“Elizabeth – Obstinate, Headstrong Girl” was published today and announced its presence in my ebook library with an “Of course you’ll want to start this now. Why else did you pre-order it?” look on its face.

So, I’ve decided to add it to my “Pride, Prejudice and Pastiches Reading Challenge”. It’s a collection of ten short stories, each of which has Elizabeth Bennet as the heroine in what the publisher describes as: “A collection of romantic re-imaginings, sequels, and prequels, set in the Regency to present day“. It features stories by Elizabeth Adams, Christina Boyd, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes.

It’s the only short story collection in the challenge so I’m going to try and weave the stories in between the other books.

So far, I’ve only read the foreword by Tessa Dare, but even that made me smile. Here’s a sample:

“This is the gift Jane Austen gave us in Elizabeth Bennet. She created a heroine in which “obstinate, headstrong girl” inhabits the same space as “dearest, loveliest Elizabeth.” Four strong qualities, all indivisible parts of a whole. She is opinionated and adored, stubborn and respected, imperfect and loved. Is it any wonder she has delighted and inspired readers for over two centuries? I’d go so far as to say Lizzy deserves credit for Mr. Darcy’s devoted following, too. We love Darcy because he’s smart enough to love Elizabeth—a woman worthy of being pleased.”