100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

Jane Austen’s love stories are timeless romances sprinkled with endless wit and intriguing characters.  Where did Jane find her inspiration for such romance and characters when she herself was never married?  Carolyn V. Murray takes inspiration from little known facts about Jane’s summer spent in the Seaside town of Sidmouth and imagines Jane’s intense love affair with Royal Navy Lieutenant Frederick Barnes.  Jane’s father is a clergyman who has fallen on hard times.  Jane is now a daughter with poor prospects, but high hopes in the romance department.  After a failed encounter due to her family’s status, Jane is apprehensive of another failed relationship and accepts her future spinster status.  However, after a chance encounter with the determined Lieutenant, Jane’s heart begins to soften at the chance for love.

This was an incredibly sweet story that also felt very authentic.  I think Murray did an excellent job capturing Austen’s voice, personality and interactions.  Jane was an amazing character, full of life, complex emotions and plenty of tenacity and cleverness.  It was very interesting to learn about her family, their circumstances and Jane’s relationships with them, especially as these relationships affected her fictional characters.  I loved Jane's ups and downs within her relationship with Frederick, it seemed like such a natural progression and they were so perfect together.  I really enjoyed seeing how her changing perspective on Frederick and love itself influenced the character of Darcy in her writing.  Overall, this was a highly entertaining, sweet and quick read for any fans of Jane Austen or historical romance.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.