Book Giveaway for Wentworth Hall, by Abby Grahame

Update!: The winners are: Laurel and Angela. Please contact me and send me your addresses.

Gentle readers: Two lucky readers have the opportunity to win Abby Grahame's debut novel, Wentworth Hall and a vintage diary, courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

Wentworth Hall is a novel aimed at Downton Abbey fans:

 The Darlington family of Wentworth Hall, an elite British family, fills their time by caring for their extensive estate, and looking over their shoulders as they struggle to keep up an elaborate charade to hide their scandalous secrets of illicit romances, and bitter betrayals.

Wentworth Hall is the historical novel by debut author Abby Grahame, which is spot-on perfect for fans of Downton Abbey! Read and excerpt of the book at this link!

Two (2) winners will each receive: A vintage diary and copy of Wentworth Hall! Prizing courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

To join the contest, all you need to do is let us know what you think of Shirley McClaine joining the cast as Cora's mother for Season Three of Downton Abbey.

The contest, which closes Friday May 27, is open to US residents only. Please make sure I have a way to reach the winners, who will be chosen by random number generator! 11:59 PM Friday, April 27th, EST, contest is closed. 

Book Giveaway of The Darcys and the Bingleys

SourceBooks is giving away copies of Marsha Altman's The Darcys and the Bingleys to two lucky winners. All you need to do is leave a comment and tell us who your favorite movie Darcy and Bingley couples are and why. The contest is open until October 1. To tweak your memory, we've posted their photos (and actual names) below.

The Darcys

2005, Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley

1995, Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle

1980, Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul

1940, Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier

The Bingleys

2005, Simon Woods and Rosamund Pike

1995, Susannah Harker and Crispin Bonham-Carter

1980, Sabina Franklyn and Osmund Bolluck

1940, Maureen O'Sullivan and Bruce Lester

Contest Reminder

Only two days are left for a chance to win the Jane Austen book of your choice (Oxford World's Classic trade paperback edition). Click here to leave your comments! Read my review of Pride and Prejudice here.

Contest: Win a Jane Austen Oxford World's Classic of Your Choice

Nigel has been enjoying the Jane Austen Season in Australia. In his blog he asked the following questions. (Click here to read his answers.)

If you would like to play along and answer the questions in the comment section, you will have the chance to win a new edition of a Jane Austen novel published by Oxford World's Classics. The winner of this contest will have an opportunity to choose their favorite Jane Austen novel. You have until midnight July 5th to answer the questions below. We will draw the winning name from a hat. My answers are in the comment section. (I changed one of Nigel's questions, since "shag" is not a term commonly used in the U.S.) Simply copy and paste the following in the comment section:

1. Who is your favorite Jane Austen character?

2. Who is your least favorite Jane Austen character?

3. Who is the sexiest Jane Austen character?

4. If you lived in 1806 who would you most like to be?

5. An Austen hero is: a soldier, sailor or gentleman?

6. Who is your favorite Jane Austen villain?

7. What is your favorite Jane Austen location?

8. What is your favorite Jane Austen pastime?

9. What is your favorite Jane Austen quote?

10. What would be one major critique of Jane Austen's work?

Heyer Contest is Over

Thank you for your comments! The winners are Laura for Lady of Quality, and Jeanette for False Colours! Please send your mailing address to janeaustensworld@gmail.com.

Oh, What Fun! A New Contest

Contest is Over! Win a new Georgette Heyer book from Sourcebooks by simply leaving a comment on this post. We'll draw the winner on June 14th. You can win in two ways:

If you are already a Georgette Heyer fan, let us know who your favorite Heyer heroine is and why. You'll have a chance to win a copy of False Colours.

If you have never read one of Georgette's regency novels, tell us what you know about her and why you would like to start reading one of her novels. You'll have a chance to win a copy of a Lady of Quality.

We'll announce a winner from both categories on Father's Day!!

About:

False Colours
A missing twin
Something is very wrong, and the Honourable Christopher “Kit” Fancot can sense it. Kit returns to London on leave from the diplomatic service to find that his twin brother Evelyn has disappeared and his extravagant mother’s debts have mounted alarmingly.
A fortune in the balance
When the incorrigible Lady Fancot persuades her son to impersonate his twin (just for one night, she promises) the masquerade sets off a tangled sequence of events that engage Kit’s heart far more deeply than he’d ever anticipated with his brother’s fiancée—who might know much more about what’s going on than she cares to reveal...

Lady of Quality
Miss Annis Wychwood, at twenty-nine, has long been on the shelf, but this bothers her not at all. She is rich and still beautiful and she enjoys living independently in Bath, except for the tiresome female cousin, who her very proper brother insists must live with her.

When Annis offers sanctuary to the very young runaway heiress Miss Lucilla Carleton, no one at all thinks this is a good idea. With the exception of Miss Carleton’s overbearing guardian, Mr. Oliver Carleton, whose reputation as the rudest man in London precedes him. Outrageous as he is, the charming Annis ends up finding him absolutely irresistible.

Posted by Vic, Ms. Place

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict Contest

Inquiring readers,

The "Ten Ways to Cope Without The Complete Jane Austen Series" contest is coming to an end. If you've got a suggestion to add to the list, please enter it as a comment. (Click on the link.)

I'll put all of your names in a hat and draw one at midnight EST on Saturday, April 26. On Sunday, April 27, the winner will be announced here.

I will send the winner a signed copy of the new paperback edition of my novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.

In the meantime, I've got another idea to add to #2 on my list: After you watch the Ang Lee/Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility, watch it again with the DVD commentary by Emma Thompson and Lindsay Doran, producer of the film. The fun starts when the Columbia logo comes up on the screen, and Emma Thompson says something to the effect of how tired her arms got holding up that torch for so long. I laughed a lot and learned a great deal about what went into making the film.

Thank you, Ms. Place, for reminding me of how much fun that DVD commentary is. Many thanks to everyone for your fabulous suggestions, and good luck to all!

- Laurie Viera Rigler