Blog Tour of “Obstacles” by Belén Paccagnella, review + giveaway

Dear all,

I am extremely happy to introduce a new author here in My Vices and Weaknesses. You may think that I am always happy to do that, and yes, it is true. However, I am even a bit happier this time as we have Belén Paccagnella, an Argentinian author, that’s it, a Spanish-speaking person! As a Spanish-speaking person myself, I am extremely glad to have even more people from other nationalities involved in JAFF. I know… we already have Rumanian, French, Pakistani and many other nationalities, which is awesome; but, as I said, this is the first Spanish-speaking author that I am introducing and I am excited!!

Too much preamble already, please welcome: Belén Paccagnella.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Belén Paccagnella discovered the world of Jane Austen fan fiction after watching the 1995 BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice. In her teens, she lived in Brazil when her family moved to the city of Curitiba due to her father’s work. She moved back to Buenos Aires a few years later, where she studied agronomy but finally pursued a different career and started working in the development administration of shopping centres.

In 2001, she started writing both Regency and modern stories adapted from the Pride and Prejudice storyline, merging drama, humour, and adventure while creating  characters with unique traits.

Belén still lives in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, where she shares her home with her daughter and her pets while spending her time working, reading, and writing.

Belén is bringing us Obstacles, a modern Pride and Prejudice variation that I have enjoyed very much.

Follow Belén on: Meryton Press      Goodreads

Book description

Not all obstacles are restricted to the show-jumping arena… Though Elizabeth Bennet lives an uneventful life instructing young equestrians at Longbourn, the family farm, she dreams of winning a show-jumping competition on Liddy, her spirited mare. But her life is upended when a team of world-renowned riders arrives at Netherfield, the neighbouring estate, and uses it as their training headquarters. As she assists the newcomers and their prize-winning mounts, she meets William Darcy, a wealthy and arrogant—albeit talented—rider with Olympic aspirations. He first insults and then ignores Elizabeth, and her feelings teeter between disgust at his hauteur and admiration for his equestrian prowess. As she discovers first-hand the rigors of a world for the elite, will Elizabeth change her perspective about love, trust, and the foibles of her own family?

Originally known as Obstacles to Overcome, Obstacles pays homage to Pride and Prejudice in the highly competitive world of equestrian show jumping.

Do you want to buy the book? You could do it here:

Amazon UK     Amazon ES      Amazon US     Amazon CA

Review

Very entertaining modern variation of Pride and Prejudice. Darcy is a top horse rider and Elizabeth is an amateur rider/trainer who actually starts working as a “stable boy” for Darcy when he and his team come to work near where she lives. As you can imagine: an insult here, ignoring there, Wickham over there and so on = Elizabeth hates Darcy.

The main theme here is horses and riding in the higher level of competitions, which is a topic that I knew very little and it is refreshing. Moreover, Belén Paccagnella shows us a very “funny” Bennet family. Jane is a bit more modern, she is heartbroken when Bingley leaves but she quickly recovers after all and takes the most of it. Mary is.. how can I say it… weird? extravagant? special? I am sorry for describing like that, I tend to like Mary, but I think you will laugh at her hobby that may become an occupation… Then we have Kitty, a bit Lydia-like if I may say so… Fanny Bennet is a bit more psychoanalysed and she has a really good moment before the epilogue. Thomas Bennet… hmmm… I have not really liked him. I imagine that Belén has redeemed him on the second part of the book when he is not really against the couple. Even though, I did not like his behaviour.

Spoiler alert!!

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there is a very nice happy ending with a lovely epilogue.

I have found this Elizabeth even more obstinate, headstrong girl on the first half of the book until they “solve” their problems and misunderstandings. She is extremely against Darcy. We could say that his first declaration of attraction was not only offensive because he talked badly about her family in negative terms… maybe, again, it was misunderstood.

Darcy is clueless and Elizabeth too when it comes to understanding each other and thanks to Ann(e) de Bourgh and Lady Catherine, sí sí (yes yes), thanks to them, everything starts to straighten out. I have enjoyed soooo much the scene with Elizabeth and Ann!! It is so well prepared, just remember: it is a trap!!

I would just point out that England’s Hottest Horseman (EHH) is really sweet although not always in the way that another person may expect.

Charlotte Lucas is more jovial and maybe Wilbur Collins is pedantic, but he is a good man… apparently.

George Wickham… despicable. Where you expecting something different from him?

Question: what if he is the one? just the one? no one else? I found this extremely sweet. (Are you a bit lost? Read the book 😉 )

Blog Schedule

Do not miss excerpts, interviews and much more about Obstacles.

17th September / My Jane Austen Book Club / Guest Post

18th September / Diary of an Eccentric / Excerpt Post

19th September / Austenesque Reviews / Vignette Post

20th September / More Agreeably Engaged / Author Interview

21st September / So Little Time / Excerpt Post

22nd September / Just Jane 1813 / Guest Book Review

23rd September / My Love for Jane Austen  / Character Interview

24th September / From Pemberley to Milton / Excerpt Post

25th September / Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review

26th September / Babblings of a Bookworm / Vignette Post

27th September / My Vices and Weaknesses  / Book Review

28th September / Of Pens and Pages / Book Review

Time to Give Away

Eight eBooks copies of Obstacles!  The international giveaway runs until midnight, September 30, 2018. You do not have many obstacles to participate, just click on the link below and follow the steps. Please read the terms and conditions below. Buena suerte 🙂

Rafflecopter – Obstacles

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post or a review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented. If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified. There will be one winner per contest and each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter.

 

Muchas gracias, Belén, por estar hoy con mis lectores, no son muchos de momento pero son fieles y muy simpáticos 🙂