I received Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart for my birthday last year. I’ve already reviewed the stories based on Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey , as well as several that are more generally Jane-esque. In this post I review the stories based on Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, as well as a few Christmas stories (the first three listed).
Jane and the Gentleman Rogue: Being a fragment of a Jane Austen mystery by Stephanie Barron ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Overall, I enjoy Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries. Lord Harry is a fun character, but Jane herself lacks something. The stories don’t have the wit and sparkle of Austen’s writing.
Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverley ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
The heroine thinks P&P is racy and fanciful, and yet she competes with her own daughter for a rich man’s affection. Weird.
Nothing Less Than Fairy-land by Monica Fairview ⭐ ⭐
Sure, change the personality of several major characters (from Emma) to make writing your story easier. No one will notice. 
Waiting by Jane Odiwe ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
A nice look at one woman’s idea of Anne and Captain Wentworth’s first courtship.
Heard of You by Margaret C. Sullivan ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
I was looking forward to this one, as I LOVE Sullivan’s other books! I enjoyed seeing a young Wentworth and watching Admiral Croft and Sophy fall in love.
When Only a Darcy Will Do by Beth Pattillo ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
A sweet little romance.
Mr. Bennet Meets His Match by Amanda Grange ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Mr. B. has always been one of my favorite literary characters! Reading a story about him as a young man was delightful!
Letters to Lydia by Maya Slater ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
The story was decent, covering the back 1/2 of P&P from Maria Lucas’ POV. The writing was like Regency Era texting, which was probably the point, but was difficult to stomach.
Me and Mr. Darcy, Again . . . by Alexandra Potter ⭐ ⭐
Basically, Em is delusional, willing to go all the way to England because she had a fight with her boyfriend, and generally annoying. The only reason I gave is a second star was for the character names. The MC is Em (my sister’s name) and her sister is Stella (my nickname), and Em has a boyfriend named Spike (my other nickname). That made me smile.
The Riding Habit by Pamela Aidan ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
Meh, it was okay, I guess. I’ve certainly read better P&P fanfic.
The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
This story won a contest to be in this book, and I’m not surprised it won. It’s one of the best stories in the collection!
Intolerable Stupidity by Laurie Viera Rigler ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
An interesting idea, but muddled and confusing.
