The newest in the Wytherngate line of Austen-based fiction

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Product Description

Twenty-nine winters' revolving frosts have brought no change to Miss Elliot's matrimonial state.

Elizabeth Elliot is as beautiful as ever, yet no gentleman of proper stature has requested her hand. Lady Russell claims she is too particular, but Elizabeth begs to differ. She is not about to settle for a gentleman of no distinction like her sister Mary. Nor will she follow her heart and marry a commoner with no title but Captain--that was Anne's mistake. As for romance and the tender stirrings of the heart, why, only a simpleton would fall prey to such foolishness! But when the proud Miss Elliot encounters a pair of smiling Irish eyes in a most unsuitable man of vulgar connections, she is tempted to change her opinion. Almost. Jane Austen's beloved Persuasion provides the backdrop for this delightful romp set in Regency England.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #526808 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 220 pages

Review
"The world of Jane Austen's Persuasion fairly sparkles under Laura Hile's deft and humorous touch. While Elizabeth Elliot retains the abrasive edges of Austen's original, you'll be as delighted as I was to see her develop into a woman deserving of a good man's love." --Pamela Aidan, author of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman

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Customer Reviews

An Entertaining Look at The Other Elliot Girl!
I just finished reading this fun sequel to Persuasion--incomplete, though, as it's book 1 of an intended trilogy--so don't hope for any closure at this point.


I first read this story years ago, when author Laura Hile, was posting it a tantalizing chapter at a time. She's done a lot of rewriting since then, but it is still fresh and funny, well-written, and reflects Hile's respect for the original.

I say it's a sequel to Persuasion, but it isn't really, as it's the story of what I like to call The Other Elliot girl, Anne's older sister, Elizabeth. You might think of her as The Other Elizabeth :)

We all know that Elizabeth is one of the wicked sisters in the fairy tale that is Austen's Persuasion, devaluing the saintly Anne, wallowing in vanity and pretension, and sitting on the shelf while the years of eligibility slip by. There is virtually nothing to like about Austen's Elizabeth Elliot. She's even beautiful, not having lost her bloom due to heartbreak at a tender age.

Laura Hile has found a kernal in Elizabeth that isn't despicable and within the first couple of chapters has worked it so that Elizabeth is a fully realized, likeable in a snarky sort of way, plucky heroine. I ended up fearing and cheering for Elizabeth as she dealt with the financial morass that her feckless father, the uber vain Sir Walter Elliot, has gotten the family into while she attempts to find love and security and an actual life for herself.

Elizabeth is not perfect--believe me, she is no Anne Elliot--but she has spunk, and unlike Lou Grant from the Mary Tyler Moore show, I like spunk. Like the other Elizabeth (aka Elizabeth Bennet), Hile's Elizabeth Elliot has pluck, wit, beauty, and, she cultivates a sense of humility and loyalty you would never have thought possible without hearing Hile's version of her story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through Austenland with Hile and Elizabeth Elliot and the very attractive Adm Patrick McGillvary, and look forward to reading books 2 and 3 when they come out. This is summer reading at its best.

Mercy's Embrace
In the world of Austen-based fiction, it is usually the heroes and heroines who get all the attention. Not so in Laura Hile's Mercy's Embrace. This book will appeal to Austen lovers and fans of the Regency genre equally.

Mercy's Embrace has a few Austen main characters making appearances, but really shines as the story of the still-handsome and discontent Elizabeth Elliot. Miss Elliot is the older, more beautiful sister of Anne Elliot in Jane Austen's Persuasion, and she is facing the utter collapse of everything she knows to be true about her life.

Her father, Sir Walter Elliot, uses an illness to hide from his creditors and she is forced to live with Anne and brother-in-law, Captain Frederick Wentworth. Living in a household with so little distinction is unbearable, particularly when all your social connections are quickly forgetting who you are. The only solution is to find a suitable husband. Men with money enough to tempt her are thin on the ground around Bath, and the ones available are either repellent, or more repellent.

Although, there is the very eligible, very handsome, and very smug Admiral Patrick McGillvary who seems move in all the right circles.

Laura Hile loves Regency and it shows in her writing. This novel is a fun read and has all the customary elements of the genre, but they are handled with skillful writing, genuine humor, and insights into authentic love.

Another Elliot Heroine?
If you're tired of the stuffy and stilted behaviour of Regency society,then you'll be delighted with Elizabeth Elliot's gallop (literally, in one scene) through Bath. Becase of her feckless father, she finds herself doing what she's never done before, with people she doesn't know. It's a hoot. Give yourself a gift. Order the book, and join Elizabeth as she begins her voyage into the real world. You'll enjoy the trip! I'm sure we'll be delighted to see Hile's next offering. Hurry up, Laura. I'm not getting any younger.