Undue Influence

A Persuasion Retelling

By: Jenny Holiday

Narrated by: Michael Fell

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Second chances only come around once.

Eight years ago, Adam Elliot made the biggest mistake of his life. Now that mistake is coming back to haunt him. His family’s beloved vineyard has gone into foreclosure, and the new owner is the sister of the only man he’s ever loved - the man he dumped under pressure from family and friends who thought the match was beneath him.

When Freddy Wentworth, aka the bad boy of Bishop’s Glen, left town with a broken heart, he vowed never to return. But a recently widowed friend needs his help, so here he is. He’s a rich and famous celebrity chef now, though, so everyone can just eff right off.

But some things are easier said than done. Despite their attempts to resist each other, old love rekindles - and old wounds reopen. If they want to make things work the second time around, they’ll have to learn to set aside their pride - and prejudice.

This modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is a standalone novel that can be enjoyed by Austen-philes and by those allergic to the nineteenth century.

©2018 by Jenny Holiday. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Cute retelling

I love the original story and this one was just as good! Great narration as well.

✫✫ 3.5 Stars ✫✫

I have to start by saying i'm not a fan of books written in Third person especially on Audio because hearing He and Him a thousand times in a book gets annoying. The story was a sweet second chance romance with no steam to speak of. I enjoyed it but didn't connect with the characters but again I think that is because it's 3rd.

Michael Fell did a good job on this audiobook.

Great story well done

I really found the story compelling and, while I am not a prude, found it gratifying that it didn’t resort to the prolonged explicit description that so many gay romance stories seem to feel are necessary. The narrator did a great job in my opinion.

Super cute

I love re telling stories and this was well done with a great narrator. I really enjoyed

Persuasive and Beautiful

My favorite Jane Austen is Persuasion. And I get it. I really do get it. I get the whole Mr. Darcy thing and I understand perfectly why reverting to some, heretofore, unknown Regency version of yourself and swooning is a reasonable response in an unreasonable world. Elizabeth and Darcy remain, as ever, iconic. And still I choose to break my own heart in endless loops of reading and rereading Persuasion.

I’m there with Anne and Wentworth. But it’s mostly Anne, I ravage my soul with her story. End the book. Pick it up and start again.

Now, there’s this, Undue Influence by Jenny Holiday. Adam Elliot is every bit the modern-day version of Anne. Facing the coercion and not persuasion from the people he loved or placed his trust in. They in turn take everything from him, leaving him raw and alone, abandoned to watch the man he loves carry on in a new life.

Yes, Persuasion is still my favorite. And yes, this is now my favorite modern day adaptation of the story which still gnaws at my insides and makes me want to believe in love.

Slow

I'm an Austen fan, and I was thrilled to find this book. However, the slow tempo that makes Persuasion so compelling didn't work for Jenny Holliday's Undue Influence. It's too slow, and feels like a listing up of information rather than an insight into the lives of the protagonists. Michael Fell did a decent job, but couldn't lift the story for me.