2023's Best Jane Austen and Regency Inspired Novels

 

Happy New Year! January is an excellent time not only for setting new goals and forward planning, but also for reflection. So much can happen in a year - it’s easy for things to pass us by without properly marking them. This is definitely the case with Jane Austen inspired work - we hear so much about different plays, books and exhibitions that it’s impossible for us to keep on top of everything. In the spirit of marking all the ways we’ve celebrated Jane Austen this year, I reached out to the Jane Austen Fan Club on Facebook to ask her fans which Jane Austen inspired novels we might have missed this year. I received so many responses that it would be impossible to acknowledge all of them in one post, but I’ve put together some of the highlights of the most interesting new releases from 2023. Did you have a favourite that didn’t appear on this list? Let us know about it in the comments! 

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch 

By Melinda Taub

This is a Pride and Prejudice retelling with a magical twist. Lydia Bennet is the wildest of her sisters, this we know well, but what we didn’t know is that Wickham is in fact, a demon, Kitty, an actual cat, and Lydia herself? A witch. Combining fantasy elements with Austenian wit, this is a unique retelling.

Check it out on Goodreads > 

The Late Mrs Willoughby 

By Claudia Gray 

Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy, the children of, well, you can guess, are reunited for a second mysterious caper, in which they must puzzle out the murder of Mrs Willoughby. Though Marianne is held in suspicion, the pair aren’t convinced that she is the culprit. This fun mystery imagines Austen’s novels as their own universe, encountering characters from the other novels as they go along. 

Check it out on Goodreads > 

The Drawing Mr Darcy Duology 

By Melanie Rachel

Some of the most interesting retellings are ones that imagine a variation on the work of Jane Austen. In Drawing Mr Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet Russell is a talented artist, though no matter how many times she draws Mr Darcy she cannot get a read on his impenetrable personality. That is until he confesses his love for her. 

Check out the bind-up duology on Goodreads > 

Jane and the Final Mystery 

By Stephanie Barron 

The year is 1817, and Jane Austen’s health is failing. However, when her dear friend Elizabeth’s son William appears to be framed for the murder of a schoolboy at Winchester College, she is determined to find the true perpetrator and clear his name before she succumbs to her illness. The final instalment in this fifteen book saga brings Jane’s adventures to a thrilling conclusions.

Check it out on Goodreads > 

Rosewood: a Midsummer Meet Cute

By Sayantani DasGupta

 

 

This YA retelling of Sense and Sensibility is full of charm. When Eila Das arrives at Rosewood Camp, she is not expecting to meet the charming Rahul, and is taken by surprise by the force of her feelings. However, there is plenty more to think about at camp, where campers are being scouted to star in a new Bridgerton-esque TV show. 

Check it out on Goodreads > 

A Regency Guide to Modern Life: 1800s Advice on 21st Century Love, Friends, Fun and More 

By Carly Lane 

The past may be a foreign country, but there’s plenty we can learn from it. In this quirky and witty non-fiction, Carly Lane considers how we might solve 21st century problems using Regency Solutions. This bright and colourful guide offers lessons about how we might have lived in Jane Austen’s time with a humorous twist.

Check it out on Goodreads > 

If you just can’t get enough of your Austen inspired fiction, we were also kindly recommended the blog Austenesque Reviews, where blogger Meredith does monthly round-ups of everything new in Jane Austen fiction. Make sure to check her out!