A Lady's Birthday Wish

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

By: Caroline Cartier

Narrated by: Anna Emmins, Harry Frost

On the morning of her 37th birthday, Jane Austen suffers an unexpected fall during a solitary walk. When she awakens, disoriented and aching, she finds herself on the path to Oakham Mount, being tended by none other than Elizabeth Bennet. To her astonishment, Jane discovers she has somehow entered the world of Pride and Prejudice—a world she thought existed only within the pages of her novel.

When she is escorted to Netherfield Park, Jane quickly learns that while Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley have married and are living happily at Netherfield, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy remain estranged. To Jane’s dismay, the story she so carefully crafted has gone awry. Determined to restore the love story she once imagined, Jane feigns amnesia from her accident, giving her the excuse to remain among the Bennets and Bingleys while she devises a plan to repair the fractured path of Elizabeth and Darcy’s romance.

But as Jane Austen meddles in her characters’ lives, she discovers that their hearts and choices are more complex than even she could have foreseen. With wit and wisdom, she must navigate misunderstandings, pride, and prejudice to guide Elizabeth and Darcy toward their happily ever after—while grappling with the extraordinary reality of living in the world she created.

Written in celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, A Lady’s Birthday Wish is a delightful and heartfelt variation that blends humor, insight, and the timeless magic of love, proving that even a great author may need a second chance to perfect her tale.

©2025 Caroline Cartier (P)2025 Caroline Cartier

Imaginative, Witty and Heartwarming

Having Jane Austen come to Netherfield and interact with the characters in her books is quite unique and Ms. Cartier created a wonderful variation. It somehow inspired contemplation about love, life and family with wisdom along with wit and humor too. The narration was very good. Anna Emmins voiced Jane and Harry Frost the rest.

Perfection

I adore this variation. It is low angst and it brings a smile to my face. I only wish it kept going long after it ends. The author does a wonderful job with all the character, those you love, those you dislike, original characters, and unexpected ones. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is wonderful.

This is for the audiobook

An finely produced duet between Harry Frost and Anna Emmins. While the excellent Harry Frost is one of my favorite narrators, Anne Emmins is new to me. Her performance is fun, animated and diverse, making each character sound just like you'd imagine- loved her Mrs Bennet, especially when giving irritating people a piece of her mind.

The story is lovely. Our dear Jane Austen, troubled by writers block, has a bit of an accident and ends up in the middle of her most favorited publication. The trouble is, Darcy has not won his Elizabeth.

Between fighting her own ailments, JA does her best to fix the problems of those around her. When new visitors arrive at Netherfield, it's possible they're the key to fixing her own writing troubles.

A great ensemble cast for this story. Lots of character development, and yes, our dear couple, Darcy and Elizabeth do find their happy ever after before JA finds her own way back home.

(I received this audiobook as a gift from the author and voluntarily leave my review.)

Jane Austen finds herself injured after throwing a coin in a wishing well. She hits her head and....

Elizabeth Bennet finds an unknown woman unconscious at Oakham Mt. She is brought to Netherfield Park were she is living. "Miss Jane" has dropped into her own story. But Darcy and Elizabeth are not married. How can that be? What has changed? Can bringing the two together bring her home? Jane meets familiar characters and new ones who have gathered for the holidays. I'll be sure to listen to this again.

Can Jane Austen fix Darcy & Elizabeth's issues?

This is a wonderful story that I can easily read/listen to again. Jane Austen is stuck writing Mansfield Park and stops by a Wishing Well out on a walk. Shortly after, she is struck by a runaway horse and knocked unconscious. She wakes up to see several of the Bennet sisters around her. Now, she is even more confused as to why she is in one of her stories. She quickly realizes that things are not how she wrote them but is determined to fix it. I love how she gently guided characters to see the issues and correct them. Darcy was a pain, but as soon as the truth was revealed, he was a much happier individual to be around. Some might find it hard to identify if the character is Jane Austen (Miss Jane) or Mrs. Bingley, but I didn't really have that much of a problem. The ending was perfect!

For the audiobook, it was wonderful narrated by Harry Frost and a new narrator, Anna Emmins. I look forward to hearing more from her. Thank you, Caroline Cartier, for a sweet and delightful story!!