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

Rainy Days by Lory Lilian

Rainy Days by Lory Lilian

What a delightful re imagining of Pride and Prejudice this is.

Lory Lilian has written Elizabeth Bennet as if she knows what it is like to be in the mind of a coy 20 year old girl who has lead a very sheltered life in the time of Jane Austen.

Elizabeth is often portrayed as knowing and witty, but she looses a lot of the country girl growing up with very little experience of men.

This story brings that girl to life.

She and Darcy get caught in a rain storm a couple of days before the ball at Netherfield.

While sheltering with Lizzy, Darcy who has already fallen for her, realises that she has a very different impression of him and sets about changing her feelings towards him.

This sends the whole story off on a different track. Having made a much better impression on Lizzy and given her cause to re-evaluate Mr Wickham, the ball at Netherfield is a different experience for them both.

I shall not give anymore of this plot away. But, I do very highly recommend this re-telling it is lively and very charming with lots of tenderness as well as missunderstandings you would expect between Lizzy and Darcy.

Look out for the youngest of the Granger's children, she is a delightful character in this tale.  

The Trouble With Mr Darcy By Sharon Latham

The Trouble With Mr Darcy By Sharon Latham

Keep Friends Close, Enemies Closer...

Pride and Prejudice Continues

The story opens with the Darcy Family on tour in post war Europe, visiting family and friends, Miss Georgina Darcy is smitten by cupids bow when she meets a Gentleman who is a talented young musician.

While Elizabeth and Darcy return home she continues her tour with her Aunt and Uncle, Lord and Lady Matlock.

The torrid romance between Darcy and Elizabeth continue they return to England to await a happy event, the birth of their second son.

But their sublime loving relationship is put to the test after the birth, as Elizabeth is plunged deep into a postnatal depression, an unknown problem at that time.

Her, untreated symptoms almost lead to disaster as she withdraws further from those who love her.

Thank goodness for Uncle George Darcy, who steps in to help and get’s the couple back on track.

Soon after her recovery the whole family are back at Netherfield , rented to them for their stay during the happy event of Kittys Marriage.

But, some of the guests are not so welcome and as one might guest at the top of the list is Wickham!

He is at the centre of a very evil plot. Will this be the time he goes too far and his need to destroy Darcy ends in disaster.

You need to read this book, it is very gripping and full of action, so much more so than Sharons earlier books.

So, if you found the first books slow, give this a go, this novel is packed full of excitement and much more adventure.

A great holiday read.

Pride and Prescience by Carrie Bebris

Pride and Prescience by Carrie Bebris

(a truth universally acknowledged)

A Mr and Mrs Darcy Mystery

This story starts where Pride and Prejudice finished with the joint marriage of Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

Almost immediately Caroline Bingley steals the limelight at the wedding reception by announcing her own engagement to an American. A handsome American, charming, a gentlemen with a fortune and a plantation.

Elizabeth can not help but wonder what he see’s in Miss Bingley, but they do appear very much in Love. As their wedding is set for one week, hence the honeymoon at Pemberley is put on hold to attend what Caroline is determined to make the society wedding of the decade.

From that point on this fast paced book plunges from one disaster to another, with Darcy and Elizabeth being drawn further and further into the awful events and ‘accidents’ that keep happening.

Elizabeth finds herself having to come to Caroline's aid time and time again and deciding who are the villains and who are the good guys is even causing  trouble between her and her new husband.

She can not help but feel there are dark arts and worse involved and he, a man of logic is totally blind to the terrible things happening before his very eyes.

After a murder at Netherfield all of the house guests come under suspicion.

Will Darcy & Elizabeth or Jane and Bingley make it out alive.

Great fun, lots of suspense, I am going to read North by Northanger by Carrie Bebris next.

http://www.carriebebris.com/

Loving Mr Darcy by Sharon Latham

Loving Mr Darcy by Sharon Latham

Journeys Beyond Pemberley

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continues...

This is book two and carries straight on from where ‘Mr & Mrs Fitzwiliam Darcy’ left off.

This is another large book at 425 pages and it’s full of romance, cuddling, kissing and Mr & Mrs Darcy taking every opportunity to make love.

They leave Pemberly to visit Herefordshire, where they recall many of the events of their courtship.

Lizzy persuades Jane that sharing a bedroom with her husband is a must, which makes for even greater harmony for the residents of Netherfield.

Elizabeth arrives in London to smoothly slide into society, charming all before her, except, of course Lady Catherine, who blows into town the minute Darcy is away on business and is her usual vile self, causing Elizabeth a fair amount of heart ache.

There are some good social details on the ton of the day, but the gooey bits still totally swamp the story with passages like; ‘together they rose, passion growing to incomprehensible levels. Finally falling over a cliff of mindless, spiritual jubilance, they merged and were transported to a place of replete fulfillment’,

As in the last book the main excitement in the story does not happen until the penultimate chapter, almost an after thought.

Despite so much ‘soppy-ness’, I am growing to like the characters and she has introduced some interesting new players particularly Uncle George and his friend a Spanish Doctor, who have returned from India together.

Georgina and Anne de Bourgh are both developing nicely as the story unfolds with more romance destined for their future.

Sharon Latham seems to be a very sentimental and romantic lady, she must be lovely to know. I am now starting book three of the series; The Darcy Saga: My Dearest Mr Darcy (An Amazing Journey Into Love Everlasting).

http://www.sharonlathan.net/

An Assembly Such As This by Pamela Aidan

An Assembly Such As This by Pamela Aidan

A Novel Of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman

An Assembly Such As This is the first book or three in the series: The Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman Novels.

It covers the time from the first assembly at Meryton in the assembly rooms where he makes his disastrous impression on Elizabeth Bennet and finishes after the ball at Neltherfield and Darcys return to London determined to get Elizabeth out of his head and Jane out of Charles Bingley’s heart.

The book is rich in detail and draws some charming characters, Darcy’s relationship with his valet Fletcher is very interesting and entertaining, very clever thread though out the whole story.

So much more depth is given to Fitzwilliam Darcy his treatment of his animals and staff, his place in society and his friendships are all focussed on giving us a much more rounded Dacrcy, and if possible an even more likable one.

Even though in this story he is far more influential in the splitting up of Bingley and Jane, using Caroline to help him and even dictating the awful letter to Jane telling her that Bingley was quitting Herefordshire.

Once Darcy has Charles back in London safely removed from Jane, Pamela Aidan is able to sketch in some of the famous society of the time, Lady Melbourne, Beau Brummell, Lady Caroline Lamb and some of the unrest in England at this time.

I was interested in the close of the story, Darcy goes to Hatchard’s book shop on Piccadilly a shop which is still there and flourishing and buys Georgina’s christmas present. Miss Porter’s The Scottish Chiefs which I actually had a leather bound set of, with a letter from Miss Porter, sadly it is now in storage back in England with all my other books.

Book 2 Duty and Desire has already been started – review to follow soon.

Mr Darcys Diary by Amanda Grange

Mr Darcys Diary by Amanda Grange

Pride and Prejudice: It's Darcys Turn to Tell His Side Of The Story...

Well, this book delivers exactly what it offers, a look at Pride and Prejudice faithfully from cover to cover and a little beyond from the point of view of Fitzwilliam Darcy.

It does not go for any sensationalism, it sticks with the original story line, starting with Georgina and Wickham’s attempted elopement to give a bit of sympathy for Darcy as a loving brother before we have his terrible behavior and haughtiness at Netherfield.

A lot of the books I have read have Darcy almost having an epiphany after Elizabeth refuses to marry him. In this one Amanda Grange has him realizing by degree, slowly but surely what a pride full and rude proposal he had made, with it taking a while for him to get over his anger, much more true to life I think.

All the characters are well drawn, Bingley is spot on and Caroline is also, so desperate to get a proposal from Darcey.

She does not see that her cutting comments and down right bitchiness are not endearing her to Darcy at all.

I have already reviewed Amanda Grange book Mr Darcy Vampyre and I shall look forwards to reading more of her work.

She has also written diaries from Captain Wentworth, Edmund Bertram, Mr Knightly and Colonel Brandon.