Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Book Review: Bargain with the Devil

Tomorrow, Enid Wilson is visiting Straight From Hel. She’s the author of In Quest of Theta Magic and Bargain with the Devil. She’s going to talk about how she was able to create a beautiful, professional, cover for Bargain with the Devil. Her post is a must-read for all authors, especially anyone thinking of self-publishing.

To get you ready for her visit, I want to give you a couple of links to find out more about Enid, and then do a quick review of Bargain with the Devil.

First, the links:
Enid blogs at Steamy Darcy. She’s off traipsing around the world right now, but you can still leave a comment. She also has a website with lots of information and “rooms” to choose from.

Now, for the review:

Bargain with the Devil by Enid Wilson

It’s been umpteen years since I’ve read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I, like most other young women who read it, fell in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy. Now, after all these years, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this alternate version of the encounters of Darcy and Elizabeth.

Wilson stays true to the characters. You can see those original characters here in Bargain with the Devil. They’re alive again and going off on an adventure similar to the original book, yet very different. It’s that different path they take that sets this book apart from the original. Wilson has definitely modernized the story, while keeping it set in the same time period as the original.

Mr. Darcy is more of a rogue in this book. Elizabeth is more daring. Together, they make an excellent team. She asks him to help her find her sister. He agrees - but expects a payment from her. She agrees - but stands up to him eye to eye, or perhaps “stands up” is the wrong term.

This is a sexy, romantic, romp through a story and time that was probably not as sedate as we today believe.

Come back tomorrow to read Enid’s post on creating your own book cover - and find out how to win your own copy of Bargain with the Devil, and two other beautiful prizes!
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17 comments:

  1. Very intriguing.
    I'm very curious about the cover process. This should be interesting.

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  2. Sounds good. I must say, I am very interested about that cover. looking forward to the interview.

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  3. I can completely see Lizzie as more daring than usual....I'm curious to see Darcy as a rouge! He was such a straight-laced gentleman in the book. Sounds intriguing!

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  4. There are so many details to work on when you self-publish. The more I find out, the more in awe I am of those who do self-pub.

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  5. Your comment about that period not being as sedate as we believe is spot on. People don't change. They were just more discreet back then.

    Interested in hearing about book covers! I'll be back tomorrow.

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  6. It also takes bravery, I think, Karen. You're taking someone else's beloved characters and imagining them doing something different.

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  7. Any author with a last name like that has GOT to be great! (wink)

    Seriously, I've read Bargain With the Devil and can vouch for it - wonderful book in its genre. I'll look forward to Enid's guest post, also.

    Marvin D Wilson

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  8. You're right about the last name, Marvin. Wasn't Dennis the Menance's neighbor Mr. Wilson? He was famous. You and Enid are two more in a famous lineage of Wilson's.

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  9. The business of self-publishing is becoming the hot topic, isn't it? I'm beginning to feature some self-published authors on my Colorado author Monday, and I'm getting a chance to read top-notch books I might never have noticed before. I must read one of Enid's books now. The list grows.

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  10. I hearing about more self-pubbed authors since I've been active on the Internet. But I also think there just are more self-pubbed authors today. It's become a more respected way to publish than has been considered in the past, I think.

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  11. I just can't imagine the work self published authors must go through. For one of my books I told the publisher I wanted to find an author for the artwork (it was a children's book) I had someone in mind but had never met him just saw his work. If writers are problematic, artists are tenfold that. (sweeping statement I know) I'll never do that again. Eish!

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  12. What a lovely cover. I will be back to read what she has to say about how she created it. I need to do a cover for my Kindle book.Was hoping my daughter who is a graphic artist would do it, but she is tied up with paying jobs. Maybe I should pay her?

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  13. Nah, Maryann, just use mother guilt. Hey, I gave birth to you. Think of the hours of labor I went through. The pain, oh the pain. Do you know how many poopie diapers I changed? ... On second thought, save all that for a few decades when she's considering putting you in a nursing home. Yeah, maybe you'd better pay her.

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  14. Enjoyed the book review, I'll be back tomorrow.

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  15. Hello Helen, I am new to your site (link from Laura Eno). What a wealth of information! Thank you kindly for publishing it. I will be back tomorrow.

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  16. Welcome Lisa! Come back often. We love comments and input.

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  17. Hi Lori, Tabitha, Elizabeth, Jack, Karen, Marvin, Patricia, Lauri, Maryann, Conda, Lisa, thanks for the comments. And thanks Helen for the lovely review.

    I agree, it's more respectable now to self-publish. I love the fact I have 100% control over the time and detail of the books I publish. I hope you will find the info on the book cover design useful.

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