“Rosings Park is my nest, girl, and all within it, my keep. It is my role to protect it, by whatever means necessary. I want, and will insure, what is best for all under my wings.” She spread her hands, the sleeves of her gown rustling like feathers. “Even you.”
(from Mistaking Her Character)
Quick summary: Maria Grace’s latest variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is her most unique yet. Mistaking Her Character (Book 1 in The Queen of Rosings Park series) imagines that Elizabeth Bennet is the daughter of a doctor, Thomas Bennet, who has been hired by Lady Catherine to care for her daughter, Anne. Elizabeth helps her father care for his patients and has earned the respect of Rosings Park’s servants by caring for them, too. Her kindness, intelligence, and keen eye grab the attention of Mr. Darcy, but Lady Catherine will stop at nothing to control those within her reach — and Elizabeth’s father will do anything to maintain his position, even if it means endangering one of his own.
Why I wanted to read it: Grace is one of my favorite Austenesque authors, so this novel was a must-read for me.
What I liked: Mistaking Her Character is another breath of fresh air among Pride and Prejudice variations. While many of the characters feel familiar, Grace really shakes things up by showing Lady Catherine at her most ruthless and drastically altering the character of Mr. Bennet. Changing the Bennet family’s circumstances dramatically changes the course of events, and I loved not being able to predict what would happen from one chapter to the next. I was surprised by how engrossed I was in the story and how emotional it made me; I seriously wanted to throttle some of these characters, and I loved that it made me have such a reaction.
What I disliked: Absolutely nothing!
Final thoughts: Mistaking Her Character is a solid start to Grace’s new series. It was shocking, exciting, and of course, romantic at times, and had I not been swamped with back-to-school chaos and freelance projects, I would have breezed through this one in a day or two. I hated having to tear myself away to deal with real life. I can’t wait to see where Grace takes these characters next!
Disclosure: I received Mistaking Her Character from the author for review.
© 2015 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I loved this one, too.
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It was fantastic!
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Cool 🙂
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I bet you’d enjoy it!
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I read this online but have it on my kindle. Now if I could just find more time to read. This was an excellent story so I am looking forward to re-reading it.
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It’s definitely re-readable!
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[…] Mistaking Her Character by Maria Grace […]
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[…] Maria Grace’s The Queen of Rosings Park series, following the fantastic first installment, Mistaking Her Character. (To truly understand the goings-on in this book, I recommend that you read them in order. You […]
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Great review Anna! Thanks for sharing your thougths 🙂 I haven’t read this one yet, but you convinced me to do it shortly 🙂
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Thanks, Rita! I hope you love it as much as I did. And do read the second book, The Trouble to Check Her, as well. It’s equally fantastic!
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[…] by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I absolutely loved the first two books in the series, Mistaking Her Character and The Trouble to Check Her, and I can’t wait to see what happens next! Maria is here to […]
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