For many of us dancing has become almost a free-for-all activity with dance floors just a few steps removed from being mosh pits. The idea of having a designated dance partner is relegated to the slow dances where a girl’s arms are around a guy’s neck and his arms are around her waist. If it […]
Author Archive | Veronica Monique
Gothic Summer Reading
Some would say that the best time to read a scary story is at night when the imagination is more susceptible to the terrifying ideas such tales can conjure. However, we decided that we wanted a fun atmospheric juxtaposition and do our Gothic reading during the sunny summer with Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and The Mysteries of […]
Comfort, Auxiliary, and Substitute
At the end of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park we are left to believe that the marriage of Fanny and Edmund goes on to be a happy one, and that life at Mansfield Park after the feather ruffling influence of the Crawfords is calmly returning to something respectable with the addition of Susan Price, Fanny’s younger sister, taking […]
Different Shades of Darkness
Today we are pleased to welcome Jennifer Petkus, author of Jane, Actually, as she shares her thoughts on darkness and the beyond. Be sure to enter for a chance to win a copy. Ms. Perkus has graciously offered two (2) physical books for US residents with valid US mailing addresses, and four (4) ecopies for giveaway! […]
The Countess before the Count
While we may like to inundate ourselves in the new tales and spins on vampires, every now and then, to truly appreciate their enduring presence in fiction, we must look back to those stories that inspired the genre, and even further back to the ones that inspired them. You cannot mention vampires without at least […]
Prowling With the March Women
When I was younger and first getting into reading for pleasure, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was one of my favorite. I identified with Jo with her tomboy attitude and passion for writing. I even had a crush on Laurie and couldn’t for the life of me understand why Jo and he didn’t end up together. […]
In This Life or the Next
A second chance to get love right was granted Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth eight years after their first failed attempt in Persuasion by Jane Austen. Anne had allowed herself to be guided by duty and the sense of those whose opinions she felt honor bound to respect. Captain Wentworth had sailed off with uncertain prospects. […]
February’s Bespelling Reading Choice
This month’s selection is Bespelling Jane Austen, which is actually an anthology featuring four short stories inspired by Jane Austen with a paranormal twist. Almost Persuaded by Mary Balogh. Northanger Castle by Colleen Gleason Blood and Prejudice by Susan Krinard Little To Hex Her by Janet Mullany We decided to give ourselves more choices: read them all at once, pick the one […]
Quickly Matched for a Lifetime
Today we welcome Kimberly Truesdale to talk about her novel My Dear Sophy, which is the story of how Admiral and Mrs Croft came to be. Be sure to enter for a chance to win a copy for your Kindle. Giveaway open internationally. Thank you for having me, Dark Jane Austen Book Club! I hope you […]
Upon Reading My Dear Sophy
One of my favorite aspects of being a Jane Austen fan is the number of prequels, sequels, and deviations her work has inspired. It means that no matter which of her novels I pick up there is sure to be another book to dive into should I wish to remain in the world of that […]
Of a New Persuasion
Before this month my favorite Austen novel was Sense and Sensibility with Pride and Prejudice being my second. Well, they have now both been shifted down a notch because Persuasion is now my Jane Austen number one. I love the fact that Anne Elliot is twenty-seven, making her the oldest of Austen’s heroines. It is her age and experience that lend her […]