Recommendation Fridays: The Lady Janies by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton

I discovered My Lady Jane when I received a hardcover in OwlCrate's Royalty box for June 2016. I had read at least one book from each of the authors previously, I took My Lady Jane on a camping trip with me and the rest is history.

The series plays with history and adds a comedic and slight paranormal twist to those stories. My Lady Jane is the story of Jane Grey, with a hint of shapeshifters. My Plain Jane is the story of Jane Eyre, with a hint of ghosts. And the upcoming release, My Calamity Jane, is the story of Calamity Jane, with a hint of garou. Or in other words, a werewolf.

These stories area ton of fun and are perfect for fans of the original tales. I have yet to read My Calamity Jane, but I know it's going to be the best one yet.

I would recommend the series for fans of the following books and genres:

Historical Fiction, Comedy, Paranormal, Retellings, Jane Eyre, Jane Grey, Calamity Jane

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

Release Date: June 7, 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: The Lady Janies, #1

Format: Hardcover, 512 pages

Description from GoodReads:

Edward (long live the king) is the King of England. He’s also dying, which is inconvenient, as he’s only sixteen and he’d much rather be planning for his first kiss than considering who will inherit his crown…

Jane (reads too many books) is Edward’s cousin, and far more interested in books than romance. Unfortunately for Jane, Edward has arranged to marry her off to secure the line of succession. And there’s something a little odd about her intended…

Gifford (call him G) is a horse. That is, he’s an Eðian (eth-y-un, for the uninitiated). Every day at dawn he becomes a noble chestnut steed—but then he wakes at dusk with a mouthful of hay. It’s all very undignified.

The plot thickens as Edward, Jane, and G are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. With the fate of the kingdom at stake, our heroes will have to engage in some conspiring of their own. But can they pull off their plan before it’s off with their heads?

Read Ohana Reads' Review of My Lady Jane

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

Release Date: June 26, 2018

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: My Lady Janies, #2

Format: Hardcover, 447 pages

Description from GoodReads:

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

Read Ohana Reads' Review of My Plain Jane

My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

Release Date: June 2, 2020

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: My Lady Janies, #3

Format: Hardcover, 516

Description from GoodReads:

Welcome ​to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou.

JANE (a genuine hero-eene)

Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.

FRANK (*wolf whistle*)

Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on

both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . .

ANNIE (get your gun!)

Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do,

she can do better.

A HAIRY SITUATION

After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.

   And that's The Lady Janies by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. The series is filled with cute and hilarious scenes, I hope you guys enjoy the series as much as I do.

Waiting on Wednesday: (63)

My Calamity Jane

Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows

The Lady Janies, #3

Harper Teen

Expected: June 2nd, 2020

Description from GoodReads:

Welcome ​to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou.

JANE (a genuine hero-eene)

Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.

FRANK (*wolf whistle*)

Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on

both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . .

ANNIE (get your gun!)

Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do,

she can do better.

A HAIRY SITUATION

After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.

Why I Want It:

I'm absolutely obsessed with My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane. The Lady Janies do a retelling of sorts with the Janie books, retelling the original story but making it hilarious and adding a hint of fantasy. 

Having already known the history of Jane Grey and having read Jane Eyre, it made the stories all that more amazing. It's going to be the same with The Calamity Jane. Being already familiar with the original story, I CAN NOT WAIT to read the Janies version.

That's my Waiting on Wednesday this week! Will you be picking up My Calamity Jane? What are you waiting on this week?

Book Review: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

Release Date: June 26th, 2018
Read: December 29th 2017- January 1st, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: My Lady Janies, #2
Format: ARC, 464 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for honest review

Description from GoodReads:

   You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

   Or does she?

   Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

Review:

 
 I feel like we're getting a bit off topic.
   It's been almost two years since I first read the hilarious and exceptionally cute book My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows. It was one of my favourite reads of 2016, and I couldn't have been happier to hear that the publisher had purchased two more books in the series. Flash forward to a month or two ago, when I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of it's sequel My Plain Jane.

   With both books, I knew the history of the original story of both Janes going into the books. Unlike My Lady Jane, I never enjoyed the original Jane Eyre story. So it was exciting to go into My Plain Jane and expect a comical twist to the originally bland story.

   Of course with a trio of such fabulous authors working together, I couldn't have expected anything less than perfection. My Plain Jane turned out exactly as I'd imagined, and more. The humour from their first novel was back and even stronger than before.

   With My Plain Jane you had the perspectives of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brönte and the supernatural ghost hunter, Alexander Blackwood. What made this book all that more intriguing was that while having the perspective of Charlotte Brönte, the original writer of Jane Eyre story, the authors made Jane Eyre a real life friend of Charlotte, and that she was the object of Charlotte's novel that she continues to write throughout the book.

     Like the first book, you did not need to know Jane Eyre's story to understand My Plain Jane. I found in this case that if you had read it before picking up this book, then you would have noticed a few head nods in it's direction. But otherwise you will find that you will be rather pleased with the book no matter what your situation was before reading the book.

   One of my favourite parts of the book was when we got a bit of a peak at a few of the characters from My Lady Jane, confirming that the stories take place in the same world but rather at a different place in time.
   

   My Plain Jane was a absolute hit with me, written with the perfect amount of wit and romance. I can not wait for it to release for everyone else to read it, and I look forward to the next in the series, My Calamity Jane. 

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"Let's start with the girl.
 Her name was Jane."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Paranormal, Humour, Jane Eyre, Ghosts, Retellings