Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen

By: Sally Smith O' Rourke

Narrated by: Kendra Hoffman

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Was Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel really possible? For pragmatic Manhattan artist Eliza Knight the answer to both questions is absolutely, Yes! And Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley Farms, Virginia is the reason why!

His tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza in no doubt that Fitz Darcy is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero. And she’s falling in love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable Jane Austen ever love average, ordinary Eliza Knight?

Eliza’s doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things start to happen in the quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could change everything. Will the beloved author become the wedge that divides Fitz and Eliza or the tie that binds them?

©2012 Sally Smith O'Rourke (P)2013 Sally Smith O'Rourke

The narrator fell short for me

My thoughts on the audio:
Please forgive me, Kendra Hoffman, but I did not like your accents. I'm not a fan of accents unless they can be done really well. In this book Hoffman did a New Yorker accent, a southern accent, and an English accent. I completely understand and appreciate that Hoffman tried to give the characters their own 'voice' by differentiating between their geographical regions. It just fell short to me. At times the voices were irritating. I did like it when Hoffman read in her own voice. I think she has a very pleasant and easy to listen to voice, but the accents need work.

My thoughts on the book:
When I first started to read this book, I had no idea it was a sequel. I guess the allure of a time-travel book involving Jane Austen was enough for me. It was halfway through the first chapter when I realized my mistake. I was a little confused as to what was going on. So if you haven't read the first book, I suggest that you do before you start this one. I continued reading and after the first few chapters I begin to understand the story better.
The famous Fitzwilliam Darcy is real! Though he doesn't live in England. He lives in the United States. But if he's real then how is it that Jane Austen could write a story about him? That's where the story begins. You see there is this portal that can transport Fitz into Jane Austen's time. And that's exactly how the two met. Jane falls in love with Fitz but knows it will never work out. Fitz goes back to his own time and meets Eliza. Eliza is a New Yorker who recently purchased Jane Austen's vanity and found letters in it addressed to Fitz. This find leads to the two meeting and sparks fly between the two. Eliza finds out that she has some competition But how do you compete against Jane Austen? To make matters more complicated, Jane Austen's groom decides he wants to work for Mr. Darcy and goes through the portal. However in doing so, he could change history, including Jane's.
This is an enjoyable read. It's a twist on Jane Austen inspired novels that I haven't come across before. I do wish I would have read the first book, The Man Who Loved Jane Austen first because I feel like I came into the middle of the story, which I guess I did. I did like the characters both old and new. Fitz is very much like Austen's Fitzwillian and Eliza and Elizabeth are similar as well. The story line is cute and an enjoyable read. Great for the Austen lovers.