My share in the conversation...The Falmouth Connection

Happy Saturday, to everyone! Hope you are inside staying warm if you are in the cold, snowy and icy parts of the world right now. We have a layer of ice over most everything and it is pretty cold in the part of Texas where I live. The cold here is nothing like what those in the NE US are having and for that, I am glad.

My reviews have been slow coming for the past months but I am working on them, trying to catch up. Below is my review for The Falmouth Connection by Joana Starnes. If you have not yet read this book, I highly recommend it. 

A Book Review: The Falmouth Connection by Joana Starnes

The premise of this book is different from most that I have read and it is one I genuinely liked. The story begins with Elizabeth at Hunsford visiting Charlotte when Darcy and Fitzwilliam are at Rosings. An express arrives for Elizabeth requiring her immediate departure. This sudden leave-taking by Elizabeth delays the proposal that Darcy had been considering. Thus we, and more especially, he is delivered from that ill-fated scene. In hopes of another opportunity, Mr. Darcy determines that he and Colonel Fitzwilliam will escort Elizabeth and her maid to Basingstoke, where she is to meet her family. The ensuing journey and carriage ride make for some interesting situations and conversations which are diverting indeed.

Mrs. Bennet and her daughters have been summoned to Falmouth. Mrs. Bennet has a very rich aunt, a Mrs. Pencarrow, who was her mother’s sister. Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, this great aunt has special plans for her. I liked Mrs. Pencarrow and enjoyed her role in the novel. She was a worthy new character with a lively personality. She also has a handsome young neighbor, Lord Trevellyan, who happens to be single, wealthy and in want of a good wife. Are you thinking Mr. Darcy has a rival? Yes, he does! This author certainly knows how to torment Fitzwilliam Darcy. She can write him in such various situations of torture that she makes me feel the strong pain and despair that he is suffering. I was hurting with him and feeling sorry for him all at the same time.

The passion, the extreme force of the feelings involved were awe-inspiring and beautifully scripted. Yet it was a chaste story. The chaste love scenes were very, very beautiful. There are many riveting scenes and amazing details that make this an extremely worthy book to devour. There is romance, a bit of mystery and intrigue and some wonderful new characters. It is too delightful to take a chance on giving anything away and spoiling what should be experienced by each reader. I was so absorbed that I did not want to stop reading. I wanted to keep on keeping on so I could see how it was going to end but at the same time, I did not want it to end. It was that gripping and that captivating, yet, I was very pleased with the ending. Everything came to a good conclusion leaving me with a sense of satisfaction. There was a surprise or two that I certainly never expected but they were well received and meticulously done…nice twists of fate.

I have been following Joana Starnes since she first started publishing her work. I have enjoyed all her books and have been impressed with the diversity of her themes, while keeping her characters true to canon. The narrative was so well done, the use of imageries, the thoughts, the depth of feelings, it pulled me in as though I was living the story with the characters. It was no longer just words on the page but had a life of its own.  Joana Starnes’s knowledge of the area was evident as she led us down a path of vivid descriptions and stunning scenery. Add to that a captivating plot with much substance and you have The Falmouth Connection, a brilliantly written book. Very well done, Joana Starnes…an exquisite tale.



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If you leave a comment you will be entered in my giveaway for a note pad. It has each of the drawings that were in the 2014 PnP calendar. You may see a close up of them on the Illustrations page of this blog or on my website, JT Originals. The giveaway is for the quarter pad, size 4.25" x 5.5". It is the perfect size for a grocery list or a quick note. The giveaway is worldwide and ends midnight, March 6, 2015. Be sure to include your email in the comment.

Joana Starnes would like to add an eBook to the giveaway! Yay! It is international too. Those of you who have left comments are already entered. Thank you, Joana Starnes for your generosity.