Matter of Trust by P.O.Dixon

Matter of Trust by P.O.Dixon

The Shades of Pemberley

Another P.O. Dixon what if, and again an excellent read.

It's full of deviations and twists and turns, these turn the original story of Pride and Prejudice around and send it off in a completely new direction.

This variation has Darcy being told by his Father on his death bed that George Wickham is a Darcy. But, he dies before he can explain how they are related. Darcy thinks the worst, that they are probably half brothers which is why he has kept bailing George out and kept scandal from his door.

We also have the return to Pemberley of Alexandra, younger sister to Darcy's father who has been out of the country for twenty plus years and has some big chips on her shoulders. She moves back into Pemberley and is determined to be the mistress of the house and  rides rough shod over the newly wed Elizabeth Darcy.

Darcy and Elizabeth have married hastily after an incident with Wickham at the Netherfield Ball causes Mr Darcy to guard Elizabeths honor by announcing their engagement.

As you can imagine this changes the plot in so many ways......

I will say no more of the plot as you need to read this book for yourself and find out what happens to poor Lizzy. Now she has Lady Catherine and Lady Alexandra looking down their very aristocratic noses at her.

P O Dixon's Blogspot: Matter of Trust

podixon.blogspot.com/p/matter-of-trust

Mr Darcy's First Elizabeth by John Edwards

Mr Darcy's First Elizabeth by John Edwards

This book has had very mixed reviews and I can see why. There are some horrible grammatical errors all the way through it and even a dyslexic reader like myself could not help but notice.
Then there were the Americanisms that would never be seen in an Austen book, for instance: Critters instead of creatures and fishing poles instead of rods.
But worst of all the lack of fact checking for instance:  How hard can it be to check a map? Hampshire is a County (like an American State) not a town. Brandy wine belongs in Middle Earth and Wakefield is right at the other end of the country no where near Hampshire.

OK rant over, now for the plus side:

This is actually two stories, I can understand people who read only half this book and then gave up thinking that Darcy does not even appear. He does, but not until Chapter 10. Until that point you have a sweet love story of Elizabeth Watkins and her Mr Winstead.

OK it is unlikely that a wealth gentleman in Mr Winsteads position would not have his own coach and be useing a Public coach or that he would fall for Elizabeth who is down on her luck and although a Gentleman's daughter,Has no family or money, she has to work as a governess.

But, romance does not have to be scrutinised too closely, it is an engaging love story and in Chapter 10 Elizabeth Watkins meets a nine year old Darcy which opens the door to a Pride and Prejudice re-imagining at the end of the story with John Edwards reworking Pride and Prejudice to turn out much more smoothly, gone is the heart ache and worry. he even gets Wickham out of the way and Mr Collins married to Mary.

It is still entertaining and that's why I still recommend that you give this book a try. I know it has it's faults but it also has a nice romantic story line running through it.