Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books For People Who Like Jane Austen

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Books for People Who Like X Author or, in this case, Jane Austen. Now...Im pretty sure I've done this before. Pretty sure. It might have been one of those daily memes I did a while back. I'm not positive. Or it was a Top Ten Tuesday previously and I just don't remember...whatever. Doesn't matter. I'm doing it now. Top Ten Books for People Who Like Jane Austen. I promise, not all of these are follow-ups and adaptations...

1. An Assembly Such as This, Duty and Desire & These Three Remain (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman Series), by Pamela Aiden
A three-part take on Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's perspective (think Stephenie Meyer's leaked and unfinished Midnight Sun but about 175 times better). I cannot praise this series enough. It's so good. If you love Pride and Prejudice but haven't read this series, you definitely should.

2. Pemberley Ranch, by Jack Caldwell
This one's a bit of a guilty pleasure. Pride and Prejudice set in Texas just after the American Civil War. You can read my review here.

3. Willoughby's Return, by Jane Odiwe
A Sense & Sensibility follow-up whose author very clearly adores Austen. You can read that review here.

4. Defnitely Not Mr. Darcy, by Karen Doornebos
My favorite surprise of last year, this book totally stunned me. It was not what I expected at all. I know it totally looks like it could be a trashy romance novel, but there's a reason there's no shirtless man on the cover. I think any Austen lover would love this like I did.

5. Jane and the Damned, by Janet Mullany
If you want to mix Jane Austen and the supernatural, this is the way to do it. Do not make the mistake of reading Mr. Darcy, Vampyre instead. Just don't do it. Jane and the Damned is the way to go.

6. Possession, by A. S. Byatt
Oh god, this book. Frankly, it's a lot. And if you're not big on poetry, the book can be...taxing. But. There is a movie. It's actually a pretty good movie starring Austen alums Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tom Hollander, with Aaron Eckhart and Toby Stephens. And it's a great adaptation. Watch the movie. If you love it, then the book will be totally worth your time.

7. Villette, by Charlotte Brontë
Now, I just love all of Charlotte Brontë's stuff, and maybe y'all do to, but this is the one novel of hers that I think would appeal most to an Austen lover. Shirley would also probably be a good bet, but Villette is perfect.

8. Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray
This is a bit more Brontë than Austen, but Thackeray had the distinction of adoring both of them, and you can pretty much tell. Don't let the film version scare you away, the book is fantastic.

9. The Princetta, by Anne-Laure Bondoux
A bit more swashbuckling than these other titles, but it's such a beautiful book with a very strong female protagonist. So worth it. My review is here.

10. A Novel Bookstore, by Laurence Cossé
Austen lover or no, this is a book that I think any bibliophile or literature lover should read. Hands down one of the best novels I've ever read.