Today I’m sharing my fourth post for the SpellBound blog tour for International Women’s day. My review of Catherine is written with thanks to Zoe O’Farrell and the team at SpellBound for inviting me on the tour and for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice. In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines – cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

Catherine:

Catherine Collins, a very ordinary young woman – plain, quiet, often over-looked but possessing a reputation for having great common-sense.
Or so her distant cousin Elizabeth Darcy believes and so recommends her as governess for little Matilda Courtney.

Catherine travels to Northumberland, full of good intentions to do her best and be a credit to the family.

But appearances and reputations can be deceptive – Robert and Martin Courtney will soon learn exactly what type of girl Elizabeth has sent them.

Book 3: Miriam- Coming Summer 2022

Review:

Pride & Prejudice is one of my favourite books ever, and I enjoyed O’Byrne’s twist on the story in Cassandra, so I was looking forward to meeting Catherine and seeing what adventures she would get up to. I found Catherine an extremely likeable character. In the beginning, she is often left to look after her sister at the whims of her stepmother, Kitty, so I really wanted her to come out of her shell and I enjoyed reading as she did so, relating well to her sense of humour and playfulness. I must also mention little Matilda, who is simply adorable. She is unable to speak following a tragic event a few years ago, and I also wanted her to find her voice. 

As with Cassandra, O’Byrne is very respectful to Austen’s original work throughout Catherine. She has clearly researched her writing in detail and I loved the frequent nods to Austen’s style and humour and this makes it feel authentic, whilst also making it accessible to today’s readers. 

The plot is fairly traditional but there are a few surprises along the way and I enjoyed following them. 

I am excited to meet the next cousin later in the year! 

Catherine is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: