My Persuasion

Austen in Love #3

by Jenni James

When Caroline Bingley broke off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth seven years ago, she realized she’d made the biggest mistake of her life. When he shows up again, she knows she doesn’t deserve him, but it doesn’t stop her from wishing things were different.

The last thing Rick wants is to get caught up in Caroline drama again—one broken heart was enough. To prove he’s over her, he starts to date her sister, Louisa. Unfortunately, the plan backfires as he finds himself closer to Caroline than ever before, and he has to admit, he’s never really gotten over her.

This modern, tangled retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is a fun, clean romance with witty dialogue and forgiving hearts.

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Retellings, Adult, Clean Romance, Chick Lit

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2017

About the author

CLEAN ROMANCE FOR TEENS:

*The Jane Austen Diaries*
Pride & Popularity (Aug 2011)
Persuaded (Aug. 2012)
Emmalee (Jan 2013)
Mansfield Ranch (Dec 2013)
Northanger Alibi (Feb. 2012)
Sensible & Sensational (July 2015)
Sand & Sun (2016)
The Wilsons
Queen Sydney

*Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection*
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Rumplestiltskin
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstalk
Snow White
The Frog Prince
Twelve Dancing Princesses
Rapunzel
The Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Return to Neverland
The Forgotten Princess
The Princess With the Golden Touch
Little Red Riding Hood
(and more...)

MIDDLE GRADE READERS:
Prince Tennyson (May 2012)

EARLY READERS:

*Andy & Annie Collection*
A Ghost Story
Greeny Meany

WOMEN'S FICTION:

*Revitalizing Jane Series*
Drowning
Swimming
Crawling
Walking
Running
Soaring


CLEAN ROMANCE FOR ADULTS:

*Eternal Realm Series*
Eternity
Destiny
Divinity

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to laugh at myself because I love Jane Austen and I love retellings of her books, but I sometimes wish the characters would learn a few lessons and make different/better choices. This story brings us a modern version of Persuasion, where Caroline and Frederick are "reunited." When is that guy going to get a clue that he can't take revenge on her by dating her sister?! And when is Caroline going to develop a backbone and stand up to her spoiled rotten family?! And will they ever realize that as much as they try to deny it, true love won't ever die?! Okay, rant over.

This is a fun, sweet, and clean version, which is greatly appreciated, as it added an entertaining diversion to a cold, wintry day. I loved the tweaks this author put into the story, giving it a slightly fresh feel (hello beach!), while maintaining the basic structure of the classic. The characters are great, but I would have loved to see a little more development--the ending felt just a tad bit rushed and I wanted to feel a little more of the chemistry.

All in all, this is a short romp through a beloved classic that made me feel happy, and that's a good thing.

Content: mild romance; very mild moment of peril.

*I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.*

[Jenni James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd already created the world with the first two of the Austen in Love series, so it was an interesting twist to plop a humbled Caroline Bingley into the role of Anne Elliot. I definitely fell in love with Rick Wentworth and I think by far some of my funniest banter has come out of these two. I just absolutely loved the sparks that flew between them as I typed away. And then those comebacks! They made me so happy.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did writing it. And I'm so excited to jump a little bit away from these guys to write My Northanger Abbey! Gah, the idea of Catherine being an author and needing to find the perfect hero for her paranormal series has me in stitches. Now, I've just got to find the time to get it out for you to laugh too!

Love you.
Jenni James

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 in the Austen in Love series: Book 1 My Pride, His Prejudice: Book 2 Jane and Bingley:

This is the story of Anne, rather Caroline Bingley, as far as this story goes. Yeah, a bit of a jolt for me too. Our author did a mash-up of Anne Elliot from Persuasion with Caroline Bingley. My head started to swim a bit as I attempted to make the adjustment. I had just finished Jane and Charles Bingley [book 2] so I knew he was rich. However, in this story, Caroline is carrying the financial weight of her parents and older sister Louisa. Just forget all about the Caroline of P&P; she is not the person in this story. This is a completely new and different Caroline. Louisa, on the other hand, is worse, if you can imagine. She represents the Elizabeth Elliot from Persuasion. Now her actions and behavior will make sense.

Like the Walter Elliot character, Mr. Bingley had fallen in his financial status and yet continued to live in a manner to which he had been accustomed. His daughter Caroline [Anne] attempted to pick up the pieces and their bills. This was horrible. Jenni James managed to pull from Austen’s Persuasion all the nuances of the selfish, self-centered, narcissist, self-aggrandizement, entitled attitude and apply it to the entire Bingley family. With the exception of Charles, who was an OK guy. Caroline’s plate was full and her family didn’t hesitate to eat from that plate. I was horrified at their treatment of her.

And just when Caroline thought her life couldn’t get any worse, her ex-boyfriend-fiancé, Federick [Rick] Wentworth, walked into her store… rather his store. He was the owner of the franchise where she worked.

This was difficult to read as I tried to make this story work in the new universe that James had created. I liked the love triangle she created with the characters. The tension was good, the angst and that feeling that all was lost that we enjoyed in Persuasion. I couldn’t figure out where or how our author would settle the ending, but she did not disappoint with a HEA I didn’t envision. Well done.

I am still becoming accustomed to modern interpretations and variations of Austen’s work so, this was very different. It was a cute, clean, quick read and I enjoyed it.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Persuasion

I was pleasantly surprised to find Caroline Bingley as the star of this retelling of Persuasion. She loved and later rejected Frederick Wentworth, after pressure from her family. Now seven years later, her father has lost his company, she is working hard as a high-end clothing store manager, and is single-handedly keeping her family afloat.

And of course, Frederick, now Rick, reenters her life while she is already having a bad morning. And then he starts dating her sister!

The ups and downs are part of what makes this story, as well as, Caroline's worthiness. She is so kind, and takes care of her family, even though they do not appreciate her. The only thing I missed was Frederick's epic letter at the end. Otherwise, a fun new take on an old classic!

I love this series! I can't wait to see what Catherine Moreland is up to next in the retelling of Northanger Abbey.

[Valerie Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book! Holy cow. Her family!! I would not put up with that crap. At all!! Wow. Rick was amazing of course. Her sister! What a piece of work! Ugh.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another sweet read

This is the 3rd Austen in Love book and I have enjoyed them all! As much as I love Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen book. This adaptation of Persuasion had characters from the previous 2 books in the series, and I really liked Jenni James' spin on this story. A romantic and sweet trip into Austen-land! Highly recommend!!

[Saffron · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one time, Persuasion was my favourite of all Austen books and I was quite excited to find this clean modern day retelling. However, I didn't particularly like it. The story wasn't boring, but in my estimation it was two parts maddening and one part unconvincing read. I wish Caroline would have been more firm and assertive with her family a bit earlier in the book. I don't think that the story works very well in the contemporary world setting even if it feels more like the main characters are from the conservative 50s perhaps, at least in their love life, which I actually like very much.

Rick dated Caroline's sister Luisa for months, and I think it strange this didn't create a bigger internal conflict for Caroline, because the setup is quite different from the regency's idea of courtship I would think. Also, in my book you don't mess with the family members, no mater how estranged or bad their relationship is. I can see this only as either/or situation. Either Frederick dates Caroline's sister, or he gets HEA with Caroline eventually, these options are mutually exclusive for me I guess. My memories of the original Persuasion aren't crystal clear, but I had an impression that Frederick Wentworth was not that seriously courting Louisa, and it didn't bother me as much as Rick dating Louisa here. I believe I struggle with romance so much because, I perceive Rick as considerably more involved with Louisa, than original Frederick Wentworth. Additionally, this book's Frederick comes across as a man seriously lacking in discernment, with how much he was informally at the Bingley's house with both sisters at the same time even, and having ample opportunity to observe them side by side, and a Cinderella-like Caroline's position, he really should've seen the light sooner. Luisa's willingness to date him should've been the warning sign enough. With how long it took him to see what sort of family Bingleys are, he really could be considered nearly dumb, deaf and blind, which is a very off-putting quality in the male lead.
To tell the truth, this book kind of shaken up my belief that Persuasion really belongs among my favourites. It's been quite some time since I read it, and many details are vague in memory. I will probably read again the original sometime later to re-evaluate my opinion.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
First of all I really enjoyed this retelling of Persuasion. BUT...I did not like how the character Anne Elliot from Persuasion is in this series Caroline Bingley from P&P. If you remember Caroline is not the nicest of people from P&P and I really wanted to like the character starting off the bat rather than her having a bad rap from the beginning. I understand why Ms. James wanted to do it, so all the books tied together, but it was hard to get past that point. Not to mention what a loser it makes Charles look like from . I grew to really like him in that book, now I'm wondering where in the heck he was while his sister is supporting his loser family, and he's got money to spend on all that 12 days of Christmas stuff. So, .5 a star taken off for that.

And at the end when Caroline finally stood up to her dad & sister I almost stood up and applauded her...too bad it was like 10PM or I might have.

With that said, I did enjoy reading it, the romance scenes with Caroline & Frederick (Rick) were swoony and fun. Would totally recommend to read.

Moral Note: Nothing I can think of.

[the_bookish_took · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the three Persuasion retellings I've read this is probably my favorite. At the end of Jane and Bingley, they mention his third sister Anne and you'd think that she would have been the main but she is non-existent, and you'd also think Grammy would care enough to at least call or visit, or something after being so invested with Charles.

Aside from that, I really liked it, though I enjoyed the others better. Stays kinda true, except that well they are way more talkative than in Persuasion, which is fine. It was still really fun and I did really enjoy it. Caroline is too good for any of them, even Frederick! Ugh. But I still liked him, and I couldn't stop reading it, so there's that.

I'm really enjoying this series (aside from those continuity issues I mentioned in the first paragraph) and can't wait to see what she does with Northanger Abbey!

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to author Joy Michelle Austin for recommending this Jane Austen adaptation. Prior to reading Joy’s The Weight of Prejudice I never expected to like Caroline Bingley, and when she mentioned there was another retelling that re-cast Caroline as the heroine, I knew I had to pick it up. And I loved it!

Frederick Wentworth is everything you’d hope for in a Persuasion retelling—steady, swoon-worthy, and absolutely worth rooting for. But the real surprise for me was Caroline. Seeing her in the “Anne Elliot” role gave her such depth and made me rethink a character I’d always brushed aside as shallow and unlikeable. The mash-up totally worked, and it felt fresh while still being true to the Austen spirit.

If you enjoy modern spins on Austen’s classics, this one is definitely worth adding to your list. Unexpected, romantic, and full of heart.

[Jassa Myne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying that while I liked the idea of this story, I really did because not is done with Caroline after Darcy got off the single market.

Maybe my problem was that I fully couldn't see Caroline as anything other than being a bitch nor can I see Charles missing all of what was happening in the family home. While a bitch can have a change of heart, she was almost too a different person at times, the question of sibling missing the almost Cinderella treatment of another sibling is a little harder. Unless it really was that Charles' company was doing so well that he didn't have time to visit. In which case why not call him for money? Maybe I'm missing something. I can't say for sure. This wouldn't be one of my favorite retelling by Jenni James.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is fine. As far as modern day attempts to rewrite a classic go. However, why oh why is Caroline Bingley thrown in as a complete replacement for Anne?!! All the other characters in this series AND this book have been like for like. I cannot take a 'Persuasion' remake seriously with such a flaw as that. Caroline's character is nothing like Anne in Austen's books, so why throw her in here? I get it, you may say for continuation from Jane and Bingley, but guess what Charles doesn't even seem to feature at all, and never is mentioned. Persuasion is my all time favourite book, and has completely been screwed with here. No apologies.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

The following book contains minor pop culture references and weird expressions inspired by the South

There were a couple of big misses for me here:

Mistake #1: Replacing Anne Elliot with Caroline Bingley.
Anne and Caroline are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum, so this choice confuses me. Maybe James (for whatever reason) wanted a fix-it fic for Caroline? Maybe she was trying to make Persuasion more accessible to readers by tying it in with Pride and Prejudice? I mean, I've thought about the Louisa-Louisa connection, and if you really want to capitalize on that, there are other options...

Mistake #2: Making Louisa Caroline's sister.
As desperate as "anyone between fifteen and thirty may have me for the asking" Wentworth is, there's no way he'd willingly associate with the family that caused his greatest heartache, and there's nothing you can say that'd convince me otherwise.

Mistake #3: Not including the "half-hope, half-agony" scene.
It's such an iconic scene and perfectly encapsulates the Anne-Wentworth dynamic. Instead, we get a proposal that literally ends with "just stop this female drama and marry me!"
Just stop this female drama and marry me.
I'll just let that sink in for a second.
Words every woman wants to hear, I'm sure, but that's what happens when you have your protagonists kissing by chapter 7 (so much for slowburn.) The whole book is essentially Caroline and Wentworth awkwardly dancing around each other like they're middle schoolers who like each other and it's mutual but don't do anything about it.

The writing in this volume of "Austen in Love" is especially awkward this time around. Just to give you a sense of what we're working with, this is one of the most popular highlights (by three whole readers) is the passage:

He glanced over her features. Same pretty hair, same beautiful mouth, and the same dang bewitching eyes. That shade of green should be illegal. She should be forced to go around wearing sunglasses so people could go about their day without distraction.

The book is set in Salt Lake City, but everyone talks like they're from the South, using expressions like "as nervous as a mouse near a rattlesnake" and "I feel guiltier than a hog caught in the vegetable garden." Oh, and let's not forget my favorite, "thank all the holy cows in the universe." There were some stylistic choices that didn't work for me, and not to turn this into an Introductory English class, but there were some missteps with some of the clauses. Also, how does her 102 fever suddenly go down after drinking soup? Does it have unicorn hair in it or something? (I know it's super minor, but I apparently I can't turn my work brain off and was super bothered by it.)

One good thing was that someone finally figured out how to recreate the steps scene without making Louisa look like a fool jumping around--well, without making her look like more of a fool than she was canonically.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been quite awhile since I've read Jane Austin's Persuasion but it all started coming back to me as I read this book. I loved this modern-day retelling! Caroline just couldn't be any sweeter or harder working. Each character was way too patient with her sister. Rick seemed absolutely perfect... I loved the beach vacation! I felt attached to these characters and couldn't put the book down. I was surprised to realize this is part of a second series of Jane Austen retellings by Jenni James. So fun! I need to go back and read books 1 and 2 in this series.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wavered between 2 and 3 stars so more accurately a 2.5 rating. Some parts were cute, but in general the book felt so rushed! I love Persuasion, especially the beginning with the tangible feeling of lost love. I didn't mind James' changes to the original, and thought several of the changes clever, but thought she didn't capture that same feeling as well as Jane Austen. I also had trouble getting over the character named Caroline Bingley representing Anne Elliot!

[Leya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Persuasion is one of my favourite Austin novels, so this reworking with Caroline Bingley as Anne Elliott really shocked me a bit. I had just started reading without looking at the names. It was okay. I think was expecting so much but sometimes put a morden twist to a classic may rob it of some of the aspects that made it great in the first place. It was definitely interesting read.

[Casey Tobler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute clean read

I enjoyed the story, it was cute and short. I appreciated that it was clean. I didn't feel a chemistry between the two main characters, but it was a sweet story nonetheless.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun modern re-telling of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Content: Clean
Source: Kindle Unlimited

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly fun with twists as Jenni mixes two Austen novels. Personally, I wouldn't have made the heroine Caroline Bingley, but I did enjoy the adaption of my favorite Persuasion.

[Megan | Reads Alotl Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun series

Fun read, great twist on a classic. I've really enjoyed reading all her books in this series. Quick and easy read.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only took a few hours, but worth the read!!!

[Kelli Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Hailey Vittrup · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Persuasion is not as good as its predecessor (book #2). Even though this book was clean, it bothered me when the protagonist and her ex fiancé kissed- since he was dating her sister.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute romance, fun diversion. Loose modern take on an old Austen classic.

[Geneva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet adaptation of Persuasion. I enjoyed this series!

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun book in this series and it definitely lived up to my expectations for a rewrite of my favorite Austen novel. In this version the MC is Caroline Bingley in place of Anne Elliot, even though I absolutely love Anne, for this series it works great having Caroline Bingley as our leading lady.

Caroline's life was what most would consider perfect, on the path to an amazing career, plenty of money and the love of a wonderful man. Of course her family convinces her that it won't work with that man so she breaks off the engagement. Unfortunately her family's business goes under and she is found at the bottom working her way up again. Her family is horrible and completely ignorant of her and use her almost unforgivably. Life has turned completely around from what she thought was going to be exactly what she'd dreamed of and yet she isn't going to stop pushing forward to make her dreams come true again, it's just going to take a little bit more time than originally planned.

Enter one crazy, awful and insane day, and it's not even been more than an hour or so and enter in one jilted and completely heartbroken and angry previous fiance, Rick Wentworth. Caroline doesn't know how she can handle this day when she discovers that Rick is now the owner of the clothing store she helps manage and he is there to check up on her and congratulate her on her sales tactics. Both of them are shocked and surprised when they see each other that day. Are their feelings the same? Have they both harbored the hope to someday reignite that flame, you know the one that didn't really go out? Or is the hurt and heartbreak and anger too much to allow any healing and love to build a wonderful relationship again?

Let's add on top of it all Caroline's sister Louisa...and her new boyfriend, Rick Wentworth. Yup that's right the love of her life is now in a very serious relationship with her sister. How is that ever going to work out for Caroline?

I loved the take that Jenni James took on this fun story, actually on all three books so far in this series. It's been fun reading them and enjoying a fun little jaunt into my Austen addiction. They're short enough that you can read them in a few short hours, on a nice drive, on a quiet evening, or a few minutes here or there throughout your day(s).

If you enjoy retellings of Jane Austen's novels I have enjoyed this series and this author's other series for teens and would recommend them to anyone looking for a sweet, fun and enjoyable read.

Clean with a few kisses.

I snagged a copy from Amazon.

Happy Reading!!!

[Datele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenni James surely knows how to re-write any fairytale and any classic romance. Her protagonists do know how to kiss! And her book covers are always a gorgeous sunshine of colors and happiness!

Frederick and Caroline is officially one of the sweetest couples Ms. James has ever given us. The story is already known, so I will only say how much I loved both the heroine for her loyalty, self-sacrifice and devotion to her less-than-kind family and the hero for his support, strength, persistence and willingness to give to Caroline one more chance, even though she rejected him some years ago. It was nice to see Caroline apologize and Frederick accepting it. They were two responsible adults who talked honestly and calmly about their issues and tried to solve them on the spot.

I really wanted to see Charles and Jane. It was a bit strange that Charles was absent from the story (not even a phone call to his family) to the point I didn't know if this story happened before or after Charles found his own happily ever after with Jane in "Countdown to Christmas" book. I hope we can see all these couples together in the next book of the series!

I totally recommend this book to anyone in search of a sweet, clean romance with hot kisses and lovely, realistic, kind protagonists.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You really can't go wrong with a Jenni James romance. I love the way that she writes these. The characters are always great and the plots are always compelling. This one was no different.

I really liked Caroline. I was really amazed at her strength of character. She was always working herself to death for her super ungrateful family, including paying all of the bills for everything with her very own money. I was amazed by not only how ungrateful her family was, but how rude, inconsiderate and selfish to Caroline and really everyone around them.

I loved Caroline's reaction, when instead of the employee she was expecting to come help in the clothing shop she runs, in walks her ex-fiance. The one her family made her dump even though she was completely in love with him. Worst. Day. Ever. She is amazing though, she does her best to keep doing her work. And deal with him at the same time. And to top things off, Frederick - that's the ex-fiance - decides to date her terrible, selfish sister Louisa. Right in front of Caroline.

I loved the way that even though Rick was dating Louisa, he is really always watching out for Caroline. Little things like getting her medicine and soup at the store when she's sick, making her lunch and dinners, and making sure she gets a much needed vacation.

This is a cute, fun, quick read that I enjoyed reading. I'm always looking for another book/novella by this author!

[Pattisue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a story that makes me love and sympathize with Caroline Bingley. Her regret became my own and her heartbreak was gut wrenching. This is a wonderful twist on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Family drama, a Cinderella situation, and a dreamy “Prince Charming,” all these elements were woven into a sweet and satisfying second chance romance. After losing almost everything and teetering on the edge of ruin and collapse, Caroline is single-handedly enabling her family’s lifestyle. “She gave up her dreams to maintain her sister’s.” Rejected seven years ago, Frederick Wentworth fled to California to lick his wounds. He was the only man who could cause professional, put- together Caroline, to lose-it completely. His goal of retaliation completely backfired on him. “How was she supposed to over the guy if he kept being so wonderful.” I found myself wanting to strangle Louisa while thoroughly enjoying the “damsel in distress” plot twist. Frederick is the perfect gentleman, every girl’s dream. Sweet Caroline martyrs herself as she struggles with her guilt, remorse, regret, and her undying love for the one she threw away. “X. Like you were supposed to cross them out of your life and never think of them again…” Bravo on a delightfully modern retelling of an Austen classic.

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Talk about your basic nightmare family! I'm not familiar with the original Jane Austen story but I enjoyed this version. Somewhat similar to Cinderella. This is a clean read, suitable for all ages.