Jane and the Year without a Summer is the 14th book in the Jane Austen Mysteries, and the first novel I've read by Barron. The author has carefully incorporated Austen's real life into this fictional tale where she becomes a super sleuth.

On a journey to find out what ails her, Austen travels to Cheltenham Spa where she encounters an interesting cast of characters. Soon strange happenings and guests who aren't who they appear to be create a mystery that Jane slowly unravels becoming Sherlock Holmes in female form.

The novel unfortunately spends considerable time setting the stage for the mystery, as nothing really happens till nearly half way through the story. Set in 1816, I was astounded to read how physicians claim that a uterus left childless will cause all female maladies and bodily issues. Interestingly they treated being a spinster as a disease, treatable with special waters.

Fans of Jane Austen should rejoice in this new fictional twist on her life.

Thank you Soho Press, Soho Crime for the advancer reader copy.

Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers.

This is a second book by this author based on information found in journals and letter of Jane Austen.

Being a big fan of Jane, I really enjoyed these books. Although it's fictional, you learn a lot about Jane's life thanks to the research by Stephanie Barron.

To enjoy new facts about Jane Austen without the necessity of doing the research while being entertained by a good mystery, I highly recommend this book.

Mystery, history and gallantry

The Austen family are suffering from a lot of bad luck and worries, and Jane is not feeling well. So she and her sister Cassandra go to Cheltenham for a recuperative two weeks. The year is 1886.

Mixed in with fascinating information about current world events of that time, is an enjoyable mystery involving other guests at the boarding house Jane and her sister are staying at. We have gallant men, fainting women, a lady of the theatre and lots of mysteries about the characters, not all of whom are as they appear. There is wit and romance, hope and scandal – and its all very wonderful!

I absolutely loved this novel. As well as telling me plenty about the social and medical opinions of the time, it was an involving story, and told me plenty about the Austen family. There are great notes with add on information within the chapters, and a fascinating afterword. Definitely a 5* read for me.

This is the first of this series I have read, and the opening pages were full of names I did not know. A quick google of Jane Austen’s family tree cleared everything up, and I highly recommend this action to anyone not familiar with the family members. The book is written in the language of Jane Austen’s time (I assume), and there were a few words I was unfamiliar with. I was therefore pleased to be reading this on Kindle, so could quickly check the meanings.

The author also writes as Francine Matthews. This is the first book I have read by her, and I shall certainly be adding more books by this author to my TBR list.

Stephanie Barron is a prolific author with a CIA career background who has penned a series of mysteries with Jane Austen as lead sleuth and narrator. Currently in love with all things Georgian, I found this titillating, and while I’m admittedly late to the Jane Austen tea party - there are 14 books now - I am no less enthusiastic than early adopters, ever since having read my first cosy mystery featuring the renowned 19th century author as main character.

In the splendidly titled, Jane and the Year Without a Summer, Jane Austen travels to Cheltenham in May 1816 with her sister Cassandra upon advice of her doctor. It is hoped the iron-rich spa waters will invigorate her.

As they settle into their lodgings at Mrs Potter’s, we meet an eccentric cast of characters. Miss Rose Williams is a wheelchair-bound sylphlike young heiress. Her childhood friend and companion, Sarah Fox exerts a Wollstonecraft-ian feminist influence on her. Elegant Hannah Smith is a free-spirited actress with a secret shame who manages to outrage a moralistic Miss Garthwaite more than once, lending some spice to the dialogue. The reverend in Miss Garthwaite’s brother, James is inclined to sermonising at length uttering his, "Repent!" to all who would hear. In his eyes, the current sunless year can only spell doom:

“Are you aware—or as yet ignorant of the intelligence—that the warmth of the sun has been wrapped in a veil; that no man may say when it shall be torn asunder; and that perpetual winter shall wither crops in the fields, bringing desolation upon the multitude?”

As it turns out, much more than the historical climatic gloom is forthcoming.

But it wouldn’t be a Jane Austen story without a dash of romantic excitement for the author. So who should happen to also be visiting Cheltenham but her love interest, Raphael West? The younger women on the other hand, married or not, seem to be taken by the limping Captain Harry Pellew.

Faithful to the format of an Agatha Christie novel, simmering tensions are revealed between several characters laying down suspicions and motivations for what is to come. The unexpected arrival of Miss Williams’ husband, alongside a beautiful and mysterious woman, sends the fragile Rose Williams into a frenzy of hysterics. Spendthrift Viscount Portreath is adamant that his wife should return home at once. Captain Pellew is not alone in his negative reaction to this. Sarah Fox wishes her friend, Rose to flee from her husband. A certain Dr Lionel Hargate who turns out as patronising as they get (especially with his dealings with our Jane), intervenes promptly against Miss Williams travelling, even while Sarah Fox insists her life is in danger.

It’s not long before we begin to suspect Lady Portreath‘s life might indeed be under threat. But there are more happenings brooding under the surface and it is just as well Jane Austen proves so insightful.

A relaxing stay that ought to have consisted of sensible attendances to the theatre and visits to the Cheltenham library, unfolds with unexpected twists. A tea party with a case of poisoned macaroons, a disturbing pattern of dead rats, a tragic costume ball, anorexic behaviour in a distressed young woman, violent jealousy, and more fervent preaching about the apocalypse - there is much to entertain and transport as the suspense culminates into not one, but two vicious cold-blooded murders.

Luckily by this time, Miss Austen has brilliantly pieced together enough about her companions’ behaviour to solve the case in style.

This was an enjoyable historical cosy mystery even without the detective’s author credentials. I happily lost myself in the intrigue, while also exploring a bygone Cheltenham, and gasping at the rudeness of Miss Garthwaite’s classist remarks. An entertaining story with vivid characters.

I haven’t opened a Jane Austen book in a long time so I admit that the language, faithful to her own, took a bit to get used to but twenty pages in, and I was delighted with its stile (style) and its spelling variations - I had somehow forgotten that one could chuse (choose) to spell panic as panick, and gothic as gothick. But setting aside my own ignorance, this deliberate adherence to Jane Austen’s form of expression is what made the text so transporting.

There are some delightful descriptions, as when we first meet Lady Portreath aka Miss Rose Williams :

"Flawless skin, tho’ too wan and pallid; shadowed eyes of cornflower blue; guinea-gold curls trailing from a deliciously upturned poke bonnet, a frail figure handsomely gowned—and yet all confined to the basket-chair of an invalid’s conveyance. There was a thinness, a languor, that spoke of suffering gallantly borne. Such a picture, eloquent of Divine gifts and burdens equally bestowed, must inspire the most sympathetic concern!"

With such evocative prose, I am in no doubt that a TV series producer will one day want to adapt Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries.

I leave you with one last charming quote from Raphael West :

“Where are you ladies bound? May I cajole you to visit the Cheltenham Library? I mean to peruse the London papers; I have ruralised in ignorance long enough.”

___
Many thanks to Soho Crime from Soho Press for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

A PASSIVE SLEUTH IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

Passive might just be the most abt description of this book that I can think of. I wasn't exactly expecting action. But I was expecting some sort of involvement and activity. I am torn between being disappointed and wanting more and the one hand and still being a fan solely because of Jane Austen and Regency England on the other.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Austen: Anything Austen almost guarantees a positive reception from me. I love her novels, the lightness of them and the witticism. The Austen of this book delivered some witty singers every now and them and demonstrated her keen mind. It was delightful to have her as a character.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Slow: This is, as the title of the series suggests, a historical mystery with Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth. So, naturally, I was expecting a mystery to occur and be solved. Sadly, it took a long time to actually introduce the mystery. Sure, what led up to it was just fine, but it still felt annoyingly slow paced.

Passive: Once the mystery was actually introduced, I then looked forward to witnessing Jane throw her intelligence at the problem and make it go away. But it never really happened. She was, in my opinion, oddly passive. More like a spectator than an active participant in the events of the story. It wasn't until the last quarter of the story that she started sleuthing, which seemed like a waste to me...

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy. This book is the latest installment in one of my favorite mystery series, Stephanie Barron’s Being Jane Austen series, which follows Jane Austen as she solves murder mysteries. I’m a huge fan of this series but unfortunately Jane and the Year Without a Summer was a lackluster return to what has usually been a fun and inventive series.⁣
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In 1816, Jane Austen is sick with the illness that will ultimately claim her life in only a few years. After many family setbacks and losses, she and her sister Cassandra retreat to Cheltenham Spa to rest and recover. But there is conflict at their boarding house and Jane’s fellow invalids at the spa are hiding deadly secrets…⁣
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The Year Without a Summer contains the author’s signature attention to detail and historical atmosphere, but I’m afraid the mystery left a bad taste in my mouth. I found the depiction of disability and mental illness incredibly stereotypical and distasteful. Jane fights against sexist stereotyping by a doctor but then the narrative does just the same to other characters, especially an anorexic character and a wheelchair user. Barron uses all the cliches in the book. In the year 2022, I expect that we could approach this topic with a certain level of empathy and responsibility, but I guess I was wrong. ⁣
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Additionally, I felt like the emotional beats in this book were just off cue. They didn’t hit right with me and I wanted more from a much anticipated sequel. I still treasure this series, but this was a miss from me. I wish the author had left this one on the drawing board a while longer and hired a sensitivity consultant…

WOW! This book is SO GOOD! It is full of twists and turns, intriguing, gripping, romantic, mysterious, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "Jane and the Year Without a Summer", I was whisked back in time to the Regency Era, and went on such an emotional journey with this story.

This is the fourteenth book in Stephanie Barron's "Being a Jane Austen Mystery" series, but I think it can be read as a stand-alone novel too. Ms. Barron's writing style is visceral, vivid, detailed, INCREDIBLY well-researched, and each and every moment jumps right off of the page. I can only imagine the amount of research she must have done, as all aspects of this book felt authentic to the era it is set in. Ms. Barron seamlessly and brilliantly weaves history and fiction, and the result is a mystery that is impossible to put down. I felt that some of the characters in the book resemble Jane Austen's own characters in her books in some ways, and I had such a difficult time putting this novel down.

Jane Austen's health is getting worse, and she and her sister Cassandra travel to Cheltenham Spa in the hopes that being at the spa will help Jane's health. Not long after arriving, they begin to meet the other people who are also there, and soon, tensions and threats start to come to the forefront. I do not want to say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will simply say, this book kept me on the edge of my seat guessing what might happen next. With poisonings, a fire, and murders, will Jane be able to figure out what is going on, and who is guilty? Are these crimes connected? If so, how? You will just have to read to find out.

I felt that the various puzzle pieces of the clues and mysteries were revealed in exactly the moment they needed to be in order to push the plot forward. I do wish at some points in the story that the plot moved a little bit faster, but, this in no way impacted me wanting to find out what would happen next.

As this book takes place in 1816, and Jane sadly passed away in 1817, the ending of this book was heartbreaking to read. Knowing historically what happens, it was in the back of my mind throughout, but, reading Jane's perseverance, hope, and love for those she cares about is absolutely beautiful.

If you enjoy historical mysteries, I highly recommend this book. It found myself reading into the early hours of the morning, and I found myself guessing up until the very end. I so look forward to reading what Ms. Barron writes next.

Thank you so much to Stephanie Barron, Soho Press-Soho Crime, Austenprose, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, it is incredible. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In May 1816, just over a year before her death, Jane Austen is not feeling well and is advised by her doctor to spend two weeks taking the waters at Cheltenham. With her sister Cassandra for company they settle into a comfortable boarding house in the spa town and set about exploring their surroundings. Due to the recent eruption of Mt Tambora in Java, the world is experiencing a brief change in climate due to the extensive dust in the atmosphere, reducing temperatures and causing crops to fail. Due to the dreary weather Jane and Cassandra are often forced into spending time in the boarding house sitting room, where they meet a most unusual assortment of fellow boarders. Strange poisonings and a murder will propel Jane into on the role of amateur investigator.

This is the fourteenth novel in Stephanie Barron's series of cosy mysteries featuring Jane Austen. I Although it is the only one I have read (so far), it works well as a stand alone novel. Based on Austen's life, it is clearly well researched with a perfect blend of fact and fiction and written in an Austenesque style and language, displaying all Austen's charm, intelligence and sense of humour. I very much enjoyed her character studies and their interactions with each other, with many of them hiding who they really were. The murder mystery is almost a bonus to this delightful re-imagining of Jane Austen's visit to Cheltenham.

Set in 1816 England in the summer which wasn't a summer, Jane Austen and her sister, Cassandra, travel to Cheltenham Spa on the advisement of an apothecarist to treat various ailments which are beginning to appear. Such a sad period in Jane's life...especially as her fans know what is coming. She decides to fund the trip with her earnings from her novel, Emma. Her family is struggling in several ways, including financially, so this is a treat of sorts. But other guests have problems, too. And this includes murder which is certainly not what the Austens expected. It is not difficult to envision Jane doing some sleuthing in real life! Mount Tambora has erupted and blankets the skies for many, many months. This must have looked weirdly mysterious. What an experience.

Stephanie Barron is genius at writing authentically and splendidly in Jane's Regency era using spelling and vernacular of the time. I had to remind myself that this was written recently! Her descriptions are breathtaking, such as the spa, dress and mannerisms. Though conjecture based on historical facts, the story is so believable that it makes perfect sense and even the most die-hard fans (such as me!) would approve. There is more than "just" the mystery including relationships, especially those of sisters and friendships including that of Jane and painter Raphael West.

When this series first came out I was reluctant to read the first book as a rabid Jane Austen fan and worried it would not measure up. But I was so very wrong! This, the fourteenth, is my favourite thus far. What fun to anticipate what Barron has in mind for the next.

Historical Fiction readers ought to seek out this series, well worth your time. It is lovely, haunting, heartbreaking, refreshingly clean and absolutely wonderful! I immerse myself and allow the stories to carry me away, utterly and completely.

My sincere thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this magnificent book. Pure joy.

I can’t believe I haven’t come across The Being Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron before I took part in the Jane and the Year without Summer blog tour, the fourteenth book in the series.
The book is told in the first person from Jane’s Austen point of view and I felt like I was seeing the world with her eyes. Jane’s voice is strong, confident, with a sense of humour and her attitude is in keeping with the times.
The book is rich with historical detail, particularly the vivid descriptions of Cheltenham and its spas which isn’t much described in fiction. As with all historical fiction I read, I am always fascinated by the socioeconomic state of women of the time. I’m a big fan of footnotes and explanations in historical fiction and sadly it made me happy to read the editors notes on some of the historical facts.
The mystery itself was fascinating and I have to admit I was definitely surprised by the identity of the victim and murder. There is a range of characters who have their own quirks which makes them viable suspects or potential victims.
The romance between Austen and West is written with plenty of restrained longing but the best relationship in the book is the one between Jane and her sister, Cassandra.

Perfect for fans who

Love non-gruesome murders in a historical setting

Summary
Five stars- I’m so excited to have discovered a new mystery series to devour and there are 13 books to read!

Will be posted to my blog on the 17th Of February

"May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript - about a baronet's daughter nursing a broken heart for a daring naval captain - cannot alleviate. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest and reflection at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra.

Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged, however. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house where the Misses Austen are staying have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own - some of them deadly. But perhaps with Jane’s interference a terrible crime might be prevented. Set during the Year without a Summer, when the eruption of Mount Tambora in the South Pacific caused a volcanic winter that shrouded the entire planet for sixteen months, this fourteenth installment in Stephanie Barron’s critically acclaimed series brings a forgotten moment of Regency history to life."

Anyone else as obsessed as I am with 1816 and how they didn't have a summer?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
LOVED. I have enjoyed this entire series but this is my favorite--maybe because we are almost out of time--Jane time, anyway. As always witty and clever and had me talking like a Regency heroine. Did not want to put it down!

Jane and the Year Without Summer is the latest in Ms. Barron’s long running series that features Jane Austen as a solver of mysteries. I enjoyed this newest title.

The book is slow moving but for me this was in a good way. It felt as if this was intended to keep pace with Jane’s world. Other efforts to add historic authenticity include using archaic spellings, as for example, spelling sofa, “sopha.”

The joy of this book for me lies in spending time with Jane and her sister Cassandra as they enjoy/cope with the events in a spa town. I also was interested to read about Jane’s acquaintance with Raphael West, a painter in his own right and the son of Benjamin West.

The story itself has sufficient plot. There is a runaway bride and her friend/protector. There are dead rodents and a dead dog; were they deliberately poisoned? And, later in the book, there is a fire and a murder.

Those who enjoy an historical mystery that takes it time will enjoy this title. Readers unfamiliar with the series may then want to go back to read the earlier entries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

I love this series, and even though this book is a little sad, I still like it! Although it's mostly speculation, I think Jane probably would have been a good sleuth. ;) I love her books, and its really too bad that Jane didn't live longer!! Thanks to Stephanie for another Jane Austen mystery. I feel like I've been waiting forever since the last one. ;)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy of this book!! All opinions are entirely my own.

Stephanie Barron’s Jane and the Year Without a Summer attempts to offer a historical mystery but collapses under excessive period detail and a meandering story.
I wanted to like this book. In all honesty, I should have liked this book—it hits all my sweet spots. But when I’d gotten twenty percent of the way through this book and *nothing* had happened, I realized I wasn’t going to like this book.
Times are hard for Jane and her family. Her brothers have lost their money. She’s unwell. In search of a cure, she travels to Cheltenham Spa, where she meets a lot of unlikable people with their own problems. The premise is that Jane might prevent something terrible by interfering, but…as I said above, the end result is that not a lot happens in this book.
Recommended for diehard fans of the series or readers who enjoy the historical side of a historical mystery much, much more than the mystery itself.

It's May 1816, and the stress of family burdens and writing a new manuscript has finally started taking a toll on Jane Austen. Plagued with stomach issues, fatigue, and fevers, Jane is instructed by her local apothecary to rest and advises her to seek out the restorative waters at Cheltenham Spa. Jane decides to use some of the funds from her last book, and sets off with her sister, Cassandra, in tow.

Jane was hoping for a quiet, peaceful respite, but Cheltenham Spa proves to be anything but. It's clear that the rest of the guests at the Spa have stresses, and secrets, of their own, and some prove to be deadly. After an incident at a masquerade ball turns into murder, Jane finds herself once again thrown together with the handsome artist Raphael West to solve the case. Can the pair uncover the culprit before it's too late?

I was hesitant going into this seeing as how it's the 14th installment of a series I'd never read before, but I quickly realized there was nothing to fear. There was never any point where I felt confused or didn't understand what was happening. I did get overwhelmed just given the huge cast of characters, but once I found my footing it didn't feel as daunting. I did find the first half very slow, but it picked up nicely by the second half. I enjoyed the mystery aspect and wasn't expecting it to be as twisty as it was. Mysteries aren't that fun to me if I can predict what's going to happen, but this one left me guessing which I appreciated. I also wasn't expecting an element of romance to be in this between Jane and West, but I thought it was lovely, and it tugs at your heartstrings. My favorite part of this was how much Barron nails Jane Austen. You could tell how much research she must've done into Austen's background to make the narrative sound so spot on and as if you were reading from her perspective. It felt very authentic. Overall, if you enjoy historical mysteries or Jane Austen, this series is one to check out

Short version: I love Jane Austen, and this series is a delight. An interesting mystery is woven in with actual facts about Jane and her world. In this volume, Jane and her sister visit Cheltenham Spa because of Jane's declining health. Jane faces a prejudiced doctor, nasty-tasting water, a grim clergyman and his sister, a frail young woman and her Quaker companion, an artist preparing a show of transparencies for the King's birthday, a terrible fire, and three violent deaths. Will she find the answer? And what decisions will she make about her personal life?
The author interweaves historical information and gives notes with explanations for those of us who want to know more of the scientific and historical background.
A compelling story with interesting characters; highly recommended.
(A much longer review will appear on Jane Austen's World Feb. 7.)

I've taught Pride and Prejudice for years in my AP Lit course, and I have all the Jane Austen mysteries listed for students in a compilation of sequels and riffs they might enjoy. This one will definitely be added to the list.

Sadly, I fear this will be one of the last of the Jane Austen mysteries I'll be adding. As I began the book, I saw the date for "Jane's" entries, a year before her death. Throughout the book she complains of back pain, fatigue and other symptoms.

No one captures Jane Austen's voice like Stephanie Barron. She writes as Austen with an unparalleled authenticity, but she also meticulously pays attention to historical details that immerse the reader in the time. This particular mystery was a little more predictable than some of the earlier ones, but it doesn't really matter. You don't read these so much for the mystery as to visit with Austen for a little while, a Jane who may benefit from being surrounded by some fictional characters who know her worth and play out parts of her novels. Honestly, when the series ends, with either this book or perhaps one more, it will feel like losing Austen twice.

I have loved this series since I was about 15 years old, so I was thrilled to receive this advanced copy of the next installment. It reinforced my love of the series. I found her style to be less forced than I remember the first books being, but still very true to Austen's style. I also enjoyed the references to Austen's own work (or adaptations of it) strewn throughout the dialogue. It felt a little bit gimmicky, but they would also provide a diehard Janeite with a fun treasure hunt while they were reading. I found the mystery intriguing, if a bit unevenly paced, but the last chapter more than made up for it. It was true to life and poignant, made even more poignant by the book's dedication. I still highly recommend this series. It has been a wonderful companion for over a decade. My only true complaint is that it must soon draw to a close.
*Edit: This book should also have a trigger warning for eating disorders.

“Jane & The Year Without a Summer” is Book 14 in Stephanie Barron’s “Being a Jane Austen Mystery” series. Having read the entire series and knowing Barron writes her mysteries parallel to Austen’s real life timeline, I had assumed this novel was about Austen’s death in July 1817. Blessedly, I was incorrect.

The year is 1816. Jane Austen is forty and beginning to suffer the sickness that will end her life in the coming year. She has been advised by her doctor to take the waters in Cheltenham and away she and her sister, Cassandra, go.

They stay at a guesthouse full of diverting characters providing much for the sisters to ponder as their mysteries unfurl (and maybe Jane observes, too, for future characters in coming novels.)

Barron’s gift of Austenesque prose sets the scene after an historical environmental event, a volcanic eruption a world away, that did result in an unusually cool and non-existent summer.

“My brother Frank had exclaimed over the disaster, I vaguely recalled, when he learned of it from a fellow officer; a horrific explosion and lava flow near Java, in the Dutch East Indies.” pp. 44.

Barron’s research, as always, is perfection, leading one to wonder what is fact or fiction. A murder mystery after a ball and the reappearance of Jane’s handsome artist friend, Mr Rafael West from Jane & the Waterloo Map (Book 13), increased the pacing and it did not stop until the mystery was solved, murderer revealed.

“I grasped West’s hand in my own and stepped down to the paving. He bowed low, brushing his lips over the back of my glove. ‘We should drive out more often, Jane,’ he said. ‘The wind has whipped color into your cheeks. Indeed—I should like to paint them.’” pp. 175.

I confess to have shed a tear or two or three over this cozy mystery. The romantic elements always pull at my sentimental heartstrings but especially knowing what is Jane’s future... Le sigh. “Jane and the Year Without a Summer” is a terrific read! “Being a Jane Austen Mystery” is an ambitious, imaginative series, and, even at Book 14, still remains entertaining and full of eye opening, heart-pounding moments. Why isn’t this a NetFlix series?!

*Also, though it’s a series, each book can stand on its own. Though you’re cheating yourself if you don’t read them all.