Two years ago two of my friends dared me to read Pride & Prejudice. Actually, they told me I was uncultured. And of course, being the type of person that I am, I accepted their challenge. It took me two years to do it, but I finally finished Pride & Prejudice and I'm glad I did. I felt a sense of accomplishment, but didn't feel excited about reading anymore of Austin's book. So when I got Linore Rose Burkard's book, whose tag line is "Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul", I straightened my shoulders and said "If you can read Austin, you can read this."
Much to my surprise, I plowed through both Burkard's books in two days! These books shocked me at how great they are, not because Burkard is a sub par writer (she isn't), but because I didn't think I would enjoy another Regency story. Burkard is a phenomenal writer. She has captured Austen's style enough to amaze me, but made it her own enough to keep me turning the pages.
The characters are well fleshed out and memorable. Thanks to Phillip Mornay, I realized I'm secretly in love with Mr. Darcy (shh, don't tell him). I also love Ariana's aunt. She definitely adds drama to the story. These books would make a great gift for all the Austen lovers in your life. Burkard lives up to her tag line a thousand times over!