5 Young Adult Regency Books to Read If You Like Netflix’s Bridgerton

Clearly part of the appeal of Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton, based on the novels by Julia Quinn, is that it is a romance– that is, the show is based on adult romance novels, so things get steamy. YA books aren’t romance novels, but if you want books that have that Regency era feel (and perhaps a more PG or PG-13 romance), check out our recommendations below.

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Duels and Deception by Cindy Anstey

Like Anstey’s debut Love, Lies and Spies, Duels and Deception is a light-hearted Regency romance that will keep you vastly amused if you like spirited girls and swoon-worthy guys in historical fiction.  The novel is, in some senses, ridiculous.  The dialogue seems a bit overdone with the author’s attempts to make it period, and the action is certainly on the absurd end (kidnappings and conspiracies and scandals, oh my!).  To top it off, the whole plot is incredibly predictable.  And yet…it’s just so.much.fun.

A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

When Miss Georgianna Fitzwilliam’s parents become frustrated with her out-of-control science experiments and unladylike behavior, they send her to England’s most notorious reformatory school. None of them know that Stranje House is more than a school for Regency England’s rich and powerful young ladies. It’s a front for an organization that trains girls of unusual talents to serve their country as scientists, diplomats, and spies, and Georgianna is about to become entangled in some dangerous plots.  A School for Unusual Girls is a wonderfully imagined story of romance and adventure the will appear to fans historical fiction with strong female leads.

I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend by Cora Harrison

I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend is precisely the type of book one would probably expect it to be from the title, a light and fun YA read about a young girl who dabbles in intrigue and romance because she’s Jane Austen’s best friend (and Jane Austen even as a teenagers has a sharp wit and keen eyes).  The book is just the thing for someone looking for some delightfully fluffy entertainment, with spunky female protagonists and some eighteenth century heartthrobs.

Keeping the Castle by Patrick Kindl

Seventeen-year-old Althea’s ancestor built his dream home, a castle, on the cliffs of Yorkshire.  Weather and a poor foundation, however, have wreaked havoc upon the building and penniless Althea and her mother can do little to save it.  Their one hope lies in Althea’s making a good marriage, but few suitable men live in the area—until the arrival of Lord Boring and his party.  Althea accordingly sets her mind to win Lord Boring’s heart (and his wealth), but his friend Mr. Fredericks has an awful habit of ruining all her plans.

Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix

Lady Truthful must disguise herself as a man in order to go on an adventure to locate her missing emerald. Nix combines Regency romance with magic in this imaginative tale.

You can also read my discussion post on what I liked about Bridgerton even more than the romance!

Carols and Chaos by Cindy Anstey

Information

Goodreads: Carols and Chaos
Series: None (but characters from other novels make cameos)
Source: Library
Published: October 9, 2018

Official Summary

A lady’s maid and a valet become entangled in a yuletide counterfeiting scheme in this romantic Christmas YA adventure.

1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady’s maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice. Between her household duties, caring for her ailing mother, and saving up money to someday own a dress shop, her hands are quite full. Matt Harlow is also rather busy. He’s performing double-duty, acting as valet for both of the Steeple brothers, two of the estate’s holiday guests.

Falling in love would be a disaster for either of them. But staving off their feelings for each other becomes the least of their problems when a devious counterfeiting scheme reaches the gates of Shackleford Park, and Kate and Matt are unwittingly swept up in the intrigue. Full of sweetness, charm, and holiday shenanigans, Carols and Chaos is perfect for fans of Jane Austen and Downton Abbey.

Review

I’ve read all four of Anstey’s novels so far, and though I’ve enjoyed them, I’m starting to think I don’t have much to say about them beyond that.  Anstey has tried to make Carols and Chaos a bit different from the others (Suitors and Sabotage, Duels and Deception, and Love, Lies and Spies) by moving away from the upper classes and focused on a romance between a lady’s maid and a valet, but…the books really are all kind of the same thing.

That’s alright because they’re light and fluffy and fun, but I’m also starting to feel as if I’m writing the same review for all of them.  If you like Regency romances spiced up with banter and a bit of modern sensibilities, then Cindy Anstey has the perfect books for you.  Carols and Chaos is nice because it’s set around Christmas, so it has a bit of that cozy holiday mystery/romance feel.  Readers will also get a sense of how Christmas was celebrated in the Regency era, which is fun.

The one other thing I really liked about this novel is that the protagonist has a kind of needy mother who makes up fake emergencies to get her daughter to visit her and pouts about her children doing “nothing” for her even when it’s not true.  I’m not sure I’ve seen a mother portrayed like this in YA, where the character has to kind of “manage” her and is also stuck in the trap of knowing her mother is unreasonable and kind of manipulative while also feeling as if she does owe her kindness and patience.  I’ve seen lovely mothers in literature, absent mothers, and some outright abusive mothers (or mother figures), but I’ve never seen one nuanced like this.  I was a little bummed that this ended up serving a plot point instead of just being a complicated relationship that the protagonist has, but I still like that it was represented in the book.

So, bottom line: If you like Regency romances and the other stuff Anstey has written, you’ll like this.  Anstey is a solid writer, and what she does, she does well.

 

Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

Information

Goodreads: Suitors and Sabotage
Series: None
Source: Library
Published: April 17, 2018

Official Summary

Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father’s approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. When her interest is piqued, however, it is for the wrong brother.

Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother’s intended.

But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of “accidents,” it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger. . .

Review

Minor spoiler warning. I’m not revealing anything that’s not pretty obvious, but if you like to read books completely blind, you should probably avoid this review.

I enjoyed Cindy Anstey’s first two novels, Love, Lies and Spies and Duels and Deception as light romantic reads, so I was excited to pick up her third Regency-inspired novel (and requested my library purchase it just so I could read it!). Unfortunately, I think Suitors and Sabotage is significantly Anstey’s weakest work, despite the implication that it would be both a mystery and a romance; my primary emotion while reading it was boredom.

I haven’t checked if Suitors and Sabotage actually is longer than Anstey’s other novels, but it certainly feels like it. The plot is centered around the pending engagement of Imogene Chively and Ernest Steeple. The problem: When Ernest comes to visit Miss Chively and her family to cement the relationship before the proposal, he brings his charming younger brother Ben, who starts to steal some hearts. The second problem: Someone seems to have it out for Ben by playing dangerous pranks.

This sounds as if it should be interesting, but it’s not. There are also allusions to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which should make the book deep, but it doesn’t. I just felt awkward through most of the book, feeling really bad for Ernest as everyone fell in love with his brother, which made it difficult for me to find the book romantic. Additionally, Imogene and Ben spend the whole book trying to not be attracted to each other, because Ernest is supposed to be wooing Imogene, so there’s not a lot of room for romance.

The mystery part of the novel also falls short and simply doesn’t play as large a role as one might expect.

Finally, the characterization is lackluster. Imogene, Ben, Ernest, and Imogene’s friend Emily are well-developed, but the side characters seem like tropes, cardboard cutouts filling a role. I wasn’t even sure Imogene’s older brother and his friend Jake were going to have actual dialogue for a large portion of the book, or if they were just going to be incurable pranksters flitting about in the background. (And, honestly, I did not buy that these people were nineteen! The younger protagonists were more mature!)

Suitors and Sabotage just didn’t work for me. I like Anstey’s other books, so I’ll keep an open mind about future novels, but I can’t recommend this one.

 

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones

Information

Goodreads: Murder, Magic, and What We Wore
Series: None (yet?)
Source: City Book Review
Published: September 19, 2017

Summary

Miss Annis Wentworth has always suspected her father was a spy for England, so when he dies under mysterious circumstances, she takes it upon herself to do some spy work herself to find the murderer. However, her sudden lack of financial support means she has to balance her sleuthing with her new (but completely secret) job as a glamour modiste—a fashionable dressmaker who can imbue her clothes with magic.

Review

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore fits into the small trend I’ve noticed of Regency era YA books that focus on fun and flirting and try not to take themselves overly seriously—even when discussing things like, well, murder.  Think of Cindy Anstey’s Love, Lies and Spies, and you’ll understand the type of tone Kelly Jones has adopted here, though personally I think Anstey does it better.

Jones seems to struggle with finding the right balance for Murder, Magic, and What We Wore because there’s simply so much going on in the book.  There’s the looming issue that protagonist Annis Wentworth believes her father was a spy for England and has been murdered by his enemies and that she needs to uncover her killer and deliver whatever news he was carrying related to the exiled Napoleon.  Yet…weirdly this major, serious plot thread is not always the focus of the novel.  In fact, I’d say most of the novel is focused on the “magic” and “what we wore” part, as Annis tries to live a double life, disguising herself as a fashionable, magical dressmaker (because no self-respecting woman of her station would run a shop) and attempting to maintain her status as a young lady of society known for her fashion sense and advice.

Annis herself isn’t a character I personally warmed to.  Jones tries her best to make Annis strong, brave, and smart, but I often thought she leaned towards the frivolous and made some fairly dire mistakes.  This is reasonable, of course, considering she has zero spy training and naturally would be bad at simply deciding she would like to be a spy, but it doesn’t make me respect her.  Maybe I’m an old grump, but I was half on the side of the people who wanted her to just go home, mind her own business, and leave the espionage to the professionals.  After all, she does have a pretty cool dress shop to run as an alternative career.

So, basically I found Murder, Magic, and What We Wore entertaining but not necessarily thought-provoking or moving.  It’s one of those books that I enjoyed while I was reading it, but I don’t think it will be likely to cross my mind again.  For fluffy Regency books, I really do prefer Cindy Anstey, and for books that are more serious about intrigue and the threat of Napoleon, I adore the School for Unusual Girls series by Kathleen Baldwin.

Duels and Deception by Cindy Anstey

Information

Goodreads: Duels and Deception
Series: None
Source: Publisher
Published: April 11, 2017

Official Summary

Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father’s choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan.

Until Lydia—and Robert along with her—is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won’t hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert’s help, Lydia strives to keep her family’s good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants…

Review

Like Anstey’s first novel, Love, Lies and Spies, Duels and Deception is a light-hearted Regency romance that will keep you vastly amused if you like spirited girls and swoon-worthy guys in historical fiction.  The novel is, in some senses, ridiculous.  The dialogue seems a bit overdone with the author’s attempts to make it period, and the action is certainly on the absurd end (kidnappings and conspiracies and scandals, oh my!).  To top it off, the whole plot is incredibly predictable.  And yet…it’s just so.much.fun.

Anstey, I have to admit, is just good at what she does.  I don’t normally read books I would call “fluffy,” yet that’s exactly what Anstey’s fiction is, and I love it.  You can tell she had such a good time writing it that you can’t help but have a good time reading it.  Part of me can’t even say that this novel and her first are distinctly different (they are but they aren’t), but I don’t care.  I was entertained, and I kept turning the pages.

The highlight is really the plot, but the characters help make the book, as well. Anstey write heroines that don’t quite conform to the expected gender roles of their time, but they pay just enough deference to propriety that they don’t seem unrealistic.  And she is fabulous at writing romantic love interests who are thoughtful, intelligent, and brave.  Secondary characters ranging from good friends to absurd family members to nasty villains round out the cast.

I have no idea if Anstey plans to continue churning out Regency novels in this vein, but I’ll keep reading them if she does.

Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

Information

Goodreads: Love, Lies and Spies
Series: None
Source: Library
Published: April 19, 2016

Official Summary

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

Review

Love, Lies and Spies is a cute and fun Regency-inspired romance that adds just a dash of danger to the plot by adding some war-time intrigue.  Protagonist Juliana Telford is insistent she is only interested in attending the London Season in order to sneak away and find a publisher for her and her father’s research on the lady beetle, but a dashing young gentleman might have other plans for her.

The “spies” part of the title could certainly have been played up more.  Northam, to be sure, is working on an important case involving treason for the War Office, but the author took the route of constantly mentioning small details about the case without actually giving an overview of the thing until about page 230.  (Seriously, I looked at the page number to confirm exactly how long it took me to figure out what Northam was trying to do because I spent most of the book confused.) And in the end, I didn’t find it that interesting.  It seemed like a small case and lots of watching and waiting. I’m sure a lot of cases are like that, but it doesn’t necessarily make for exciting writing.

The focus of the novel is primarily on the romance, and I think that if you go in with that expectation, you’ll enjoy the book.   It’s very episodic with lots of wondering of “When shall the protagonist ‘casually’ run into the love interest next?” Lots of scenes of small talk and subtle flirtations, lots of looking forward to and planning the next meeting.  Northam is, indeed, quite romantic and gallant, so watching the romance unfold is likely to be as fun for the readers as it is for Juliana.  There’s some social mingling and commentary as well, but don’t hope for it to be quite on the level of the Jane Austen novels that inspired the story.

The prose is inconsistent and alternately struck me as a good imitation of the Regency period and just off.   When Anstey nails it, she nails it, but Juliana frequently comes across as a simpering little fool based on her awkward dialogue, muttering things like “Oh dear! Oh dear!” and things that sound too stilted for anyone to actually think or say.  The opening chapter may be one of the best examples of this, as it’s amusing and engaging while just seeming wrong.  I laughed while also thinking Juliana absolutely ridiculous and just a little bit…not bright.  She shows her intelligence later in the story, particularly in the area of careful observation, but the things she says often made me question her.

I enjoyed Love, Lies and Spies.  It’s light and entertaining and frequently made me smile. It’s certainly not the best book of intrigue I’ve read, but it’s a cute romance.  Readers who like Regency-era romances will probably want to pick it up.

Note: There is a glossary in the back to help clarify some of the Regency-era expressions. I found most of them self-evident through context clues, but it drives me nuts to struggle through a whole book and only learn there’s a glossary after I’ve finished reading the entire thing, so I thought I’d point it out to other readers. So few books have glossaries that it never occurs to me to check for them before I begin reading, so they tend to be wasted on me.

Exile for Dreamers by Kathleen Baldwin

Information

Goodreads: Exile for Dreamers
Series: Stranje House #2
Source: Purchased
Published: May 2016

Official Summary

It’s 1814. Napoleon has escaped his imprisonment on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And at Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, five young ladies are secretly being trained for a world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

Tess Aubreyson can’t run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Dreams bring nothing but death and grief, and Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother. Until her disturbing dreams become the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her fellow students at Stranje House. Tess’s old friend, the traitorous Lady Daneska, and Ghost, the ruthless leader of the Iron Crown, have returned to England, intent on paving the way for Napoleon’s invasion. Can the young ladies of Stranje House prevail once more? Or is England destined to fall into the hands of the power-mad dictator?

Review

Kathleen Baldwin won me over with the first book in the series, A School for Unusual Girls, with its spunky heroines and swoon-worthy romance. Yet I admit a I was a little hesitant about this sequel since the protagonist changes from scientist Georgiana to prophetic dreamer Tess.  While prophetic dreams are, in theory, interesting, I worried about how they fit into the larger scheme of the school, where basically all the other girls have a more realistic talent.  Tess also, though nice, is definitely not as fiery as Georgiana, meaning the series might shift awkwardly in moving from an active protagonist to a shyer one. I needn’t have worried, however, because Baldwin made me fall in love with her characters and her world all over again.

Exile for Dreamers does seem a little more focused on romance than A School for Unusual girls, but, hey, that’s really a large part of what I’m here for.  Tess’s romance was simply hinted at previously, but here it absolutely flowers, and I was smitten.  Love interest Lord Ravencross is a bit gruff but quite protective–yet Tess also pulls her own and never lets anyone treat her as too delicate or helpless. Its so great that. at  this point, I feel like the peak of the romances in the series have been reached, and I’m not convinced Jane’s story in Book 3 will live up to Tess’s. However, I was wrong before, and I’m sure Baldwin will prove me wrong again.

I do wish there were a bit more historical matters in this book.  Although the series is alternate history, so far I’ve really only gotten some hazy impressions about what that means. Napoleon is nefarious and maybe invading and the girls might be needed to help stop it.  Yet all of this always seems vague, even when it’s ostensibly playing a fairly large role in how the plot plays out.  Perhaps the history will be more fully fleshed out as the series progresses.

The Stranje House series is one of the most enjoyable I’ve read in the past year. and I think it’s bit somewhat overlooked in the blogosphere, as I haven’t seen many reviews. However, I believe others will like it if they give it a try. With strong heroines, a dash of mystery and history, and a generous portion of romance, it’s a really immersive story.

 

Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix

Information

Goodreads: Newt’s Emerald
Series: None
Source: Library
Published: October 13, 2105

Official Summary

On her eighteenth birthday, Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt,” will inherit her family’s treasure: the Newington Emerald. A dazzling heart-shaped gem, the Emerald also bestows its wearer with magical powers.

When the Emerald disappears one stormy night, Newt sets off to recover it. Her plan entails dressing up as a man, mustache included, as no well-bred young lady should be seen out and about on her own. While in disguise, Newt encounters the handsome but shrewd Major Harnett, who volunteers to help find the missing Emerald under the assumption that she is a man. Once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure that includes an evil sorceress, Newt realizes that something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.

Review

I took a break from Garth Nix after the disappointment of A Confusion of Princes and was tempted to pass on Newt’s Emerald after seeing lukewarm reviews.   However, it’s hard for me to say no to a magical Regency romance, and Nix did blow me away with the Abhorsen trilogy, so when I saw this one sitting on the “New” shelf at the library, I gave it a chance.  My verdict: A solid story I would have liked a lot more as a teen, before I’d read a lot of books similar to this one.  However, the stories I’ve read are in many cases backlist titles at this point that teens are no longer reading, so Newt’s Emerald would probably do well with the target audience, if not with adult YA readers who sometimes feel as if they’ve already seen it all.

The romance is billed as one of the main points of the story, and, technically speaking, Nix tries to make it so.  However, the characters fall in love quickly even for a standalone where I tend to be more forgiving of near-instalove, and I never really felt chemistry between the characters.  They’re both nice enough and have similar interests and even compatible social standings, so all the best to them, but I just wasn’t personally invested in their story.  Add the fact there’s some “drama” readers are alerted to since almost the opening of the story and know isn’t really a problem at all, and things are really getting forced.

The plot line about the magical missing jewel is similarly “okay.”  The characters get into some minor escapades trying to track down the artifact, with protagonist Newt humorously disguised as a Frenchman. This is the Regency era, after all, and proper women don’t gallivant across London trying to solve magical mysteries!  Again, this is something I would have been a lot more entertained by earlier in my life, when “girl dressed as boy” was less of a trope, but I think it will work for some readers.

The side characters are mildly interesting, but I didn’t feel as if anyone was fully developed.  Newt’s cousins are somewhat interesting, as is her aunt, but the villains are singularly disappointing.  Beyond being generically power-hungry and determined to take revenge for something that happened a long time ago, I can’t really say what their motivations were.  I skimmed the climatic scene.

Overall, not a bad book, just one I think needs to find the right audience.

A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

Information

Goodreads: A School for Unusual Girls
Series: A School for Unusual Girls #1
Source: ALA
Published: May 2015

Summary

When Miss Georgianna Fitzwilliam’s parents become frustrated with her out-of-control science experiments and unladylike behavior, they send her to England’s most notorious reformatory school.  None of them know that Stranje House is more than a school for Regency England’s rich and powerful young ladies. It’s a front for an organization that trains girls of unusual talents to serve their country as scientists, diplomats, and spies, and Georgianna is about to become entangled in some dangerous plots.

Review

Stranje House is a bit of a mystery.  The school is known among England’s elite as a cold-hearted reformatory for the most stubborn and unmarriageable girls.  In reality, it is a training ground for girls with exceptional talents to excel in those talents—and potentially put them to use in service of their country.

Protagonist Georgianna Fitzwilliam is a promising chemist, whose attempts to create an invisible ink undetectable by light or heat have caught the attention of Miss Stranje herself.  Readers will love Georgianna’s intelligence and fierce devotion to reason, her efforts to learn as much as she can in a world that denies equal access to education to women.  She is a strong female heroine whose strength lies in her brain more than her brawn.

However, Stranje House offers nothing is not variety.  The cast of characters includes girls of all talents and temperaments, ranging from the coolly rational to the nearly mystical.  All the characters get adequate page time, and readers will come to feel as if they know them all—making a great opening for the next books in the series to be told from other girls’ points of view.  And the main message behind everything is that no talent, no type of woman, is more valuable than another; the girls are strongest when they work together.

Much of the plot focuses on how the girls must pool their knowledge and abilities when a plan to help protect England from a scheming Napoleon goes horribly wrong.  The story is refreshingly original, and the pacing perfect.   Although the focus veers more heavily to romance than some readers might be expecting, there are still plenty of thrills and daring escapades.

A School for Unusual Girls is a wonderfully imagined story of romance and adventure the will appear to fans historical fiction with strong female leads.

If You Like Stories Inspired by Jane Austen, Then Read…

If You Like, Then Read is a feature where we offer reading suggestions based on books you already like, scheduled once a month. If you have more suggestions, feel free to tell us in the comments! You can check out the rest of these lists here.

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Sisters Jane and Melody have no inheritance, but Jane possesses great magical talent while Melody possesses an attractive face.  While Jane attempts to learn more magic from the glamour artist Mr. Vincent, Melody finds herself entangled in a disastrous romance.  Though the two envy each other for the traits they themselves do not have, Jane finds herself utilizing her skills to protect her sister from an undesirable suitor and, in the process, discovers love herself.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Jane Hayes has accepted the fact that none of the men she dates in real life can compare to her fantasy boyfriend–Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth.  Before giving  up romantic relationships for good, she decides to have one last fling and to vacation at Austenland, an exclusive retreat where women dress up in Regency clothing and flirt with eligible men.  However, even as Jane tries to harden her heart, she finds that real romance might be blooming underneath the acting.  Followed by the companion book Midnight in Austenland.

A Touch of Night by Sarah A. Hoyt and Sophie Skapsi

In England some people, known as weres, have the ability to change shape during the night.  The law mandates that all weres be killed on sight, so the rest of society can remained protected.  Elizabeth Bennett believes that weres should be treated as people and not animals. However, when a handsome dragon appears in the countryside, Elizabeth will discover that mixing with weres can prove extremely dangerous.

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

Seventeen-year-old Althea’s ancestor built his dream house, a castle, on the cliffs of Yorkshire.  Time and the weather, however, have weakened the structure and penniless Althea and her mother can do little to save their home.  Convinced that the only solution to their problem lies in her marrying well, Althea determines the win the heart–and the wealth–of the newly arrived Lord Boring.  Lord  Boring’s friend Mr. Frederick, however, has a terrible habit of ruining all her plans.

Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

In this modern-day retelling, Lizzie Bennet and her friend Jane are in dire need of dates to the Longbourn Academy prom.  Well–at least Jane is.  Lizzie couldn’t care less about the dance, or dresses, or boys.  And she certainly finds Will Darcy insufferable!

I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend by Cora Harrison

Harrison imagines Jane Austen as a teenager and tells this story from the point of view of her best friend and cousin Jenny Cooper.  Though Jenny adores Jane and is excited to be spending the summer with the Austens, she gets to live her own storybook romance when she meets the dashing Captain Thomas Williams, even if it’s under slightly improper circumstance.

Want more Jane Austen? Check out our other posts.

• More reading recommendations if you like Pride and Prejudice
• Should Jane Austen be in the literary canon?
• What’s the best Jane Austen adaptation?