Bookie Brunch: Trick or Treat Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Bookie Brunch: Trick or Treat Blog Hop! This is where a group of bloggers post about all things Halloween. There will be a new post every day, and, yes, there are some giveaways planned, too, so feel free to join us for sweets and treats this Halloween. This event was set up by the lovely Sasha Soren, author of Random Magic. We had a similar hop last year and it was such a good time we had to do it again!

There are certain books that I just love to read at this time of year. Not all of them are creepy ones, not all of them are Halloween-related, just favorites for curling up in the dark and reading by flashlight. What books do you like to read this time of year? What are you reading this year?

I'll go with the oldest first. I read The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child for the first time when I was maybe 13. It is still one of the darkest, creepiest books I have ever read. Except maybe for their other novel, Still Life With Crows, but I like Cabinet of Curiosities better. It has a nice romance do go along with the crazed murderer and gory removal of body parts. :)






Mr. Darcy's Bite by Mary Lydon Simonsen is not a scary novel, despite the cover. It is sweet, sometimes funny, romantic and lovely. In it, Mr. Darcy is a werewolf. He doesn't turn into a rampaging beast by the light of the full moon, but rather into a more realistic wolf. I love this story, and there will be a full review soon.






While on the topic, I might as well hit the other werewolf book on my list. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Anybody who knows me knows how much I love this series. It is so beautiful, so achingly lovely...I already gushed in my review of the full series, which you can read here.







Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is a recent addition to my favorite Halloween season stories. It is breathtakingly creepy at times and I love the unconventional ghost story. I haven't read the sequel yet, but if it is anywhere close to being as good as the first one, I'll love it.










Die For Me by Amy Plum is a story I fell in love with before I even opened it. Yes, I first loved it for the cover. It didn't take long for the story and characters to steal my heart. I wouldn't call this a scary story; it's got far too much romance for that, but it definitely had some shivery moments. Again, you can read my full review here.







Masque of Red Death by Bethany Griffin is a new acquisition for me and I haven't even read it yet, but it sure looks like a good Halloween story. Inspired by an Edgar Allen Poe short story and with that creepy cover...It's what I was planning to read this Halloween except that I forgot to take it with me to Washington...I did remember to bring The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, so maybe I'll read that instead. :)





And now, here are some delightful bloggers who would like to share some of their favorite Halloween treats with you. Enjoy!


                                                    Lieder Madchen

A Wife for Mr.Darcy Winner!

Let's give a big thanks to Sourcebooks and Mary Simonsen for providing a copy of Mary's new novel, A Wife for Mr. Darcy! And the lucky winner is....

Laura!

I have already contacted Laura and she responded, so her book will be on the way in the next couple of days.

Thank you so much, everyone who entered, for visiting with Mary and me. :)

I am sharing this with you from Seattle, where I am staying for a few days with my brother and his wife. So if you don't see much of me for the next few days, it is because I am probably doing something wild and crazy. ;)

                                 Lieder Madchen

Book Review #87: A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

A Wife for Mr. Darcy
by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Genre: Romance / Regency / Jane Austen Retelling

Ages: 16 and up

I received a copy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

A Gentleman should always render an apology...

When Mr. Darcy realizes he insulted Miss Elizabeth Bennet at the Meryton Assembly, he feels duty bound to seek her out and apologize...

When he has insulted a Lady.

But instead of meekly accepting his apology, Elizabeth stands up to him, and Darcy realizes with a shock that she is a very different type of lady than he is used to...

Darcy is more intrigued than he's ever been by any young lady, but he's already entangled in a courtship. It's a brutal predicament for a man of honor who only longs to follow his heart...

My Review:

I will never get tired of Mr. Darcy what-ifs. No matter how many I read, I am always delighted to get my hands on another one. A Wife for Mr. Darcy is an an original and lovely retelling where Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love very quickly, but Darcy's sense of honor keeps them apart.

Because Darcy and Elizabeth do not have all of the misunderstandings of the original Pride and Prejudice, they are more united than ever before. It was very interesting to read a story where they were not fighting against each other, but rather against circumstances. I loved this portrayal of Darcy. He loves Elizabeth but is practically engaged to Miss Montford, a pleasant but bland young woman. He will not hurt her by abandoning her, so how is he to get out of this predicament?

This a lovely romance. Sweet and simple, it focuses on Darcy's determination to be with the woman he loves, no matter how impossible it seems. I read it through in one sitting and I am pretty sure I was grinning the whole time. The waltz...sigh, I loved that scene. Any scene that has Darcy dancing is sure to make me smile, but that one in particular was beautiful. And the love letters, a little steamy at times, were so sweet.

The minor characters were fun and varying. I especially liked the Gardiners. They were just so cute and obviously in love even after many years of marriage. That is what a real marriage should look like and precisely how I imagine Darcy and Elizabeth behaving in their middle years. The Crenshaw children and the Fitzwilliam brothers were also highly entertaining, and I found myself liking Miss Letitia Montford more than I expected to.

I would highly recommend this book to lovers of romance, Jane Austen and good characters.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence

1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:

I rate it a 4.10 for some mild swearing and two worse words.

Sexuality:

I rate it a 7.10 for one descriptive wedding night and some references.

Violence:
I give it a 1.10 for brief references to violent events.

This review is part of a blog tour celebrating the release of A Wife for Mr. Darcy. To visit the other stops on this tour, go here. To read an interview with the wonderful Mary Simonsen and enter to win a copy of this book, go here.

                            Lieder Madchen

Mary Simonsen Interview & A Wife for Mr. Darcy Giveaway

Please join me in welcoming the lovely Mary Simonsen to Songs and Stories! This interview is part of a blog tour for Mary's newest novel, A Wife for Mr. Darcy which, thanks to Sourcebooks, we will be giving away at the end of this post. If you have not read one of Mary's novels yet, you really should!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up in North Jersey (not the Jersey Shore). Shortly after I married my dear husband in 1976, we moved to Texas where we adopted our two daughters. After six years in Maryland, we moved to Phoenix in 1996. I have been an executive secretary, legal secretary, special ed assistant, and a tutor for English language learners. After I retired, I started to write a family history of my Irish ancestors and the little mining town in Pennsylvania where they lived after emigrating to the United States. That research led to Searching for Pemberley, my first Austen tie-in. Deb Werksman, my editor at Sourcebooks, saw my self-published book on Amazon and offered me a contract. That was in 2008, and I’ve been writing ever since. I have one more book coming out with Sourcebooks. Mr. Darcy’s Bite will be released in October in time for Halloween. That’s a hint.


How was writing A Wife for Mr. Darcy comparable with your other Pride and Prejudice variations? Was it harder? Easier?

 

Before I sit down to write my stories, I have had the plot in my head for quite a while. Once I start typing, the words just flow. If I should hit a rough patch, I mop my floor with my super duper Shark steam cleaner. By the time I have finished, I usually have the problem worked out.

 

It was interesting how you neatly cut off most of the problems that plagued Elizabeth and Darcy in the original. Why did you decide to do that?

I wanted to write something different from Austen, but stay true to her characters. What if Darcy and Elizabeth fell in love right off the bat, but outside forces worked to keep them apart? That is the case with Darcy and Letitia Montford. Darcy paid sufficient attention to Miss Montford during the season so that there were “expectations” of a proposal. Darcy, being the straight arrow we know and love, feels obligated to follow through. Fortunately, his friends and family work behind the scenes to keep him from ruining his life and Letitia’s as well. 
What were your favorite scenes to write?

I really enjoy writing original characters. In A Wife for Mr. Darcy, I had a lot of fun writing about Colonel Fitzwilliam’s brother, Lord Fitzwilliam, a total rake, and I invented Diana Crenshaw, Mr. Bingley’s sister, who happens to be the mother of a tribe of free-spirited children who don’t like the word “no.”

What are you working on at the moment?

A novel called Darcy on the Hudson in which Darcy, Georgiana, and Bingley come to New York to visit Bingley’s uncle. Elizabeth Bennet is an American, and Darcy is attracted to a more liberated woman than one would encounter in London society. I found it interesting to compare the two cultures circa 1811.


For Fun:

If Darcy asked you out on a date, what would you wear?

I would wear a simple sleeveless black dress that would hit me just above the knee and pearls. I don’t think Darcy would want me to wear anything low cut. Certainly, not on the first date.

What is one question you would love to ask Jane Austen?

How did you make revisions to your manuscripts using a quill pen? Would you have changed anything else if editing had been easier? You have got to admire writers who turned out masterpieces when their writing instruments were so primitive.


If you went for a walk about the park with one of the ladies in your story, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I would like to talk to Jane Bingley. Before Bingley bolted to London, what did you and Charles discuss? You talked a lot at the Netherfield ball. What were you talking about? Also, I would love to ask Jane Fairfax what she saw in that rascal, Frank Churchill—other than not having to take a position as a governess.


Who are your favorite literary hero and heroine other than Darcy and Elizabeth?

I love Anne and Captain Wentworth. What’s not to love about a couple who stayed true in their hearts for eight years?

Thank you, Natalie. This was fun.

Thank you, Mary, for letting me ask you all these questions! :)

Books by Mary Simonsen:

Searching for Pemberley

The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy

Anne Elliot, A New Beginning

For All the Wrong Reasons

Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy

A Walk in the Meadows at Rosings Park (August 2011)

Darcy on the Hudson (August 2011)

The Giveaway:
Beth from Sourcebooks is offering a copy of A Wife for Mr. Darcy to one lucky commentator. To enter, just leave something nice for Mary along with your e-mail or Twitter handle. For one extra entry, spread the word (Twitter, FB, Blogger etc.) and leave a link. This giveaway is only open for the U.S. and Canada and runs to 11:59 p.m. July 25 Pacific time.

Book Review #15 The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy
by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Genre: Romance
Ages: 13 and up

This book made me smile. On the surface, the story is (mostly) the same as the original Pride and Prejudice, but in the background, everything has changed. Characters that were previously next to invisible come to the front and points of view are all switched around.
Miss Anne de Bourgh can see that her cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is hopelessly in love with the lovely Elizabeth Bennet. Rather than allow his clumsy attempted proposal to ruin his hopes for future happiness, Anne decides to take matters into her own hands. What if the coincidences that brought Lizzy and Darcy together in Pride and Prejudice were not actually coincidences? This story has Anne, with a little help from Georgiana Darcy, scheming and plotting away to bring together two people who were obviously perfect for each other. I loved the portrayals of Anne (who I have long believed to have more in her than previously seen), Georgiana (I would love to read her Gothic novel), Jane (who grows a bit of a backbone), and Mary Bennet (who may get a romance of her own!). This story made me laugh several times, especially near the end when all of the plans and manipulations begin to fall into place.

There are a few instances of profanity scattered throughout and Darcy calls Wickham a rude name at one point, so I rate it a 3.10.

There isn't any violence in this book.

There are several sexual references and some innuendo so I give it a 3.10.

                                         Lieder Madchen