As we celebrate 250 years since the birth of one of England’s most beloved authors, we asked Laura Martin, author of the Jane Austen Investigations series, to tell us what Jane Austen’s work means to her and how it has influenced her own writing.
2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and is the perfect opportunity to reflect on her literary legacy and the influences that shaped her writing.
The Royal Crescent, Bath
Jane Austen is one of Britain’s most well-known and influential authors. Over two hundred years after her death her books are still immensely popular and there are numerous film and television adaptations, as well as books inspired by her life and her characters. Much has been theorised about the sort of woman she was, a picture built from the letters she wrote to her sister Cassandra as well as other friends and relatives; she has become immortalised by her work and the people who celebrate it.
One reason Jane Austen’s books are so popular is her ability to build complex and layered characters, a reflection of the people we meet in real life. No two characters are the same, and even the minor players are well defined. It allows the characters and their flaws to linger in the reader’s mind — how often have I met someone and thought how similar they are to anxious Mr Woodhouse or foolish Lydia Bennet.
Undoubtedly there were many influences on Jane Austen and her books. Her main themes revolved around marriage, love, class divisions and morality. Her stories often centred on intelligent and spirited heroines — Elizabeth Bennet, Elinor Dashwood, Anne Elliot — who are forced to navigate societal expectations in the pursuit of happiness. Through these characters Jane Austen explored the roles of women in society, economic dependence and social mobility with a clarity and subtlety that remains impressive to this day.
Pulteney Bridge at twilight
Although Jane Austen did not live past the age of forty-one, she led a rich and varied life for a woman of her time. Her early life was spent in rural Hampshire, but in 1801 she moved to the city of Bath — a move that her letters suggest she was not overly happy with. However, there is no doubt that her time spent in the city — a place of genteel society and social ambition — offered her the perfect opportunity to observe human behaviour, which she then used to help form the flawed but interesting characters that we have all come to love.
For an author writing about Jane Austen, Bath is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the Georgian era. The streets are lined with beautiful examples of Georgian architecture and when you stroll around the curve of the Royal Crescent, you can almost imagine you might catch a glimpse of Jane Austen herself.
In my Jane Austen Investigations series I have attempted to capture the essence of Jane as an author and a person, especially her unparalleled insight into human nature. It is always daunting, writing a story where the main character once existed, especially when it is someone universally beloved, but I hoped to celebrate her genius and explore the life of the woman behind the books.
I have no doubt that in another two hundred and fifty years Jane Austen’s books will still be as popular as they are today — her wit and wisdom will still be as compelling as they are now.
Discover more about Laura here.
IN THE JANE AUSTEN INVESTIGATIONS SERIES:
Featured image credit: Photo by Dominika Walczak on Unsplash.
Graham Ley is the author of the Wentworth Family Regency Saga Series: absorbing historical novels set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. The third instalment, Lady at the Lodge, is out now.
My novels are set in the period just before the rise of the great names of Napoleon and Nelson, and after the stormy days of the French revolution in 1789 and the terror that followed, with the execution of the King and Queen of France and the declaration of a Republic. Great Britain was at war with France from that time, and my first novel started with Britain’s most significant involvement on the continent to date: its support for a force of exiled French landed by the British navy on the Brittany coast at Quiberon.
This small army, clad in red British uniforms and carrying British weapons, formed an uneasy alliance with the remarkable Breton insurrection known as the Chouans, a name that may have come from their mimicry of the call of an owl. Brittany was divided in its loyalties, with the Chouans looking back nostalgically to the monarchy and the Catholic Church, while many in the towns supported the new Republic and its freedoms from the old regime. Like all civil wars, the Chouan revolt was marked by outbursts of great cruelty, with much proceeding in secrecy and poorly armed peasant fighters slipping back into the forests, or raiding unexpectedly in towns.
Since the Middle Ages, the English had been allied with Brittany against the power of France. As one who is half Breton and half English, my hero Justin Wentworth had no need to question his loyalties when going undercover in Brittany to liaise with the rebels on behalf of the British commanders at Quiberon. Justin’s Breton mother Sempronie brought the manor of Kergohan into the family via her marriage to his father, who for his part inherited the manor of Chittesleigh, north of Dartmoor. Underpinning all of the novels is this continuing connection of the Wentworth family with Brittany and with Devon in England, one which involves them in the lives and fates of those who live at Kergohan and Chittesleigh.
Yet for all the historical background against which they play out, I see the novels in personal terms, with ambition, greed, deceit, loyalty, honour and love as major motives in the lives of the characters, whether French Republicans, former slaves from the Caribbean, Breton farmers and villagers or English gentry, soldiers, Quakers or actresses. That is why it may be best to see these as romantic historical novels, since romance need not be confined exclusively to salons, drawing rooms and assemblies — of which there are still many to be found in the shifting scenes that make up these stories.
Congratulations to Graham Ley, whose captivating Regency saga, Lady at the Lodge, is out now!
Lady at the Lodge is the third book in the Wentworth Family Regency Saga Series: historical novels set between England and France during the French Revolution.
England and Brittany, 1796
Rumours of a planned French invasion of Britain have reached the British military leaders, prompting them to prepare their troops and mobilise their spies. Amid the unrest, the Wentworth family — Anglo-French aristocrats — continue to move forward with their lives.
After visiting Brittany — her birthplace — to put right a past wrong, Sempronie has returned to Devonshire. However, she has left an inheritance dispute behind her that could change the lives of the small Breton community that surround her old family estate.
Recovering from her recent illness, Amelia is sampling London society and getting involved with the abolitionist movement. But when a sinister figure from her past reappears on English shores, her safety is once again under threat.
Living peacefully at Chittesleigh Manor in Devonshire, Justin and Arabella are expecting their first child. Though grateful for her good fortune, Arabella is impatient with Justin’s cossetting and misses her old independence. And despite her good sense, her determination to be active seems set to land her in danger…
Congratulations to Jane Cable, whose captivating time-shift romance, The Lost Heir, is published today!
The Lost Heir is the second book in the Cornish Echoes Dual Timeline Mystery series.
Cornwall, 2020
Teacher Carla Burgess is using her time in solitude to revaluate her life. She loves living on the beautiful Cornish coast, but she no longer enjoys her job, and it’s certainly time to kick her on-off boyfriend, Kitto, into touch.
With lockdowns forcing her to spend most of her days indoors at her parents’ family farm, she joins her father in researching their family history, and she discovers the first Burgess to farm Koll Hendra was actually a smuggler. And when Carla finds a locked Georgian tea caddy in the barn, the secrets of the past start to encroach on the present…
Cornwall, 1810
Harriet Lemon’s position as companion to Lady Frances Basset has been the ideal cover for their clandestine romantic relationship. But when Frances is raped and falls pregnant, their perfect happiness is shattered. The lovers are desperate to remain together, but they will need to conceal Frances’s baby.
They hope to hide the pregnancy and place the baby with adoptive family, but the only person who may be able to help them is Frances’s childhood friend, William Burgess, a notorious smuggler. William has secrets of his own he needs to protect. Will he be willing to risk his own neck for the sake of the two lovers?
Congratulations to Natalie Kleinman, whose captivating Regency romance, Some Day My Prince Will Come, is published today!
England, 1819
Having suffered at the hands of an unscrupulous suitor during her first season in London, twenty-one-year-old Rebecca Ware has vowed to leave her ordeal in the past and is now embarking on her second season.
Though she is wary of opening her heart, Rebecca soon finds herself drawn to Comte Hugo du Berge, a handsome French nobleman who has recently arrived in London.
As the season progresses and Rebecca and Hugo find themselves thrown into closer proximity, their warm and easy friendship deepens.
However, with a long-buried family mystery to unravel, it seems that Hugo is not in a position to settle down. And when he prepares to return to France in search of answers, Rebecca begins to worry that she has lost her heart to a man she may never see again…
Congratulations to Natalie Kleinman, whose enchanting Regency romance, The Wishing Well, is published today!
England 1818
Ever since the deaths of her fiancé and her father, Harriet Lambert has thrown herself into the management of her family’s estate to cope with her grief. Though time has eased her sorrow, she has had little opportunity to once again pursue romance.
But when she is called on to accompany her younger sister, Amabel, to London for her introduction into respectable society, Harriet finds herself caught in a flurry of social engagements. And when she meets Major Brew Ware at a soirée, the two form an immediate connection.
Having experienced tragedy at an early age, Brew understands the significance of Harriet’s loss. With their shared interests and honest approach, their friendship continues to flourish as the season wears on.
Though no man has turned her head since she lost her fiancé, Harriet is aware that her affection for Brew is growing stronger. And as she tentatively considers her future, she must now decide whether she is prepared to take another chance on love…
Congratulations to Graham Ley, whose captivating French Revolution saga, Heir to the Manor, is out now!
Devon and Brittany, 1796
As the conflict in France rages on, the Wentworth family — Anglo-French aristocrats — must find their place in a changing world.
Staying with friends in Cornwall and Plymouth, young Amelia is widening her social circles at soirees and assemblies. Finding herself in the company of several eligible gentlemen, she begins to wonder whether romance is on the horizon.
After fighting in France, Justin has married Amelia’s friend Arabella and the two have settled down at Chittesleigh Manor, his Devonshire estate. However, Arabella still feels responsible for Amelia and vows to find a way to protect her from unscrupulous suitors.
Hailing from Brittany, Sempronie — Amelia and Justin’s mother — feels her birthplace calling her home, despite the dangers of returning. What’s more, there is a long-buried family secret that she must put right before it’s too late…
Congratulations to Graham Ley, whose gripping historical saga, The Baron Returns, is out now!
The Baron Returns is the first book in The Kergohan Regency Drama Series.
Devon and Brittany, 1795
In the aftermath of the bloody French Revolution, the British government is anxious to prevent revolutionary ideals from crossing the Channel.
As a seasoned army captain with an estate in Brittany, English-French aristocrat Justin Wentworth is sent to France to assist the Chouannerie — a royalist uprising against the new regime.
Back at Chittesleigh Manor, his Devonshire estate, Justin’s mother and sister anxiously await his return, alongside family friend Arabella Wollaston. Harbouring a secret affection for Justin, Arabella listens carefully for clues about his movements.
When she notices suspicious behaviour around Chittesleigh, Arabella suspects that the Wentworth family is being watched and decides to discreetly investigate.
But with plots and treachery seemingly rife throughout the realm, she soon begins to wonder whether she has stumbled across a wider web of subterfuge…
Congratulations to Natalie Kleinman, whose captivating Regency romance, Love’s Legacy, is out now!
When her father — a countryside reverend — dies suddenly, young Patience Worthington is left with no home and little money. In urgent need of support, she is forced to seek out her estranged uncle, a viscount at the vast Worthington Place.
Patience arrives to find that her uncle has died and that the current viscount is her cousin, Gideon. After hearing her plight, he agrees to give her a home on the Worthington estate.
However, when Patience and Gideon learn the cause of the long-standing rift between the two sides of the family, they quickly begin to clash. Now too proud to accept his accept the viscount’s charity, Patience soon leaves Worthington Place to seek shelter with her late mother’s relatives in Bath.
With her kindness and beauty, Patience is an instant success in Bath society and regularly crosses paths with Gideon. Despite their differences, they enjoy each other’s company and form a tentative friendship.
But when dark secrets once again threaten their growing bond, the cousins begin to wonder whether they can ever leave the shadows of the past behind…
Click here to order Love’s Legacy
We are delighted to announce that we have signed up a new Regency series by Graham Ley.
The Kergohan Regency Drama Series tells the story of the Wentworth family, English-French aristocrats living in Devonshire. The first book in the series, The Baron Returns, follows Justin Wentworth — a young army captain — as he makes the perilous journey to Brittany to assist a royalist uprising during the French Revolution.
The Baron Returns is available to pre-order and will be published in April 2022. The second book in the series will be released later this year.
In Graham’s words:
“I originally decided to write an historical novel in honour of my mother, Alice Chetwynd Ley, whose complete backlist (including a forgotten title, An Eligible Gentleman) has been published by Amy and the team at Sapere.
“After my first book had been accepted for publication, I found that a number of the characters were calling out for their stories to be followed through. So The Baron Returns was soon followed by a second novel, in which Arabella, the forthright heroine who had refused to let suspicions against her beloved Justin rest unchallenged, now stood up for his sister against an unscrupulous admirer.
“Both novels feature a dual and interweaved storyline, with characters in rural Brittany bound up with events in England in the turbulent period of the years just after the French revolution in 1789. And now a third novel is in preparation, which casts the intrigue into Devon and London as well as embracing love and betrayal in Brittany.
“The name of the series, The Kergohan Regency Drama Series, refers to the manor in rural Brittany that is at the centre of much of the story. The cover of The Baron Returns sets the scene magnificently, and I am delighted to have become a Sapere author.”
Click here to pre-order The Baron Returns
Natalie Kleinman is the author of The Reluctant Bride, a glittering Regency romance with a strong-minded heroine at its heart.
I spent the first few years of my career writing contemporary romantic fiction, firstly short stories and then novels, until the burning desire I’d had for so long pushed itself to the forefront. I wanted to write a historical novel set in England’s glorious Regency period. Maybe I couldn’t, but I had to try. I’d previously looked upon it as a presumption on my part even to consider it, bearing in mind my love for the works of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen. But I wasn’t trying to emulate them. I was trying to make my own contribution the genre that had given me so many hours of joy over decades. And so my first Regency novel, The Reluctant Bride, was born, to be followed by another, and then another. They’ll be coming soon, so watch this space.
Charlotte Willoughby — the heroine of The Reluctant Bride — is a young woman of her time. Born into the aristocracy, she is as much tethered by her status as privileged. When she is forced by her father to marry the Earl of Cranleigh, purely to satisfy his own interests, she has no choice but to comply. Six weeks later, fate takes a hand when her husband is killed in a riding accident. Free of a tyrannical parent and a loveless marriage, Charlotte begins to enjoy her newly found independence. Gresham, the earl’s cousin, undertakes to guard her from fortune hunters and, while she finds him arrogant and aloof, she cannot deny the security his protection affords her, particularly with regard to the unwelcome attentions of Lord Roxburgh. Acutely aware of the tension between the two men, Charlotte learns they have a shared history, the animosity of which still lies between them. With the coldness of one and the over-heatedness of the other, will she be able to find her own path to happiness?
Writing The Reluctant Bride, I settled into a deeply satisfying place where I was able to weave a tale while indulging in my love of the setting. I could see the magnificent houses and the glorious balls, but beneath all ran the story of a young woman, struggling with adversity, triumphing over it and finding her own way. I hope you enjoy it.
