Join me for Dear Mr. Knightley!

This review is for the incredibly well written novel "Dear Mr. Knightley" by Katherine Reay.

For the first part of this I just have to commend Ms. Reay on an exceptionally well written and witty debut novel.  I have been super busy with the holidays so I still have about a quarter left to read of the book but I LOVE it.

I think that ANY fans of Jane Austin will get into this book just as much as I have. Don't get me wrong however it is NOT a period piece. It is a modern day, unique take involving Jane's voice, or those of her characters, so to speak.

I was expecting a completely different novel when just reading the title but I found to my delight that I was not at all disappointed with the story that was unearthed as I cracked that first page open.

I know I will definitely be reading more of Katherine's work if it is anything like this first undertaking.

And by the way, Katherine, if you read this I want to tell you Congratulations! and amazing job on your first novel! Such a huge accomplishment to get your book published and a dream come true that I hope I can have in common with you some day!


Join me fellow readers in this heartwarming story.

~~~~~~~~~~
Samantha Moore has lived her life with her nose buried in books. She has taken her Austin approach to life to almost an extreme. It seems that Sam wouldn't even know how to be herself with out hiding betwixt the pages of Jane Austin. She has incorporated so much of it into her daily life as a means of hiding. Austin makes sense to Sam, others do not.

What Sam doesn't realize is that her own life might be a story waiting to be told.

This 23 year old orphan is about to get an amazing shot at an excellent education.

But in order to claim this blessing, Sam will have to step out of her comfort zone, out of her shell, and learn how to speak without all the Austin era dialog.

Finding her own voice might be just what Sam has needed all along.
~~~~~~~~~~

Be sure to enter the giveaway!

Enter Today | 11/14 - 12/3!
 
Also check out what other readers thought of this novel as well by going HERE.


One of the major things that I love about this book is how different it is. It is written as a series of letters and Katherine has an extremely unique voice when it comes to writing.

The tone of this book is almost hard to put into words since it is so different from everything else I have read but I very much enjoy it! If you are a fan of reading, a fan of Austin and a fan of Unique then pick up this debut novel by Katherine Reay. There is so much story here it's delicious!

Hope you all have had an amazing Thanksgiving!
Jenny




Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. I am not required to post a positive one. All opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Fairer Than Morning~Rosslyn Elliott~Blog Tour

This book review is for the novel "Fairer Than Morning". Which is the debut novel by Rosslyn Elliott.

What a novel to debut with! I read it for a blog tour and although the book is somewhat long at 387 pages she writes with an almost poetic feel to the novel. The imagery that her novel produces is beautiful. She paints pictures with her words in this moving novel.

The book is actually a work of fiction that is inspired by a real family that lived in American history, the Hanby Family.

Ann Miller is a young lady with a large mind who loves to read the classics and discuss books with her suitor Eli. Her mother died in childbirth many years ago and she has been left to be a surrogate mother to her two young sisters. Their father, who is a saddle maker by trade, tends to the business and occasional rides off the farm as a traveling preacher. He can't make a decent living at the preaching, therefore he continues with the saddle making. He is considered a master saddler and has a prominent family from Pittsburgh who have him come from Ohio to build their saddles.
On one such trip, Ann and her sisters accompany him to Pittsburgh and she meets Will Hanby, who is the apprentice of another saddle maker. His master is unbelievably cruel and beats him nearly to death.
Will has almost given up hope in life after the awful death of his parents and the torture of working under his master. Meeting Ann even for a fleeting few moments and seeing her kindness and light shine through give him hope for a brighter future.

Everything in this novel culminates toward a suspenseful end. The issue of slavery and murder are touched on several times in this novel. Deep seated emotions are richly portrayed throughout the entire book.

Here are my two favorite lines from the novel by far.

"The intense feeling of presence subsided, as if someone standing next to him had just moved away but remained in the room." This takes place when Will is praying.

"Tell me what you wish me to do. I want to be certain, like the others. In an instant, the night sky became more vast, the vault of heaven opened to limitlessness. Will felt himself minuscule in the sight of something that was everywhere and moving through him, as if he broke apart and mingled with it.His breath came in short, staggered puffs. Who was he, to have asked for an audience with Eternity? At the same time, he felt acceptance such as he had never known, as if these fragments that made him were revealed in all their brokenness and inadequacy...and he was fully loved. He would never be alone."

I have to say again just a beautiful, moving book! Big thumbs up to Rosslyn!


Rossyln has a fun giveaway coming up that you should definitly check out!

Win a custom made period dress ... and a KINDLE from Rosslyn Elliott!
Enter 9/1-9/20!

After entering the contest be sure and check out Rosslyn's website http://rosslynelliott.com/where you can find out more about this new author!

You can read an excerpt of this wonderful book here: http://www.rosslynelliott.com/books.php just scroll down to read the excerpt.

You can purchase the book for yourself, here: Own Fairer Than Morning For Yourself

I highly recommend you picking up this novel and diving into it! I love discovering great new authors for my collection!

Happy week and reading all!
Jenny


*Note* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I am not required to post a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.