The Portraints of Pemberly - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

Karoline Bingley has decided to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. When not commandeering other people's blogs, you can find Karoline on the pages of the Austen University Mystery series. THE PORTRAITS OF PEMBERLY is the second book in the series and was released this week!

To: lbennet@au.edu

From: kbingley@au.edu

Subject: Free Darcy!

Lizzy - since we’ve agreed to team up to clear Darcy’s name, I thought you might start by posting something in that little school paper of yours. I know no one actually reads it most of the time, but maybe if I post it on my socials, too, it might stand a chance of being seen.

I’ve taken the liberty of putting together the article since, let’s face it, your newspaper is usually a snoozefest.

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Stop the presses! (That’s what you people say, right?) It has come to our attention that there has been an EGREGIOUS error that must be corrected immediately. Fo-Hian Darcy has been accused of assaulting George Wickham and will lose his place at Austen University if we don’t rally the troops!

Darcy obviously didn’t do it. OBVIOUSLY. First of all, Darcy’s super rich. You think he would assault someone on his own? With that kind of money? He would definitely hire someone to do it, not do it himself. And did anyone see a paid thug running away from the scene of the crime? No. Therefore, it wasn’t him!

Second of all, Darcy might not like Wickham, but Wickham is so far below him on the social ladder that it doesn’t make sense for him to actually DO something about it. It would be like if a thoroughbred horse decided it didn’t like a fly that kept buzzing around it. Well, duh, but the horse isn’t going to beat the fly up, strip it naked, and tie it up on campus. That’s SO much effort just to get rid of a little fly.

Third of all, I’m sorry, I just can’t imagine it. Darcy’s, like, cultured. He reads the news and watches documentaries, FOR FUN. That is not the kind of man who goes around tying up people naked.

I rest my case, your honor. Now it’s time for the people to demand justice! We will not rest until Darcy’s free! (Metaphorically. He’s not, like, in jail or anything.)

For more details on this fascinating unraveling case, follow me on TikTok- @KweenKaroline  

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Review

THE PORTRAITS OF PEMBERLY by Elizabeth Gilliland

The Second Austen University Mystery

 

It may have been poetic justice that George Wickham was found tied up, spread eagle, and completely naked on the campus square, but his comeuppance comes at a cost. Lizzy Bennett is threatened with expulsion if she doesn't find out who assaulted Wickham and then Darcy confesses to the crime. Believing him to be innocent, Lizzie and members of the Austen Murder Club will try to uncover the real culprit before Darcy's untimely exit from Austen University.

The second Austen University Mystery once again transports and updates the characters of Jane Austen's novels placing them in a modern Louisiana University. You don't need to be familiar with these characters in order to enjoy the current mystery, but the more you know about them, the greater appreciation you'll have. After a congenial meeting between Lizzie and a sexy TA, he revealed his name, which may have led me to gasp in horror.

 

I really enjoyed this re-imagination of these famous characters. The mystery was intriguing, as well as everyone's actions and reactions to things going on. I liked how the unlikable Karoline Bingley became almost a good guy while other baddies remain just as despicable. 

The one thing I didn't care for was the timeline. The story started after "the incident", then it went to a time before the incident. Time seemed to go back and forth and although chapters were labeled it caused for some confusion.

With great character dynamics, foes learning to work together, and the realization that first impressions are not always correct, THE PORTRAITS OF PEMBERLY is a fun read for everyone, not just Jane Austen fans.

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The Portraits of Pemberley (Austen University Mysteries) by Elizabeth Gilliland

About The Portraits of Pemberley

The Portraits of Pemberley (Austen University Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - Louisiana
Bayou Wolf Press (July 5, 2023)
Number of Pages - 285

After George Wickham is found tied up, naked, on the Austen University Campus Square, President de Bourgh gives student journalist Lizzy Bennet an ultimatum: Find out who committed the crime, or be expelled from the school. Lizzy must team up with some old friends (like the Austen Murder Club) and some new (like...Karoline Bingley?) to get to the bottom of the truth.

Complicating matters is the fact that the prime suspect is Fo-Hian Darcy. Darcy and Lizzy have a messy history, but even so, Lizzy just can't accept that Darcy committed the crime. An anonymous whistleblower tips off Lizzy about a secret website called the Portraits of Pemberley that may help her get to the bottom of the mystery--but discovering the truth about who's involved may very well challenge everything that Lizzy believes.

The Portraits of Pemberley is Book 2 of the Austen University Mysteries series but can be read as a standalone novel. It combines plot points of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with Sense and Sensibility (and characters from all of Austen's novels) in a modern-university setting, with mysteries.

About Elizabeth Gilliland

Elizabeth Gilliland is a writer, Dr., wife, mom, and lifelong Jane Austen fan. She is a playwright (whose plays have appeared off-off Broadway), a screenwriter (with a master's in screenwriting and production), an academic (with a PhD and a dissertation on Jane Austen adaptations), and now a published author! When she isn't writing or grading papers, she is most likely reading a good book, binge watching the latest hit, working on a puzzle, or hanging with her cute kid.

Author Links: 

Blog - https://medium.com/@lissag7  

Twitter: @egilliland7 – https://twitter.com/egilliland7  

Publisher Website: www.bayouwolfpress.com  

Purchase Link - Amazon

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