Blog Tour Book Review: The Secret Betrothal by Jan Hahn

The Secret Betrothal
by Jan Hahn

Genre: Austenesque / Pride & Prejudice Re-imagining / Romance / Historical / Regency

Ages: 15 and up

You can read my interview with Jan Hahn here. Feel free to say hi!

I received a copy of this book from Meryton Press as part of a blog tour, hosted by Leatherbound Tours, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

About the Book:

 

Why would a gentleman ask a lady to conceal their betrothal? 

Jane Austen writes of secret engagements in more than one of her novels, and in The Secret Betrothal, author Jan Hahn explores the question of what would happen if Austen’s most famous heroine from Pride and Prejudice reluctantly agrees to accept such a proposal. 

When Fitzwilliam Darcy learns that Elizabeth Bennet has committed herself to such an arrangement, his hopes of winning her hand are shattered.  After circumstances continue to bring the two together—from Hertfordshire to Rosings Park to the seaside town of Brighton―he finds he is unable to tame his desire for the woman who has stolen his heart. 

Will Darcy’s efforts to win Elizabeth succeed, or will his sworn enemy lead her to the altar? 

My Thoughts:

This was a fun book. It explores a P&P what-if that I had never come across before; what if Elizabeth Bennet entangles herself in a secret betrothal - to someone other than Mr. Darcy. This original premise was executed with lovely writing and a thread of delightful humor.

The Elizabeth Bennet of The Secret Betrothal is naive and impulsive. She agrees to marry Wickham, who convinces her to keep their engagement a secret. I wanted to smack her upside the head, to yell at her for being so foolish. And yet, from her point of view, I can see why she did it. Her emotions and thoughts were brilliantly written as she began to have regrets - and feelings for a certain gentleman.

The Fitzwilliam Darcy of The Secret Betrothal is passionate and angst-ridden. When he learns that Elizabeth has secretly attached herself to a man, he is devastated, but circumstances force them into close proximity. Ah, poor Darcy does not have an easy time of it. I mostly just wanted to give him a hug. I loved the alternating POV that let me see what both Elizabeth and Darcy were thinking and feeling with perfect clarity.

One thing bothered me a little bit about this book. While it shares many scenes from the original P&P, those scenes are rarely described in any detail. Darcy's awful first proposal, for example, is told in only a few sentences. However, while I would have enjoyed seeing Ms. Hahn's take on those 'traditional' scenes, the quality of her entirely original scenes made up for the lack of description in those taken directly from P&P.

This book had a couple of little quirks to it that truly made me fall in love with it. One was the random acts of nature that helped the romance along; wind gusting at dramatic moments, etc. The other was Darcy's mild foot fetish, conveniently accommodated by Elizabeth's frequent misplacement of her shoes (aided on occasion by the tide coming in; see random acts of nature above). These details gave the story a certain spark and made me laugh more than once.

If you enjoy wonderfully written characters and sweet, if complicated, romance, then this is the perfect book for you.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I do not remember any swearing, but there may have been a couple of mild exclamations.

Sexuality:
I rate it a 4.10 for a fadeaway and some kisses.

Violence:
I give it a 1.10 for a well-deserved blow.

                             Lieder Madchen

Release Day Book Review: Love by Lacey Weatherford

Love
by Lacey Weatherford

Genre: Romance / New Adult / Suspense / Mystery / Contemporary

Ages: 15 and up

Sequel to Crush and Smitten.

I received an advance e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

Living happily ever after has always been part of the plan for Cami and Dylan, but when strange things begin happening around the Wilcock household, Cami simply believes she’s becoming forgetful.

However, when the incidents begin to escalate, both are left feeling vulnerable. Unable to figure out what’s going on, Dylan delves deeper into the mysterious happenings. But when the truth comes out, he finds himself faced with the biggest decision of his life—how far will he go to protect the one he loves?

My Thoughts:

Oh. My. Freaking. Goodness. This book is awesome. And awful. Joyful. Painful. Jaw-droppingly amazing. Seriously, I may not be able to sleep tonight. Are you trying to kill me, Lacey???

It started with the sweetest, most swoonworthy Valentine's Day ever, as celebrated by Cami and Dylan Wilcock. They were so happy, laughing over racy humor and reveling in their love for each other. I sighed and awwed, chortling a little at their antics, but underneath there was a sort of dreadful anticipation. In suspense stories, I've noticed that the happier the main characters are at the beginning, the worse it is going to be before the end. Never has that been more true.

I was glued to every page from beginning to end. I guessed the identity of the troublemaker pretty early on, but there were a couple of twists that I did not see coming. While the mystery wasn't all that mysterious, the suspense was...murderous. I swear, I didn't move at all during the latter two thirds of the book except to turn pages. If you are an angst weenie, this book is not for you. As for me, I loved it, even when it made me cry. Which it did. A lot.

Cami and Dylan were at their absolute best. I don't want to spoil anything, but you see new sides to them that made me love them even more. Especially Dylan. Russ, Dylan's best friend and fellow firefighter, played a large part in the story, and I think he could make a great hero in his own right. I can fall in love with two characters in one book, right?

Love is darker, more intense than Crush or Smitten and it is officially my new favorite Lacey Weatherford novel. The emotions are so powerfully conveyed that I felt each and every one of them along with the characters. Now that it's over, I find myself torn between my usual, selfish desire for a sequel and a wish that Cami and Dylan never experience enough trouble to warrant another novel again.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I rate it a 5.10 for one f-word and some mild to mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it a 6.10 for a couple of mildly descriptive/fadeaway scenes, references to rape, the threat of rape, and multiple innuendos.

Violence:
I rate it a  7.10 for torture, murder and attempted murder.

                              Lieder Madchen

Blog Tour Interview: Jan Hahn, Author of The Secret Betrothal

Today I am very excited to have Jan Hahn, author of The Secret Betrothal, here to answer some questions about herself and her new book. Thank you to Jakki of Leatherbound reviews for hosting the tour. :) Stay tuned for my review on the 14th.

Hello, Ms. Hahn! Welcome to Songs & Stories! Would you like a cup of tea? Or anything else? 

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit with you.  A cup of tea would be lovely. 

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became an Austenesque author? 

I am a widow, having been married many, many years to my Mr. Darcy.  We were more than happy, and I have lots of good memories.  In fact, there’s a special song from The King and I with which I strongly identify. 

Hello, young lovers whoever you are          Don’t cry young lovers, whatever you do 

I hope your troubles are few                        Don’t cry because I’m alone 

All my good wishes go with you tonight    All of my memories are happy tonight 

I’ve been in love like you.                           I’ve had a love of my own. 

I have also been blessed with five children and seven beautiful grandchildren.   After my dear husband suggested I quit the world of business and devote myself to writing (and to him), in 2002 I began creating stories based on Pride and Prejudice. The Republic of Pemberley opened my eyes to the possibility of sharing my creations online, and I posted on various Austen sites for several years until my first book, An Arranged Marriage, was published by Meryton Press in 2011.

What was your writing process for The Secret Betrothal? 

The first edition of The Secret Betrothal was written and posted in 2003 and entitled The Engagement.  I was never satisfied with it, and two years ago I decided to rewrite the story.  I prefer writing in first person because of the intimacy it provides between the writer and the reader.  This book, however, did not lend itself to that tense because Elizabeth could not be privy to certain pivotal scenes.  I played around with writing it from three first person views ―those of Darcy, Elizabeth and Wickham―but after numerous drafts I decided that wasn’t going to work.  I grew discouraged and put the project away for about six months.  Some of my family and my good friend, Janet Taylor, would not let it be.  Thus, with their poking and prodding, I finally sat down and rewrote the entire book.  Can you see why it took two years? 

I loved Elizabeth’s thoughts throughout her illicit relationship; she seemed to be at odds with herself for a time. Darcy had a similar, briefer and more intense battle later on. Were these inner struggles difficult to write?  

Elizabeth’s struggles were somewhat difficult to write.  The secrecy of her engagement went against her honest nature.  She had never experienced romantic love for a man, and she questioned her feelings for Wickham.  Then she struggled with her conviction that Wickham was the worthy man she had thought him to be when evidence of his bad behavior occurred time and again.  Darcy’s inner struggles were not as hard to write.  In fact, my favorite passage was the confrontation between Colonel Fitzwilliam and Darcy, and the intense battle Darcy waged with his pride. 

Have you ever been at war with yourself? 

Many times.  When I began to fall in love with my husband, I fought it with everything I could because a previous love had broken my heart.  That’s why I understood Darcy’s feelings. He thought there were valid reasons why he should not love Elizabeth, and yet there she was tugging at his heart. 

Did you enjoy writing Darcy or Elizabeth more? 

 

That’s impossible for me to answer because I love them both, and I especially enjoy writing scenes when they are together.   

Most importantly, for this question has been plaguing me since I read The Secret Betrothal, where do Elizabeth’s shoes go when they disappear? 

[Laughter]  You tell me! 

Three quick questions: 

Mini-series or movie version of P&P? 

Mini-series.   

If you could dance with any real-life Regency gentleman, who would it be? 

Is Colin Firth considered real-life Regency?  He’s my answer anyway. 

High-heels or flats? (Speaking of shoes…) 

I’m short, and Mr. Darcy is tall. I’d need the high-heels. 

Thank you so much for stopping by! It was lovely meeting you. :)

About the Book:

 

Why would a gentleman ask a lady to conceal their betrothal? 

Jane Austen writes of secret engagements in more than one of her novels, and in The Secret Betrothal, author Jan Hahn explores the question of what would happen if Austen’s most famous heroine from Pride and Prejudice reluctantly agrees to accept such a proposal. 

When Fitzwilliam Darcy learns that Elizabeth Bennet has committed herself to such an arrangement, his hopes of winning her hand are shattered.  After circumstances continue to bring the two together—from Hertfordshire to Rosings Park to the seaside town of Brighton―he finds he is unable to tame his desire for the woman who has stolen his heart. 

Will Darcy’s efforts to win Elizabeth succeed, or will his sworn enemy lead her to the altar? 

Author bio: 

Jan Hahn left the world of business and plunged into her love for writing. She has created stories since childhood, spending hours entertaining friends with her tales. For years, she has been enlisted by various local organizations to write skits and dramas. Until recently, she recorded, edited, and published oral histories. Currently, she is working with her editor on The Journey, her second novel to be published in the fall. She is blessed to have five children and to have been married to her own Mr. Darcy until his death in 2008. She lives in Texas, but in her heart, she longs to spend a season in Derbyshire. An Arranged Marriage is her debut novel. 

Links: 

Jan Hahn’s blog

Amazon

B&N