Unexpected Friends & Relations

A Jane Austen Crossover

De: Jayne Bamber

Narrado por: Liz Christensen

Sequel to Happier in Her Friends Than Relations' - Book 2 of the Friends & Relations Series....

After attaining a Happily Ever After, the Darcys retreat into the background as their friends and relations pursue their own destinies. Mishaps and miracles result in several alternately paired couples, and a wide array of Austen characters will make an appearance....

Georgiana Darcy suffers the consequences of her folly at Ramsgate, and the peril of following some ill-advised counsel that jeopardizes her chance at true love.

Caroline Bingley, now unhappily married and desperate to salvage her position in society, takes on the arduous task of reforming a wild and willful young ward, though it’s anybody’s guess which of them is in greater need of transformation.

Lady Rebecca Fitzwilliam travels to Surrey on a mission of mercy, where she and her cousin grieving Emma embroil the neighborhood in a web of romantic entanglements.

Mary Bennet struggles with morality and self-discovery, attempting to find good in the world, as well as her own place in it.

An unexpected heiress emerges, and with her rise in station come all the glittering delights of the fashionable world, as well as the challenge of navigating the uncharted territories of high society, extended family, and even her own heart.

Listening to Book 1 first is highly recommended. The Friends & Relations Series is an epic saga that peers into the lives of all of Jane Austen's heroines, imagining them to inhabit a world where their lives and families are intertwined. Throughout this series, characters from all of Jane Austen's major works will be revealed to have existing familial relationships, and will forge new connections as well. As the lives of so many beloved Austen characters weave together, this series will address the question of what if all of Austen's works had taken place in the same world...a world where surprises hide around every corner....

©2019 Jayne Bamber (P)2021 Jayne Bamber

Not your every day Austen

This was a head spinning read and ride. It is recommended for those familiar with Austen books, as all of the beloved and deplorable characters of Austen are thrown together for an unraveling of stories and a sewing together of possible outcomes. This book is not recommend for those closely endeared to Austen' own conclusions, as things are about to get mixed up. The reader on this audible is completely wonderful. You will find some of the best characterization in voices that are out there. The book in it's entirety was not for me, but the writing and reading of it was so well done! Such a clever way of incorporating so many stories and lives and classes into one book. If you want a sometimes laugh out loud, thought provoking, and a story bending experience of some of the classics, you will delight at this book and the astonishing vocal performance/production. (I received a copy of this audible book in exchange for my honest review.)

So Much Fun!

To truly understand this Pride and Prejudice variation, interwoven with so many of Jane Austen's original characters, as well as some new ones, you'll definitely need to read or listen to book one. That story focused on Lizzy and Darcy, introduced some completely new characters, and changed everyone's storylines around topsy turvy. I really enjoyed it! This second book in the series focuses on Mary and Georgiana, and some familiar faces from Emma and Persuasion are introduced and woven into the story. I had no trouble keeping up with everyone, even in their new locations and with some surprising new pairings!

This author is so original and creative, building storylines and interactions I think Jane herself would have approved. The dialogue is especially clever and kept me on my toes. One aspect I really enjoyed is that the characters are completely three dimensional. The good characters aren't perfect, they still argue with each other and make mistakes, and the bad characters are redeemable. It's refreshing. This book was just a ton of fun and I definitely recommend it!

I am a huge Austen fan, but I haven't read Mansfield Park or Northanger Abbey yet. Shocking, I know, but I'm saving them. Even without reading Austen's entire catalog, I had no trouble following this storyline.

The narration was well done, she narrates energetically and with a lot of spirit, and performs different voices for each character. It was engrossing, and pulled me right into the story. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Such fun!

I can honestly say I like this book more than the original Austen books. But of course, that is only because I am already so familiar with the characters from the original books. I like the outcomes for the characters so much better than the originally paired couples, especially The Mansfield Park characters and Emma characters. Not as happy with Jane and Bingley's fate but I think it was so out of character for them that it made it farcical and funny. I lol'd so many times and found this JAFF completely satisfying. Ms. Austen seemed to like pairing very young girls with much older men in some of her books and I think this book has much more satisfying pairings. I aslo like that Elizabeth is pretty and not plain like in some spin-offs I have read. The parents and others are an appropriate age unlike most of the movies that portray everyone from 10 to 30 years older than the characters in the original books. The movies also make the characters much more silly and over the top. In this book, I love Lady Catherine who is really so funny as is Caroline Bingley and Lydia. Georgiana is spacey, Mary Bennet is attractive, Kitty has grown into a responsible person and goes by Catherine. All of the characters from all the books together in one book is a blast. Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Sanditon, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion, everyone is here and some new characters. I absolutely loved it. Sidney Parker (Sanditon) reminds me of one of those land salesmen you may have encountered in South Florida. I prefer lots of dialogue in books instead of lots of narration of a story. This is wonderfully done and the narrator is absolutely spectacular. I slowed down the speed at times to .8 and mostly .9 just so I wouldn't miss any of the verbosity of dialogue. I wish she had narrated the first book too and that she will read book three if there is one. I have read "Happier in Her Friends than Relations" and this book "Unexpected Friends and Relations" but what is the name of book three? Maybe not out yet...? I would love to purchase if available on audible.

Great story part 2 out of 3

I enjoyed this story very much. It continued from book one and will be concluded in book three. A great saga of all Austen characters included and mixed. Very interesting. Great Jaff