Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron #HistoricalMystery #BookTour #JandAndTheYear #AustenprosePR

 

Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Source:  Received to Review

Book Description: May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript—about a baronet's daughter nursing a broken heart for a daring naval captain—cannot alleviate. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest and reflection at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra.

 
Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged, however. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house where the Misses Austen are staying have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own—some of them deadly. But perhaps with Jane’s interference a terrible crime might be prevented. Set during the Year without a Summer, when the eruption of Mount Tambora in the South Pacific caused a volcanic winter that shrouded the entire planet for sixteen months, this fourteenth installment in Stephanie Barron’s critically acclaimed series brings a forgotten moment of Regency history to life.

My thoughts: There are many books and movies about the life of Jane Austen. I fell in love with her stories while taking AP English in High School. She captures a time period and writes the most amazing banter. I felt intrigued when I read the synopsis for this novel. A novel was written about Jane Austen from her point of view. Yes, please!

When I started reading this book I went about it in the same way that I begin most books. I started reading. It didn't take me long to figure out that I couldn't go at the same pace as other books. I quickly realized that I needed to slow down and pay close attention to the words. Not only is it a book about Jane, but it is also written in Jane's style of writing.

A little further in and I noticed footnotes? Footnotes in a piece of fiction? Stephanie Barron has taken facts from the life of Jane and her family. She did research into Janes's life! Not only that, she listed her sources. This is definitely NOT your typical fiction book. The book is also written in the first person. It lends a feeling of anticipation, you know that something is coming.

This is a book that is to be savored. You don't start this book to read quickly and move on to the next book. You need to pay attention and enjoy. I noticed that it is the 14th book in the Jane Austen Mysteries series. This is my first book by this author, but it will not be my last.

I love mystery and I love Regency. This is a great blend and one to capture your imagination, interest, and pique your curiosity.

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Francine Mathews was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written twenty-five books, including five novels in the Merry Folger series (Death in the Off-Season, Death in Rough Water, Death in a Mood Indigo, Death in a Cold Hard Light, and Death on Nantucket) as well as the nationally bestselling Being a Jane Austen mystery series, which she writes under the penname, Stephanie Barron. She lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

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Advance Praise

“Outstanding...Barron fans will hope Jane, who died in 1817, will be back for one more mystery.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“No one conjures Austen's voice like Stephanie Barron, and Jane and the Year Without a Summer is utterly pitch-perfect.”— Deanna Raybourn, bestselling author of the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

“…a page-turning story, imbued with fascinating historical detail, a cast of beautifully realized characters, a pitch-perfect Jane Austen, and an intriguing mystery. Highly recommended.”— Syrie James, bestselling author of The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen 

“Jane and the Year Without a Summer is absolute perfection. Stephanie Barron expertly weaves fact and fiction, crafting a story that is authentically Austen in its elegance, charm, and wit. The characters and setting will enchant you, and the mystery will keep you guessing to the last page. This Regency-set gem is truly a diamond of the first water.”— Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author of The Siren of Sussex