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Darcy & Elizabeth #3
The Darcys: The Ruling Passion
A follow-up to Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife and Darcy & Elizabeth, the best-selling Jane Austen Pride & Prejudice sequels to date. The Ruling Passion is the winner of the IPPY 2012 Gold Medal for Historical Romance.
356 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
88 people are currently reading
1394 people want to read
About the author
Linda Berdoll
10 books217 followersNUMBER 4 - The Darcys: New Pleasures
With the success of her latest Pride & Prejudice sequel, The Ruling Passion, Linda has just completed a continuation of their story in The Darcys: New Pleasures:
Even twenty years into their future, Mr. Darcy remains every woman’s ideal. Still darkly handsome, he is a gentleman of vast wealth and exceptional leg. His virility, whilst of considerable note, is not what invites adoration. His true allure is his all-encompassing love for his wife. Indeed, Elizabeth and Darcy’s passion for each other remains steadfast.
There is but one test that stands in the way of the Darcys’ boundless happiness in this latest telling. It is an ordeal familiar to parents through the ages. Their offspring have come of age and are eager to pursue their own love affairs.
Moreover, Elizabeth Darcy, the Mistress of Pemberley, has been overtaken by a peculiar malaise. Her disorder has the entire family in a state of agitation. Darcy is particularly uneasy. Hence, when he learns that his son engaged in a flirtation with a village wench, he reproves him a tad too vehemently.
His pride injured, Geoff flings himself headlong down Calamity Road–in the company of George Wickham’s son.
~~~~~~
In Ms. Berdoll's wildly successful Pride & Prejudice sequels, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, Darcy & Elizabeth, and the Ruling Passion, have over 400,000 copies in print. The Ruling Passion has been given the Independent Publisher's Gold Award 2012 for Historical fiction. Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife (2004) won FOREWORD MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR Silver Award, and Darcy & Elizabeth, winner of INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER’S BOOK AWARDS - 1st Place HISTORICAL FICTION 2007.
New Pleasures is now available in soft cover on Linda's website www.lindaberdoll.us, in digital and paperback on Amazon and BN.com. Her books are on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and available to order through bookstores large and small.
Review for The Ruling Passion From Austenprose.com
Best-selling author Linda Berdoll's Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife and Darcy & Elizabeth have been hailed as "sexy, hilarious, poignant" and "wild, bawdy and utterly enjoyable (Booklist.)" The Ruling Passion, her highly anticipated sequel to the sequels, has finally come to fruition... If your sensibilities are offended by explicit, passionate love scenes with Jane Austen's original namesakes, this is presumably NOT the book for you. However, those who delight in reading about the Darcys beyond Pride and Prejudice, including all their complexities, and intimacies, (in and around the bedroom), and most particularly if you are a fan of Berdoll's previous works, The Ruling Passion is not to be missed! Yes, hold on to your bonnets as Linda Berdoll has quite done it again. Christina Boyd 4.5 of 5 stars
In a change of pace from her Jane Austen sequels, Linda released Fandango in 2010. This tale takes place in 19th C. San Francisco. In this entirely original work, our heroine, young Annabella Chase comes to learn that it's one thing to go asking for trouble, quite another to offer it a chair.
While researching her Pride & Prejudice sequels, she collected a vast store of euphemistic grandiloquence and wove it into a small gift book titled Very Nice Ways to Say Very Bad Things.
With the success of her latest Pride & Prejudice sequel, The Ruling Passion, Linda has just completed a continuation of their story in The Darcys: New Pleasures:
Even twenty years into their future, Mr. Darcy remains every woman’s ideal. Still darkly handsome, he is a gentleman of vast wealth and exceptional leg. His virility, whilst of considerable note, is not what invites adoration. His true allure is his all-encompassing love for his wife. Indeed, Elizabeth and Darcy’s passion for each other remains steadfast.
There is but one test that stands in the way of the Darcys’ boundless happiness in this latest telling. It is an ordeal familiar to parents through the ages. Their offspring have come of age and are eager to pursue their own love affairs.
Moreover, Elizabeth Darcy, the Mistress of Pemberley, has been overtaken by a peculiar malaise. Her disorder has the entire family in a state of agitation. Darcy is particularly uneasy. Hence, when he learns that his son engaged in a flirtation with a village wench, he reproves him a tad too vehemently.
His pride injured, Geoff flings himself headlong down Calamity Road–in the company of George Wickham’s son.
~~~~~~
In Ms. Berdoll's wildly successful Pride & Prejudice sequels, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, Darcy & Elizabeth, and the Ruling Passion, have over 400,000 copies in print. The Ruling Passion has been given the Independent Publisher's Gold Award 2012 for Historical fiction. Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife (2004) won FOREWORD MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR Silver Award, and Darcy & Elizabeth, winner of INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER’S BOOK AWARDS - 1st Place HISTORICAL FICTION 2007.
New Pleasures is now available in soft cover on Linda's website www.lindaberdoll.us, in digital and paperback on Amazon and BN.com. Her books are on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and available to order through bookstores large and small.
Review for The Ruling Passion From Austenprose.com
Best-selling author Linda Berdoll's Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife and Darcy & Elizabeth have been hailed as "sexy, hilarious, poignant" and "wild, bawdy and utterly enjoyable (Booklist.)" The Ruling Passion, her highly anticipated sequel to the sequels, has finally come to fruition... If your sensibilities are offended by explicit, passionate love scenes with Jane Austen's original namesakes, this is presumably NOT the book for you. However, those who delight in reading about the Darcys beyond Pride and Prejudice, including all their complexities, and intimacies, (in and around the bedroom), and most particularly if you are a fan of Berdoll's previous works, The Ruling Passion is not to be missed! Yes, hold on to your bonnets as Linda Berdoll has quite done it again. Christina Boyd 4.5 of 5 stars
In a change of pace from her Jane Austen sequels, Linda released Fandango in 2010. This tale takes place in 19th C. San Francisco. In this entirely original work, our heroine, young Annabella Chase comes to learn that it's one thing to go asking for trouble, quite another to offer it a chair.
While researching her Pride & Prejudice sequels, she collected a vast store of euphemistic grandiloquence and wove it into a small gift book titled Very Nice Ways to Say Very Bad Things.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 2, 2021
This is one of those stories I read before I retired and began reviewing every book I read. I do want to reread all those stories which I did not review but as time has slipped by and I haven't done so, I just want to mark all those stories as "read" so I have a record of the true number of books in the JAFF sub-genre I have read. If I ever get around to rereading it I will look at my rating to make sure it is true to my opinion. It was published in October 11, 2011 so that is most likely when I read it.
This author writes steamy sexual scenes so be warned. MA rating.
This author writes steamy sexual scenes so be warned. MA rating.
January 15, 2017
I loved this book. I thought it was as good as the first. Ms Berdoll's style stayed consistent through the series. I am about 100 pages into the 4th book now.
September 6, 2018
An engaging final book
Intrigue, betrayal, shooting, politics, lots of people trying to get something from them. But also joy, heartbreaking sadness, passion and an everlasting love.
Intrigue, betrayal, shooting, politics, lots of people trying to get something from them. But also joy, heartbreaking sadness, passion and an everlasting love.
March 18, 2012
Best-selling author Linda Berdoll’s Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife and Darcy & Elizabeth have been hailed as “sexy, hilarious, poignant” and “wild, bawdy and utterly enjoyable (Booklist.)” But also “blasphemy, smut and trash” are not uncommon adjectives used by her severest critics. Rarely has there been such a clear division of thought between two camps: those that fervently love her work and those that vehemently hate it. I for one am with Team Berdoll and at the risk of having my Janeite card revoked, boldly declare that Linda Berdoll sets the standard for this romance genre. I will stride out even further by surmising that many “romance” writers of Pride and Prejudice re-imaginings and sequels strive to emulate not Jane Austen, but Linda Berdoll. Regardless of what side you defend or how you receive my pert opinions, having sold nearly 350,000 copies, one cannot deny Linda Berdoll is the reigning Pride & Prejudice romantic sequel writer to date.
The Ruling Passion, her highly anticipated sequel to the sequels, has finally come to fruition. This self-published sequel opens in the year ’18, approximately two years after Darcy & Elizabeth, Night and Days at Pemberley concludes wherein Darcy had saved the family from scandal (again) and that scurrilous rat George Wickham has received his comeuppance -- his “whennymegs” were shot off! The Darcy’s still have an exceedingly loving marriage in this continuation of one of classic literatures most beloved couples. “Despite their duties to hearth, park and children, they consoled each other’s enduring appetence with great enthusiasm. Time and children had not mitigated their passion whatsoever. If any consternation bedeviled them, it was finding privacy wherein to avail themselves of their desire, not want of it.” p.8.
Albeit, what bedevils the Darcy’s is the re-introduction of Lady Howgrave, formerly Juliette Clisson, newcomer to the neighborhood, but as Darcy’s courtesan of his bachelor days, not new to this narrative. As we discover that Juliette’s marriage contract was partially based on her presenting Sir Henry Howgrave with a son and heir, his own potency comes into question. Although the beautiful Juliette could easily engage any number of competent studs, her own experiences with Darcy’s virile credentials and his now known accomplishment at fathering sons, she becomes well-nigh obsessed with getting him back into her bed. Or carraige. Or wherever she can entrap him.
Whilst Reactionaries and Civil Libertarians rally for political support, and as radicals and rabble rousers incite riots in London, sadness falls upon Pemberley: the Darcy’s lose an infant son to a putrid fever. Elizabeth slips into a deep depression and closes herself off to her husband and his comfort. “Her love for her husband had not wavered. But, imbedded in a muddle of fear and grief, she did not allow herself to take pleasure in their amorous inclinations. She clasped his nightshirt and buried her face against his neck as he took her.” p.172. Therefore, as Elizabeth undertakes a circuitous quest for redemption from Pemberley to her childhood home of Longbourne and back, the Darcy’s too must find a way back to each other.
Berdoll weaves a rich cabal by her own coloring of classic Austen characters as well as those she thusly contrived. Her style of recounting each character’s tale, entangling with all the others is mesmerizing and kept me turning pages as I puzzled out their fit. I laughed heartily at the tongue in cheek (and other sensitive spots) euphemisms of the burlesque, smirked at her quirky yet exacting vernacular, smiled at the quick-witted teasing, and sighed at the tender exchanges between a man and woman who truly adore one another. I might add, unlike the Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife, when the Darcy’s were newly married and their conjugal proclivities numerous -- and ubiquitous-- this latest offering does not focus as much on those amorous seductions. As much. But more on the vissitudes of Elizabeth & Darcy, Juliette’s scheming, and the intrigue of a Mr. Alistair R. Thomas.
If your sensibilities are offended by explicit, passionate love scenes with Jane Austen’s original namesakes, this is presumably NOT the book for you. However, those who delight in reading about the Darcy’s beyond Pride and Prejudice, including all their complexities, and intimacies (in and around the bedroom,) and most particularly if you are a fan of Berdoll’s previous works, The Ruling Passion is not to be missed! Yes, hold on to your bonnets as Linda Berdoll has quite done it again.
The Ruling Passion, her highly anticipated sequel to the sequels, has finally come to fruition. This self-published sequel opens in the year ’18, approximately two years after Darcy & Elizabeth, Night and Days at Pemberley concludes wherein Darcy had saved the family from scandal (again) and that scurrilous rat George Wickham has received his comeuppance -- his “whennymegs” were shot off! The Darcy’s still have an exceedingly loving marriage in this continuation of one of classic literatures most beloved couples. “Despite their duties to hearth, park and children, they consoled each other’s enduring appetence with great enthusiasm. Time and children had not mitigated their passion whatsoever. If any consternation bedeviled them, it was finding privacy wherein to avail themselves of their desire, not want of it.” p.8.
Albeit, what bedevils the Darcy’s is the re-introduction of Lady Howgrave, formerly Juliette Clisson, newcomer to the neighborhood, but as Darcy’s courtesan of his bachelor days, not new to this narrative. As we discover that Juliette’s marriage contract was partially based on her presenting Sir Henry Howgrave with a son and heir, his own potency comes into question. Although the beautiful Juliette could easily engage any number of competent studs, her own experiences with Darcy’s virile credentials and his now known accomplishment at fathering sons, she becomes well-nigh obsessed with getting him back into her bed. Or carraige. Or wherever she can entrap him.
Whilst Reactionaries and Civil Libertarians rally for political support, and as radicals and rabble rousers incite riots in London, sadness falls upon Pemberley: the Darcy’s lose an infant son to a putrid fever. Elizabeth slips into a deep depression and closes herself off to her husband and his comfort. “Her love for her husband had not wavered. But, imbedded in a muddle of fear and grief, she did not allow herself to take pleasure in their amorous inclinations. She clasped his nightshirt and buried her face against his neck as he took her.” p.172. Therefore, as Elizabeth undertakes a circuitous quest for redemption from Pemberley to her childhood home of Longbourne and back, the Darcy’s too must find a way back to each other.
Berdoll weaves a rich cabal by her own coloring of classic Austen characters as well as those she thusly contrived. Her style of recounting each character’s tale, entangling with all the others is mesmerizing and kept me turning pages as I puzzled out their fit. I laughed heartily at the tongue in cheek (and other sensitive spots) euphemisms of the burlesque, smirked at her quirky yet exacting vernacular, smiled at the quick-witted teasing, and sighed at the tender exchanges between a man and woman who truly adore one another. I might add, unlike the Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife, when the Darcy’s were newly married and their conjugal proclivities numerous -- and ubiquitous-- this latest offering does not focus as much on those amorous seductions. As much. But more on the vissitudes of Elizabeth & Darcy, Juliette’s scheming, and the intrigue of a Mr. Alistair R. Thomas.
If your sensibilities are offended by explicit, passionate love scenes with Jane Austen’s original namesakes, this is presumably NOT the book for you. However, those who delight in reading about the Darcy’s beyond Pride and Prejudice, including all their complexities, and intimacies (in and around the bedroom,) and most particularly if you are a fan of Berdoll’s previous works, The Ruling Passion is not to be missed! Yes, hold on to your bonnets as Linda Berdoll has quite done it again.
November 22, 2011
Oh how I wanted this to be amazing! I spent the better part of two week re-reading the first two in her series Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife and Darcy and Darcy and Elizabeth and did not regret a minute of it. After reading countless Pride and Prejudice variations I felt a need to refresh myself as I read these first two years ago; actually Berdoll's novels started my obsession with P&P fan fiction. This was a long awaited book that I was beside myself with joy when I finally received it in the mail. This being said, you can understand my pain in having to be honest when writing that I was not blown away by this third installment of a beloved series. :(
Although the shortest in the series, I felt it dragged on. The descriptive passion was still there, but it was certainly more tame than her previous two. The plot was weaker and less action occurred. The premise of Juliette filled the book, when the reader knows full well by now that nothing was going to happen between her and Darcy. For me it lacked any real conflicts between Elizabeth and Darcy. They lose a child and although devastating, nothing really developed out of it. I much more enjoyed Sharon Lathan's similar plot twist in her Darcy Saga series which created a much more creative turn of events for the couple that was heart wrenching and dramatic. The loss of Darcy's dog may have been the most emotional part of the book for me. :( I can't believe I just said that. I so wanted to love this third book as I love the others and my absence of praise for it by no means weakens my love for the first two in the series that started me on my way to having a strong obsession and addiction to Pride and Prejudice literature.
Although the shortest in the series, I felt it dragged on. The descriptive passion was still there, but it was certainly more tame than her previous two. The plot was weaker and less action occurred. The premise of Juliette filled the book, when the reader knows full well by now that nothing was going to happen between her and Darcy. For me it lacked any real conflicts between Elizabeth and Darcy. They lose a child and although devastating, nothing really developed out of it. I much more enjoyed Sharon Lathan's similar plot twist in her Darcy Saga series which created a much more creative turn of events for the couple that was heart wrenching and dramatic. The loss of Darcy's dog may have been the most emotional part of the book for me. :( I can't believe I just said that. I so wanted to love this third book as I love the others and my absence of praise for it by no means weakens my love for the first two in the series that started me on my way to having a strong obsession and addiction to Pride and Prejudice literature.
January 18, 2017
I confess that I didn't enjoy the last two books of the trilogy quite as much as the first, but they're still worth a read, especially if you love all things P & P.
February 11, 2015
The Darcys: The Ruling Passion
I love when a story comes to a good ending. Book 3 of Linda Berdoll's variations continues the amorous love between Darcy and Elizabeth. Many times their love is tested by family, friends, and others who want what's not theirs. Caroline and Wickham finally get their just rewards as well as Juliette, the courtesan he frequently visited before he met Elizabeth at the Meryton Assembly. She tries every trick in her bag of arts and allurements to snare Darcy from Elizabeth. In the end our hero stays true to the country lady with the fine eyes. Repartee throughout the three books makes the series fun to read. If sex scenes are not you cup of tea, avoid these books.
I love when a story comes to a good ending. Book 3 of Linda Berdoll's variations continues the amorous love between Darcy and Elizabeth. Many times their love is tested by family, friends, and others who want what's not theirs. Caroline and Wickham finally get their just rewards as well as Juliette, the courtesan he frequently visited before he met Elizabeth at the Meryton Assembly. She tries every trick in her bag of arts and allurements to snare Darcy from Elizabeth. In the end our hero stays true to the country lady with the fine eyes. Repartee throughout the three books makes the series fun to read. If sex scenes are not you cup of tea, avoid these books.
July 30, 2012
After reading this, I was left with the opinion that this series shouldn't have been a trilogy. The first book I enjoyed, the second less so, and this one not so much. More often then not the plot points and new characters bordered on ridiculous. Despite low expectations I found myself rolling my eyes and struggling to get through this. I can't even really pin point exact issues with it... It was just silly nonsense.
August 2, 2024
When I learned there was yet another part to the series, I was elated. I suppose it was inevitable, then, that my expectations were a little too high. That's not to say that it's not interesting—it is—but it could have used a bit more editing. (I discovered this volume, unlike her first two, was self-published, which may explain why here wasn't a more rigorous editorial review.) There seems to be much that is extraneous to the plot, which does not reveal itself soon enough, and… while I know she intentionally uses "compleat" as an archaic variant of "complete", the repeated use of "discrete" when she means "discreet" and "ton" instead of "town" seems more like substituting spell-check for proper copy-editing than anything else (if these are valid archaic variants, then I stand corrected).
And—as much as it pains me to say this—the sex scenes, which were a feature in the first book, seem like wedged-in afterthoughts in this book. (That is not to say they are not enjoyable, but they just seem devoid of context. Also, I have a v. difficult time picturing Lizzy wearing a cape, boots, and nothing more to surprise Darcy in the bedchamber.)
And—as much as it pains me to say this—the sex scenes, which were a feature in the first book, seem like wedged-in afterthoughts in this book. (That is not to say they are not enjoyable, but they just seem devoid of context. Also, I have a v. difficult time picturing Lizzy wearing a cape, boots, and nothing more to surprise Darcy in the bedchamber.)
November 11, 2024
2.5⭐️
Aside from the fact that the editor was asleep at the wheel on this one (I’ve never seen so many punctuation errors, missing words, or straight up wrong word used in the sentence mistakes in my life!), the chapters read like they were put in a gravity pick machine for the lottery. There is a vague linear plot line happening underneath but everything else went through a randomizer.
Maybe it was the timing. I really hoped spending time with Darcy and Lizzy would help me escape the dumpster fire that is current affairs right now but it didn’t seem to work. They were almost side characters in their own book. I probably should have ended after the first in the series. The drama is getting forced now because we have to have reasons for them to stop sleeping together so we can have the explosive make up moment.
I do, however, applaud the author for her ability to imitate Austen style writing. The dictionary-look-up worthy words and the verboseness used by the characters felt authentic.
The first book is super fun though. Having these two just be horny for each other all over Pemberley is exactly what you want it to be.
Aside from the fact that the editor was asleep at the wheel on this one (I’ve never seen so many punctuation errors, missing words, or straight up wrong word used in the sentence mistakes in my life!), the chapters read like they were put in a gravity pick machine for the lottery. There is a vague linear plot line happening underneath but everything else went through a randomizer.
Maybe it was the timing. I really hoped spending time with Darcy and Lizzy would help me escape the dumpster fire that is current affairs right now but it didn’t seem to work. They were almost side characters in their own book. I probably should have ended after the first in the series. The drama is getting forced now because we have to have reasons for them to stop sleeping together so we can have the explosive make up moment.
I do, however, applaud the author for her ability to imitate Austen style writing. The dictionary-look-up worthy words and the verboseness used by the characters felt authentic.
The first book is super fun though. Having these two just be horny for each other all over Pemberley is exactly what you want it to be.
March 25, 2023
Third in the Pride and Prejudice Continues series, beginning with the Darcy‘s: Mr. Darcy takes a wife and continuing with the Darcy‘s: Darcy and Elizabeth, days and nights at Pemberley, and now the Darcy‘s: the ruling passion. The author has also written a fourth book a Darcy‘s: the pleasure continues, that is supposedly working on a fifth book in the series.
Where there are hundreds, thousands of Jane Austen, continuations and fan fiction books, Linda Beardall has emulated Jane Austen’s writing, but has drawn back the curtain on “private scenes“ and portrayed intimate scenes with quite open, erotic and and imaginative use of wonderful euphemisms for body, parts and actions in lovemaking. This has made this series quite different from any of the other continuations or fanfiction that I have read emulating Jane Austen. Here Darcy and Elizabeth truly continue their love for each other over the years.
Where there are hundreds, thousands of Jane Austen, continuations and fan fiction books, Linda Beardall has emulated Jane Austen’s writing, but has drawn back the curtain on “private scenes“ and portrayed intimate scenes with quite open, erotic and and imaginative use of wonderful euphemisms for body, parts and actions in lovemaking. This has made this series quite different from any of the other continuations or fanfiction that I have read emulating Jane Austen. Here Darcy and Elizabeth truly continue their love for each other over the years.
February 1, 2021
I believe the author is the one who is prejudiced....
This was terrible. The first book was good, second ok (but I admit to skipping several chapters throughout) and this one a complete chore to read! I’m uncertain if I will read the 4th installment. I appreciate her ability to weave the history of the times into her books, but nobody reads a pride and prejudice story for the history, they read because they want to escape to Pemberly! With the way she has Cast several characters tales it is hard to like anyone from the original story as she has weaved these terribly jaundiced and depressing stories for them.
This was terrible. The first book was good, second ok (but I admit to skipping several chapters throughout) and this one a complete chore to read! I’m uncertain if I will read the 4th installment. I appreciate her ability to weave the history of the times into her books, but nobody reads a pride and prejudice story for the history, they read because they want to escape to Pemberly! With the way she has Cast several characters tales it is hard to like anyone from the original story as she has weaved these terribly jaundiced and depressing stories for them.
August 19, 2025
A great read, but rife with typos and mostakes
I love all of Linda Berdoll’s books about the Darcys and Pemberley. This one, however, was shockingly filled with typos including misplaced and incorrect words, misspellings and grammatical mistakes. I started marking them, but there were so many I gave up. I think it needs another editing. The story was engaging and I enjoyed that very much.
I love all of Linda Berdoll’s books about the Darcys and Pemberley. This one, however, was shockingly filled with typos including misplaced and incorrect words, misspellings and grammatical mistakes. I started marking them, but there were so many I gave up. I think it needs another editing. The story was engaging and I enjoyed that very much.
January 6, 2018
If you're looking for broadly drawn caricatures of characters like it's a late season sitcom and tortured 19th century euphemisms for sex, maybe this is good time. Or if you're just into the series' full slide in Mary Sueism by having every single character be in desperate love or longing for the leads. Otherwise, it's a weak maudlin conclusion to a terrible continuation of a classic.
October 19, 2025
Loved it!
This book had my full attention from start to finish! It was even better than the first two in the series.
The only reason why I have not given this book five stars, is because of the horrible grammatical errors throughout. Please re-edit these books. Such well written books should not be downgraded due to bad grammar and / syntax.
This book had my full attention from start to finish! It was even better than the first two in the series.
The only reason why I have not given this book five stars, is because of the horrible grammatical errors throughout. Please re-edit these books. Such well written books should not be downgraded due to bad grammar and / syntax.
October 13, 2017
I enjoy these books like a guilty pleasure! It's so much fun to live in the world of the Darcy's. I don't like that time seems to flip around, but the characters are well drawn and the story interesting.
Read
June 17, 2017Yes your eyes don't deceive you, it is exactly as you see: no stars and no real review. This book is THAT much bad. Soap, wash and repeat ad nauseam is probably this writer's motto.
January 17, 2020
Entertaining, well written, engaging story. All the beloved characters plus a few villains to keep the reader engrossed. Highly recommended.
March 8, 2021
BORING. And still too much Wickham.
July 21, 2021
Good read!
August 8, 2013
The Ruling Passion is the third installment in Linda Berdoll's controversial and dichotomous series of Pride and Prejudice sequels. Filled with melodrama, sex, violence, and an assortment of coarse characters, this saga is not everyones' cup of tea. Each novel can be read as a stand alone novel or out of order, although, it is definitely best to read all three books in their correct order
In The Ruling Passion readers re-encounter the devoted and amorous Mr. and Mrs. Darcy as they approach nearly a decade of being married. The main story-line of this novel revolves around Darcy, Elizabeth, Lady Howgrave (Darcy's former paramour, Juliette Clisson), and George Wickham (who apparently has nine lives!) While we do see a little of the Bingleys, Mrs. Bennet, Georgiana, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and the other Bennet sisters, they aren't major characters in this novel.
I thought it was an interesting turn of events to have Lady Howgrave, once again, come into contact with the Darcys. The fact that she has designs on Darcy and is planning to seduce him gives the promise of drama, intrigue, and contention, but unfortunately it didn't deliver the tension and conflict I was hoping it would. (SPOLIER ALERT!) By Darcy's aloof behavior and immediate disinterest in Lady Howgrave, it is clearly evident from their first encounter that Lady Howgrave will never succeed in her mission – she is no threat to the Darcys' happy marriage.
I'm sad to say that besides witnessing more of the affectionate and ardent union between Darcy and Elizabeth, this book held little appeal for me – even less than Book Two. My main issue is that there seemed to be a lack of plot and substance – just comings and goings, births and deaths, schemes and scrapes – none of the exhilarating and intense melodrama that we find in Book One. With the author and many of the characters devoting so much page time to recounting, remembering, and reflecting on what happened in the past, it kind of seemed like all the action, excitement, and high points of their lives have come and gone. (After ten years of marriage are the best years already behind you??? I hope not!)
There were other small things that I wasn't too fond of in this novel, such as: the fact that there seems to be repeat of antagonists (Wickham just will never go away, will he?), that the Bingleys are always landing themselves in trouble (it is sad to see Jane and Charles mismanage just about every aspect of their lives!), and the inclusion of characters and subplots that fail to engage the reader's compassion or concern (what was the purpose of Sally Arbuthnot and Lady Millhouse in this novel?!?)
There is so much I found to love and admire in Linda Berdoll's first book, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. It is an all-encompassing, witty, passionate, and epic novel that has had a huge impact in the Austenesque community and an abundance of success! I wish I felt the same way about Darcy and Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley and The Ruling Passion. I'm sad to say that my recommendation (for those of you who are interested in maybe reading these novels) would be to definitely read Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, but maybe skip the other two. :(
Note: There are several explicit/intimate scenes, the use of crude language, and some acts of violence. Mature Audiences only!
In The Ruling Passion readers re-encounter the devoted and amorous Mr. and Mrs. Darcy as they approach nearly a decade of being married. The main story-line of this novel revolves around Darcy, Elizabeth, Lady Howgrave (Darcy's former paramour, Juliette Clisson), and George Wickham (who apparently has nine lives!) While we do see a little of the Bingleys, Mrs. Bennet, Georgiana, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and the other Bennet sisters, they aren't major characters in this novel.
I thought it was an interesting turn of events to have Lady Howgrave, once again, come into contact with the Darcys. The fact that she has designs on Darcy and is planning to seduce him gives the promise of drama, intrigue, and contention, but unfortunately it didn't deliver the tension and conflict I was hoping it would. (SPOLIER ALERT!) By Darcy's aloof behavior and immediate disinterest in Lady Howgrave, it is clearly evident from their first encounter that Lady Howgrave will never succeed in her mission – she is no threat to the Darcys' happy marriage.
I'm sad to say that besides witnessing more of the affectionate and ardent union between Darcy and Elizabeth, this book held little appeal for me – even less than Book Two. My main issue is that there seemed to be a lack of plot and substance – just comings and goings, births and deaths, schemes and scrapes – none of the exhilarating and intense melodrama that we find in Book One. With the author and many of the characters devoting so much page time to recounting, remembering, and reflecting on what happened in the past, it kind of seemed like all the action, excitement, and high points of their lives have come and gone. (After ten years of marriage are the best years already behind you??? I hope not!)
There were other small things that I wasn't too fond of in this novel, such as: the fact that there seems to be repeat of antagonists (Wickham just will never go away, will he?), that the Bingleys are always landing themselves in trouble (it is sad to see Jane and Charles mismanage just about every aspect of their lives!), and the inclusion of characters and subplots that fail to engage the reader's compassion or concern (what was the purpose of Sally Arbuthnot and Lady Millhouse in this novel?!?)
There is so much I found to love and admire in Linda Berdoll's first book, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. It is an all-encompassing, witty, passionate, and epic novel that has had a huge impact in the Austenesque community and an abundance of success! I wish I felt the same way about Darcy and Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley and The Ruling Passion. I'm sad to say that my recommendation (for those of you who are interested in maybe reading these novels) would be to definitely read Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, but maybe skip the other two. :(
Note: There are several explicit/intimate scenes, the use of crude language, and some acts of violence. Mature Audiences only!
September 18, 2016
Compared to the other 2 books, this was boring. There were a few moments were it was good, but far fewer than the previous. I also noticed a few spelling and grammatical errors which really put me off.
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October 27, 2016It's odd, but I just couldn't get into this story. Usually, when it comes to "Pride and Prejudice" and Darcy and Elizabeth, I can't put it down, just the way I did with the first two in this trilogy. Not this time. I had to force myself to read as much as I did. But I can't anymore. I got to chapter 34, page 134, and I finally had enough. I just can't seem to raise a care about ANY of the characters, including Darcy and Elizabeth. But, when Elizabeth tells Darcy she accidentally spied her aunt and uncle Gardener doing role-reversal sex, I found the whole story suddenly absurd and just had to ask myself, "What's the point of this novel?" and "Why am I still reading it?" So I stopped. I don't even care enough to find out how Darcy and Elizabeth conquer Darcy's old lover, Mme. Clisson, and her plans to re-ensnare Darcy.
November 24, 2011
Linda has done it again. This book was a very fast read like her 1st book. The title "ruling passion" definitely fits it in all aspects of the story. Darcy and Elizabeth are a few years later and the twins are almost 4. All the players from the previous books are there to reek havok on there little paradise. The conspiring and intrigue keeps a little mystery going and tries the Darcy's. And though Darcy and Elizabeth are the perfect couple, a great saddness has entered there life and they have to overcome this sadness along with all the trials that come about. Just a wonderfully written story and am glad Linda appeased all her fans by writing this book. I thank her for this is definitely one of my favorite P&P continuations!!!
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February 10, 2015I LOVED the first two books in this series, and I think other fans of P&P continuations should read them. This one? No, I can't recommend it. The plot was very thin, and compared to the earlier two novels, seriously lacked the rich characters and attention to period details that made the first books time machines to Regency England.
I read the Kindle version, and it has serious formatting issues with no spacing between paragraphs. I was rather aggravated the details of the Duchess of Devonshire's lifestyle was essentially lifted, making a character I previously sympathized with worse than Wickham.
I so wish it was better. I would have enjoyed re-reading all three novels on an annual basis, but instead I will just stick with the first two.
I read the Kindle version, and it has serious formatting issues with no spacing between paragraphs. I was rather aggravated the details of the Duchess of Devonshire's lifestyle was essentially lifted, making a character I previously sympathized with worse than Wickham.
I so wish it was better. I would have enjoyed re-reading all three novels on an annual basis, but instead I will just stick with the first two.
April 7, 2016
This is Berdoll's third foray into her series chronicling what are essentially the sexual adventures of the Darcys after their marriage. I enjoy these books, as they delve into the naughty realms JA herself would never have dreamed of describing., but I admit to tiring a bit of the constant sex, which oftentimes came at the expense of the story. The Darcys have a son, William, who dies young, sending them into a tailspin, and in London, Wickham is living his life under an assumed name, Alistair Reed. There are other tangents that ultimately led to nothing, so I'm not sure why they were included. Wickham ends the novel in jail and the Darcys end up pregnant once again. The story certainly should have been more developed.
July 31, 2012
I'm not sure if the writing was worse than previous books or if I just remembered them wrong. It's not that the book was bad per se, but the plot line was kind of sketchy and all over the place. It felt like she wrote certain scenes and then tried to pull them together after the fact. I still love hearing more of what could have happened between Darcy and Elizabeth after they got married. That's the only thing I don't like about Austen is that there aren't more novels to read and that they all end when the main characters get married. Anyway, this was just okay. If you need your Darcy & Elizabeth fix, this will get it for you, but not in the way you're likely hoping for.
January 1, 2017
I will confess this series of Pride and Prejudice continuations is my guilty pleasure-it is altogether too erotic to be anywhere near to what Austen would have written of the Darcy marriage. I love the passionate relationship between Lizzie and Darcy (although the descriptions of Darcy between the sheets got somewhat repetitious in this third installment-yes, we are quite aware he is well-endowed) and I like that not everything is perfection in the Pemberley world. The story touches on social unrest, jealousy and loss. I wish, however, that this had been more carefully edited-there were far too many missed punctuation or odd spacing in the lines and each error added a slight irritation.
October 2, 2012
this is still the only P&P sequel series that I have read, probably out of fear. the first book was so good that of course I kept reading this series, but this third book was slightly less thrilling than its predecessors. there is probably just too much supporting character story for my taste. but we're getting into the timeframe where its possible to shift focus to Darcy's kids. The Darcy heir! that could be awesome!
August 18, 2013
The spelling errors were atrocious! Did no one proof read the book prior to publication? The blurb on the back of the book referencing the author's previous works even reversed the words in the title of the second volume of this series. I couldn't focus on the story for the spelling and grammatical mistakes.
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