Lydia Bennet’s Story by Jane Odiwe

Lydia Bennet’s Story by Jane Odiwe

A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice ~ The continuing adventures of Mrs. Darcy's youngest sister

Though the cover of this book is an insipid pink, the contents are anything but.

I have been very keen to get my hands on this book as I thought Lydia was such an unpleasant and silly girl, it would be difficult to get the reader to care about her and what becomes of her.

But, this book stays true to Jane Austen’s horrible, thoughtless Lydia and yet takes you along on her journey from Longbourne to Brighton and into London with Wykham, then beyond Pride and Prejudice, continuing the story in a way that draws you in and makes you care, even though she is still very much the self absorbed Lydia we all love to hate.

She see’s her dreams and her heart broken and has to admit to some of her own faults, starting to grow up in rather extreme conditions.

In our world at 15-16 she would still be a child and forgiven a lot of her silliness.

Jane Odiwe weaves a great tale and Wykham is just as horrible, conceited and selfish as you would want him to be, there is a great twist in the story line which I would not dream of spoiling.

I certainly enjoyed this book and I am sure you will too.

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The Perfect Bride For Mr Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

The Perfect Bride For Mr Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Mr Darcy obviously needs a good matchmaker... or two...

I started this book with huge expectations having really enjoyed Searching for Pemberly by the same author.

The Perfect Bride for Mr Darcy is another rerun of Pride and Prejudice but with some added characters. Central to the story is a plot with Anne de Bourgh who has with Georgianas help to try and make sure the stubborn  Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy get together and mend their differences.

Anne De Bourgh though very frail is very determined to help the cause of true love along, even when it means hours spent in tiring journeys and plenty of subterfuge.

Georgiana is a fairly bubbly and enthusiastic teenage only too keen to find the romance in any situation, with a huge love of the gothic novel (as an aspiring author herself) she is keen to have Elizabeth and her support as a permanent part of her family.

In this version Charles Bingley has a much larger family including an older brother who is a bit of a financial genius and aides Darcy as his partner in this search for Wickham and Lydia.

The other notable characters are Darcy’s ex-girl friends who turn up like bad pennies and Colonel Fitzwilliam’s older brother who is a total lush with a cutting tongue (not the first choice at a family re-union)

There is plenty in here to make it worth a read but I still feel that for me Searching for Pemberley is the better book. Read both & let me know what you think.

http://marysimonsenfanfiction.blogspot.com/

Vampire Darcy’s Desire by Regina Jeffers

Vampire Darcy’s Desire by Regina Jeffers

A Pride and Prejudice Adaption

As I read the authors preface, in which she states that on being asked to write this book her hackles rose, she says she flatly refused to even consider a vampire version.

She only gave in eventually when she started thinking that the project would go on with or without her.

Not a promising start I thought, but thank goodness she did give in.

This Vampire Darcy beats all the other ones of it’s ilk that I have read so far.

It is intelligent, interesting and a dam good read.

Regina twists the original to allow for her tale of horror and passion.

Wickham soars to new heights of Villainy as the source and executioner of the Darcy Family Curse. 

Celtic mythology and vampire folklore blend in a truly evil and impressive tormentor.

The evil super powers of the vampire make this story less predictable, as Darcy with his bold and plucky Elizabeth, have to try and stop the slaying of the innocents.

Darcy a half vampire has for sworn any hope of a wife and family in the hope of stopping his curse of the first born son being passed on, but, then he is blindsided by his passion for Elizabeth and he tries not to consummate their marriage.

But Elizabeth has other ideas, she wants to get to the root of the problem to do battle with the curse and lift it from their lives so that she can have a complete life.

With the help of Colonel Fitzwilliam they go into an epic battle.

The demise of Lydia Bennet, I have to say causes very little distress as she is as always not very likable, even less so as the undead.

This book is really, really engaging.

Next, I will be reading Regina Jeffers book – Darcy’s Passions

http://www.rjeffers.com/

The Other Mr Darcy by Monica Fairview

The Other Mr Darcy by Monica Fairview

Unpredictable Courtships Run In The Darcy Family

This is the story of Robert Darcy Esq of Boston and Caroline Bingley.

This is a Caroline still haughty but not as waspish and cruel as Jane Austen’s original version, although she is hard to like Monica Fairview’s, Caroline, manages to engage some sympathy for a lady constrained by her upbringing and the social structures of her time.

When Fitzwilliam Darcy the man she had longed to be Married to, does a very fine impression of Lady Catherine deBurgh and dresses Caroline down totally and severely, I actually felt for her.

It makes a change to have Caroline as a central character and the other leading Pride and Prejudice characters circulate around the story quite well.

Lydia Bennett arrives in the tale as thoughtless and unpleasant as ever. A sickly Elizabeth is confined to her couch for most of the tale and that is a shame as some of the sparks you would expect to fly are lost. That said there is plenty to entertain.

The first chapter of this book is so amusing that you have to read on, I won’t give anything away but laughed heartily and enjoyed a book that on first impressions I was not at all sure about.

Pick up a copy of The Other Mr Darcy, find a comfy spot and settle down for a good read.