Aloha to Jayne Fresina and ONCE UPON A KISS - Book Review

Earlier in the month, I hosted Jayne Fresina during her blog tour for ONCE UPON A KISS.  Check out her guest post about the sleep village of Hawcombe Prior at this link.  Today I share my book review of ONCE UPON A KISS:

In the sleepy village of Hawcombe Prior, the five young ladies of the Book Club Belles Society are looking for their own leading men.

The Perfect Hero

When handsome, mysterious Darius Wainwright strolls into town, the Book Club Belles are instantly smitten with this brooding good looks and prideful demeanor. It's as if he walked out of the pages of their favorite new novel, a scandalous romance called Pride and Prejudice. But Justina Penny can't understand why her fellow Belles are starry-eyed in the newcomer's arrogant presence—surely a wicked Wickham would be infinitely more fun...

An Unlikely Leading Lady

Justina is the opposite of Darius's ideal woman—not that he's looking for romance. But when he discovers her stealing apples from his uncle's orchard, he can't resist his own thieving impulse. A stolen kiss from the mischievous Miss Penny leaves Darius wanting much, much more. If it's a dashing villain she desires, Darius is more than willing to play the part...

Hawcombe Prior reminds me of Widecombe-in-the-Moor,
a beloved village where my English granny treated me to picnics.
Image by Jon Constant; released to Public Domain (link).

Now a soft kiss.  Aye, by that kiss, I vow an endless bliss. - John Keats.

British author Jayne Fresina has already delighted Regency fans with her Sydney Dovedale series of "beleaguered heroes and unstoppable heroines".  She comes roaring back with a bold new series, the Book Club Belles Society, featuring her trademark humor and healtfelt storytelling that would impresss Jane Austen.  In fact, the Book Club Belles Society - five refined ladies tucked away in the country - are reading Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.   Four readers are swooning over Mr. Darcy while Justina Penny thinks Mr. Wickham is more exciting.  Adding fuel to the club's fire is the arrival of Mr. Darius Wainwright, heir to a crumbling estate outside the village (and where Justina is hiding a pet pig).  His appearance mirrors the plot of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as the townfolk scramble to impress him  ... except for Justina.   She is simply a woman ahead of her time.  Justina would rather keep her independence by becoming a writer.   Fate has other plans for Justina, Darius, and the other villagers folded into drama.

Fresina delivers an ingenious way to pay tribute to the beloved Jane Austen while still crafting her own unique story, characters, and setting.  Everyday is an adventure with Justina flaunting convention, to a point, while trying to keep her heart under control every time she encounters Darius.   Fresina keeps readers' attention with Justina's over-the-top behavior and Darius' quick witted dialogue.  ONCE UPON A KISS is a must read for Regency fans ... and an intoxicating start to a new series that is sure to please with future installments.

ONCE UPON A KISS is easily one of the top 14 memorable books from 2014.   I received an ARC from Sourcebooks for an honest review.

Church of St. Andrew in Kennford, Devon
My English family hails from Kennford.
Image from churchofstandrew.org.uk.

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash, stocked with other books from Sourcebooks, to one randomly selected commenter.   To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Jane Austen's work - do you have a favorite?   Mine is PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, both book and BBC production with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 28, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 29.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Jayne and her books from her blog at jaynefresinaromanceauthor.blogspot.com.

The prequel, BEFORE THE KISS, is now available for free on Amazon (link). 

Aloha to Jayne Fresina and ONCE UPON A KISS

Welcome To Hawcombe Prior 

by Jayne Fresina

My inspiration for the sleepy village of Hawcombe Prior in ONCE UPON A KISS comes from a few different places. I was born in Huntingdon— a small market town near Cambridge in the east of England. It was charted by King John in 1205, and there is still a lot of history visible in the town, and in the village of Godmanchester, which lies just over the medieval bridge across the River Ouse. I suppose much of my inspiration comes from memories of living in that area, although Hawcombe Prior is a fictional village in the county of Buckinghamshire, rather than Cambridgeshire.

I thought of the old timbered buildings I used to walk by, the busy, friendly people who lived there, the cobbled streets and the buttercups on the common where my sisters and I used to walk. I thought of strolling through the churchyard and reading the old mossy stones, of feeding swans along the causeway, and taking ballet lessons in the rooms above the town hall, where, a few hundred years before, assembly dances must have been held.

When creating my fictional village I also thought of the thatched cottages, shire horses and blacksmith's forges such as those my father told me about from his own youth living in the countryside.

I've always been a Jane Austen fan too, of course, so when I decided to base my new series around a book society who read Austen's stories when they are first released, I had the chance to set my characters in a world and a period that I love to read about. But Austen isn't my only influence. The villages described in Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford" novels and in Flora Thompson's semi-autobiographical "Lark Rise to Candleford" trilogy, also inspired me to try creating worlds just as lively and rich with character.

I've lived in many different places over the years, and although I enjoy the pace and excitement of big cities in small doses, I'm definitely a country girl at heart. I love peaceful scenery, watching the seasons change, seeing the fields transformed each year from planting to harvest. And the sense of community in a small village.

Jane Austen once advised one of her nieces that, "three or four Families in a Country village is the very thing to work on" when writing a novel. For me that has also been pretty good advice!

ONCE UPON A KISS
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Historical Romance

These Book Club Belles are ready to put down their novels and find some real-life leading men!

In the sleepy village of Hawcombe Prior, five young ladies of the local book society are reading a salacious romance called Pride and Prejudice. Upon finishing the book, the ladies race to find their own Mr. Darcy, and the handsome, mysterious Darius Wainwright is the perfect mark.

Justina Penny can't understand why her fellow Belles are starry-eyed in the newcomer's arrogant presence. But if the town's only eligible bachelor marries anyone, it should be her sweet, beautiful sister. And it's up to Justina to make it happen. How could this plan possibly go wrong?

Amazon link

Barnes and Noble link

iTunes link

Jayne Fresina sprouted up in England, the youngest in a family of four daughters. Entertained by her father's colorful tales of growing up in the countryside, and surrounded by opinionated sisters - all with far more exciting lives than hers - she's always had inspiration for her beleaguered heroes and unstoppable heroines.

Website: jaynefresina.com

Goodreads:  link

Twitter: twitter.com/JayneFresina 

Facebook: link

Savage, Maryland

Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of ONCE UPON A KISS to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about your favorite "village".  I've grown found of Savage, Maryland - a small town with a historic mill, vintage railroad, and endless charm! 

2. This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 7, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 8.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City  

Savage, Maryland