The Jane Austen Marriage Manual by Kim Izzo

At 39, verging on 40, Kate Shaw finds herself unemployed, living with her mother and facing foreclosure. To help her family avoid financial disaster, she accepts a writing assignment on how to make like a Jane Austen character and marry well (read: land a rich man). The article's subject quickly becomes Kate's real-life objective, but while pretending to be an aristocrat is relatively simple and gets her into the inner circle of the social elite, winning a husband proves a tad more difficult. Kim Izzo handily makes her protagonist both lovable and comical, and she keeps readers on the edges of their seats anticipating—but not hoping for!—the eventual blow-up. A fun read for any Austen fan who enjoys the age-old question: Should one marry for love or money?

The Jane Austen Manual, Kim Izzo, $22.