jane-austen

About the Book:

Title: Murder at Donwell Abbey

Author: Vanessa Kelly

Publisher: Kensington Books

Release Date: November 25, 2025

Pages: 416

Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

In this latest Regency-era mystery, Jane Austen’s clever Emma Knightley navigates shocking changes in her family—while meeting her match in a deadly adversary . . .

Emma’s spirits are elevated after she and husband George Knightley host a joyful holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate. But it’s instantly a bitter January when her father makes an unexpected announcement—he and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry. Not only must Emma relinquish her role as mistress of the household, but also accept the reality that the excitable Miss Bates will become her stepmother . . .

More unwanted news arrives during an extravagant betrothal ball at Donwell Abbey, the grand Knightley estate where Emma and George will soon permanently reside. Nearly every villager in Highbury revels in the dazzling affair—except Emma’s hardworking lady’s maid, Prudence Parr. To Emma’s horror, Prudence is found dead, sprawled across the stones of the library terrace . . .

The woman’s tragic fall is quickly ruled a terrible accident and whispers circulate around personal troubles leading up to her untimely demise. But Emma’s instincts tell her that something far more sinister is at play. Now, Highbury’s matchmaker-turned-sleuth vows to outwit a cunning criminal before an innocent man loses his freedom—or Donwell Abbey plunges into a darker mystery . . .

Review:

*I received an e-arc for review via Netgalley. Thank you to Kensington Books and Austenprose for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own*

4.5 rounded up to 5

Murder at Donwell Abbey is book number two in the Emma Knightley Mystery Series. I was so excited for this book, and it did not disappoint! The story compelled me to read from beginning to end, and I had fun figuring out whodunnit. Perfect for Austen fans and fans of cozy mysteries!

Emma and George Knightley host a fun holiday celebration at the Hartfield Estate. January begins with Mr. Woodhouse making an unexpected announcement-he and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry! Emma comes to grips with the fact that she’ll have to give up her role as mistress of the estate and that Miss Bates will become her stepmother.

During a betrothal ball for Mr. Woodhouse and Miss Bates at Donwell Abbey (where Emma soon will reside with George), something dreadful happens! Her lady’s maid Prudence Parr is found dead, sprawled across the stones of the library terrace!

The woman’s tragic fall is quickly ruled an accident, but rumors begin to circulate about her personal troubles leading up to her demise. Emma’s instincts tell her that something far more dire has occurred. Emma decides to investigate and outwit a cunning criminal to save an innocent man.

I absolutely loved the witty banter in this one! Emma is one of my favorite Austen characters, and it’s so fun reading a “continuation” of her life and seeing her as a sleuth. It was also so fun to see her teaming up with her future stepmother, Miss Bates! Her nephew Henry was also an absolute delight! I of course loved seeing more of Emma and George working together as well.

I highly recommend this one! I really hope that author Vanessa Kelly writes more in this world, as I’m definitely on board for more Emma on the case.

About the Author:

Vanessa Kelly is a bestselling author of historical mystery and historical romance. She has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Maggie Medallion for best historical romance. She is a USA Today, Barnes & Noble, BookScan, and Amazon bestseller several times over. To date, her books have been published in eleven languages. Vanessa also wrote USA Today bestselling contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels with her husband, under the pen name of V.K. Sykes.

After receiving her MA in English literature from Rutgers University, Vanessa spent several years in the Ph.D program at the University of Toronto, studying women authors of the 18th Century. She worked as a researcher for many years, and currently resides in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband.

About the Book:

Title: Six Weeks by the Sea

Author: Paula Byrne

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Release Date: August 5. 2025

Pages: 256

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Regency

Synopsis:

A vivid historical novel about Jane Austen that explores a question that has fascinated Janeites for years—Austen wrote some of the greatest love stories in existence, but did she ever fall in love?

When Jane Austen hears the news that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she faints with surprise and horror. But there is one the promise of a six-week holiday by the sea while their new lodgings are being prepared. She relishes the bracing air and beautiful surroundings, takes pleasure in sea bathing, and shares laughter with her sister Cassandra and best friend Martha Lloyd.

To her joy, brother Frank arrives, fresh from naval exploits in the war against Napoleon. His friend Captain Parker seems to be making a play for Jane’s affections, but her sharp emotional intelligence tells her that something is not quite right. Meanwhile, she assists the eccentric Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies.

Jane initially takes against another visitor to the seaside resort of Sidmouth, the lawyer Samuel Rose, but as she gets to know him, a wholly different feeling begins to blossom. . . .

Written with a same wit and style that echos Austen herself, Paula Byrne expertly interweaves her deep knowledge of Austen and her world to imagine and give voice to the most romantic summer of the beloved author’s short life.

Review:

*I received an arc via the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own*

Six Weeks by the Sea was the first book I’ve read by Paula Byrne, and it didn’t disappoint! As a huge fan of Jane Austen and her works, I love reading books like this one. Six Weeks by the Sea is a fictional account of Jane Austen and her family’s time in Sidmouth, which was well researched and seemed authentic to the time period. Paula Byrne helps us to explore the answer to the age-old question of whether or not Jane Austen ever had a love interest after all of the beautiful love stories she wrote?

When Jane Austen finds out that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she literally faints in surprise and horror. She is excited however that they will take a six-week holiday by the sea while the family’s new lodgings are being readied. She loves being by the sea with the fresh air, the sea bathing, and the time she can spend with her sister Cassandra and her best friend Martha.

She is soon also visited by her brother Frank (who is on a leave from the navy), much to her delight. His friend Captain Parker seems to be trying to gain Jane’s affections, but she feels that something isn’t quite right. She is also helping Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies. Jane at first does not seem to care for another visitor to the seaside, a lawyer, Samuel Rose. As she spends more time with Samuel, and gets to know him better, different feelings begin to blossom altogether.

This story was quite beautiful. I loved seeing Jane’s relationships with her family members and her best friend, the friendships she made while visiting the sea, and how Jane tackled some of the societal issues she faced. I felt like the love story was quite believable and that Samuel Rose would have been a great match for Jane.

I definitely recommend for fans of Jane Austen and fans of Regency Romance!

About the Author:

Paula was born in Birkenhead in 1967, the third daughter in a large working-class Catholic family. She studied at the University of Liverpool and now lives in Oxford with her husband, the Shakespeare scholar Sir Jonathan Bate, and their three children (Tom, Ellie and Harry). She is founder and Chief Executive of ReLit, the charity for literature and mental health. Paula is represented by The Wylie Agency.

Her most recent book is a biography of Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy’s favourite sister, who married the heir to Chatsworth House before her early, tragic death. Before this, Paula wrote the tie-in book to the award-winning movie, Belle, in which she told the true story of the black slave girl who was brought up by the Lord Chief Justice of England in the years leading up to the abolition of the slave trade.

In January 2013, to coincide with the bicentenary of the first publication of Pride and Prejudice, she published an innovative biography called The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things. It was a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. Her previous book, Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead, told the story of Evelyn Waugh’s friendship with the extraordinary aristocratic family who inspired Brideshead Revisited. It was also a Sunday Times top ten bestseller and in the USA it was serialized in Vanity Fair.

Paula’s first top ten bestseller was Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson. A selection for the 2005 Richard and Judy Book Club and a British Book Awards ‘Best Read’ nomination, it was also long-listed for the prestigious Samuel Johnson Prize. The book tells the extraordinary story of the eighteenth-century actress, poet, novelist, feminist, celebrity and royal mistress Mary ‘Perdita’ Robinson (1757-1800). Paula’s first book, shortlisted for the Theatre Book Prize, was Jane Austen and the Theatre, published in 2002 and reissued in paperback by Bloomsbury. Paul Johnson of The Spectator chose it as his best-ever book on Jane Austen and the Times Literary Supplement described it as a ‘definitive and pioneering study of a wholly neglected aspect of Austen’s art.’

Paula has also edited a Routledge Literary Sourcebook on Jane Austen’s Emma and is a regular reviewer for the Saturday Times. (Source: Amazon)