Welcome to my tour stop for Only With You by Cecilia Gray! This is the second book in this series I have read and I have thoroughly enjoyed both books and plan to read them all! You can see my review of this one HERE. They are cute and fun and even though they are all part of a series, they work as stand-alone reads as well.
The author is stopping by to share her top reasons for rewriting Jane Austen and there is a giveaway as well below, so check those out!
(The Jane Austen Academy Series #5)
by Cecilia Gray
by Cecilia Gray
YA Contemporary Romance
May 2014
Summary
Dive into the fabulous, fun lives of six Academy girls as their friendships are tested, torn and ultimately triumph…
Emma has it all – looks, money, and luck. It’s not like she keeps it all to herself – she’s totally committed to helping those less fortunate. AKA, everyone. She invites her heartbroken friend to help with a weekend charity event with an eye to matchmake, but when that friend turns her eye toward the guy Emma wants for herself, how will she choose between friendship and her own feelings?
* * *
The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is hot guys to flirt with. But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it’s about to turn the Academy—and the lives of its students—totally upside down…
The Jane Austen Academy series are modern retellings of Jane Austen classics set at a beachside California boarding school.
Top 5 Reasons to Retell a Jane Austen Story
There are probably a million reasons not to retell a Jane Austen story.
Jane Austen was the master! Why would you try to rewrite perfection? You don't think you're as good as Austen, do you???
For the record, I do not. But I am different from Jane Austen, our places in history aside, and I thought there were a few awesome reasons to retackle her stories.
• The biggest reason? To see what would happen if her heroines all got to hang out together. I created the JANE AUSTEN ACADEMY series which assumes all her heroines go to the same boarding school, so I could see what would happen if Austen's heroines ended up in the same book. Yes, I feel like a secret evil genius for doing this.
• To redeem her villains. Jane Austen created a few jerks and mean girls in her stories, but I believe with a little time, space, and understanding, jerks and mean girls can become pretty understanding characters, too. Call this my everyone deserves a second chance reason.
• To fall in love with her heroes all over again. I know some people think Austen's heroes are perfect, but I didn't mind adding a little of my own flair – sometimes literally. For example, in Mansfield Park, the hero is a clergyman. But in my retelling, the hero is a hot, tatted, and lip-ringed student. So there's that.
• To get rid of the weird stuff. Okay, not that it's weird, but some of her stories have themes that deal with murder, slavery, and sexual assault. And while I understand there might be something academic in that I was kind of into Austen for the other stuff (cool girls, cute boys.)
• To update the role models. Elizabeth Bennett taught me never to sell out. Eleanor Dashwood taught me how to be less selfish. Emma Woodhouse convinced me it was okay to let your awesome flag fly. I tried to write a series about girls who were smart, beautiful, fun and learning how to be okay with it – but without needing to worry about the conventions of getting married to save their family name or their future.
About the Author
Cecilia Gray lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where she reads, writes and breaks for food. She also pens her biographies in the third person. Like this. As if to trick you into thinking someone else wrote it because she is important. Alas, this is not the case.
She’s rather enamored of being contacted by readers and hopes you’ll oblige.
Tour-Wide Giveaway
- $50 Amazon or B&N or iTunes gift card
- A book giveaway of the author's choice to the winner based on her perusal of their Goodreads shelf (because just like her heroine, Emma, she think she know what's best for everyone. ;) - we thought this would be fun and relates to the MC's personality.
- Open INTL- Ends June 3rd
I loved this guest post, so much fun. And I love getting the author's take on why a retelling should be done.
ReplyDeleteI have read some of her other books as well and really enjoyed them. I love retellings and this one sounds adorable.
ReplyDelete" To fall in love with her heroes all over again." this is why I read most retellings >.< Thanks for being on the tour, Tressa this sounds like a fun series! :)
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how much I love this author! :D Thanks for being on the tour! <3 Now I know that there's a tour, I'm going to stalk every single post! :D
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun read..
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the guest post and I love Jane Austen so very excited for the retellings!!
ReplyDeleteOhh I have two of hers in my TBar pile - thus one sounds fun, I love all things Austen related :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me, Tressa! (ooh, and I see you're reading Rebel Belle - I just got my hands on a copy - super excited for it!)
ReplyDeleteOkay, again I am going to be shunned in the book world, but Jane Austen is not my favorite. BUT, this re-telling sounds fantastic :)!
ReplyDeleteOkay, this one sounds fantastic as well :)
ReplyDeleteI just realized it was the same one...Dang I need sleep :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good read! Thanks for your honest review and rating.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed these books so far. They are fun!
ReplyDeleteMe too!
ReplyDeleteLol! Join the club. :)
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like these ones.
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