Snowbound at Hartfield: A Sweet Tea Novella; Pride and Prejudice sequel (Sweet Tea Stories Book 2) in Austen Variations

Feb 24, 2017 Anna added it

Shelves: austenesque

Review originally posted on Diary of an Eccentric

Maria Grace’s new novella, Snowbound at Hartfield, is a delightful mash-up of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Emma, told from the alternating points of view of Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Elliot.

A blizzard finds Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, and Mr. Bennet stranded in Highbury on their way to the colonel’s newly inherited estate, Listingbrook. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and her father, Sir Walter, are traveling to vis Review originally posted on Diary of an Eccentric

Maria Grace’s new novella, Snowbound at Hartfield, is a delightful mash-up of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Emma, told from the alternating points of view of Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Elliot.

A blizzard finds Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, and Mr. Bennet stranded in Highbury on their way to the colonel’s newly inherited estate, Listingbrook. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and her father, Sir Walter, are traveling to visit their Dalrymple cousins when they are caught in the storm. Fortunately, Darcy runs into an old friend, Mr. George Knightley, and he invites both groups to stay with him, his wife Emma, and her father at Hartfield.

It’s not long before Colonel Fitzwilliam and Miss Elliot, having briefly met a few months prior, begin a careful assessment of each other, as spending several days at Hartfield with happily married couples and irritating fathers take their toll. Both have been hurt — the colonel by the war, Elizabeth by her cousin and her best friend — and they begin to understand one another in a way that only people with their own baggage and their own ghosts can. But can they get past these obstacles and learn enough about each other to build a foundation for a lifetime of happiness before the snow melts and they go their separate ways?

I couldn’t wait to read Snowbound at Hartfield because I love Grace’s writing and was curious how she would combine the characters from my three favorite Austen novels, and I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. I love Austen-inspired tales that put the secondary characters front and center, and Grace’s take on Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Elliot was spot on, in my opinion. A haunted, scarred Fitzwilliam embarking on a new life after his military career seemed authentic, as did an Elizabeth Elliot crushed by the betrayal of her friend, the marriage of her two younger sisters, and her diminishing prospects for marriage as she nears 30.

I also loved seeing a Mr. Bennet amused by Sir Walter and Mr. Woodhouse, and I laughed out loud several times as he baited the status-conscious baronet. It was also entertaining to see a friendship develop between Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Knightley and see them both happy in their marriages.

Snowbound at Hartfield is my favorite in Grace’s series of Sweet Tea novellas and short stories, with plenty of romance and humor to balance out the more serious aspects of the plot. It was fairly short but satisfying, and I savored it over a period of a few days because I didn’t want it to end. ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2018 Sheila Majczan rated it it was amazing

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars

I followed this story as a WIP on Maria Grace's blog but never read the last chapter and epilogue. So, having secured the published edition to read it in its final version I may now post a review.

The title tells us where we are. Elizabeth Darcy becomes Liza to the readers as the colonel's POV allows that he calls her that since her marriage to his cousin...and because Elizabeth Elliot is present through out and we also read her POV. It is rather ironic that several autho ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2017 Anji rated it it was amazing

Shelves: beta-proofread, austenesque-regency, austenesque-pride-and-prejudice, paperback, austenesque-persuasion, austenesque-minor-character, austenesque-emma, z-2017-austenesque-challenge

Can you imaging Elizabeth Elliot from Persuasion becoming a sympathetic character? No, I wouldn't have done either until reading Ms. Grace's new novella.

This lovely, sweet tale features not only Miss Elliot and her father, Sir Walter (who hasn't changed one bit!), but as you might imagine from the title, characters from Emma too, plus the addition of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr. Bennet and the always welcome Colonel Fitzwilliam. Indeed, it is he and Miss Elliot who are the main protagoni ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 11, 2019 Elin Eriksen rated it really liked it

Shelves: elin-s-jaff-2019, well-written, sweet, emma, mash-up

Sweet and Romantic.

I love mash-ups and this was cleverly done when Pride & Prejudice met Emma and Persuasion.

This is Colonel Fitzwilliam's love story and the bride was a pleasant surprise.
A snowstorm forced the Colonel and the Darcys to take shelter at Hartfield but they were not the only ones...

Recommend!

Rated: Chaste ...more

2 likes · Like · see review