BOOK INFORMATION
Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance
by Jennieke Cohen
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: December 3rd 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance, Fiction
Synopsis:
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!
Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.
But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.
Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.
Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads Amazon Bookdepository B&N iTunes Google Books
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Jennieke Cohen (JEN-ih-kah CO-en) is used to people mispronouncing her name and tries to spare her fictional characters the same problem. Jennieke writes historical fiction for young adults inspired by real people and events because life is often stranger than fiction. She studied English history at Cambridge University and has a master’s degree in professional writing from the University of Southern California. Jennieke loves exploring new locales but always returns home to Northern California where the summers are hot, the winters are mild, and life is casual.
AUTHOR LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18001955.Jennieke_Cohen
Website: https://www.jenniekecohen.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennieke_Cohen
Blog: https://www.jenniekecohen.com/blog
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/jenniekec/boards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennieke_cohen/
~My Thoughts~
I literally read the title and knew I had to read this book. You had me at Austen Romance.
I was so happy to see that the book lived up to the title. Though the premise of Austen characters being reimagined or retold has been done before, I have never read a retelling set in Austen’s time as she was writing the books. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what books written now would inspire the same kind of retelling. Maybe Harry Potter? I don’t know… still got to think about it.
The characters in Dangerous Alliance are particularly well thought out. I really loved how Vicky wasn’t just Elizabeth Bennet, which would have been easy. She seemed even bolder and more straight forward than that. So many times I thought she would demur or stay quiet, but she stood up for herself. I may have said a mental, “You go girl!” a couple of times.
And Tom was a great hero because he was so multifaceted. He was sweet, but sometimes ill tempered and stubborn. The fact that he hasn’t read Jane Austen then discovers his own Mr. Darcy is adorable.
This book was part romance part mystery, and I have to admit that it kept me guessing until the end. I wasn’t even sure if the bad guy was actually bad or if the other guy was bad, and really the bad guy is good. Mysterious, right?
The POV switches back and forth a lot, but the other characters are just as interesting as the main ones. and I really liked that the romance wasn’t the only thing propelling the plot forward. Each character had their own lives separate from each other, which is really rare in romance novels. Usually, even when the main characters are apart, they are talking or thinking of each other. When they do get together, though, it’s just everything.
All romance and Austen fans will love this book. It’s an easy and fast read that even kept my attention while working out, which is high praise. My gym has tvs with HGTV on, so being more appealing than Chip & Jojo is quite an accomplishment. 🙂
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