Jane Austen July Reading Vlog

To me, summer is when I gravitate toward romances and I am more and more convinced that Regency-era romances are top tier. So I loaded up my kindle while out in the American desert region with regency-era romance books written by modern authors to celebrate Jane Austen July. Then I found stunning locations to read outside (my FAVORITE way to read these days!) and am here to share my thoughts on the six books I read to celebrate Jane Austen July.

I am not planning on joining the group read of Emma. And other than "read a retelling of a Jane Austen book OR a work of historical fiction set in Jane Austen’s time" I am not planning to read anything for the rest of the challenges set forth by the wonderful hosts of Jane Austen July on youtube @katiejlumsden, @BlatantlyBookish @SpinstersLibrary .

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman

The Ladies Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman is the second book in the in the The Ill-Mannered Ladies series. The first book in the series is "The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies". 

Set just after the first novel ends, the story follows the Colebrook twins, Lady Augusta (“Gus”) and Julia. At 40 years old, I love that we have middle-aged characters who are taught and formidable.  We continue to be involved with Lord Evan’s family as well as that of Mr. Kent, both important characters from the first book.

Alison Goodman doesn’t shy away from heavy topics, such as the practice of committing women (who do not behave as society expects) into asylums with abhorrent condition. This continues in the second installment with the Gentleman’s Club called the Brethren of Rack and Ruin.

I absolutely am wanting to continue this series. While the ending of this resolves any loose ends from both the first and second books, the set up for the third book promises an exciting prospect to look forward to!

Miss Percy’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson

I decided to start reading Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons) by Quenby Olson while inside a cave called the Goblin’s Lair in the arid region of south central Utah.

Miss Mildred Percy, a mid 40s spinster living in her sister’s home, inherits a mysterious trunk from her eccentric great-uncle She finds artifacts and books and mysterious documents but most exciting of all, she finds a "stone" that soon hatches into - you guessed it!- a baby dragon.

The topography and rock formations on the hike to climb to the car entrance are reminiscent of the dragon egg that Miss Percy inherited!

Present for the birth of the baby dragon are the vicar, Mr. Wiggan and his housekeeper Mrs. Babbinton and they bond over the dragon. And frankly, Mrs. Babbington is the most vibrant of characters with her humor and compassion.

The novel opens with Mildred obviously being bullied and manipulated by her sister. So for the first time in her life, when she received this unusual inheritance, she hides it from her. I was rooting soundly for Mildred to stand up to her sister and get a backbone. The author did a great job moving Mildred gently into breaking a lifetime of patterns to stand on her own by having Mildred fall in love with baby dragon Fitz. Her motherly nature simply takes over.

The villain in this book - aside from Mildred’s sister! - is quite clear from the start. The author uses satire and sarcasm to introduce readers to the viewpoint of Reginald Hawthorne who believes the dragon (or “stone”) should be his inheritance.

Miss Percy's Guide is a wonderful balance of cozy, humor, and high stakes with the birth of a dragon being the only fantastical element and starring a relatable middle-aged heroine finding her inner-strength and bravery through the love she develops for a dragon.

The novel ends cleanly so it should be read as a standalone but the author has set up the premise for the next adventure with Mildred, Fitz, and Mr. Wiggans heading to Wales.

There are three books released so far in the Miss Percy’s Guide series by Quenby Olson.There is quite a cult-like following of this series so I’m hopeful that Miss Percy's adventures may continue, although nothing has been officially announced yet .

A Terrible Nasty Business by Julia Seales

I began reading A Terrible Nasty Business by Julia Seales while in eastern Utah outside of Moab, which was a stunning location for reading outside. Stunning!

A Terrible Nasty Business is the second novel of the Beatrice Steele series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of a Murder Most Agreeable. Just as with that book, I was drawn to the lusciously colorful and creative cover, complete with flying squirrels.

In this second book, Beatrice Steele has moved from her small hometown of Swampshire to London with her quirky and vibrant but useless chaperone, Miss Helen Bolton. Beatrice is finally realizing her dream of becoming a detective as she and Inspector Vivek Drake (her partner in solving from the first book), open a fledgling private detective agency. Starting out, their cases are minor and not important, as would be expected when opening a business but as luck would have it, their first significant case arises on their doorstep and they hit the ground running to solve the murder case. It is within this mystery that we see Beatrice change from being a woman with scandalous curiosity about detecting into developing more complex sleuthing skills.

This second book in the series continues with the modern sense of humor and witty sarcasm. Just as in the first book with the on the nose naming structure or Swampshire and Croaksworth, we have Neighborhood Association of Gentleman Sweetbriarians (NAGS) in this book. Readers also  see the continuation of the theme of Beatrice needing to balance societal expectations with her desire to be a professional detective

However, A Terrible Nasty Business moves from humor consisting of exaggerated stereotypes with a bit of slapstick comedy into darker humor with political machinations. I loved the wit of the first book but this dichotomy in this second installment is glaringly apparent as Beatrice tries to navigate what is supposed to be a serious government corruption undercurrent. A Terrible Nasty Business also moves from a manor house whodunnit in one night to a city-wide, broad ramifications mystery that takes quite a bit of time to solve. I realize the author needed to change the setting and timing but part of the charm of the first book is the creativity of locked manor murder solved in one night plot.

What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball by Elizabeth Brown

I was still in eastern Utah when I read What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball by Elisabeth Aimee Brown.

In this Cinderella adjacent retelling, we have Hester Flanders, who is newly arrived in the cpatial city from her life in a farming family.  She is motivated to earn a steady income to send home in order to bring her ailing father to the city to receive medical care.  Her determination to attend the royal family’s Commoners Ball is driven by her hunger. She is literally starving as she works as a seamstress for low wages.  Hester strikes me as someone who is neurodivergent. She is hyper fixated on not accepting gifts from anyone throughout this book, for fear of owing a debt to the Fae Folk. This is perceived as a country superstition by those around her but Hester is determined and will not be swayed.

At the Commoners Ball, Hester catches the attention of Prince Hugh, the flamboyant younger brother of Prince Lucas. Here we have the makings of a love triangle which is normally my least favorite trope but Hester is as obviously not interested in Hugh as she is interested in Lucas. The romance is quite slow burn and can be considered clean.

And just as Hester decided to leave the city and go back to her rural home, I moved to Colorado to finish this book.

Hester is increasingly in need of help as Hugh systematically destroys her life. I do think this is meant to be a bit tongue in cheek and humorous but it feels very much like gaslighting and an abusive use of power.  Hester prods on though continuing to strive for independence and avoidance of any semblance of debt.

Sometimes I wonder if authors are annoyed with the comps title game but if you liked Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater, this would be a decent option for you.

Murder at Mistlewaithe Manor by AJ Skelly

Continuing my stay in eastern Utah, I started The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews. We’ve got Phyllida Satterthwaite who is an orphan recently being given over to the care of her uncle. She is newly arrived in London for a marriage mart season. Her beauty is punctuated by heterochromia, a condition of two different colored eyes.

We soon learn along with Philly that she has generated the interest of the infamous Duke of Moreland, known as “the Collector” due to his obsession with acquiring rare novelties.We note his cruelty almost from the moment Philly meets him and it’s terrifying to discover that Philly’s greedy uncle has approved the match. Alone in the world. Philly feels she has no choice but to ask hew new friend Capt. Arthur Heywood, a veteran with lasting injuries and PTSD from his time in war, for help. This results in a marriage of convenience coming after the development of a friendship is quite lovely but beware it is very fast-moving.

I love Captain Heywood’s country estate as a setting. It feels nestled and safe…until the couple begins to receive threatening letters and actions.

The Work of Art is a clean, wholesome regency romance about friendship that can turn into love between two people clinging to each other…even if those people carry baggage and wounds.

Work of Art by Mimi Matthews

Murder at Mistlethwaite Manor  by AJ Skelly is a perfect choice for Christmas in July and Jane Austen July! Making the choice to read this by a mountain lake felt immersive and like the perfect spot to dive into this locked manor murder mystery set during a raging winter storm. In this we’ve got a poem that seems to predict or dictate murder choices a la And Then There Were None. We’ve got a game afoot reminiscent of the 1980s Clue movie, complete with a monetary prize that is enticing to all the chosen guests.

I have learned that as a reader, I prefer locked room or manor settings so the idea of a high stakes game while a storm is outside pummeling the manor all these unusual characters are staying in for the weekend is incredibly enticing to me. Add in the Clue movie and Christie connection and I was all in.

So we’ve got our main character Emma Grace Hastings stuck in this manor with her ex-fiancé and current hopeful match. This obviously sets the novel up to have a love triangle and the possibility some romance. But while I enjoyed learning the red herring motivations of every person in attendance, I wasn’t overly fond of the romantic elements.

Unfortunately, I was able to guess pretty quickly who the perpetrator was and I had trouble feeling connected to any of the characters or their stories. So while this was set up as something I should have really enjoyed, I would recommend The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter as I prefer that for a novel that blends Christmas at a locked manor in a storm with a high stakes game and a hint of romance.