE FUSS OVER MR. DARCY. HE WAS JUST SO STUFFY AND OVERBEARING AND SNOBBISH. I KNOW, I KNOW HE WENT THROUGH A TRANSFORMATION BY THE END OF THE BOOK, BUT FRANKLY, I WOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN HIM THE CHANCE. MIND YOU, I'M MORE INTO THE SALT OF THE EARTH KIND OF GUY -- GIVE ME A GARDENER OR A CARPENTER ANY DAY. ANYWAY, THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T RESIST THE LURE OF A HEROINE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND MR. DARCY'S APPEAL.

BETH PATTILLO STUDIED IN LONDON FOR ONE SEMESTER IN COLLEGE AND I THINK SHE DREW ON THAT EXPERIENCE TO BRING AUTHENTICITY TO CLAIRE'S WEEK LONG STAY AT OXFORD. I FELT LIKE A WIDE-EYED TOURIST AS I SAW ENGLAND THROUGH CLAIRE'S EYES.

I LOVED THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF A LOST JANE AUSTEN MANUSCRIPT -- AND THE EXCERPTS CLAIRE GOT TO READ. PATTILLO DID A GREAT JOB OF INTERWEAVING THE PROBLEMS IN CLAIRE'S LIFE WITH THE PASSAGES FROM 'FIRST IMPRESSIONS'. VERY CLEVERLY DONE. THE WHOLE CONCEPT IS GENIUS.

A FRESH, WHIMSICAL, HEART-TUGGING STORY THAT CAPTURED MY FANCY AND HAD ME READING IT FROM COVER TO COVER IN ONE SITTING .