Friday, April 27, 2012

Winner of the Jane Austen Coasters Giveaway

Thank you everyone who entered the giveaway. I loved learning your favorite quotes. Austen has provided us with so many witty remarks and humorous observations that it is truly difficult to pick just one.
And now... the randomly selected winner of the set of four coasters is… Wendi Sotis!!

Congrats, Wendi! Please email me your mailing address at jakki36[at]yahoo[dot]com.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Nate Morgan, a Likable Villain?

I am so excited to share with you a new feature I will be doing on my blog! I will be vlogging (posting video blogs)! You may be wondering what I will be vlogging. Good question! Accompanying each review, I will post a video where I talk about particular aspects of each novel that stuck out to me. When I read, there are always things I want to say that I just can’t seem to put into a review without it being 700 words long. Being the selfless person I am, I decided to save you the torture of reading a long post, and to take that one thing from a book I can’t seem to get out of my mind, or that really hit home to me, and talk about it in a video.

If you read my review, you know I have a soft spot for Nate Morgan. While I believe there is only one man for Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, I like Nate Morgan and would like to see him happily settled, just with another woman. Enjoy my thoughts on Nate Morgan, villain.
I hope you enjoy my first video.




Who are your likable villains and why?
What makes your favorite villains likable?
What other stories with likable villains would you recommend?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Review: The Journey by Jan Hahn

From the Publisher:
Danger Shortly after the Netherfield ball, Elizabeth Bennet begins a journey to visit her relations in London with her travelling companions, Mr. Bingley's sisters and the proud, arrogant Mr. Darcy. Suddenly, their carriage is abruptly stopped, and Elizabeth hears the menacing cry, "Stand and deliver!" Abduction The leader of a band of highwaymen, Nate Morgan, a handsome, masked rogue, plans to seize Elizabeth for his amusement, but Darcy steps forward and offers himself as a hostage in her place. When his proposal fails to secure Elizabeth's release, Darcy makes a shocking declaration-Elizabeth is his wife! Romance At a time when a woman's future could be ruined by the slightest hint of scandal, Elizabeth's reputation will depend not only upon the actions of a hero but a villain as well. Filled with danger, excitement, daring and passion, The Journey follows Jane Austen's beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice as they embark on a fateful journey that changes their lives forever.


Pack your valise and don your traveling dress. You are about to embark on an exciting journey full of bumps, unexpected turns, and even a handsome villain, who may play with your sensibilities.
When kidnapped by highwaymen, Darcy and Elizabeth find themselves tossed together under alarming circumstances. In order to make it out alive, they must learn to depend on and trust each other. Throughout this journey, time and again, Darcy endeavors to show Elizabeth to what extent he will go in order to ensure her safety and happiness, even if it means putting aside his desires.
Not understanding the reason behind Darcy’s selflessness and protectiveness, Elizabeth is puzzled by his behavior. Even though Elizabeth acknowledges her feelings for Darcy, she knows he could never have feelings for her. Believing that once they rejoin society things will go back to how they were, Elizabeth fails to understand the severity of the ton and the new obstacles facing them.
However, Darcy is not the only one attracted to Elizabeth. Nate Morgan is also enamored with the beauty from Hertfordshire. Even though Nate Morgan may be a highwayman, he is devilishly handsome and quite a lady charmer. (I found myself taken in by his charms). Knowing Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage to be a loveless one, Morgan attempts to show Elizabeth what life could have been like with love.
There were so many elements I enjoyed about this book. Told from Elizabeth’s point-of-view, I found this tale to be engaging. It was as if I was a child listening to my mother recount a past journey. The humor, whether it is Darcy’s snide comments to Caroline, or situations in which the characters find themselves, helps break the tension and severity of their situation.
The rising action was also well developed. I was continually guessing what would happen next. The plot moved along at a steady pace, as all my questions built on each other. It wasn’t until after Darcy and Elizabeth came to an understanding that the plot slowed. I felt that if I skipped these pages, I would not have missed anything. However, the plot picks back up in the last few pages and through the epilogue. I love how Hahn ends the book and ties everything together, bringing the reader closure. It was one of my favorite parts of the book (along with the night of the Bingley’s engagement party, but you will just have to read the book to find out why)!

The Journey is a fascinating tale, sure to appease the adventuresome Austen enthusiast.

Jan Hahn is also the author of An Arranged Marriage.  


Available from Barnes and Noble
Available from Amazon
Find Jan Hahn on Facebook
Publisher: Meryton Press

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Leatherbound Reviews' First Giveaway: Jane Austen Coasters

Next to reading, crafting is my favorite hobby. I also love Jane Austen- so why not combine the two? I made my daughter some Jane Austen hair clips and some friends Jane Austen/Mr. Darcy Christmas ornaments. My latest creation is Jane Austen coasters, perfect for tea (or if you are in the South, sweet tea) while reading our dear Jane.
To celebrate my blog’s launch, I am giving away a set of 4 coasters.

So, what is your favorite Jane Austen quote?


To enter, do any or all of the following: (Make sure to leave a comment for each entry).
  • Leave a comment on the post.
  • Follow Leatherbound Reviews via GFC or email
  • Tweet about the giveaway (can be done once daily)
  • Share giveaway on Facebook
  • Follow me on Twitter @J_Leatherberry
Good Luck! Winner will be announced Friday, April 27!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Review: Unladylike Pursuits by Alyssa Goodnight

Make sure you stop by Regency Ladies today as the lovely Erica McFarland and Jenny DeWoody have graciously invited me over to review Unladylike Pursuits by Alyssa Goodnight. A fun, face-paced Regency romp you will surly want to read!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

What?! I Have a Blog?

Wow! I cannot believe it. I have my very own blog! I never dreamed of reviewing or having a blog. Initially, the thought of putting my thoughts and feelings about a book into writing scared me. What if I was incorrect in my thinking? What if no one agreed with my views? As a people-pleaser, these questions weighed heavily on my mind. Because my mind is always racing one hundred miles a minute, I then switched gears to authors. Man! If I worry over people reading and trusting my reviews, how much more do authors worry over people liking their books, their babies?
I equate my reason for writing reviews to shopping. Ah, now I have your attention! I love a bargain. In fact, it must be a great deal for me to spend my money on it, as my husband’s frugality has truly rubbed off on me over the years. But I digress. When you find an amazing sale or a coupon scenario that will get you a free product, what do you do? You call, text, FB, or tweet your closest friends, letting them in on this amazing deal, too. Or at least that is what my friends and I do. The same logic applies to books. If I read an amazing page-turner I cannot put down, I want to share it with all of my friends, letting everyone know why I enjoyed the book. The same holds true with receiving terrible customer service and a poorly written book; you want to let your friends know to stay away. But ultimately, the decision to take advantage of the sale or avoid the terrible customer service is up to them.
When reviewing, I strive to capture the various thoughts and emotions that go through my head while reading so other readers can take that information, process it against what they feel makes an interesting story, and decide for themselves whether this particular book should be added to their TBR pile. I hope you find my reviews insightful and trustworthy. I look forward to sharing my love of books with you, and hearing your thoughts in return.
With all of that said, I want to take a moment to thank the amazing friends who have offered much needed support and encouragement. Without them, my reviews and this blog would be somewhere with leprechauns, unicorns, and those imaginary friends one has as a child. My first and biggest thanks go to Mary Simonsen. If it was not for her, I would not be writing any reviews. Mary took time to explain to me how important reviews are to authors. As a result, I figured if authors can provide me with hours of delightful diversions, then the least I can do is write a review in return. And so it began! Over the last year, not only has Mary become a great mentor to my writing, but also a dear friend.
Next up is Angie Kroll. I hate, that’s right, HATE technology. If I could be like Judge Judy and not know what an iPhone does, how to tweet or what kind of purpose a blog serves, my life would be grand! Unfortunately, I am not old enough to get by with Judge Judy’s ignorance of social media and devices. Angie is a technology smarty pants and has offered much needed help and suggestions.
Finally, since many of you have already stopped reading this post two paragraphs ago (as I have recently been diagnosed with logorrhea), I will wrap up with saying a big thank you to the following people for the invaluable support, encouragement and friendship: Candy Morton, Monica Perry, Erica McFarland, and Meredith Esparza!