Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
With the new movie coming out, I seized the opportunity to reread Sense and Sensibility, which apparently I last read way back in 2015! It’s hard to think of anything interesting or original to say about the book. Obviously it’s a masterpiece and I love it! Elinor is one of my favorite Austen heroines, and she’s definitely the one I most relate to. I love how she’s the “sensible” sister, but she’s also the one who ends up with the true love match, while romantic Marianne’s marriage is more pragmatic. Though it’s funny—Colonel Brandon’s backstory makes him a true romantic hero (doomed childhood love! Pining! A duel!), so perhaps he’s a better match for Marianne than initially appears. I really enjoyed Austen’s sharp humor, as always; the passage where Fanny Dashwood talks John out of giving his sisters any money, despite his deathbed promise to their father, is an all-time classic. And Lucy Steele is perfection as a villain. I feel like I’m rambling, but suffice it to say that I very much enjoyed this reread and am looking forward to seeing the new film.
C.S. Harris, Why Mermaids Sing
A young aristocrat, Dominic Stanton, is murdered in a particularly brutal way, his legs mutilated as though by a butcher. His death is eerily similar to that of Barclay Carmichael, who was found dead a few months earlier with his arms mutilated. At the request of local magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy, Sebastian St. Cyr is on the case. As Sebastian tries to discover what might have connected the two victims, who outwardly have little in common, he’s surprised that their fathers don’t seem to want him to investigate. And when more victims appear, he must race against time to find the connection between them and catch the killer. I’m continuing to enjoy this series, more for the setting and characters than for the mystery plots. The books are more thrillers than true mysteries, as they don’t offer readers a chance to play detective; rather, we follow behind Sebastian as he chases the various suspects and clues. I’m more interested in the series-long arcs, especially Sebastian’s familial and romantic relationships, which take some surprising turns in this book. Looking forward to continuing with book four!
Charlotte Stein, Dealing with a Desperate Demon
Sunshiny bookstore owner Nancy is both fearful of and fascinated by Jack Jackson, the town grump. But when she catches him looking at a book called How to Be the Ideal Human Boyfriend, she feels compelled to help him somehow. At first Jack resists her attempts to reach out, but soon he’s asking her for romantic advice, which turns into practice dating, which might even turn into real dating. But as the novel’s title implies, Jack is keeping some pretty big secrets about his identity and his reasons for seeking romance. I’ve now read a few of Charlotte Stein’s rom-coms, and this one is true to the formula: She loves a grumpy-sunshine pairing, a physically massive hero, and a connection between two people who feel like outsiders. I think the romance largely works, but the supernatural elements are a total afterthought. There’s no real world-building or sense of stakes, which is crazy to say when an eternity in Hell is on the table! Overall, I think the novel is a cute, cozy Halloween read, but it didn’t blow me away.
