Book 888: A Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility (Love, Austen #6) – Anyta Sunday

This wasn’t the perfect ending to Sunday’s Love, Austen retellings, but it was a damn good one. Like the last five there was no doubt I would accept the ARC when it came in (and I was a little worried when I didn’t see it even though its publication date was fast approaching)!*

We met Noah and Zach Dashwood in one of the previous novels (I believe Finley Embraces Heart and Home) and I have to assume we met Brandy/Brandon and Wade at some point too, but no clue honestly. For some reason, I guess because the names were great cognates like some of the other books, it took me way too long to remember who Zach and Noah were compared to Elinor and Marianne from the OG Sense and Sensibility. Once I got that sorted, I was all set.

The jury is still out whether it was a good thing or a bad thing I hated Zach and his flightiness as much as I hated Marianne’s. I constantly wanted to smash my head (or Zach’s) against a wall because Brandon was just perfect and wonderful and OMG just fall in love with him already and get over yourself.

It would be easier if he did. If Luc were a spiteful, jealous, horrible person, he could hope that Wade would eventually see through him. That he’d want a relationship with stronger foundations, more care, compassion, kindness. There was hope in hate. (Chapter 17)

Sunday’s inclusion of a trans male character worked really well, especially as we met them when they were much younger in a few flashbacks previously. Having that history and knowing their journey helped Noah’s character as a whole. And, just like in the original work I found Noah’s character and story to be much more relatable. The stable quiet supporter of Zach, the putting everyone else first even if it breaks your heart, the slow and steady even methodical moving forward through life and fixing everything to make the world the best place it could be whether you get what you want or deserve. Just so much swoon.

And then, Sunday had to go in and add the most adorable interaction between Noah and Wade and be still my heart . . .

‘What’s in your pocket? It’s hard.’ He paused. ‘That came out all wrong.’
Soft laughter enveloped him.
Noah’s heart thunked so hard he was sure it would drum Wade’s into sync. He dragged his nose to Wade’s ear. ‘Find out for yourself.’
Warm pressure slithered into his pocket, curved toward his inner thigh. Wade drew out the smooth, marbled stone.
He stared at it, then past it into Noah’s eyes and they were back at the beach, wind whipping around them, stealing their words.
Penguins sifted through piles and piles of stones for the one they though perfect. Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Sharing the sunset as he’d told Wade what it meant.
Wade’s voice rumbled. ‘It’s . . . what you think it is.’
Noah looked up sharply.
‘I wanted a way to tell you without telling you.’ A fist closed around the stone. ‘I like that you carry it around.’
‘I haven’t been able to stop. I though I should, but I . . .’ (Chapter 18)

This is doubly adorable because my go to baby book to purchase for friends and family having kids is And Tango Makes Three, and to have Wade give Noah a beautiful rock because he can’t say what he wants to just omg yes.

Recommendation: Sunday is a strong solid writer. I enjoyed most of the retellings of Austen’s works. The few I didn’t enjoy were because of the adaptation itself, not the story Sunday wrote or the characters, those could’ve stood on their own. It was that I either didn’t get the adaptation or felt it could’ve been done differently. This final installment gave us brief glimpses of all the other protagonists and it was a nice little bow on this present to LGBT Austen fans.

*I received a copy of A Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility via Gay Romance Reviews in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “When it came to love, Noah Dashwood was practical.”

Closing Line: “He parted his lips to say something rational, and then Wade’s arms curled around his waist and— ‘Well, now I need to win.'” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read).