Tour Dates: November 17 – December 14, 2014
Genre: Austenesque/Historical Fiction/Romance/Young Adult
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin Group USA)
Trade paperback ISBN: 978-0425271353
eBook ISBN: 978-0698139268
Jane Austen’s First Love by Syrie James is a delightfully charming re-imagining of a time in Jane Austen’s life and of what might have been. Syrie James wrote this novel in such a way as to appear to be a memoir written by Jane Austen herself and it is truly a captivating tale.
The novel centers on one unforgettable summer in Jane Austen’s life when she was fifteen years old and how she remembers it. Like any young girl Jane longs to fall in love but she’s quite sheltered at home and despairs of ever meeting anyone. When the opportunity comes to travel to Kent to celebrate her brother’s engagement she is thrilled.
It is there that Jane meets Edward Taylor and finds herself swooning over him. Not only is he handsome but he acknowledges her intelligence and they have wonderful conversations. Jane is in love but … there is another girl who seems to be in love with Edward as well. Yet Edward has shown Jane that he is interested in her. Could it be? Could Edward be as in love with Jane as she is in him?
Despite her love interest Jane finds herself needing more to do and can’t help but stick her nose in other people’s business and take up matchmaking. She feels the need to rearrange the relationships that are forming and feels quite certain she knows who belongs with who. To further her hopes in making these matches she puts on a play. What transpires changes her thoughts on love – the love not only between the other couples but she and Edward as well. Are they truly a good match or is Jane just swept away on the wings of first love?
Highly recommended for Austen fans or those new to Austen. The extensive research that Syrie James put into this novel shines through on every page and she highlights her inspiration and the fact that this novel is based on true events and real characters in her superb author’s note. Jane Austen’s First Love is truly an enjoyable novel and I absolutely adored it!
Other Jane Austen’s First Love Holiday Blog Tour stops to visit!
Author Links: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads
Buy: Amazon, Amazon Canada, B&N, IndieBound
GIVEAWAY DETAILS – OPEN INTERNATIONALLY
Grand Giveaway Contest
Win One of Five Fabulous Jane Austen-inspired Prize Packages
To celebrate the holidays and the release of Jane Austen’s First Love, Syrie is giving away five prize packages filled with an amazing selection of Jane Austen-inspired gifts and books!
To enter the giveaway contest, simply leave a comment on any of the blog stops on the Jane Austen’s First Love Holiday Blog Tour.
Increase your chances of winning by visiting multiple stops along the tour! Syrie’s unique guest posts will be featured on a variety of subjects, along with fun interviews, spotlights, excerpts, and reviews of the novel. Contest closes at 11:59pm PT, December 21, 2014. Five lucky winners will be drawn at random from all of the comments on the tour, and announced on Syrie’s website on December 22, 2014. The giveaway contest is open to everyone, including international residents. Good luck to all!
Remember leave a comment on any of the Jane Austen’s First Love Holiday Blog Tour stops including mine to be entered!
Changing thoughts on love sounds very interesting as throughout our lives our impression of love changes, I am looking forward to reading and learning what changes are made in those thoughts and how they transpire. scamper25 (at) gmail (dot) com
Deborah, I think you’ll really enjoy the book. I hope you get a chance to read it soon.
Jane Austen is timeless. This sounds like a a great new look into what life at that time might have been.
Ann
Ann, you are so right. Austen is timeless. It’s always interesting to read the different re-imaginings of her life. Syria James does a wonderful job.
Thank you, Ann. I hope you love Jane Austen’s First Love!
A matchmaking Jane sounds super fun! I’ve put this title on my xmas wishlist 😀
Jo’s Daughter, this story was fun. I really enjoyed my time spent reading it.
I love that the author puts so much research into her books. It makes them rise above standard romances due to their historical and literary accuracy!
Susan, I absolutely agree. The more historically correct it is the more I enjoy it.
Thank you for the shout out, Susan! I do love doing my research, and it’s exciting to share what I’ve discovered with my readers. I hope you enjoy the story of Jane’s romance with Edward Taylor–the first young man to win her heart. 🙂
the plot reminds me a little of ‘mansfield park’ only Jane here sounds slightly more confident than Fanny. I read Syrie James’ books and thought she is a rather good writer so I’ll probably read this book.
there is countless books on austen’s life, real and fiction but I find the fiction is a much better read, perhaps I too have some fantasy of what Jane Ausetn is really like? perhaps.
anyway, have a great day.
Lissa, I enjoy the fictional re-telling as well. I think it’s because then our imaginations can take us on a little journey into what Jane’s life might have been.
Thanks for your comment, Lissa. I’m so happy you’ve read my books before (which ones?) and I hope you love Jane Austen’s First Love!
Thanks for the chance to win such goodies! This story intrigues me, and I can’t wait to read it. 🙂
Beth W, I hope you get a chance to read it soon! It’s really good.
The more I read about this book, the more excited I get about it.
JeanMP, I hope you get the chance to read it soon!
The book sounds wonderful and perfect for this time of year (or at least to me 🙂 ). What a giveaway! Thanks for the information and chance to win!
Colleen, lol – it is a great read for any time of year but certainly a good one to curl up with in your chair on a cold evening. I’m sure you’ll love it. Good luck in the giveaway!
Thanks!!
Thank you for the wonderful review. Jane Austen’s First Love is on my Wish List! 🙂
Caryl, good luck in the giveaway! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when you get a chance to read it.
Sounds like a fabulous read. I have added it to my must read list.
Rita, it is a wonderful read. I hope you get a chance to read it soon.
Thanks, Rita. I hope you have a chance to read Jane Austen’s First Love, and that you’ll stop by and chat with me on facebook or leave a message at http://www.syriejames.com!
Happy reading!
This book sounds perfect for me.happy holidays.
Rhonda, good luck in the giveaway. It’s a wonderful book. Happy Holidays to you as well!
It is a must have for anyone who calls themself a Jane Austen fan.
schilds, I agree. It’s a fabulous book for Austen fans!
I’ve loved everyone of Syrie’s books and look forward to this one too.
Nise, it’s really good. I’m sure you’ll love it!
Big thanks, Darlene, for your wonderful review of Jane Austen’s First Love, and for hosting me on your blog. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the novel, and very happy to be here.
Thank you all for your great comments. I hope you love the book, and if so, that you’ll tell your friends and relations about it! Wishing you and yours a holiday season that is happy and bright!
Syrie, thanks so much for stopping by and for your wonderful novel! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season as well!
Wishing you and yours a holiday season that is happy and bright and brings more inspiration for books to come. nrslalee00@yahoo.com
LaGina, Happy Holidays to you as well!
More and more intrigued by that book. Can’t wait to read it!
Luisa, it’s well worth reading! Good luck on the giveaway!
I have not read Jane Austen but would like too 🙂
dkstevensne AT outlook DoTCoM
DK, good luck on the giveaway and I hope you have the chance to read an Austen novel soon!
I’ve never really gotten into Austen themed books but the fact that this is written like a memoir interests me.
Kathy, it was a fun read. I enjoy Austen themed books. It’s always fun to imagine how their lives might have been.
I like the idea that it appears to be a memoir.
I recently finished this book and it was excellent!! I recommend it very highly.
The book sounds wonderful and so does the prize package! Thank you for hosting this giveaway, Darlene.
So glad you stopped and left a comment, Suko. I hope you enjoy Jane Austen’s First Love, which was truly a work of my heart.
Nice review
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
This books sounds fabulous. 15 is such an interesting age.
It was great fun to write about Jane Austen at age 15, when she was full of excitement about life and still learning important lessons (that she’d later share with us in her novels.) I endeavored to portray this in my novel Jane Austen’s First Love, and hope you enjoy the result, Mary!
Great review…I am intrigued! Thank you for the opportunity.
melback at cebridge dot net
I love that they respected each others’ brains as well as their beauty!
I read Jane Austin books many years ago.Who knew they would inspire so many more wonderful stories.
All these posts are inspiring me to re-re-read the originals for the umpteenth time. After all Christmas is the perfect time to do it along with a few favourites by Dickens.A friend once told me she made time each Christmas to re-read all of Jane’s books. A nice tradition.
That does sound like a lovely tradition, Denise. I re-read Jane’s books whenever the fancy strikes, but not according to a particular time of year. In the meantime, I hope you’ll have a chance to read Jane Austen’s First Love, and that you thoroughly enjoy it. It was a great joy to write.
It does sound like you had a great time researching and writing it. It show in the excerpts and I do intend on reading it.
I am a Jane Austen fan and cannot wait to read this new book by Syrie James!
love reading about Jane Austen
I can’t wait to read this new book about an old favorite author from my absolutely favorite country.
This book looks great and I would love to win.
I love the idea of Jane sticking her nose in other people’s business and messing things up! Thanks for the opportunity to win such a fun giveaway!
I hope to read this book.
Thanks for the giveaway!
v_theberge@hotmail.com
I, too, hope you have a chance to read Jane Austen’s First Love very soon, Valerie, and that you love every minute spent with Jane and her unforgettable Edward Taylor! 🙂
Happy Jane Austen’s Birthday!
This book sounds wonderful & with so muych research it’s gotta feel like your there WITH Jane!