Review by Anna Horner
Persuade Me, the second book in Juliet Archer’s Darcy & Friends series, is a modern re-telling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, with lots of regret and resentment but also much humor and romance. Dr. Rick Wentworth is a marine biologist who returns to England to promote his book, Sex in the Sea, which, along with his striking good looks, has turned him into a celebrity. Rick has never forgotten the woman who broke his heart 10 years ago, and all of the anger and hurt is churned up when their paths cross. Anna Elliot, a professor of Russian literature at a college in Bath, never stopped loving Rick, and she regrets allowing her family to end their relationship.
Instead of confronting the past, Rick gets involved with Lou Musgrove, and Anna can do nothing more than sit and watch the two of them flirt. Meanwhile, Anna catches the eyes of both Rick’s friend and wannabe poet, James, and an old family friend and slimeball, William Elliot-Dunne, who ended a relationship with Anna’s sister, Lisa, to run off with a rich divorcee from Texas. Rick and Anna’s interactions are tinged with pain and jealousy, and of course, misunderstandings abound.
Once I started Persuade Me, I had a hard time putting it down. I loved Archer’s easy writing style and her appreciation of Austen’s humor when it comes to exaggerated secondary characters, especially in transforming Anne Elliot’s hypochondriac sister, Mary Musgrove, into Anna’s alcoholic sister, Mona, and Mrs. Clay into Cleopatra, a masseuse with a phony French accent. I also enjoyed how she lets readers into the heads of both Anna and Rick, though knowing the innermost thoughts of both lessened the excitement a little bit.
I must admit I am always thrilled to see a variation that takes on an Austen novel other than Pride and Prejudice. Fans of Mr. Darcy will be happy to know that he introduces the novel by describing how he and Georgiana met Rick, though these few pages have absolutely nothing to do with the book — except for the fact that it is part of the “Darcy & Friends” series, and a friendship must somehow be forged.
Archer does a wonderful job adapting Persuasion for a contemporary audience while staying true to Austen’s story of second chances. Her ability to add a modern flair to every event that transpires in Persuasion exemplifies the timelessness of Austen’s novels.
Anna Horner reviews books on Diary of an Eccentric, where she shares her love of the written word and indulges in her guilty pleasures of Jane Austen-inspired novels and books about World War II.
I also read and reviewed this wonderful story and gave it 5 stars. I didn’t think a modern retelling of a Jane Austen classic would captivate me so much but it did.
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So glad to hear you enjoyed it as well. I’m always thrilled to see an Austen-inspired novel that focuses on Persuasion, which is my personal favorite. 🙂
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Sounds like a good rea, but the idea that you know Rick’s inner thoughts disappoints me. A part that I love so much about Persuasion is you never know what Captain Wentworth is thinking, so the scene with the letter always has such a heartstopping impact.
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You make a good point. I agree that not knowing his thoughts really makes that letter special.
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This sounds like a good Austen-inspired read. Thanks for your review, Anna. Adding it to my TBR list now!
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Great! I think you’ll enjoy it!
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Thank you for a wonderful review – made my day (and it’s a very wet and windy one in Hertfordshire, England!).
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You’re very welcome!
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Thanks for writing this review. I’m now inspired to buy the book.
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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I’ve been dying to read this book. Persuasion is my favorite Austen.
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Mine, too. Hope you enjoy it!
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