“One has all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it.” –Jane Austen Jane Austen’s masterpieces are littered with unsuitable gentlemen–Willoughby, Wickham, Churchill, Crawford, Tilney, Elliot, et al.–adding color and depth to her plots but often barely sketched. Have you never wondered about the pasts of her rakes, rattles, and gentlemen rogues? Surely, there’s more than one side … rogues? Surely, there’s more than one side to their stories.
It is a universal truth, we are captivated by smoldering looks, daring charms … a happy-go-lucky, cool confidence. All the while, our loyal confidants are shouting on deaf ears: “He is a cad–a brute–all wrong!” But is that not how tender hearts are broken…by loving the undeserving? How did they become the men Jane Austen created?
In this romance anthology, eleven Austenesque authors expose the histories of Austen’s anti-heroes. “Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues” is a titillating collection of Georgian era short stories–a backstory or parallel tale off-stage of canon–whilst remaining steadfast to the characters we recognize in Austen’s great works.
What say you? Everyone may be attracted to a bad boy…even temporarily…but heaven help us if we marry one.
MATURE CONTENT as per EDITOR
1) None: possible kissing and affection
2) Mild: kissing
3) Moderate: some sexual references but not explicit
4) Mature: some nudity and some provocative sex
5) Erotic Romance: explicit, abundance of sex
Contents and Mature Content Rating (1-5):
Foreword by Claudine diMuzio Pepe
Willoughby’s Crossroads by Joana Starnes (3)
A Wicked Game by Katie Oliver (4)
Fitzwilliam’s Folly by Beau North (2)
The Address of a Frenchwoman by Lona Manning (2)
Last Letter from Mansfield by Brooke West (4)
An Honest Man by Karen M Cox (3)
One Fair Claim by Christina Morland (1)
The Lost Chapter in the Life Of William Elliot by Jenetta James (3)
As Much as He Can by Sophia Rose (1)
The Art of Sinking by J. Marie Croft (1)
For Mischief’s Sake by Amy D’Orazio (1)
more
Jane Austen’s rogues didn’t start out all bad–how did they become as she wrote them? These eleven authors masterfully tell their histories or parallel stories to Austen’s canon, breathing new life into classic tales. Unlike Jane Bennet, they could not authentically “make them all good”–some rakes simply do not have it in them to be redeemed…however, there is much thoughtful and clever imaginings and passionate romance to keep you turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. Any Jane Austen or historical romance fan will enjoy this!
Very good “what if’s” regarding the bad boys of Jane Austen’s novels! I enjoyed these stories immensely. The writing was extremely well done and nary a “smirk” in the lot.
This was an ARC [advanced reader copy] with no expectations of a review; however, how could I resist?
Forward by Claudine DiMuzio Pepe [Just Jane 1813]. Don’t skip the words of this blogger, commentator and Jane Austen enthusiast. Pay especially close attention to the rating scale provided at the first of this book. It will identify those stories that might have a more mature rating. I found this extremely helpful. What a marvelous idea.
This anthology is a must read for anyone who loves Jane Austen’s work. The genre, Jane Austen Fan Fiction [better known as JAFF], has exploded with prequels, adaptions, reimagining, variations, sequels, side-stories, science fiction, apocalyptic, other world, time-travel, paranormal [witches, vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.], featuring every generation [Regency to modern] and mash-ups with everything imaginable, including Fairy Tales. JAFF authors have inspired, thrilled, chilled and horrified readers for at least a hundred years. And, that train does not seem to be slowing down. In fact, I do believe it is picking up speed.
This work is but the tip of a mountainous iceberg that represents the works of this well-chosen team of amazing authors. The writing is superb and the editing left us with minimal [if any] errors. I was so involved with reading that I didn’t even notice any errors. There were no jarring places that gave me pause and I was not jolted from the emersion I felt with the stories. Man… that is good writing.
Here are Austen’s men… bad boys, rakes, mischievous, and even a scum-bag-rat-bastard or two or… you get the idea.
1) John Willoughby [Rating: Moderate]: Joana Starnes: Willoughby’s Crossroads: ends at 10%
John Willoughby… what can I say? He is the rake we love to hate from Sense and Sensibility.
2) George Wickham [Rating: Mature]: A Wicked Game: Katie Oliver: ends at 21%’
George… George… George… I still don’t like him.
3) Colonel Fitzwilliam [Rating: Mild]: Fitzwilliam’s folly: Beau North: ends at 32%
Oh, I love a good story about our dear Colonel.
4) Thomas Bertram [Rating: Mild]: The Address of A Frenchwoman: Sophia Rose: ends at 40%
This was a different side to Tom Bertram and I liked how it turned out.
5) Henry Crawford [Rating: Mature]: Last Letter From Mansfield: Brooke West: ends at 48%
Yeah, this is mature audience material as the Admiral helps initiate a young Henry Crawford into the pleasures of being a man.
6) Frank Churchill [Rating: Moderate]: An Honest Man: Karen M. Cox: ends at 56%
This was a side of Frank that skirts canon, but delves deeper.
7) Sir Walter Elliot [Rating: None]: One Fair Claim: Christine Morland: ends at 66%
Pompous, self-serving, haughty, self-absorbed, class conscious, self-important… yeah, that’s our guy, Sir Walter Elliot.
8) William Elliot [Rating: Moderate]: The Lost Chapter in the Life of William Elliot: Jenette James: ends at 72%
If I am supposed to have any sympathy for William Elliot… I—am—sorry… I do not.
9) General Tilney [Rating: None]: As Much As He Can: Sophia Rose: ends at 81%
It takes a really good author to create something from the few crumbs given to us from the canon text.
10) John Thorpe [Rating: None]: The Art of Sinking: J. Marie Croft: ends at 91%
Canon had already painted John Thorpe as ridiculous, so this story did not help to improve that impression.
11) Captain Frederick Tilney [Rating: None] For Mischief’s Sake: Amy D’Orazio: ends at 99%
This was a most creative bent on our Captain Tilney.
Acknowledgements follow written by Christina Boyd.
Ego, arrogance, vanity, self-centered, anger, weakness and the power to enthrall are just some of the characteristics of the ‘bad boys’ within the pages of this absorbing collection of short stories. The women who have impacted them and their upbringing have left an indelible mark on their psyche as well. It reminds me of the Pat Benatar song, “Love is a Battlefield”. Some were able to rise from the ashes and find redemption but others were unable to look beyond their own wants and needs to truly love anyone but themselves.
There is humour, sadness and in some cases, the urge to knock some of them upside the head for their stupidity, selfish disdain for the feelings of others and their arrogance. Each story is so well written by each of the eleven authors and edited by Christina Boyd. What I loved was the seamlessness of how these stories add that little bit more to each of Jane’s characters. Claudine Dimuzio Pepe from Just Jane 1813 says it best in the Foreward:
“While she, herself (Jane Austen), did not condone adultery or the scandalous behaviors that many of the her contemporaries engaged in, she undoubtedly knew there must be at least two sides to every story as she wrote complex characters comprised of a multitude of traits, adding color and depth to her narratives.”
Everyone has their favourite ‘bad boy(s)’ they want to see redeemed but some just can’t see the past their own reflection. While reading, I was picturing Mrs. Bennet and her ‘gossip girls’ tittering and exclaiming over the risque details of each scandalous encounter all behind their fans as the story unfolded. Then there were times when I felt I was on a battlefield as some of our rakes and rogues were routed and outflanked without even realizing it. Those were definitely delicious encounters. I also enjoyed the little details that were sprinkled within each story; how some characters from other books were brought into the storyline as well as a certain name used in Willoughby’s story. There were also certain passages that I have written below from each story that stood out to me.
1) Willoughby’s Crossroads – Joana Starnes
“A man’s future would not satisfy them. They must have his past, his every thought, and perchance a pound of flesh besides!”
2) A Wicked Game – Katie Oliver
“You are a good lad, George. Just endeavor not to let your passions overtake your good sense.”
3) Fitzwilliam’s Folly – Beau North
“Satisfied, gratified, and quenched.”
4) Thomas Bertram – Lona Manning
“I fancy that I would be more watchful of my own sisters’ behalf if some designing rogue was being too encroaching with them!”
5) Last Letter to Mansfield – Brooke West
“I more slipped into sin than designed it.”
6) An Honest Man – Karen Cox
“Then let me be the nefarious one. It bothers me not at all.”
7) Sir Walter Elliot – Christina Morland
“…but then she at least resembled a rose and not a crustacean.”
8) The Lost Chapter in the Life of William Elliot – Jenetta James
“There was after all, never a moment at the London theatre where one was not being watched, measured, ascertained.”
9) As Much as He Can – Sophia Rose
“He wanted to laugh in the face of his friend Courtenay when he said that women were simple creatures.”
10) The Art of Sinking – J. Marie Croft
“Of course, vanity, working on a weak head, produced every sort of mischief.”
11) For Mischief’s Sake – Amy D’Orazio
“They cannot run so fast nor walk so far as a man, nor can they lift or throw or heave; but, they have fortitude enough to break us, my man. That they surely do.”
I realize this is a rather long review, however, each of the authors deserve their accolades as well as Ms. Boyd for bringing them all together under one cover for all of us to enjoy.
As to be expected, with so many different authors, the book as a whole was available e rage with some excellent stories and some that were dull. It is worth the read.
As a fan of Jane Austen, I loved this look into the lives of her most famous “rakes” . Wonderful story telling!