An inspired Loveuary library of Jane Austen inspired reads

February is fast upon us and so is Valentine’s Day themed entertainment of which the Hallmark channel is abundantly ready to provide.

This year’s slate of romantic movies from Hallmark are all Jane Austen themed (starting with Paging Mr. Darcy this upcoming Saturday) and I thought that this would be a good opportunity to highlight some recent Jane Austen related novels for your reading pleasure.

Since the Hallmark series includes a new adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, author Nikki Payne’s Sex, Lies and Sensibility seems to be an ideal choice. The Dash sisters, Nora and Yanne, are picking up the pieces of their lives following a couple of shocking revelations, one of which involves their late father.

Their best chance at rebuilding a new future is in renovating a rundown inn near the beach in hopes of making a go of it before foreclosure is inevitable. A very eager assistant to this project is Ennis aka Bear Freeman, a local tour guide who thinks that this new business could expand on his own career goals, not to mention that he’s rather fond of Nora and she starts to feel the same.

However, will those secrets of the past get in the way of Nora and Bear’s budding romance or be cast aside for the good of all? This follow-up to Payne’s Pride and Protest is perfectly suited for this season of love(especially since it’s being released on February 13) and with this story being more of an Eleanor focused love story, many S&S fans will be delighted indeed:

For readers like me whose favorite Austen novel is Persuasion, Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin is definitely our cup of storytelling tea.

Our leading lady is Nada Syed, whose dreams of launching an advice app are cut short by a devious business partner and forces her to step back into a job that she hates.

To cheer herself up, Nada joins her friend Haleema at a convention to meet some new people, including Haleema’s fiancé. As it turns out, the fiancé brought his brother Baz, who Nada has known for years but they haven’t spoken since college when their secret relationship broke up bitterly.

Can this long ago romance be revived and if not, should anyone else know about their lovelorn past in the present? Jalaluddin really has a flair for Austen themed stories (Ayesha At Last is such a joy!) and her take on this particular book promises to be just as enchantingly engaging:

Speaking of enchanting, Melinda Taub’s The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch certainly sounds promisingly page turning there.

In this lively take on Pride and Prejudice, Lydia is born with magical powers (her sister Kitty was once an actual cat) that despite her best efforts, often lead her astray. Due to making a bargain with a demon in order to save herself and Kitty, Lydia must endure the dubious charms of Mr. Wickham, whose motives for mischief are sinister in more ways than one.

Despite the disapproval of Mr. Darcy, Lydia is even willing to use her mystical skills for the benefit of his sister Georgiana, suffering under a most dire curse. Can Lydia and her coven of friends set things right that once went wrong or doom them all to shades that would pollute more than Pemberley?

This does sound like fun and I for one enjoy mixing a dose of supernatural elements into a Jane Austen brew of bookish amusement-quite diverting to be sure!:

Normally, I don’t watch the Hallmark Channel very often but this time around, my dial will be tuned into these Austen themed films for my ultimate Valentine treat.

After all, what do we live for but to have something to watch other than sports and to allow our neighbors to enjoy their games on their own while we amuse ourselves in such agreeable company(of course, if you like both, that’s what DVRs are meant for!):