Warleigh Hall Press

The Warleigh Hall Jane Austen series

Alice McVeigh first conceived the idea for the series when she began to wonder how the characters from different Austen’s novels might interact, were they to meet. From there, it was only a step to imagining a plausible timeline.

The first in the series introduces Austen’s beautifully heartless Lady Susan when she was only sixteen, and takes place both in London (where she is adopted as protegee by Lady Catherine de Bourgh) and in Hunsford, Kent. It takes place a year before Austen’s Emma, and five years after Mr Darcy marries Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.

Her second book (Harriet, a Jane Austen Variation) was also published in 2022.

Books in the series will be published in order of events (Harriet takes place the year after Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel.) However, like Austen’s own novels, they can be read in any order.

Warleigh Hall Press publications

Regency readers will find Susan both enjoyable and entertaining; her naughty flouting of the rules walks the tightrope of remaining cheeky and endearing while hinting at the colder, self-centered woman that is depicted by Austen in Lady Susan.

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The reader is introduced to Susan, who relies on the good social standing and charity of her aunt and uncle. It is her sole duty, according to her relatives, to pursue economic security through marriage. Extremely beautiful and charming, yet openly rebellious against the expectations of her social status, she causes quite the headache for her relatives. The writing style is witty, fun, and has all the hallmarks of an Austen novel. It will likely appeal to those who seek a modern continuation of British gentry romance and intrigue.

McVeigh has created a strong character unwilling to conform to the expectations for women of the early 1800s. Susan's charm and beauty allures many, giving her the freedom that other women would not have had during the period. The writing style is witty, fun, and has all the hallmarks of an Austen novel. It will likely appeal to those who seek a modern continuation of British gentry romance and intrigue.

Fans of Jane Austen are in for an indulgent treat with the brilliantly crafted novel, Susan. Alice McVeigh has truly mastered the period parlance, immersing readers fully in this charming historical romance. The story features a few familiar characters such as the hard-to-please Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the unending perorations of one Mr. Collins. But the ever impertinent Susan is the unmistakable star in this polished novel...

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This book contains a charming awareness of Jane Austen’s novels that careful readers can collect like small tokens. As Susan says, she is neither “handsome, clever, well-travelled, rich,” and McVeigh flaunts her success with reinvention...Emma mingles with Pride and Prejudice in a delightful confrontation between the two books' worlds. 10 stars.

Novelist, editor, and ghostwriter McVeigh (While the Music Lasts) offers an outstanding addition to the canon of Jane Austen-inspired fiction with this utterly charming period novel, a prequel to Austen’s sharp-elbowed Lady Susan… Susan is a mischievous and clever heroine in the tradition of Austen’s pluckiest characters, and McVeigh populates her story with a cast of first-rate supporting characters, especially Susan’s cousin Alicia, who in the end provides the biggest surprise of the tale.

While this title will be catnip to dedicated Austen fans, even new initiates into her work will be captivated by this lively tale.

Warleigh Hall Press

The Warleigh Hall Jane Austen series

Warleigh Hall Press publications

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