Dangerous Alliance Book Review

We got snow this week. Like a ridiculous stupid amount of snow. Basically the entire winter in 2 days. Ugh. Add that to me being sick all week…and you get a LOT more reading time for Jessica. On the plus side, I finally got a chance to read Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen, which then put me in the mood for ALL THINGS JANE AUSTEN!!

For some reason I have been holding onto this book for at least a year just waiting for the right time…and I guess the RIGHT TIME is a snow day! Who knew?!? I had 100 percent judged this book by the cover last year and KNEW it needed to come to my house when I spotted the subtitle…Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance. Anything hinting at a bit of Elizabeth and Darcy…and I’m ALL IN!!

SOOOO what is Dangerous Alliance REALLY about and what makes it sooooo AUSTENTACIOUS??

As the book begins, Lady Victoria Aston has 3 things, a Jane Austen addiction, a short time to find a husband, and a scoundrel in black trying to bludgeon her over the head. Add in a sister with a rake for a husband, an ex-best friend who has recently inherited the large neighboring estate AND a mountain of debt, and a string of entertaining love interests, and you have a VERY Austen-like predicament. I am honestly not sure how often it actually occurred that Regency ladies had two weeks to find and woo the perfect husband to save the family estate, but honestly the premise never gets old for me. I could read about balls and suitors and drives in the park ALL DAY LONG. And this week…I DID!! SOOOO if you like sweet YA romance with a dash of Jane Austen, this is a winner.

Other books for the Jane Austen fan…

Of course once I got a little taste of JANE, I went down the rabbit hole into Darcy-land. My next stop was Austenland by Shannon Hale. If you are an Austen fan, I am sure you have already headed to Austenland, but IF for some reason you missed this one…grab it!!

In Austenland, Jane (yes the main character is named Jane…how could she NOT be??) is a COMPLETE Pride and Prejudice fan. Obsessed would be the only acceptable word for it. Luckily for her, she has a rich relative that HAPPENS to pass away and leave her a trip to an English resort for Austen obsessed women. Yes…that is REALLY what happens. At the resort they dress in Regency attire, give up their cell phones, and are surrounded by gardeners and gentlemen ALL there to help them live out their Elizabeth Bennet dreams. Jane is not the ONLY guest…Miss Charming, a 50 something American with a bad British accent is also on vacay at Austenland to “bag herself a Darcy.” Austenland is a hilarious modern day book for the Jane Austen fan. AND because it is not enough to read the hilarity, there is a movie ALSO called Austenland. I found it on Amazon to rent for $2.99. AND the best part…Miss Charming is played by Stiffler’s mom…to PERFECTION!!

Next on my Week-O-Austen was A Proper Scandal by Esther Hatch. Guess what drew me to this one…YEP…that cover!!! I cannot resist a pretty cover…EVER!! In A Proper Scandal, Grace is an orphan who has been sent to live with her Aunt Bell in London. Unfortunately, her aunt has remarried a COMPLETE rake (because every good book needs one), and Uncle Bell has put them in terrible debt. Too keep Grace safe from her uncle (yes he is THAT detestable) and to help get them out of debt, Grace is forced to (you guessed it) find a husband in just two weeks. AND not just ANY husband, her uncle has picked out the perfect man for her to seduce and TRICK into marriage. The only problem, Grace knows NOTHING about seducing a man. BUT to keep her reputation in tact and get herself away from her disgusting uncle, she sets out to ensnare herself a husband.

Sometimes I just need a good sweet predictable love story, and this fit the bill perfectly. Girl meets boy. Girl is forced to flirt with boy to trick him into marriage. Girl messes up and ends up with her parasol stuck in her hat and needs boy to save her. You know how it goes. I liked A Proper Scandal enough to jump right in and grab another book from Esther Hatch, A Proper Charade. I just started this one last night, but I will keep you posted.

Do you have a favorite P&P version??? I try to love the older versions best, but my favorite is the Keira Knighley version…although I know that is not always a popular opinion amongst Austen fans. The music, the scenery, and Pemberley are just too much for me to resist. PLUS Donald Sutherland is my FAVORITE most likeable Mr. Bennet. My plan is to end this week of snow with at least ONE showing of Pride and Prejudice AND my first time watching the new EMMA. I had planned to watch it the day it came out, but COVID happened and now it is a year later. BUT better late than never right?!?! If you need me…I will be on the couch with a good book for a few more days. At least until the snow melts and I am forced back to reality. I hope you are using your snow days wisely too:) JESS

If you want to see more of my favorite books, you can find them HERE, HERE and HERE. Happy reading!!!

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