Böcker av Maria Grace

Twelfth Night-a night for wondrous things to happen.At least for other people.In the months after her sisters' weddings, nothing has gone well for Kitty Bennet. Since Lydia's infamous elopement, her friends have abandoned her, and Longbourn is more prison than home. Not even Elizabeth's new status as Mrs. Darcy of Pemberley can repair the damage to Kitty's reputation. More than anything else, she wishes to leave the plain ordinary Kitty behind and become Catherine Bennet, a proper young lady.Her only ray of hope is an invitation to Pemberley for the holidays. Perhaps there she might escape the effects of her sister's shame. Getting to Pemberley is not as simple as it sounds. First she must navigate the perils of London society, the moods of Georgiana Darcy, and the chance encounter with the man who once broke her heart. Perhaps though, as Catherine, she might prove herself worthy of that gentleman's regard.But, in an instant all her hopes are dashed, and her dreams of becoming Catherine evaporate. Will Kitty Bennet's inner strength be enough to bring her heart's desire? On an ordinary night perhaps not, but on Twelfth Night, it just might be enough.

With the regiment come to camp in Meryton, many young ladies are pleased. Not all share their enthusiasm. Among them, Mr. Carver, who removes his family from Meryton's savage society. He blames, not on the militia officers, but the Bennet family. The flirtations and boisterous ways of the youngest sisters are too much to be borne. Not even Jane's renowned beauty and charm can make up for them. Elizabeth denies the allegations at first, but rapidly uncovers the shocking truth. The Carvers are not the only family to cut the Bennets from their acquaintance. Their reputations materially damaged, the family borders on social ruin. The news is too much for Mrs. Bennet who collapses from the shock. So, Elizabeth and her sisters must manage the estate until she recovers, a task for which none of them is prepared. Warned by Mr. Pierce, the local curate, that several of the officers have unsavory designs on the local girls, Elizabeth must find a way to honor her father, rein in her sister and salvage the family's reputation, all in the most ladylike way possible. Given Good Principles, Vol 2. Sequel to Darcy's Decision.

... In the meantime, for elegance and ease and luxury, the Hattons and Milles' dine here to-day, and I shall eat ice and drink French wine, and be above vulgar economy. Jane Austen to Cassandra, Godmersham, June 20, 1808 We know Jane Austen ate ice cream. What might her favorite flavors have been? Pride and Pistachios? Sense and Strawberry Cream? Whatever it was, we can be fairly certain it wasn't vanilla-read more to find out why! Take a romp through period recipes, personalities and polite society and get a taste for the ice cream Jane Austen would have eaten!

Elizabeth Bennet's father, Admiral Thomas Bennet, assures his daughters that his retirement from His Majesty's Navy will be the start of a new life for them all. Little does he know his family's battles have only just begun. Well-connected and in possession of a good fortune, their entry into society should have been a triumph. However, their long-awaited first season in London proves a disaster, and the resulting scandal sends the Bennets fleeing to the wilds of Derbyshire. Widower Fitzwilliam Darcy, the master of Pemberley, wants for nothing, most especially not a wife. From the moment the Bennets arrive in Derbyshire, Darcy's neatly ordered life turns upside down. His sons beg to keep company with their new playmates, the young Bennet twins. His mother-in-law sets her cap for Admiral Bennet. Worst of all, Darcy cannot get his mind off a certain bewitching Miss Elizabeth Bennet, but she has sworn never to let another gentleman near her heart. Darcy's best efforts to befriend and assist the Bennet family go horribly awry, alienating first Miss Elizabeth, then her father, and finally endangering what both men hold most dear. Can the two men Elizabeth loves most set aside their pride to prevent catastrophe for their families and win the love they seek?Jane Austen-inspired, Sweet Regency Romance

Many Christmas traditions and images of 'old fashioned' holidays are based on Victorian celebrations. Going back just a little further, to the beginning of the 19th century, the holiday Jane Austen knew would have looked distinctly odd to modern sensibilities. How odd? Families rarely decorated Christmas trees. Festivities centered on socializing instead of gift-giving. Festivities focused on adults, with children largely consigned to the nursery. Holiday events, including balls, parties, dinners, and even weddings celebrations, started a week before Advent and extended all the way through to Twelfth Night in January. Take a step into history with Maria Grace as she explores the traditions, celebrations, games and foods that made up Christmastide in Jane Austen's era. Packed with information and rich with detail from period authors, Maria Grace transports the reader to a longed-for old fashioned Christmas. Non-fiction

His muse desires her; she detests him. How will his soul survive?Gentleman artist Fitzwilliam Darcy had never been able to express himself in words, but with his brushes and paints, he expressed what few men ever could. When his flighty muse abandons him, though, he finds himself staring at blank canvases in a world that has turned bland and cold and grey. Worried for his friend, Charles Bingley invites Darcy to join him in Hertfordshire, in hopes the picturesque countryside might tempt Darcy's muse to return. The scheme works only too well. His muse returns, with a vengeance, fixated upon the one young woman in the county who utterly detests him. Will his selfish disdain for the feelings of others drive her and his muse away or can he find a way to please this woman with the power to bring color and feeling back into his world?Sweet, Austen Inspired Regency Romance

Hers was the plight of a gothic heroine, banished from her home by a cruel brother and his heartless wife, the Dragon Sage. Misunderstood and maligned, Georgiana's only hope of rescue: letters to aunts describing the medieval dungeon to which she had been sent.What matter that was a wee exaggeration for effect? Boasting as many dragon teachers as human ones, Mrs. Fieldings' School for the Improvement of Young Ladies promises to train Georgiana up to be a proper Blue Order member and a credit to her family. But she was already an accomplished young lady, and an appreciation for dragons was hardly a necessary accomplishment in the marriage mart. Clearly, she had nothing to learn.One way or another, Georgiana would make it through the school term with ther dignity, and her opinions, intact. When the new dragon students arrive, needing warm-blooded student partners to complete their educations, Georgiana endures the indignity of a dragon-partner for the promise it will hasten the end of her tenure with Mrs. Fieldings. But dragons always bring complications. Dangerous, dragon-sized ones that not even the Dragon Sage could have predicted. Complications that turn the school term into something truly gothic. A fresh new gas lamp fantasy adventure in the engrossingly intricate world of Jane Austen's Dragons. Anne McCaffrey meets Jane Austen perfect for dragon lovers and regency-era fans alike. Book 11 of the Jane Austen's Drargons series.

"Maria Grace's history sheds new light on Austen's writing, exposing secrets usually hidden from the modern reader." Abigail ReynoldsJane Austen's books are full of hidden mysteries for the modern reader. Why on earth would Elizabeth Bennet be expected to consider a suitor like foolish Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice? Would Lydia's 'infamous elopement' truly have ruined her family and her other sisters' chances to marry? Why were the Dashwood women thrown out of their home after Mr. Dashwood's death in Sense and Sensibility, and what was the problem with secret engagements anyway? And then there are settlements, pin money, marriage articles and many other puzzles for today's Austen lovers. Customs have changed dramatically in the two centuries since Jane Austen wrote her novels. Beyond the differences in etiquette and speech, words that sound familiar to us are often misleading. References her original readers would have understood leave today's readers scratching their heads and missing important implications. Take a step into history with Maria Grace as she explores the customs, etiquette and legalities of courtship and marriage in Jane Austen's world. Packed with information and rich with detail from Austen's novels, Maria Grace casts a light on the sometimes bizarre rules of Regency courtship and unravels the hidden nuances in Jane Austen's works. Non fiction

Six months after his father's passing, Fitzwilliam Darcy still finds solace in his morning reflections at his parents' graves. Only in the quiet solitude of the churchyard does he indulge his grief. None but his unlikely mentor recognize the heartache and insecurity plaguing him as he shoulders the enormous burden of being Master of Pemberley. Not all are pleased with his choice of adviser. Lady Catherine complains Darcy allows him too much influence. Lord Matlock argues, "Who is he to question the God-appointed social order?" But the compassionate wisdom Darcy finds in his counselor keeps him returning for guidance even though it causes him to doubt everything he has been taught.In the midst of his struggles to reinvent himself, his school chum, Charles Bingley, arrives. Darcy hopes the visit will offer some respite from the uproar in his life. Instead of relief, Darcy discovers his father's darkest secret staring him in the face. Pushed to his limits, Darcy must overcome the issues that ruined his father and, with his friends and mentor at his side, restore his tarnished birthright.

Nobody had any compassion for dragon lore expert Thomas Bennet's nerves. >As much as her father might rant and storm about the need for secrecy and expect that to be the end of it, Elizabeth cannot contain her curiosity about all things dragonic. Nor, would it seem, could she stem the development of her unique and prodigious talent for bonding with the creatures. When Elizabeth discovers an abandoned clutch of fairy dragon eggs, Mr. Bennet finds an unhappy alternative before him. Somehow, he must save the dragon eggs, contend with the jealous estate dragon, and keep it all hidden from his family...or risk exposure of England's greatest secret and the breaking of the Pendragon Treaty that keeps the tenuous peace between man and dragon. And through it all, can he help his precocious, passionate daughter find her place in a dangerous world that little tolerance for little girls. A fresh new gaslamp fantasy adventure in the engrossingly intricate world of Jane Austen's Dragons. Anne McCaffrey meets Jane Austen perfect for dragon lovers and regency-era fans alike. Book 4 in the Jane Austen's Dragons series.