Persuade Me by Juliet Archer

The second in Juliet Archer's Darcy & Friends series. When do you let your heart rule your head? As far as men are concerned, Anna Elliot is stuck in the past. No one can compare to Rick Wentworth, the man she was persuaded to give up eight years ago. Meanwhile, Rick's moved on - and up. He's got a successful career and a carefully controlled love life where his heart doesn't get a look in. The words 'forgive and forget' aren't in Rick's vocabulary. The word 'regret' is definitely in Anna's. When they meet again, can she persuade him that their lost love is worth a second chance?


Persuade Me is Juliet Archer's second book in her series entitled 'Darcy and Friends', a series based on Jane Austen's classics, with Archer's modern take. 


I absolutely adored this book! I have recently been enjoying Victoria Connelly's Jane Austen inspired novels and so was interested in reading another author's ideas. In fact, Persuade Me is based on Persuasion, as was Victoria Connelly's latest The Perfect Hero. However, I found Archer's book to be a completely different idea to Connelly's, both absolutely brilliant but different!


The main character, Anna, discovers her first love, who she met in France but was heartbroken when her father discouraged the romance and encouraged her to return to England and her place at Oxford University while Rick went to Australia travelling, is coming to England.  He lives in Australia, where he is a marine biologist and is visiting England on a book tour of his book. The book follows the orginial storyline of Jane Austen's Persuasion and is a great read.


The book is full of great characters. I did not like Anna's father, Sir Walter Elliot, 8th Baronet of Kellynch or Minty, Anna’s godmother and also close friend to her late mother, Irina. I thought that they were both pompous and cared more about class and social standing than seeing how much Anna and Rick were in love.  Anna's sister Mona, appears to be always drunk or trying to get others to look after her children, while complaining how much stress and strain she is under. Walter appears to be only interested in receiving his daily massage from the exotic Cleopatra and making money!


I much preferred Mona's husband's family, the Musgroves. Charles, married to Mona, has two sisters; Louisa and Henrietta, along with their parents are warm and accommodating. They live in a big country home and love having the grandchildren around and host family meals in the garden etc.


Anna and Rick's relationship is the main story within the book. At the start of the book, both are apprehensive about meeting each other and talking about their relationship, however they both go through a range of emotions before they finally realise their feelings for each other. There is much interference of others, Louisa decides she will try to flirt with Rick, with disastrous consequences when she ends up in hospital with a suspected head injury. Lou's sister Henrietta also flirts, but is quickly reminded of her love for her farm manager boyfriend. There is also interest for Anna, William is very persistent with Anna, but her neighbour Jennie makes a discovery which enables Anna to get rid of this admirer quickly. 


I found Archer's writing style easy to read, easy to loose myself in and wanting to read more. It was easy to pick up and I would loose myself in it for hours, always wanting to read just one more chapter! I thought Archer was able to take the main themes and storylines within Persuasion and adapt them to the modern day world and none seem out of place.


I would definitely recommend this book to Jane Austen lovers, it is a brilliant modern adaptation of Persuasion and stays true to the original story. 


Thank you to ChocLit Publishers for sending me the book to review.