Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog.
To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links. Leave yours too.
Also, each week, Leslie, Vicki, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.
Here’s what I received:
The Secret Language of Stones by M.J. Rose for review in July with France Book Tours.
As World War I rages and the Romanov dynasty reaches its sudden, brutal end, a young jewelry maker discovers love, passion, and her own healing powers in this rich and romantic ghost story, the perfect follow-up to M.J. Rose’s “brilliantly crafted” (Providence Journal) novel The Witch of Painted Sorrows.
Nestled within Paris’s historic Palais Royal is a jewelry store unlike any other. La Fantasie Russie is owned by Pavel Orloff, protégé to the famous Faberge, and is known by the city’s fashion elite as the place to find the rarest of gemstones and the most unique designs. But war has transformed Paris from a city of style and romance to a place of fear and mourning. In the summer of 1918, places where lovers used to walk, widows now wander alone.
So it is from La Fantasie Russie’s workshop that young, ambitious Opaline Duplessi now spends her time making trench watches for soldiers at the front, as well as mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. People say that Opaline’s creations are magical. But magic is a word Opaline would rather not use. The concept is too closely associated with her mother Sandrine, who practices the dark arts passed down from their ancestor La Lune, one of sixteenth century Paris’s most famous courtesans.
But Opaline does have a rare gift even she can’t deny, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. Certain gemstones, combined with a personal item, such as a lock of hair, enable her to receive messages from beyond the grave. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger, giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message—directly to her.
So begins a dangerous journey that will take Opaline into the darkest corners of wartime Paris and across the English Channel, where the exiled Romanov dowager empress is waiting to discover the fate of her family.
This is a bag of goodies that I received from a Jane Austen Darcy & Elizabeth Panel in Bethesda, which Anna and I attended. This bag of goodies is wonderful for more than one reason.
Beyond the fact that I NEVER win anything, this bag includes my favorite peacock postcards, books edited by Anna, and a book edited by me! It also included chocolates, and believe me, they were delicious!
Books by Zoe Burton — one of which I edited recently:
In this ‘Pride and Prejudice’ novella, Elizabeth Bennet has known Fitzwilliam Darcy since both were very young. When she flees Longbourn and an unwanted suitor, her uncle and his father arrange a marriage between the two. Will Lizzy and Fitzwilliam agree to such a marriage? Will it keep her safe from a Peer who is determined to have her? Will this young couple be able to keep the promises they have made to each other?
This ‘Pride and Prejudice” novel variation follows Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy through the first year of their marriage. Arranged by his father in the I Promise To… novella, their union saved Elizabeth from a persistent, abusive suitor. The couple has known each other for years and quickly come to realize their love for each other. However, not everyone is happy with the marriage, and trouble comes quickly upon them. Dealing with jealous ladies and scornful gentlemen in London as well as illness and injury at Pemberley, they grow together as a couple while Elizabeth regains the confidence she has lost.
Decisions and Consequences, which I edited.
Elizabeth Bennet has received two proposals of marriage in the last twelve hours: one from her ridiculous cousin Mr. Collins and the other from the arrogant and disdainful Mr. Darcy. She turns both of them down flat. Unfortunately for her, between her mother’s insistence that she marry and some mysterious hold Mr. Darcy has over her father, she is forced to choose one.
Fitzwilliam Darcy is a man in need of a wife. He has searched high and low amongst the high society women of London but has yet to meet someone who combines all the attributes he requires. When he meets Miss Elizabeth Bennet in the small market town of Meryton, he finds her pointed dislike of him refreshing in its honesty. After observing her for a while, he decides he will marry her, and instructs his solicitor to investigate Mr. Bennet in the hopes of finding some sort of leverage to force her to accept him.
Though she chooses Darcy, Elizabeth is not happy. It takes weeks of being in his presence and learning his character, and the drama of people totally unrelated to her, to make Elizabeth see that that the consequence of her decision could possibly be a deep, abiding love.
Books by Rose Fairbanks — several of which were edited by Anna:
Resolved to forget Elizabeth Bennet during a winter in London, Fitzwilliam Darcy writes a letter in bitterness of spirit. Frustrated by her growing obsession with the arrogant man, Elizabeth commits her thoughts to paper. But angry people are not always wise, and secret thoughts do not always remain secret. Compelled to face their selfishness and fears, their actions encourage those dearest to them to change as well.
Love Lasts Longest, edited by Anna.
Steal a quiet moment with Darcy and Elizabeth…
In the busy world of go-go-go, we often have our gadgets glued to us all the time. Via technology we can now take our books with us much more conveniently than before, but who wants their reading interrupted in order to return to the real world? Love Lasts Longest was written for the moments when reading a lengthier volume is unwise. Follow each story as we see Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet grow in love over and over again!
A Sense of Obligation, edited by Anna.
A chance, but meaningful, encounter in Netherfield’s library changes everything between Darcy and Elizabeth. As they rush to the altar, Darcy’s faulty memory may destroy their chance at domestic comfort before they begin. Knowing their obligations and no longer resisting their attraction, they forge a foundation of trust and respect. New feelings may not be enough, however, to overcome the misunderstanding which lays between them. Exploring the juncture of sentiment and reason, A Sense of Obligation, takes Darcy and Elizabeth on a passionate, humorous and introspective path toward happiness in marriage.
No Cause to Repine, edited by Anna.
When a simple accident is misinterpreted and threatens Elizabeth Bennet’s reputation, her fate seems sealed as Fitzwilliam Darcy’s wife. While the bride is resigned, the gentleman could hardly be happier until betrayals and schemes threaten to entirely take the matter out of their hands. Overcoming the plots before them will take all the patience, perseverance and collaboration they can muster, but a partnership requires truth. Self-discovery and trust await Jane Austen’s most beloved and willfully blind couple as they attempt to master their own destiny in life and love.
Book from Victoria Kincaid — which Anna also edited:
When the irritating Mr. Collins proposes marriage, Elizabeth Bennet is prepared to refuse him, but then she learns that her father is ill. If Mr. Bennet dies, Collins will inherit Longbourn and her family will have nowhere to go. Elizabeth accepts the proposal, telling herself she can be content as long as her family is secure. If only she weren’t dreading the approaching wedding day…
Ever since leaving Hertfordshire, Mr. Darcy has been trying to forget his inconvenient attraction to Elizabeth. News of her betrothal forces him to realize how devastating it would be to lose her. He arrives at Longbourn intending to prevent the marriage, but discovers Elizabeth’s real opinion about his character. Then Darcy recognizes his true dilemma…
How can he rescue her when she doesn’t want him to?
Book from Cat Gardner:
Inspired by Jane Austen’s most alluring romantic couple, this modern adventure stars adaptations of characters from Pride and Prejudice and her other books.
Elizabeth Bennet is hiding from life on her family’s decaying, historic plantation, afraid to live fully. Hindered by duty and obligation, even reluctantly agreeing to an untenable marriage, she cannot silence her conscience from crying out for her to flee- run – escape before it’s too late.
Prompted by a cataclysmic event and the arrival of the enigmatic, attractive Fitzwilliam Darcy, Liz is thrust into a dangerous adventure where her spirit is released amidst international intrigue. However, Darcy carries his own deep stash of secrets as a premier government-sanctioned assassin working with an elite clandestine group named Obsidian. He’s spent a long, dark decade justifying his career choice while smothering his own conscience that beckons him back home to his ancestral Pemberley, its demons, and the man he was meant to be.
He is steel, rock-n-roll, and Tennessee whiskey. She is orchids, opera, and peaches with cream. Thrown together they are physically and emotionally charged TNT, ready to explode!
Books from Pamela Lynne:
The historical romance Dearest Friends retells Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a sensual adventure that will delight a modern audience. Fitzwilliam Darcy left Hertfordshire following a friend’s betrayal, but his heart remained with Elizabeth Bennet, the impertinent beauty who captured his attention in ways no woman ever had before. When he encounters her unexpectedly in London, he realizes he can no longer live without her and begins his pursuit for her hand. When he finds that Elizabeth is not free to marry, will he again walk away or will he fight for the lady he loves?
While Darcy and Elizabeth pursue their own happiness, around them friendships progress to love and infatuation leads to disappointment. Join a group of unlikely friends as they support our dear couple on their journey, each treading unique paths along the way.
What if a tragic event involving a beloved sister shatters Elizabeth Bennet‘s confidence in her ability to accurately judge a person’s character? When she leaves Longbourn for Kent, Elizabeth’s heart is full of worry for those she left behind. She carries a secret that would ruin her family if exposed and she must deceive the ones closest to her to conceal the truth.
She unexpectedly encounters Mr. Darcy on her journey and his gentlemanly behavior confuses, yet comforts her. Their daily encounters in the woods surrounding Rosings soothes Elizabeth’s weathered conscience and she soon falls in love. Her doubts, along with the well-placed words of another, threaten to destroy the peace she finds in Darcy’s company and she wonders if she has again failed to correctly sketch his character.
When the truth behind her deception is uncovered, will Darcy shun her as Elizabeth fears, or will his actions prove that he is the very best of men?
What did you receive?
