Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl by The Quill Collective review + giveaway

Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl
by The Quill Collective

Authors: Joana Starnes, Amy D’Orazio, Jenetta James, Karen M Cox, Christina Morland, Elizabeth Adams, Beau North, J. Croft, Leigh Dreyer, Christina Boyd

Narrator: Elizabeth Grace

Audiobook Publication Date: August 31, 2020
The Quill Ink, LLC

“Obstinate, headstrong girl!”

For over 200 years, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet has enchanted and inspired readers by being that “obstinate, headstrong girl” willing to stand up to the arrogance and snobbery of her so-called betters. Described by Austen as having a “lively, playful disposition,” Elizabeth embodies the perfect imperfections of strong-willed women everywhere: she is spirited, witty, clever, and loyal.

In this romance anthology, 10 Austenesque authors sketch Elizabeth’s character through a collection of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times. In Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl, she bares her most intimate thoughts, all the while offering biting social commentary about life’s absurdities. Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles of others’ opinions, not to mention her own flaws, to find a love truly worthy of her – her Mr. Darcy – all with humor and her sparkling charm. “I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print…” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, in January 1813, and we think so too!

Foreword by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Tessa Dare.

Stories by: Elizabeth Adams, Christina Boyd, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes.

Each anthology in the Quill Collective series is a standalone book.

Available on Amazon

~Review~

What a delightful collection of stories featuring Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy along with other characters from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice! Whether a “missing” scene, an alternate storyline, or a reimagining set in a different era, the spirit of the characters is wonderfully captured. 

Elizabeth Grace narrates the audiobook with warmth and charm, when called for, altering pitch and delivery for character dialogue. Well paced, with lovely diction and an even lovelier accent, this is an audiobook performance that I could listen to again and again.

With all of the silences and discussion, misunderstandings and declarations of love so integral to Pride and Prejudice, this is a collection of stories not to be missed. While each story is brought delightfully to life by narrator Elizabeth Grace, those set during the Regency period were most successful for me – particularly when the author is addressing a “What if…?”

Highly recommended.

This review is based on an audiobook I voluntarily received and listened to, courtesy of the publisher, and contains only my own honest opinions. A positive review was not required.

Praise

“A wonderful collection for Elizabeth Bennet admirers everywhere.” –Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author

“The Quill Ink has done it again, in a splendid anthology of new stories reimagining the most delightful creature ever to appear in print.” –Devoney Looser, author, editor, Guggenheim Fellow

“Austen fans, you are in for a treat.” –Marilyn Brant, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of According to Jane and The Knight Before Christmas

“…enjoy following one of Jane Austen’s favourite heroines as she is superbly portrayed across a selection of tales set from the Regency era to the present day.” –Cass Grafton

“…all beautifully written. Each one feels true to the time in which it is set…a fun and interesting collection of stories that take a different look at characters we all know and love.” –Readers’ Favorite

“Edited by Christina Boyd, Elizabeth, Obstinate Headstrong Girl is an endearing and spunky anthology of short stories by a group of fine writers whose understanding of Elizabeth shines. Readers will fall in love with our obstinate, headstrong girl in all her many avatars including suffragette, a football expert and speech pathologist in training, a stage actress breaking into films at Pemberley Pictures, a teenage Elizabeth looking for love in the wrong places as well as much older and wiser Elizabeth who muses on the love of her life, Mr. Darcy. A cozy and heartwarming read, Elizabeth, Obstinate Headstrong Girl is a worthy companion to Boyd’s earlier anthology The Darcy Monologues.” –Soniah Kamal, award winning author of the novel Unmarriageable, Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan

About the Narrator

Originally from the East Midlands in the UK, Elizabeth Grace now lives in South London (via two years in Amsterdam). She is a full time actor, voice over artist, and narrator.

Elizabeth began her professional performing career a little later in life and has been studying at Identity School of Acting in London since 2019. Prior to that, she had a career agency side in Marketing which explains her penchant for client services.

Since 2019, she has been growing her professional portfolio on top of the amateur theatre work she began in her formative years. She has now been a part of many projects from short films and web series to audio dramas and audiobook narration.

https://www.elizabethgraceofficial.com/

From Christina Boyd

This Dream Team of authors–Elizabeth Adams, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes–joined me on another adventure with no promise of success but countless hopes. Like many journeys, we encountered unexpected turns, and even a few disappointments, but “it was our business to be satisfied” and prefer to “think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” I am forever indebted for their creativity, inspiration, great suggestions, and adherence to schedule. And for bolstering my own offering of an Elizabeth story. I can easily count you all as my friends. I am really proud of their work and how well this collection of stories came together.

In my previous anthologies, we were blessed to have such stellar Austen academics like Dr. Claudine DiMuzio and Dr. Devoney Looser write our forewords, and it was doubly important to find someone who really understood Austen, especially Elizabeth Bennet, for this project as well. I had heard that New York Times and USA Today bestselling Regency romance author Tessa Dare had once upon a time written Jane Austen fan fiction. When author Beau North suggested we ask her to write the foreword, there was a resounding “Yes!” You might say we were audacious to even ask but, in the temperament of Lizzy Bennet, our “courage always rises…” When she ardently accepted, you can imagine us: “What delight! What felicity!”–well, more like fangirl squeals! Tessa’s love of Elizabeth Bennet and her deft understanding for the scope of this anthology left me wholly gratified, knowing we asked the right person to introduce this fifth anthology of the QuillCollective series.

We hope this homage to one of Jane Austen’s best-beloved heroines will not disappoint, especially those that suggested an “Elizabeth” anthology back in 2017. Like Darcy, we “had never been so bewitched by any woman” and writing this collection has been diverting/gratifying/delightful. Please accept these stories in the same affectionate spirit they were written. Elizabeth:Obstinate Headstrong Girl is dedicated to “the Elizabeth Bennet in all of us” because I’d like to think she resides in our hearts, even if but a little spark of courage, wit, loyalty–and whether we reveal her to the outside world or not, she is there inspiring us to find our own felicity and dignity. –Christina Boyd, editor

Follow the Authors

Elizabeth Adams https://eadamswrites.com
Christina Boyd https://www.thequillink.com
Karen M Cox https://karenmcox.com/
J. Marie Croft https://jmariecroft.wixsite.com/j-marie-croft
Amy DíOrazio https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100030788056041
Leigh Dreyer https://m.facebook.com/authorleighdreyer
Jenetta James https://m.facebook.com/jenettajameswriter
Christina Morland https://christinamorland.wordpress.com
Beau North http://beaunorthwrites.com
Joana Starnes http://www.joanastarnes.co.uk/news
Tessa Dare https://tessadare.com

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 28
Review at Bookworlder

Tuesday, September 29
Excerpt at Novels Alive

Thursday, October 1
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews

Saturday, October 3
Feature at Coffee and Ink

Sunday, October 4
Review at A Book and a Latte

Tuesday, October 6
Excerpt at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Wednesday, October 7
Review at Probably at the Library

Thursday, October 8
Excerpt at Bitch Bookshelf

Friday, October 9
Review at Novels Alive
Interview at Books & Benches

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a $20 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 12th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY