Pemberley's Promise

by Kara Louise

Pemberley's Promise the name of the ship holds promise for those in its confines. When Elizabeth Bennet encounters Mr. Darcy on a voyage to America, their story, known by all in the Jane Austen novel, "Pride and Prejudice," is significantly altered. When Elizabeth becomes ill down in steerage and her conditions worsens, Mr. Darcy makes a very unexpected offer to help her out. If you are familiar with the Jane Austen novel, you will recognize the beloved characters and certain events that transpire, but you do not have to have read her novel to enjoy this one. To read other stories by Kara Louise, visit her website, Jane Austen's Land of Ahhhs

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical, Regency, Regency Romance

Paperback

First published March 24, 2007

About the author

Kara Louise has been writing "Pride and Prejudice" novels since 2001. She has published 8 novels, 2 that were published by Sourcebooks Publications. She was born in the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles, but moved to Kansas in 1991. She lives just outside Wichita with her husband, sharing their 10 acres with an ever changing menagerie of animals. They have one married son who lives in St. Louis..

Reviews

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this in paperback as "Pemberley's Promise".

I looked this author up on Amazon many years ago at the recommendation of another very popular JAFF author. When I was reading this book's plot, my first thought was that this story was going to be "too far out in left field", too much of a deviation from the original P&P story. BUT I found it to be a page turner, despite the stretch. I won't go over the story line as other reviewers have covered such. Scenes which stay in my imagination: the scene at Pemberley during which Elizabeth discovers her needlework on Darcy's mantel piece, the scene where she first visits Netherfield not knowing Darcy is there, the first morning walk to which he so cleverly invites her and Jane going on-and-on about how Elizabeth met Mr. Wright/Right during a coach ride years before, not realizing Darcy is the gentleman. When having read so many other JAFF books scenes stay in my mind and I have to go back and re-read the whole book or at least from that scene on...you know the author has done something very rewarding for a lover of JAFF. Since this is basically the same book as Pemberley's Promise I posted my review on both sites.

I own 6 of Kara Louise's books. I am just now posting a review as up until I retired, I did not find the time. I have a project to re-read and post reviews even if they are very late in coming.

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looked this author up on Amazon many years ago at the recommendation of another very popular JAFF author. When I was reading this book's plot, my first thought was that this story was going to be "too far out in left field", too much of a deviation from the original P&P story. BUT I found it to be a page turner, despite the stretch. I won't go over the story line as other reviewers have covered such. Scenes which stay in my imagination: the scene at Pemberley during which Elizabeth discovers her needlework on Darcy's mantel piece, the scene where she first visits Netherfield not knowing Darcy is there, the first morning walk to which he so cleverly invites her and Jane going on-and-on about how Elizabeth met Mr. Wright/Right during a coach ride years before, not realizing Darcy is the gentleman. When having read so many other JAFF books scenes stay in my mind and I have to go back and re-read the whole book or at least from that scene on...you know the author has done something very rewarding for a lover of JAFF. Since this is basically the same book as Pemberley's Promise I posted my review on both sites.

I own 6 of Kara Louise's books. I am just now posting a review as up until I retired, I did not find the time. I have a project to re-read and post reviews even if they are very late in coming.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that I cannot get enough of Elizabeth and Darcy. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Lucky for me, there are a plethora of books inspired by Pride and Prejudice. Of course, none of them can hold a candle to the original, but this one does better than most. I quite enjoyed it.

Darcy's Voyage is Pride and Prejudice in an alternate universe, where Elizabeth and Darcy meet and fall in love while on a ship to the Americas. The result: less pride and less prejudice (but more kissing). Overall, it's a very satisfying read if you're in the mood for a light romance between characters you already know and love.

A few last notes:
1. This book is very "clean," not my usual trashy romance fare.
2. I got this ebook free from Barnes and Noble.
3. I'd really like to give this 3.5 stars, but I rounded up because it was free. Yes, I can be bought.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: Having just re-read this wonderful story I had forgotten how much I loved it and it was even better than I remembered! I highly recommend this story!

What a delightful story! I absolutely loved it! I was wondering how realistic it would feel with Darcy and Lizzy making their way across to America on a ship... but it surprised me how it really did seem feasible. I was also worried about the length, it being quite a long story compared to the other variations I had read, but I didn’t need to worry as the story flowed so well and I didn’t want it to end! I think the story didn’t seem to drag at all because of the amount of ‘screen time’ Lizzy and Darcy had. There were not many scenes or large periods of time where Lizzy and Darcy were not together, which is good as the best scenes are always when they are together!

I loved the prologue; Darcy and Lizzy meet in a carriage 2 years prior to the meeting on the ship and they get off to a good start and have an interesting conversation. However, neither finds out who the other is, so when they meet 2 years later, they both have that feeling of having met before but it takes a while for them to properly put two and two together. I really liked this running theme through the story and the question of when the other was going to realise they had already met!

The first half of the book was wonderful. All the scenes on the ship were full of detail and the relationship between Darcy and Lizzy and how it developed was fun to read. Darcy was the perfect gentleman and he was so considerate to Lizzy; what he did for her was an act of the utmost chivalry. We see their relationship flourish through morning walks up on deck and many incidents aboard the ship, Pemberley’s Promise. Darcy and Lizzy are both portrayed very well and she captures the essences of their original characters really well.

I thought it was very clever and interesting seeing how a prior meeting between our heroine and hero would affect the events which we see happen in the original; the meeting at Netherfield, the Netherfield Ball, the visit to Pemberley, Lady Catherine’s ‘visit’ to Lizzy, Lydia’s elopement. I found it a lot of fun to see how some of the iconic conversations which take place in the original are affected because of this prior relationship as well, and seeing Caroline Bingley’s rising suspicions about the two of them!

Georgiana was a fun character. Her relationship with her brother was very sweet and I really enjoyed seeing her caring side towards her brother and also her detective nature coming out when trying to work out the reasons behind Darcy’s low spirits and who this mysterious Elizabeth from Longbourn is.

The romance in this story was wonderful. Whilst being completely clean, it was still highly romantic; secret meetings and stolen kisses. I was very pleased with how the question of when the couple’s mutual love would be realised wasn’t drawn out for too long and (without giving too much away) that once it was realised, it was never doubted; it annoys me when a heroine keeping thinking ‘he loves me’, ‘he doesn’t love me’, ‘no wait he does!’ the entire story, or vice versa! The ending was wonderful; it links in very cleverly to the beginning of the story which takes place on the ship and it is a very satisfying and pleasing end! There is also an epilogue showing what happens to each of the characters in the story, which I like to have at the end of a story.

So, I shall bring my thought about this wonderful book to a close. If you can’t get enough of Darcy and Lizzy and want to read a story where they are thrown into completely different circumstances then this is for you. The trip to America is a very different approach to the story and it is accomplished extremely well. It was a highly enjoyable, witty, romantic and interesting story to read; I highly recommend it and I look forward to her other work!

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much liked this clean P & P variation with a small disclaimer. In the original Darcy & Lizzy cannot communicate due to logistics, societal norms and class differences. In this book they can't communicate because they are afraid of the answers; I dislike this plot device.

Unlike many other readers I disliked the time on the boat and their funks once back on land. Once they are reunited at Netherfield the book really gets going. The author is successful time compressing several important plot points much better than any other book I read that attempted that move.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darcy's Voyage, originally published as Pemberley's Promise in 2007, is a phenomenal Pride and Prejudice variation in which Mr. Darcy's and Elizabeth Bennet's first meeting is altered. Instead of meeting in the Meryton Assembly room, Darcy becomes acquainted with Elizabeth on a ship bound for America. Elizabeth is traveling to America to visit her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner who are in New York on business. Darcy's sole purpose for journeying to America is to accompany his sister Georgiana home from her visit with Mrs. Annesley's family. On a boat full of strangers Darcy is even more reserved and aloof than his natural wont. In addition, he criticizes his fellow female passengers as looking “meagerly tolerable” and deems them not “handsome enough to tempt” him. Elizabeth, on the other hand, while sleeping in the stifling and overcrowded steerage, enjoys befriending her fellow passengers and charitably spends her time tending to those who are unwell.

To continue reading, go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...

[K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oy. This book was decidedly no bueno. Alterna-P&P books are kind of my guilty pleasure, and this was was a) cheap on Amazon and b) had reasonable reviews, so I figure where's the harm? EVERYWHERE. That's where the harm was. EV. ERY. WHERE. The problems started for me by page 18, where Totally-Not-Meant-To-Know-He's-Darcy-Yet says "I see the carriage from my country home is already here." Um. No gentleman would ever refer to his wealth in such a public way, especially to a woman whose name he doesn't even know. "I see my carriage is here" would be more than sufficient.

While the idea of having Lizzy and Darcy formally meet on a ship bound for America was certainly a new one, that's primarily because in the Regency era, people would NEVER have made such an enormous trip for a couple of months. It was cost prohibitive and hugely dangerous. If, as the story would have us believe, Mr Gardiner had to go to America for business reasons for six months, there's no way he would have uprooted his entire family to go with him. And, if they were staying for that length of time, there's no way they would have stayed in a boarding house. Likewise, Darcy would never have stayed with the family of Georgiana's companion.

Around 35% of the book takes place on the journey from London to New York - again, historically in accurate. The ship would have sailed from Liverpool or at least put into an Irish port for supplies and passengers - and is therefore effectively the same events repeated over and over again. The term "aloft" is misused throughout to mean "to go up on deck", which meant that every time the word was used, I had a mental image of Lizzy standing in the topsail rigging in her half boots and Empire-waisted dress. Even the American history is inaccurate - P&P was published in 1813 but most agree that it's set a couple of years earlier. And yet we have people on board the ship who are going to settle in the Dakotas. Which didn't see permanent European settlement until 1817, and even that was a fur trading post - hardly the place you'd take your wife and two daughters to live.

The basic gist of the story is that Lizzy and Darcy get into a sham marriage on the ship so that she can have a comfortable bed, and they plan on getting an annulment later. Except that they never actually exchange address information, so how is he supposed to let her know that he's actually gone through with the annulment? Furthermore, large parts of the plot from that point on revolve around their marriage certificate. Except that marriage certificates weren't issued in the UK until July 1837 when the Registry Office was introduced to track all births, deaths, and marriages. So the fact that they wouldn't have had a marriage certificate negates at least half the plot.

Plot aside, the writing is clunky, constantly using five words when one will do or bizarrely constructed, with sentences like "He tried to grasp the words he just heard, determining if he could have somehow misunderstood the words." or "You must engage her to talk" common throughout. The dialogue is frequently far too modern, including phrases like "she pretty much decided" and "I would love to see you". Many of the supporting female characters have names that probably never graced a Regency ballroom, including Jenna, Amanda, Lauren, Lenore and Madlyn. (MADLYN?? REALLY???)

As if all of that wasn't sufficient enough to put you off reading this, we add in the servants. All the relationships between servants and masters are far too informal - I seriously doubt that Darcy's valet, on finding out that his master has been robbed of several pieces of diamond jewellery would apologise for the inconvenience - with the vast majority of servants referring to Mr Darcy by name, rather than as "sir". This even applies to the servants of friends - the Gardiners' maid greets him with something along the lines of "Mr Darcy! It's good to see you back", which would never have taken place if she'd been even vaguely interested in keeping her job.

In summary, do not read this tripe. It's one giant historical inaccuracy from start to finish, packed with clumsy writing, poorly thought out concepts, and is desperately in need of a decent editor. Add in the fact that apparently Shakespeare has chapters, and I can happily tell you that if I had a physical copy of this book, I would be stabbing it repeatedly with a basilisk fang, because it deserves nothing less.

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darcy and Elizabeth sail into their HEA [happy-ever-after] on Pemberley’s Promise

Source: library-ebook: Note, this was previously published as Pemberley’s Promise.

I read this years ago when I first started reading JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction] and loved it. I decided to read it again so I could write a review of this delightful book.

We open with a prologue where a young girl of about eight and ten years is traveling coach from London to her home. Also traveling coach is a well-dressed gentleman who is not accustomed to traveling in such a manner and is terribly uncomfortable and ill at ease. His regular conveyance was in need of repair thus forcing him to use public transportation. As they journey, he begins to notice her and evaluates her from her curls down to her sprained ankle. He notices her style of clothing and determines that she is gentry or at least a gentleman’s daughter, her eyes are intelligent and he likes the book she’s reading. Intrigued they eventually strike up a conversation on books, poetry, and such. Both are impressed at the intelligence of the other and soon forget that they are miles apart in their social circles. At the next stop for horses, the gentleman leaves as another of his carriages has arrived to meet him for the last leg of his trip. The young lady watches as he is driven away. Each regrets not getting the name of the other.

Our story opens two years later with Elizabeth making plans to journey to America to stay with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner where they are conducting business. Mr. Bennet accompanies Elizabeth to London and the shipyards and places her into the capable hands of Captain Wendell. Elizabeth waves a tearful goodbye to her father and the Pemberley’s Promise sails from the harbor. Elizabeth soon relaxes and tries to enjoy the month long journey.

This is a delightful, charming, and exciting book. There is adventure, intrigue and angst as we watch another passenger try to enjoy his month long journey while avoiding social situations that drive him crazy. From the first day, every matchmaking parent, every single woman aboard ship has evaluated the handsome stranger from his demeanor and the cut of his well-made clothing and determined him to be a wealthy man in need of a wife. Mr. Darcy has determined his month long journey will not be so enjoyable.

Illness, storms, and long days make for an interesting journey for ODC [our dear couple]. There are swoon worthy scenes through their trip. Misunderstandings and longings move the drama as ODC separates when they reach America.

They do not see each other again until Elizabeth returns home and finds that Jane is sick at Netherfield. She then walks the three miles and suddenly finds herself face-to-face with Mr. Darcy. This is a cannot put it down journey for ODC. I was up until 2:00 a.m. trying to reach the HEA. What a trip, what a journey, I loved, LOVED it. It is so exciting, so steamy, so I can’t get enough of them.

Our antagonists are aplenty. Let’s see, we have Caroline [deliciously conniving], Wickham [slinking snake in the grass, pain in the…], Lady Catherine [oh so vocal and devious and just plain mean], and Mr. Collins, just cause.

We have all our wonderful characters, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Jane and Bingley. This was so much fun. It is a clean story with a feel good ending and our dear couple trying so hard to make everything right for their happy life. The end and epilogue is so cute and delightful. I simply loved it.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is not a sequel but a retelling of Pride and Prejudice with the some of the action takes place on a boat. It really is a great way to interpret Jane Austen's beloved novel "Pride and Prejudice." What if the events of both Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet took them down different paths. Would they still end up together? Would they still fall in love? We wonder about our own lives and how if we took a different path and life would we end up at the same spot?

So you see the author is not attempting to rewrite Pride and Prejudice or give it a sequel. Even if you are critical when it comes to fiction about Jane Austen or Pride and Prejudice, I think you will enjoy this book emensely. I will issue a warning that some of the language and the style are not like that of Jane Austen. I enjoyed how even though the two main characters met on a ship, certain events or converstations took place that also took place in Pride and Prejudice. For example, the discussion of an "accomplished lady," or Charles Bingley's letting of Netherfield Park.

If you are unfamiliar with Pride and Prejudice and don't understand what is written above here is the scenario:

Elizabeth Bennet is sailing to America to see her aunt and uncle who are in New York on business. This is not in modern times, so a unmarried woman travelling on a ship for a month unattended is a little dangerous. Another person travelling to America is Fitzwilliam Darcy, he owns the ship they are travelling on and does not want anyone to know it. In fact he wants little to do with anyone on the ship. He just wants to go to America to retrieve his sister rather than have her come back unattended. Mr. Darcy is of course ver wealthy and the target of many matching making mother aboard the ship. Elizabeth is in the steerage which is the lowest and poorest part of the ship. These two characters keep bumping into each other, Darcy is concerened when Elizabeth is ill and will not get any better because of the poor living conditions she is in on the ship. Mr. Darcy makes her an extraordinary offer. . .

I will not tell you any more, hopefully this haas whetted your appetite. I highly recommend the book to anyone with an open-mind, a love for anything to do with Pride and Prejudice, or someone who enjoys period romances.

[Chris, the Dalek King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting when they are on the ship, the rest of it gets so incredibly drawn out that it becomes tedious. To be honest by the 70% mark I was pretty sure a lot of the story was there simply to make the book long, instead of the book being long because there was a lot of story to tell.

The author's tendency to try and revert the plot back to the one found in the original book also made Darcy and Elizabeth act wildly out of character in some situations. And any time she worked in a direct quote from the original story is was painfully obvious. Had she not been so set on cramming her plot into the plot of Pride and Prejudice, I think it would have worked a lot better. As is, it is clearly a poor imitation.

DNF @70%

[Ree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Enough Dialogue
Reviewed in Canada on May 4, 2019
While the beginning of this story was very good, it became a bit dull to me after the docking in America. With weeks at sea, I expected more talking. This book had far too much narrative and not enough dialogue between ODC. While it didn’t quite follow canon, once they returned to England, the usual characters who made trouble, did, so it became boring. Grammatical errors as well didn’t help my critique.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought for sure this would be a book I quit early on, so I was pleasantly surprised that it held my attention like it did.
.
It's a completely ridiculous attempt at a Pride and Prejudice retelling. It would have been better without trying to shove this story into the confines of Elizabeth and Darcy as we know them from the book. But as a regency romance it works just fine.
.
I did love what she did with Caroline Bingley...the ultimate mean girl!

[Eliza Baum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story. I think it was too long, and there were whole swaths in the middle that I ended up skimming, but overall I really enjoyed it. The first part of the story, on the ship, was definitely the better part for me. Once the story started to slip into the "normal" plot, it became less interesting. I wish there could have been a bit more variation once Bingley and Darcy came to Hertfordshire, since the tale as a whole started so differently. It was disappointing that it relied largely on the same old plot changes.

Despite those complaints, I did really enjoy the story. The secrecy, the wondering, the furtive walks at Netherfield...very nice.

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know if I would have finished this book if I hadn't been putting off something else. The open seas... set a few chapters on a ship's deck with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy walking back and forth across it (and often not exchanging many words), and ta-da the open seas. There weren't any pirates. There wasn't any intrigue. There wasn't any action, frankly. Getting sick is not exciting. Mostly I felt sorry for Wendell, who has to put up with Darcy's inane behavior.
After 300 pages, we finally come across the rest of the characters from the book, and the story is so uninterested, Wickham comes across as having the depths of a 10 minute cartoon villain. I don't think Mrs. Bennet actually shows up more than once or twice; what she says is relayed indirectly. The epilogue is self-indulgent and idiotic. Nobody cares how many children they had-- what, does the reader need a snapshot of them for her refrigerator?--, or who her other sisters married, since her sisters weren't characters to begin with, it's just a jumble of words and names, which fail to signify anything, much less point back to any sentiment in keeping with Jane Austen's original novel.
Also, I am tired of people construing deep meanings from what their significant others say in their sleep. People really don't talk in their sleep that much, and if or when they do, it's something stupid.
All in all, it drove me back to my schoolwork.

[Nicole Barton Sasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave Darcy's Voyage only three stars because I cannot help but compare it with all the other P&P inspired novels I have read. BUT, I did enjoy it enough to read it in one sitting! I would recommend Darcy's Voyage to anyone who loves this literary couple as I do.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

No attention to Regency details at all! First Elizabeth is alone on a post coach and then she sets off unaccompanied to America. Not giving it another try. I actually didn’t even remember reading it which is a bad sign.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pride and Prejudice retelling that has Elizabeth and Darcy meet on a boat sailing to America. I'm a sucker for anything P&P related and this was a sweet story that captured the essence of the main characters.

[Anna]

Darcy’s Voyage proved to me that I’m still not growing weary of the numerous sequels and re-tellings of Jane Austen’s novels. In this re-imagined Pride and Prejudice, Kara Louise takes readers on a completely different journey while staying true to Austen’s beloved characters and arriving at the same conclusion.

Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy meet in a carriage, and after enjoying a lively discussion, they part ways. Two years later, Elizabeth convinces her father to let her travel alone to America to visit her Uncle and Aunt Gardiner. After boarding Pemberley’s Promise, she runs into Mr. Darcy, and they strike up a friendship, not realizing he is the man from the carriage and the owner of the ship. Elizabeth is booked in steerage, and she willingly gives up her bed to a pregnant woman whose daughter falls ill. And when Elizabeth also becomes sick and injures her ankle, Mr. Darcy devises a plan that will allow her to sleep in the extra bed in his cabin — and joins the two of them together permanently.

Of course, misunderstandings separate them once they reach New York, but after returning to England, they are reunited at Netherfield, and readers are reunited with the rest of the cast of Pride and Prejudice. In addition to the complicated situation carrying over from the voyage, Darcy and Elizabeth still must deal with George Wickham’s evil ways, Caroline Bingley’s arrogance, and Lady Catherine’s rage. Louise handles these things (and more) much differently than Austen, breathing fresh air into a story I know inside and out.

Although I found it hard to believe that Mr. Bennet, being a gentleman, would allow Elizabeth to travel solo and that Elizabeth and Darcy didn’t recognize one another on the ship after being so smitten for months after the carriage ride two years prior, I really enjoyed Darcy’s Voyage. Because they meet in a far different manner, there isn’t the prejudice that Austen created, though pride is glimpsed here and there. Darcy’s Voyage is more about keeping love intact at all costs than about overcoming pride and prejudice. Louise puts a unique spin on events, with enough tension to carry the story until the end, where some things play out differently than in Austen’s novel. Darcy’s Voyage is among the most creative Austen re-tellings I’ve read in awhile.

Review posted on Diary of an Eccentric

I received a free copy of this book for review.

[Chahrazad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well Well... I can't believe how quickly I finished this one despite the length, but then it's all Austen's charm.

I approached this one with suspicion since I don't think anyone can compete with Jane Austen or appropriate her characters. and you know what? I was RIGHT!

I struggled at the beginning with comparisons; I couldn't get the original "Pride and Prejudice" out of my head.

The story brought different aspects of the heroes' personalities: Darcy wasn't portrayed as being arrogant but rather shy, and Elizabeth Bennet didn't have those prejudices, and I think mainly because they met in different circumstances, without the intervention of the Bennet family.

I felt that the writer should have opted for the third person limited for her narration rather than the omniscient, since it most of the time killed the sense of mystery. Darcy in this novel isn't the same mysterious and enigmatic person as in the original Pride and Prejudice, and having constant access to his thoughts wasn't a welcome feeling and sometimes got boring.

I don't know what to think of the whole voyage to America... I felt at a certain point that all the writer wanted to do was to throw the couple in constant company of each other and that's why she chose a ship, since the whole part of them being in America was of no consequence!

The last part about Lydia and Mrs.Bennet was hilarious and so witty, it was a welcome surprise!

I succeeded in enjoying the book only when I started to look at the characters as being not the ones in Austen's novel. I couldn't stop seeing Colin Firth in my head though!

[Nicole(thereadingrebel) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth and Darcy have a chance meeting 2 years before they meet again sailing on Darcy's ship Pemberley's Promise. Elizabeth is one her way to visit her aunt and uncle and Darcy to retrieve his sister. Darcy and Elizabeth's Voyage to love is just as delightful in this book as the original. Original lines and scenes are re-imagined in unique and realistically original ways. You can easily see these conversations taking place. New problems and old plaque are couple on there way to happiness. I was very happy to see both Darcy and Elizabeth's feelings within a scene and it is not just being told from one of there PoVs. All the characters are true to the ones in the original novel right down to the wicked Wickham and snobbish fake Miss Bingley. This book may be 500 pages but I found it going by very fast and couldn't believe it seemed so short. I recommend this book to all fans of Pride and Prejudice.

Content Rating:PG(sensual kisses and embraces)

Keeper:YES

this review can also be found on my blog thereadingrebel.wordpress.com

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Pride & Prejudice fanfiction in which Darcy and Elizabeth meet on board a ship. The story continues on to England after the voyage. It has all the original characters and characterizations, and almost all of the major events of the original. The time period is the same, the financial situations are the same. So, I confess, I don't really see a point to this book.

I suppose the author wanted to have an opportunity to write the world's most beloved couple be in love over many more pages; a chance to write more (still chaste) romance between them.

This would probably get three stars if it was an original novel, or if some of the original scenes were read as internet fanfiction. However, I really didn't like the dinner scene in which Jane blurted out a sensitive secret of Lizzie's (ala Marianne volunteering the initials of Edward Ferrars in S&S), that seemed completely out of character for her.

...At least there weren't any zombies?

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a 'delightful diversion' from a heavier, more intense book I am reading. I enjoyed the premise of Eluzabeth and Darcy meeting long before his arrival in Hertfordshire and the author intertwined actual P&P events nicely throughout the story.

An easy, enjoyable read that I would recommend for anyone interested in P&P what if's. The characters and dialogue were true to the original.

[Ruth Hinds · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning, when they're on the ship, I wasn't sure what I thought about the book. I wished the author had just made up her own characters rather than using Darcy and Elizabeth. However, as the story unfolded, and wove in and around the original book's events, I really enjoyed it! I think it was cleverly done.

[juliegoonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wildly imaginative Pride & Prejudice retelling! This book was so fun to read. I really didn't want it to end! It's official, I'm a Kara Louise fan for life!!!!!

[Literary Chanteuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Barbara K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of being long, with some repetitiveness and slowing down at times, and a highly implausible premise, this variation on Pride and Prejudice held my interest. I don't think her aunt and uncle or her father would have allowed Elizabeth Bennet to travel alone, on that initial carriage ride, or especially on such a long sea voyage, and in steerage. Nor do I think annulments would have been considered so casual an affair, or that a sea captain with any integrity, even for the owner of the ship, would perform a marriage when he knew the plan was to have it annulled later, especially when he had promised her father to see to her care, and the lady in question was underage.

That said, I wanted to know how the story turned out, and that kept me reading through several plot complications and kept me following the events with great interest in the outcomes. I have a few favorite scenes, and overall it was definitely an entertaining story.

Recommended to lovers of Jane Austen variations who love romance and an interesting story in spite of implausibilities.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is rather weak (even a fevered Elizabeth thinks Darcy's proposition is the dumbest thing she's ever heard), but the story was fun.

[Yvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

P & P variations can be fraught with difficulties. To take beloved characters and add to the narrative is a brave move and for some of us that just love the world Austen creates, we are happy to delve in with a critical eye.
This author has done a fantastic job in recreating the story with a mix of familiar scenes but has added her own which instead of detracting from the story, added to it. And most importantly she has maintained the integrity of the characters.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story brought me joy and therefore it gets 5 stars.

[Melanie Stanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent P&P variation!