Janeites and hist-ro fans undoubtedly have wished at least once (if not many, many times) that there were more Austens to read and absorb, to soak in during a long hot soak, to curl up to at bedtime.
And almost having exhausted Heyer’s most excellent body of hist-ro works, I began to seriously wish this yet again.
So after a troll, here is the wonderful world of Jane Austen’s contemporaries now just a click away.
Frances Burney penned several well received novels, including Evelina, Cecilia and Camilla recommended for lovers of Jane. Written in the late Georgian era, she was a lady who braved the public scorn and censure by brandishing a wickedly sharp pen. All are available for purchase on Amazon; Cecilia is also available for download on Project Gutenberg.
For those with a gothic bent, Elizabeth Helme (an international bestselling author of Louisa; or Cottage on the Moor) has a sizable collection available for download on google books. Another gothic romantic popular in her day (and available for download) is Charlotte Smith whose Emmeline, The Orphan of the Castle helped this divorced single mother support herself.
Written at the same time as Jane’s Mansfield Park Mary Brunton’s Discipline that hosts a cracking first paragraph that stings of Austen, and features a bit of London flavor.
If that isn’t enough to keep you busy, check out this repository of Regency women writers.
And do remember, no harm every came from reading a book.
