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Simply Beautiful: A Novel
In a fascinating tale of long-lost family ties, Miss Elizabeth Bennet finds herself face-to-face with her father after years of separation. The reunion sparks a whirlwind of conflicting sentiments as Elizabeth grapples with the daunting task of reconciling her past with her present. The challenges ahead loom large, requiring her to summon every ounce of strength and resilience she possesses.
Amid the tangled web of complicated family dynamics, one person remains steadfast by Elizabeth's side—Mr. Darcy. Their bond, forged through their shared upbringing at the illustrious Pemberley estate, is an open secret. Yet, as their connection deepens, doubts begin to emerge, and whispers of criticism surface. Some question the boundaries of their relationship, pondering if their closeness defies the conventions of propriety.
While Elizabeth courageously navigates the maze of familial obligations, she finds herself at a crucial crossroads. Will Mr. Darcy, her devoted companion, stand resolutely beside her as they face the trials ahead? Or will the winds of change and the manipulations of others conspire to tear them apart?
Amid the tangled web of complicated family dynamics, one person remains steadfast by Elizabeth's side—Mr. Darcy. Their bond, forged through their shared upbringing at the illustrious Pemberley estate, is an open secret. Yet, as their connection deepens, doubts begin to emerge, and whispers of criticism surface. Some question the boundaries of their relationship, pondering if their closeness defies the conventions of propriety.
While Elizabeth courageously navigates the maze of familial obligations, she finds herself at a crucial crossroads. Will Mr. Darcy, her devoted companion, stand resolutely beside her as they face the trials ahead? Or will the winds of change and the manipulations of others conspire to tear them apart?
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Published April 11, 2024
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About the author
P.O. Dixon
89 books170 followersP. O. Dixon has authored several Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice" adaptations, all written with one overriding purpose in mind—falling in love with Darcy and Elizabeth. Sometimes provocative, but always entertaining, her stories have been read, commented on, and thoroughly enjoyed by thousands of readers worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 27, 2023
I wouldn't want to be Lady Anne
Torn between love of a daughter and love of pride in one's heritage. Lady Anne had the privilege of raising Lizzy for the last 10 years. She may love her like a daughter but Lizzy will never be good enough to marry into the Darcy family.
Meanwhile, ODC are the best of friends and easily acknowledge their love, despite Elizabeth finding it difficult to disappoint the only woman she knows as a mother.
Despite a little eye-rolling (mine) this is a sweet story, with some cute scenes between ODC.
One major hole in the plot I saw, despite the law, no one in their right mind would have allowed Elizabeth to be back under the care of an alcoholic and gambler, who constantly falls off the wagon. Most recently done while Bennet was actually staying at Pemberley-And put Elizabeth at risk!
I kept waiting for her to find the estate was bankrupt and she was going to be sold off to pay for Bennet's gambling debts. And with his years and years of gambling how was the estate still standing?
But - this isn't that kind of story....
A sweet, clean story, with enjoyable E&D moments!
I received a free copy for my honest opinion.
Torn between love of a daughter and love of pride in one's heritage. Lady Anne had the privilege of raising Lizzy for the last 10 years. She may love her like a daughter but Lizzy will never be good enough to marry into the Darcy family.
Meanwhile, ODC are the best of friends and easily acknowledge their love, despite Elizabeth finding it difficult to disappoint the only woman she knows as a mother.
Despite a little eye-rolling (mine) this is a sweet story, with some cute scenes between ODC.
One major hole in the plot I saw, despite the law, no one in their right mind would have allowed Elizabeth to be back under the care of an alcoholic and gambler, who constantly falls off the wagon. Most recently done while Bennet was actually staying at Pemberley-And put Elizabeth at risk!
I kept waiting for her to find the estate was bankrupt and she was going to be sold off to pay for Bennet's gambling debts. And with his years and years of gambling how was the estate still standing?
But - this isn't that kind of story....
A sweet, clean story, with enjoyable E&D moments!
I received a free copy for my honest opinion.
July 23, 2023
I liked the general plot idea which seemed fresh to me. I know there are books about Elizabeth growing up at Pemberley but I have not read many before. Mrs. Bennet and Jane died in a carriage accident and afterwards Mr. Bennet was in no shape to take care of his remaining child, Elizabeth who was eight at the time. She was sent to Pemberley, for the Darcys to take care of, and she becomes close with their only son Fitzwilliam who is four years older than her. The Darcys have no living daughter in this scenario. Lady Anne is said to love Elizabeth like her own daughter but she also thinks that she's inferior, not worthy of being the mistress of Pemberley. But it feels like her chosen one, Anne De Bourgh, has no chance while Fitzwilliam dotes on Elizabeth, so it seems like a good idea to create some distance between the two. They have a lot of hint-hint-hint type of conversations but neither of them is ever brave enough to be quite explicit in defining their relationship. Is it a sibling-type devotion or a more lover-like enchantment? Fitzwilliam's future engagement to Anne De Bourgh is a given thing in the family but this is a topic that Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam rather avoid. Is he ever going to be able to tell his family that he won't marry Anne? Enter her father. She promises Fitzwilliam that she wouldn't leave before he comes back home, and then proceeds to do just that. When Fitzwilliam comes to Hertfordshire meaning to court Elizabeth her loyalty to Lady Anne and her unwillingness to create a family rift stands in the way of true love.
The writing flows pretty well and this is a quick, easy read but some plot threads are left hanging, or at least somewhat underdeveloped. At times it is implied that Elizabeth is an unworthy marital prospect because she has no fortune. Elsewhere it's said that her dowry is 20.000 pounds. Apparently it was partly augmented by the Darcys so maybe they wouldn't count the entire sum if some of it came from their own coffers. But in the canon, Miss Bingley's dowry was the same 20.000 pounds and she considered herself quite the catch so Elizabeth's fortune was by no means shabby. Mary King became a target for fortune hunters for half the sum. Fitzwilliam is rich enough to buy an estate before inheriting his father's money, so they wouldn't be hurting for money. It is not clear where his wealth comes from.
Elizabeth has a paid companion (it is not clear who paid for her services). Then Elizabeth travels to Hertfordshire, apparently alone with her father. But somehow her paid companion Mrs. Eastman is in Hertfordshire too, available to chaperone her once or twice. But otherwise she's a largely invisible woman, and gentlemen had very little trouble being alone with Elizabeth.
Wickham's motives are rather unclear. It's not that he does anything too heinous here, we only have some hearsay that he's a bad person, and he only appears in a couple of scenes. We learn that Lady Anne apparently had him sent away from Pemberley when he was thirteen (it is not clear why -there was something about the elder Mr Darcy intending to become his godfather, but he was already thirteen, I thought godparents were selected earlier?? ), so none of them have seen him for years before he crops up in Hertfordshire. Elizabeth does not know him so we assume their residency did not overlap much. However, he knows that Elizabeth has a connection with Pemberley yet he badmouths Elizabeth's dear mother figure Lady Anne, as well as her dearest love Fitzwilliam, saying he's very haughty and proud, despite not having seen him since he was a child. Yet E&D argue because Elizabeth wants Fitzwilliam to make the acquaintance of this very amiable person. Why would she think Wickham is so nice if he said bad things about the love of her life? And what was even Wickham's motive to air old grievances from back when he was thirteen? He knew that Elizabeth was on first name terms with Fitzwilliam so it would be expected she'd know the Darcys' characters better than someone who hadn't seen them in more than a decade. What did he hope to gain? It is not clear.
There is no real resolution about Lady Catherine and Anne De Bourgh. I liked Elizabeth's last confrontation with Lady Catherine, as she said some of the things I have always wanted her to say. But the last we saw of the mistress of Rosings, she was making threats that involved Lady Anne but it seems to have amounted to nothing much. There is a lot of talk about an expected engagement between Fitzwilliam and Anne De Bourgh throughout the story. But whatever happened to Anne? Did she want the engagement or was it just the mothers' wish? It is said that he spoke of his unwillingness to marry his cousin with his mother but was Fitzwilliam ever man enough to talk it out with Anne De Bourgh herself? Did he just up and marry someone else without a word to his erstwhile betrothed? (So not cool, man, if you did.) Did anyone ever ask for Anne's opinion about any of this? Is she still under the impression that she is engaged to Fitzwilliam? Did she suffer any ill effects from being jilted? Did anybody make any amends to her? Did Elizabeth ever ask any questions about Anne and how and if Fitzwilliam officially ended it all with her? We don't know. There is an epilogue that says Lady Catherine was outraged when ODC eventually married but there's not a word about what Anne De Bourgh thought about the affair. As far as we are concerned, she's just a name, not a character with feelings and opinions. I could be wrong but I don't think she has a single line of dialogue in this entire thing. Maybe she was a wax doll and melted away if it was a hot summer.
And finally, there is no real resolution about Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth has rather conflicted feelings about him. She has a desire to learn to know him and some distant yearning memories of Longbourn and her other relatives. On the other hand she has lots of reasons to be angry at him too. He abandoned her with strangers and never came to visit. He seems to have a drinking problem and a gambling problem. He's trying to keep her apart from Fitzwilliam. He's lazy and has neglected Longbourn so far that she comes back from Pemberley to living in "near squalor". Somehow she thinks she is responsible for his welfare and needs to stay at Longbourn to take care of him as well as the estate until he's better. This smacked of co-dependency. What does she owe him? Nothing. And he never apologized for those actions of his that hurt Lizzy, at least not on the page. At one point she gets accosted at a tavern while he's drunk and gambled his money away. Did he ever straighten his act up? We don't know.
It is well edited for the most part with no typos that I took note of, apart from saying that Longbourn was entailed away from the female line, and elsewhere that it was entailed away from the male line. Some of the dialogue feels rather stilted, and the emotions are not always entirely convincing. There are some repeated verbal tics that I have noticed before in the works of other authors and I could not help but wonder whether similar AI prompts are involved.
Things that somebody "could not help but" do, sometimes in two consecutive sentences:
-wonder and worry, ponder the true nature of their relationship, worry, let her guard down, worry about what it meant, notice how his eyes lingered, feel comforted by his attentiveness, wonder, question what lay ahead, feel a sense of hope, give some credence to her sister's speculation, feel a sense of foreboding, steal glances, agree with Lady Catherine, wonder what had led him to this point, feel somewhat conflicted, think those words were a reference to her, feel a pang of sadness, feel they did not understand the depth of his feelings, feel grateful, feel a sense of pride, wonder what it would be like, suspect, feeling a sense of dread, feeling an odd sense of pleasure, feeling grateful, overhear, laugh inside, wonder, question the validity of such characterizations, wonder how they would react, feel a surge of excitement, feel a sense of satisfaction, smile, feel that my words contributed.
This has become a pet peeve of mine. The phrase "could not help but" implies that they were trying not to do X but were unable to avoid it. Why would all these people need to try and fail to feel or think so many things all the time? We are not robots, we can think and feel whatever we like.
Steam level: Kissing.
I received a storyoriginapp arc and this is a voluntary review.
TL;DR: I just want to know if Anne De Bourgh is OK?
The writing flows pretty well and this is a quick, easy read but some plot threads are left hanging, or at least somewhat underdeveloped. At times it is implied that Elizabeth is an unworthy marital prospect because she has no fortune. Elsewhere it's said that her dowry is 20.000 pounds. Apparently it was partly augmented by the Darcys so maybe they wouldn't count the entire sum if some of it came from their own coffers. But in the canon, Miss Bingley's dowry was the same 20.000 pounds and she considered herself quite the catch so Elizabeth's fortune was by no means shabby. Mary King became a target for fortune hunters for half the sum. Fitzwilliam is rich enough to buy an estate before inheriting his father's money, so they wouldn't be hurting for money. It is not clear where his wealth comes from.
Elizabeth has a paid companion (it is not clear who paid for her services). Then Elizabeth travels to Hertfordshire, apparently alone with her father. But somehow her paid companion Mrs. Eastman is in Hertfordshire too, available to chaperone her once or twice. But otherwise she's a largely invisible woman, and gentlemen had very little trouble being alone with Elizabeth.
Wickham's motives are rather unclear. It's not that he does anything too heinous here, we only have some hearsay that he's a bad person, and he only appears in a couple of scenes. We learn that Lady Anne apparently had him sent away from Pemberley when he was thirteen (it is not clear why -there was something about the elder Mr Darcy intending to become his godfather, but he was already thirteen, I thought godparents were selected earlier?? ), so none of them have seen him for years before he crops up in Hertfordshire. Elizabeth does not know him so we assume their residency did not overlap much. However, he knows that Elizabeth has a connection with Pemberley yet he badmouths Elizabeth's dear mother figure Lady Anne, as well as her dearest love Fitzwilliam, saying he's very haughty and proud, despite not having seen him since he was a child. Yet E&D argue because Elizabeth wants Fitzwilliam to make the acquaintance of this very amiable person. Why would she think Wickham is so nice if he said bad things about the love of her life? And what was even Wickham's motive to air old grievances from back when he was thirteen? He knew that Elizabeth was on first name terms with Fitzwilliam so it would be expected she'd know the Darcys' characters better than someone who hadn't seen them in more than a decade. What did he hope to gain? It is not clear.
There is no real resolution about Lady Catherine and Anne De Bourgh. I liked Elizabeth's last confrontation with Lady Catherine, as she said some of the things I have always wanted her to say. But the last we saw of the mistress of Rosings, she was making threats that involved Lady Anne but it seems to have amounted to nothing much. There is a lot of talk about an expected engagement between Fitzwilliam and Anne De Bourgh throughout the story. But whatever happened to Anne? Did she want the engagement or was it just the mothers' wish? It is said that he spoke of his unwillingness to marry his cousin with his mother but was Fitzwilliam ever man enough to talk it out with Anne De Bourgh herself? Did he just up and marry someone else without a word to his erstwhile betrothed? (So not cool, man, if you did.) Did anyone ever ask for Anne's opinion about any of this? Is she still under the impression that she is engaged to Fitzwilliam? Did she suffer any ill effects from being jilted? Did anybody make any amends to her? Did Elizabeth ever ask any questions about Anne and how and if Fitzwilliam officially ended it all with her? We don't know. There is an epilogue that says Lady Catherine was outraged when ODC eventually married but there's not a word about what Anne De Bourgh thought about the affair. As far as we are concerned, she's just a name, not a character with feelings and opinions. I could be wrong but I don't think she has a single line of dialogue in this entire thing. Maybe she was a wax doll and melted away if it was a hot summer.
And finally, there is no real resolution about Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth has rather conflicted feelings about him. She has a desire to learn to know him and some distant yearning memories of Longbourn and her other relatives. On the other hand she has lots of reasons to be angry at him too. He abandoned her with strangers and never came to visit. He seems to have a drinking problem and a gambling problem. He's trying to keep her apart from Fitzwilliam. He's lazy and has neglected Longbourn so far that she comes back from Pemberley to living in "near squalor". Somehow she thinks she is responsible for his welfare and needs to stay at Longbourn to take care of him as well as the estate until he's better. This smacked of co-dependency. What does she owe him? Nothing. And he never apologized for those actions of his that hurt Lizzy, at least not on the page. At one point she gets accosted at a tavern while he's drunk and gambled his money away. Did he ever straighten his act up? We don't know.
It is well edited for the most part with no typos that I took note of, apart from saying that Longbourn was entailed away from the female line, and elsewhere that it was entailed away from the male line. Some of the dialogue feels rather stilted, and the emotions are not always entirely convincing. There are some repeated verbal tics that I have noticed before in the works of other authors and I could not help but wonder whether similar AI prompts are involved.
Things that somebody "could not help but" do, sometimes in two consecutive sentences:
-wonder and worry, ponder the true nature of their relationship, worry, let her guard down, worry about what it meant, notice how his eyes lingered, feel comforted by his attentiveness, wonder, question what lay ahead, feel a sense of hope, give some credence to her sister's speculation, feel a sense of foreboding, steal glances, agree with Lady Catherine, wonder what had led him to this point, feel somewhat conflicted, think those words were a reference to her, feel a pang of sadness, feel they did not understand the depth of his feelings, feel grateful, feel a sense of pride, wonder what it would be like, suspect, feeling a sense of dread, feeling an odd sense of pleasure, feeling grateful, overhear, laugh inside, wonder, question the validity of such characterizations, wonder how they would react, feel a surge of excitement, feel a sense of satisfaction, smile, feel that my words contributed.
This has become a pet peeve of mine. The phrase "could not help but" implies that they were trying not to do X but were unable to avoid it. Why would all these people need to try and fail to feel or think so many things all the time? We are not robots, we can think and feel whatever we like.
Steam level: Kissing.
I received a storyoriginapp arc and this is a voluntary review.
TL;DR: I just want to know if Anne De Bourgh is OK?
July 20, 2023
Just ok.
This book was disappointing to say the least. Totally under written. So disappointing. Would not recommend this at all.
Disappointing.
This book was disappointing to say the least. Totally under written. So disappointing. Would not recommend this at all.
Disappointing.
September 3, 2024
4.5 rounded up.
June 24, 2024
Promising premise but lacks execution.
This review is from the audiobook perspective.
Story: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Narration: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I’m always intrigued by a variation that has one or both of Darcy’s parents living. At eight years old, Elizabeth Bennet becomes the ward of Lady Anne and Mr. Darcy following the death of her mother and sister, Jane, in a carriage accident. Mr. Bennet, unable to cope, descends into a life of drinking and gambling, leading him to relinquish Elizabeth's care to the Darcys.
As Elizabeth grows up at Pemberley, she forms a close bond with Fitzwilliam Darcy. Their friendship evolves into deeper feelings as they reach adulthood. However, complications arise when Mr. Bennet returns ten years later to take Elizabeth back to Longbourn. Despite her reluctance to leave, Lady Anne and Lady Catherine make it clear to Elizabeth that she will never be considered an acceptable match for her son due to their differing social spheres.
I thought this story had great potential but I found its overall execution lacking. The story development felt rushed and the characters' emotions did not seem fully fleshed out so, unfortunately, it left me feeling dissatisfied.
Catherine Bilson’s four-star narration and performance is commendable. One small suggestion for improvement would be to consider a slightly more neutral, less accented pronunciation for words that contain an ‘ou’ sound, such as ‘house’ and ‘how,’ as these words are given a bit of an over emphasized ‘a’ sound, almost making it sound like ‘haouse’. This minor adjustment could make a distraction disappear and an already good performance even more enjoyable.
This review is from the audiobook perspective.
Story: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Narration: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I’m always intrigued by a variation that has one or both of Darcy’s parents living. At eight years old, Elizabeth Bennet becomes the ward of Lady Anne and Mr. Darcy following the death of her mother and sister, Jane, in a carriage accident. Mr. Bennet, unable to cope, descends into a life of drinking and gambling, leading him to relinquish Elizabeth's care to the Darcys.
As Elizabeth grows up at Pemberley, she forms a close bond with Fitzwilliam Darcy. Their friendship evolves into deeper feelings as they reach adulthood. However, complications arise when Mr. Bennet returns ten years later to take Elizabeth back to Longbourn. Despite her reluctance to leave, Lady Anne and Lady Catherine make it clear to Elizabeth that she will never be considered an acceptable match for her son due to their differing social spheres.
I thought this story had great potential but I found its overall execution lacking. The story development felt rushed and the characters' emotions did not seem fully fleshed out so, unfortunately, it left me feeling dissatisfied.
Catherine Bilson’s four-star narration and performance is commendable. One small suggestion for improvement would be to consider a slightly more neutral, less accented pronunciation for words that contain an ‘ou’ sound, such as ‘house’ and ‘how,’ as these words are given a bit of an over emphasized ‘a’ sound, almost making it sound like ‘haouse’. This minor adjustment could make a distraction disappear and an already good performance even more enjoyable.
July 18, 2023
I found this a refreshing take on the beloved classic. So many times in variations I find that very little changes from the original so it often feels like a retread of the story. This is not the case with this book as the author was not afraid to change things up by changing the lineup of our beloved characters by eliminating some and resurrecting others . This changes things significantly for the story and ODC and I loved it. I also liked that that there was just the right amount of angst and obstacles. I fretted that the story would start to drag on with certain people creating issues for the couple but that was not the case. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it is one I would recommend.
July 26, 2023
unusual
An unusual premise and sad beginning in this variation inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by P.O. Dixon
An unusual premise and sad beginning in this variation inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by P.O. Dixon
July 24, 2023
At the age of eight a terrible accident changes the life of Elizabeth Bennet. Left alone with her grieving father the latter decides that it is for Elizabeth's best that she is raised with his friend's family at Pemberley. 10 years later the young master Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth are the closest of friends. Then her father returns to convince her to be again a part of his life and appeals on her family duties. He unexpectedly receives support from a member of the Darcy family who does not like the closeness of the young people and worries about the young master's sense of duty. Will Darcy and Elizabeth find happiness apart from each other or is there nevertheless a chance for the growing feelings Elizabeth has for Fitzwilliam?
I highly recommend this well written story by P.O. Dixon and give 4,5 stars rounded up to 5.
With Elizabeth and Darcy raised together at Pemberley this book is a friends-to-lovers story. There are nearly no misunderstandings and conflicts between them, the tension and conflicts are caused by others and there attempts to separate them. With so many stories where they are at odds with each other it was really comforting to have them in such harmony. I like the thought of the close relationship they share, that they are almost like brother and sister, but that there is nevertheless the opportunity of a love story because they are not related.
Compared with the original story there are great changes in the families of Darcy and Elizabeth. Darcy's parents are still alive and Elizabeth family is diminished, left only Elizabeth and her father. With this change the story offers new ways to develop. At the beginning I was really sad about the changes in Elizabeth's family but with the story taking part some years later Elizabeth has dealt with the events and I most of the time sensed no sadness because she "thinks of the past only when it gives her pleasure". With her being raised at Pemberley only her lack of connection can be held against her thus she is not that unsuitable as bride as in the original story.
On the other hand with the Darcy patents still alive it was refreshing to see Darcy interact with them. I like the difference to his "normal" acting in the original story, with is parents still alive he is dependent on their approval/money and thus needs to behave slightly different because he is not all along his own master.
The "usual" villains like Lady Catherine and Wickham also take part in this story but they have only small parts. The real "villain" is another person. I understand the reasons of this person and why he/she acted the way he/she does, but in my opinion, at the end, this person gives up his/her opinion a little bit to easy. I had thought that it might take a little bit longer to convince him/her of the love match between Darcy and Elizabeth. That is the reason I am only able to give 4,5 stars.
I nevertheless highly recommend this story. If you like a story with Elizabeth and Darcy being close all the time and changed family relations, you should definitely read this book.
I received a free copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I highly recommend this well written story by P.O. Dixon and give 4,5 stars rounded up to 5.
With Elizabeth and Darcy raised together at Pemberley this book is a friends-to-lovers story. There are nearly no misunderstandings and conflicts between them, the tension and conflicts are caused by others and there attempts to separate them. With so many stories where they are at odds with each other it was really comforting to have them in such harmony. I like the thought of the close relationship they share, that they are almost like brother and sister, but that there is nevertheless the opportunity of a love story because they are not related.
Compared with the original story there are great changes in the families of Darcy and Elizabeth. Darcy's parents are still alive and Elizabeth family is diminished, left only Elizabeth and her father. With this change the story offers new ways to develop. At the beginning I was really sad about the changes in Elizabeth's family but with the story taking part some years later Elizabeth has dealt with the events and I most of the time sensed no sadness because she "thinks of the past only when it gives her pleasure". With her being raised at Pemberley only her lack of connection can be held against her thus she is not that unsuitable as bride as in the original story.
On the other hand with the Darcy patents still alive it was refreshing to see Darcy interact with them. I like the difference to his "normal" acting in the original story, with is parents still alive he is dependent on their approval/money and thus needs to behave slightly different because he is not all along his own master.
The "usual" villains like Lady Catherine and Wickham also take part in this story but they have only small parts. The real "villain" is another person. I understand the reasons of this person and why he/she acted the way he/she does, but in my opinion, at the end, this person gives up his/her opinion a little bit to easy. I had thought that it might take a little bit longer to convince him/her of the love match between Darcy and Elizabeth. That is the reason I am only able to give 4,5 stars.
I nevertheless highly recommend this story. If you like a story with Elizabeth and Darcy being close all the time and changed family relations, you should definitely read this book.
I received a free copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 29, 2024
Out of all Austenesque books I've read so far (probably about 100), I'm sorry to say this was the worst one. The characters don't act like themselves AT ALL - why even keep their names?! There's no pride in Darcy, no prejudice in Elizabeth, most of the characters from the original book are not in this one (no Mrs Bennet, Jane, Mary, Kitty, Lidia, Bingley, his sisters, etc), those that are present act nothing like their book personalities (the sole exceptions are perhaps Lady Catherine and Mr Collins, but they don't appear much; Wickham makes a quick appearance, but again he has no role whatsoever in the plot), the few actions that do happen are really not plausible at all (how can Darcy buy Netherfield when his father is alive? With what money? Especially if he goes against his parents' wishes by pursuing Elizabeth? How can he restore it literally from one day to the next? etc)
In addition, there is really no plot.. I suppose the "plot" is the fact that Lady Anne (who is alive, as well as her busband) is against Darcy marrying Elizabeth, despite the fact that she raised Elizabeth as a daughter and loves her dearly. The only thing it takes to change her mind (despite vehemently repeating chapter after chapter that Elizabeth is not good enough for Darcy) is Darcy actually talking to her and telling her he will marry her. She magically realized she loves Elizabeth dearly and that she is good enough.
Sadly, it was a huge waste of time. I don't understand the point of writing Austenesque novels when the only characters you keep are Darcy and Elizabeth and they act nothing like themselves..
In addition, there is really no plot.. I suppose the "plot" is the fact that Lady Anne (who is alive, as well as her busband) is against Darcy marrying Elizabeth, despite the fact that she raised Elizabeth as a daughter and loves her dearly. The only thing it takes to change her mind (despite vehemently repeating chapter after chapter that Elizabeth is not good enough for Darcy) is Darcy actually talking to her and telling her he will marry her. She magically realized she loves Elizabeth dearly and that she is good enough.
Sadly, it was a huge waste of time. I don't understand the point of writing Austenesque novels when the only characters you keep are Darcy and Elizabeth and they act nothing like themselves..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2023
The beginning of this story is very sad, even heartbreaking. {You'll want the Puffs on standby for this book!}
Poor Elizabeth has lost her Mother and beloved sister Jane in a carriage accident that she and her Father survived. Mr. Bennet is suffering from such profound grief he is unable to care for his darling 8 year-old girl, Elizabeth. He brings Elizabeth to Pemberley to live with his friends, the Darcy's. Mrs. Darcy is alive in this story and, after losing a daughter, treats Elizabeth as the daughter she always wanted.
Elizabeth grows to become an accomplished, beautiful girl over the years she resides with them, but during that time she never sees her father who has become so mired in his grief that he turns to alcohol to seek solace.
Elizabeth is now 18 and has grown up beside Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the two of them share a strong bond of friendship and deep love. Enter Mr. Bennet who has finally come to claim his daughter, much to her surprise, and bring her back to Longbourn to satisfy plans of his own.
What follows is obviously distressing for Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam who want to be together while others work to keep them far apart. I started reading this author's work not long after discovering JAFF years ago and I have yet to be disappointed, therefore I recommend this book to others.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Poor Elizabeth has lost her Mother and beloved sister Jane in a carriage accident that she and her Father survived. Mr. Bennet is suffering from such profound grief he is unable to care for his darling 8 year-old girl, Elizabeth. He brings Elizabeth to Pemberley to live with his friends, the Darcy's. Mrs. Darcy is alive in this story and, after losing a daughter, treats Elizabeth as the daughter she always wanted.
Elizabeth grows to become an accomplished, beautiful girl over the years she resides with them, but during that time she never sees her father who has become so mired in his grief that he turns to alcohol to seek solace.
Elizabeth is now 18 and has grown up beside Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the two of them share a strong bond of friendship and deep love. Enter Mr. Bennet who has finally come to claim his daughter, much to her surprise, and bring her back to Longbourn to satisfy plans of his own.
What follows is obviously distressing for Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam who want to be together while others work to keep them far apart. I started reading this author's work not long after discovering JAFF years ago and I have yet to be disappointed, therefore I recommend this book to others.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2023
A lovely story with low angst. I felt it was a little rushed sometimes and could have been better with a longer ending. Elizabeth and Darcy were different and better because of growing up together. I loved reading about their relationship through the story. I never got to like Mr. Bennett and I missed Mr. Darcy senior through the story. He seemed to be a good person who would have deserved more space in this story. I both liked and disliked Lady Anne in the story.
July 19, 2024
Young Love.
I found the whole premise of the story to be sweet and ultimately satisfying. Growing up together as each other’s support and confidants, it was easy to see pure and genuine love grow between Darcy and Lizzy. I thought the other aspects involving Mr. Bennett and Lady Anne Darcy brought something very different to the plot and yet was in line with much of the inner struggles of the heart for this beloved young couple. Loved it!
I found the whole premise of the story to be sweet and ultimately satisfying. Growing up together as each other’s support and confidants, it was easy to see pure and genuine love grow between Darcy and Lizzy. I thought the other aspects involving Mr. Bennett and Lady Anne Darcy brought something very different to the plot and yet was in line with much of the inner struggles of the heart for this beloved young couple. Loved it!
April 12, 2024
This is an interesting story, with Elizabeth having lived with the Darcys for 10 or so years. Lady Anne loves her like her own daughter. The audiobook was brought to life with the narration of Catherine Bilson.
This is available from Audible.com and on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uW3i...
This is available from Audible.com and on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uW3i...
May 5, 2024
As the title implies, the love story is simple..but beautiful. To me it was too simple.. yes you have the family members opposed but it was too simple for Elizabeth and Darcy’s own feelings… I would have enjoyed it more had Darcy not known his true feelings for Elizabeth until she returned to Longbourn.
July 31, 2023
Love story of Darcy and Elizabeth.
A good read. Engrosding tale of Darcy and Elizabeth 'slove Set against Societal and familial expectations A warm satisfying self expression and happy ever after.
A good read. Engrosding tale of Darcy and Elizabeth 'slove Set against Societal and familial expectations A warm satisfying self expression and happy ever after.
December 23, 2025
Interesting take, intertwining our beloved couple's lives from a very young age. The family dynamics are original, and it is engaging to see how the circumstances described alter the whole plot.
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