Kellynch by Kwen D. Griffeth

If this was any book other than a Jane Austen Fanficton, I'm pretty sure I would have loved it. But as it is, it's the sequel to Persuasion, and was sufficiently different from the original book that I didn't really enjoy it.

First off, I read this book straight after re-reading Persuasion. It had been some time since I last read it, and I wanted to make sure the book was fresh in my mind. That may be why any little different grated on me.

Before I go into the differences, let me quickly recap the plot. Anne and Captain Wentworth have been married for three years, when Wentworth finds out that the "nice" cousin Elliot isn't as nice as he appears. He and Anne are at risk of losing their beloved Kellynch. In an attempt to save it, Wentworth goes back to sea, while Anne deals with the problems at home (although being kept in the dark about her problems doesn't really help her much).

So why did I say this book felt different from the original? Because all the characters were OOC. Elizabeth suddenly becomes nice, Sir Elliot is willing to sell Kellynch to Wentworth at a low cost (what happened to that 7 years of renting to the Crofts anyway?) and yeah, basically everyone seems to have become nicer. Except William Elliot, who as the villain of this story as way more dastardly than he was in the original. I don't really mind the OCs like Charlotte or the various tenants, or the sudden disappearance of major characters (lady Russell and Mary are barely present, and the Musgroves not at all, if I remember correctly). It's the fact that the characters seem so different from their original that irks me.

As for plot, there are a few things that I don't quite understand, like the complete lack of letters between Wentworth and Anne (and from the book, it seems like letters weren't banned, and anyway, Wentworth wasn't literally at sea the whole time), and a few passages of time that didn't seem to add up. But I can't really go into that without giving major spoilers. Apart from that, though, the plot was interesting, and I enjoyed reading that.

All in all, if this wasn't a sequel to Persuasion, if it didn't feature the much loved characters and if I didn't happen to read the original just before reading this, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more. The plot made me raise my eyebrows a few times, but on the whole, it's entertaining, with enough twists and turns and dramatic scenes. It's a pity it just isn't Austen.

Disclaimer: I received this book free as part of Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for a free and honest review.