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Book Review | Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance

October 14, 2020

dangerous alliance book with jess pierron in fur coat holding tea cup @the_afterword

by Jennieke Cohen

Calling all Jane Austen fans! I had no clue I was missing Jennieke Cohen’s Dangerous Alliance in my life and you’ll probably feel the same.

Goodreads Description:

Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.

But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.

Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exactcircumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.

Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.

This book was funny, a bit feminist, and utterly refreshing! I was hooked within the first few pages. Cohen did Jane Austen some serious justice in paying homage to all of her classic novels. This book wasn’t a “typical” Regency romance; there was a dash of mystery involved in the underlying plot theme which was a nice change-up.

Elizabeth Bennett has always been my favorite heroine but Vicky may give her a run for her money. She had the strength of Lizzy but wasn’t quite as proud and stubborn. Vicky definitely marched to the beat of her own drum. I reveled in her fierceness and the way that she didn’t compromise herself for society or for a man’s affections (even though this romance storyline had me guessing all kinds things!).

But after all of this praise and adoration, I will admit that the quick POV changes between Vicky and Tom did throw me off – took me a beat for my brain to catch up with who was speaking. There were also a few holes in the plot and parts did seem to drag on for a bit, however, overall I was absolutely in love with this book.

To sum it up: multiple perspectives, touches on domestic abuse and rape, Regency romance, whodunit mystery, sister-sister relationship, references to Jane Austen novels.

Vicky chewed the inside of her cheek. Althea was right. By attempting to act like Fanny Price, she’d been trying to be something she wasn’t…
‘Mr. Carmichael actually said Elizabeth Bennet was his favorite of Miss Austen’s heroines.’
‘Did he indeed? There you are – you have much in common. You can spend the afternoon speaking of Pride and Prejudice…just don’t expect him to be Mr. Darcy.'”
Jennieke Cohen, Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance