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Crime and Consequences #1
Malice and Misfortune: Crime and Consequences Book 1
After returning from Kent, Elizabeth Bennet can no longer hide her contempt for the charming Lieutenant George Wickham. Armed with the truth about his past, she greets his practiced smiles with cool scorn and pointed remarks, making it plain that his lies will find no shelter with her. But threatened by the potential of exposure, Wickham retaliates in a manner Elizabeth could never have anticipated. With one stolen kiss and a staged compromise, he entangles Elizabeth in a scandal so grave that the only solution is an immediate wedding.
In London, nursing his broken heart, Fitzwilliam Darcy hears of Elizabeth’s disgrace. Conscience and affection send him racing to Hertfordshire, determined to rescue the woman he loves, even if that means offering for her a second, far more perilous time. Yet saving Elizabeth’s reputation will demand more than an unexpected proposal; it will require out-manoeuvring Wickham, soothing outraged families, and defying the strict rules of polite society.
Just as Darcy and Elizabeth begin to glimpse an honourable escape from scandal, a shocking crime shatters Meryton’s peace. In the aftermath, alliances shift, long-buried truths surface, and the stakes for happiness - and for freedom - rise higher than ever.
Malice and Misfortune launches a bold new series that blends the beloved world of Pride and Prejudice with the intrigue of a Regency-era mystery. Passions run deep, reputations hang by a thread, and each choice carries consequences that will echo through two more
• Rivalry and Ruination
• Intrigue and Inheritance
Step back into Austen’s England, where wit meets suspense and true love must survive both scandal… and murder.
In London, nursing his broken heart, Fitzwilliam Darcy hears of Elizabeth’s disgrace. Conscience and affection send him racing to Hertfordshire, determined to rescue the woman he loves, even if that means offering for her a second, far more perilous time. Yet saving Elizabeth’s reputation will demand more than an unexpected proposal; it will require out-manoeuvring Wickham, soothing outraged families, and defying the strict rules of polite society.
Just as Darcy and Elizabeth begin to glimpse an honourable escape from scandal, a shocking crime shatters Meryton’s peace. In the aftermath, alliances shift, long-buried truths surface, and the stakes for happiness - and for freedom - rise higher than ever.
Malice and Misfortune launches a bold new series that blends the beloved world of Pride and Prejudice with the intrigue of a Regency-era mystery. Passions run deep, reputations hang by a thread, and each choice carries consequences that will echo through two more
• Rivalry and Ruination
• Intrigue and Inheritance
Step back into Austen’s England, where wit meets suspense and true love must survive both scandal… and murder.
529 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2025
135 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Bilson
256 books77 followersI've been writing since I was 5 years old. I've always had to set it aside and try to concentrate on so-called 'real life' though. I've had a number of interesting careers - engineer, real estate sales agent, owner of an electrical goods store, silversmith - but finally the time has come for me to return to my first love. Writing.
I've always loved the works of Jane Austen, so perhaps it's fitting that my first published work should be a variation on the much beloved Pride And Prejudice.
Visit my website, www.catherinebilson.com, to read several free short fics in the Pride and Prejudice fandom, and to leave me comments on my work!
I also write not-for-profit fanfiction set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if you'd like to read those free works please go to the Archive Of Our Own and search for the user handle ozhawk.
I've always loved the works of Jane Austen, so perhaps it's fitting that my first published work should be a variation on the much beloved Pride And Prejudice.
Visit my website, www.catherinebilson.com, to read several free short fics in the Pride and Prejudice fandom, and to leave me comments on my work!
I also write not-for-profit fanfiction set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if you'd like to read those free works please go to the Archive Of Our Own and search for the user handle ozhawk.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 21, 2025
Interesting whodunit
Wickham creates chaos for the Bennets and Darcy tries to help, which makes a good story as we try to uncover who murdered someone in the woods. The only negative is some rather redundant internal dialogues and reviews in almost every chapter. Better editing would have tightened the story and I would have given five stars.
Wickham creates chaos for the Bennets and Darcy tries to help, which makes a good story as we try to uncover who murdered someone in the woods. The only negative is some rather redundant internal dialogues and reviews in almost every chapter. Better editing would have tightened the story and I would have given five stars.
November 10, 2025
What an amazing intrigue!
The plot is very interesting giving a glimpse of what could have happened if Elizabeth took action after Hunsford. Lots of distressing moments and our beloved hero shines. Angsty, but completely worth the read!
The plot is very interesting giving a glimpse of what could have happened if Elizabeth took action after Hunsford. Lots of distressing moments and our beloved hero shines. Angsty, but completely worth the read!
May 31, 2025
A nail biter
Especially for the first third of the story.
Oh, our dear girl and what she suffers.
Darcy, however won't sit back and let her life be destroyed. During the saving our dear couple fall in love. But the villain ends up dead and there are plenty of suspects to go around.
Loved book 1, can't wait for book 2.
Especially for the first third of the story.
Oh, our dear girl and what she suffers.
Darcy, however won't sit back and let her life be destroyed. During the saving our dear couple fall in love. But the villain ends up dead and there are plenty of suspects to go around.
Loved book 1, can't wait for book 2.
June 2, 2025
I loved it!
Warning: Meant for mature audiences. Contains scenes of coercion, assault, and murder (after the effect). Readers of a delicate constitution are advised to keep their fans and vinaigrettes close at hand.
It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is Book 1 in the Crime Consequences series. This is a bold new series that blends the beloved world of Pride and Prejudicewith the intrigue of a Regency-era mystery. Passions run deep, reputations hang by a thread, and each choice carries consequences that will echo through two more novels titles Rivalry and Ruination, and Intrigue and Inheritance. Step back into Austen’s England, where wit meets suspense and true love must survive both scandal, and murder.
After returning from Kent, Elizabeth Bennet can no longer hide her contempt for the charming Lieutenant George Wickham. Armed with the truth about his past, she greets his practiced smiles with cool scorn and pointed remarks, making it plain that his lies will find no shelter with her, but threatened by the potential of exposure, Wickham retaliates in a manner Elizabeth could never have anticipated. With one stolen kiss and a staged compromise, he entangles Elizabeth in a scandal so grave that the only solution is an immediate wedding.
In London, nursing his broken heart, Fitzwilliam Darcy hears of Elizabeth’s disgrace, and conscience and affection send him racing to Hertfordshire, determined to rescue the woman he loves, even if that means offering for her a second, far more perilous time. Yet saving Elizabeth’s reputation will demand more than an unexpected proposal; it will require out-manoeuvring Wickham, soothing outraged families, and defying the strict rules of polite society.
Just as Darcy and Elizabeth begin to glimpse an honourable escape from scandal, a shocking crime shatters Meryton’s peace. In the aftermath, alliances shift, long-buried truths surface, and the stakes for happiness, and for freedom, rise higher than ever. So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone. I can’t wait for the second book to come out on my birthday this year (June 27), and for the third book to come out a month after on July 27th.
Warning: Meant for mature audiences. Contains scenes of coercion, assault, and murder (after the effect). Readers of a delicate constitution are advised to keep their fans and vinaigrettes close at hand.
It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is Book 1 in the Crime Consequences series. This is a bold new series that blends the beloved world of Pride and Prejudicewith the intrigue of a Regency-era mystery. Passions run deep, reputations hang by a thread, and each choice carries consequences that will echo through two more novels titles Rivalry and Ruination, and Intrigue and Inheritance. Step back into Austen’s England, where wit meets suspense and true love must survive both scandal, and murder.
After returning from Kent, Elizabeth Bennet can no longer hide her contempt for the charming Lieutenant George Wickham. Armed with the truth about his past, she greets his practiced smiles with cool scorn and pointed remarks, making it plain that his lies will find no shelter with her, but threatened by the potential of exposure, Wickham retaliates in a manner Elizabeth could never have anticipated. With one stolen kiss and a staged compromise, he entangles Elizabeth in a scandal so grave that the only solution is an immediate wedding.
In London, nursing his broken heart, Fitzwilliam Darcy hears of Elizabeth’s disgrace, and conscience and affection send him racing to Hertfordshire, determined to rescue the woman he loves, even if that means offering for her a second, far more perilous time. Yet saving Elizabeth’s reputation will demand more than an unexpected proposal; it will require out-manoeuvring Wickham, soothing outraged families, and defying the strict rules of polite society.
Just as Darcy and Elizabeth begin to glimpse an honourable escape from scandal, a shocking crime shatters Meryton’s peace. In the aftermath, alliances shift, long-buried truths surface, and the stakes for happiness, and for freedom, rise higher than ever. So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone. I can’t wait for the second book to come out on my birthday this year (June 27), and for the third book to come out a month after on July 27th.
July 13, 2025
Interesting premise
After the disastrous proposal at Hunsford Parsonage, and after Darcy's letter to Elizabeth, she returns to Hertfordshire and confronts Wickham about the truth of his relationship with Darcy. Wickham decides to intentionally compromise Elizabeth in retaliation, and he insists on an engagement just to punish her. Darcy learns about Elizabeth's disgrace through Caroline Bingley, and he immediately travels to Longbourn with Colonel Fitzwilliam in order to rescue Elizabeth from an unwanted marriage to a dishonorable man.
This is a high angst storyline in which almost everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. The disasters just keep piling up, and the only thing you can count on is Darcy's commitment to saving Elizabeth's reputation, and convincing her to marry him. Darcys devotion to Elizabeth is romantic, but in general this isn't a particularly romantic story. Things are too chaotic, and Elizabeth spends almost the entire book in a state of shocked depression.
Although the book is written well enough, I feel that the length of it could have been cut in half just by eliminating repetitive thought processes. There was a constant rehashing of situations and opinions, so much so that I skimmed most of the book, and that's never a good thing. So much of the content did nothing to advance the plot, and it just became tedious. However, I like this author, and it's a compelling story, in spite of being overly melodramatic.
After the disastrous proposal at Hunsford Parsonage, and after Darcy's letter to Elizabeth, she returns to Hertfordshire and confronts Wickham about the truth of his relationship with Darcy. Wickham decides to intentionally compromise Elizabeth in retaliation, and he insists on an engagement just to punish her. Darcy learns about Elizabeth's disgrace through Caroline Bingley, and he immediately travels to Longbourn with Colonel Fitzwilliam in order to rescue Elizabeth from an unwanted marriage to a dishonorable man.
This is a high angst storyline in which almost everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. The disasters just keep piling up, and the only thing you can count on is Darcy's commitment to saving Elizabeth's reputation, and convincing her to marry him. Darcys devotion to Elizabeth is romantic, but in general this isn't a particularly romantic story. Things are too chaotic, and Elizabeth spends almost the entire book in a state of shocked depression.
Although the book is written well enough, I feel that the length of it could have been cut in half just by eliminating repetitive thought processes. There was a constant rehashing of situations and opinions, so much so that I skimmed most of the book, and that's never a good thing. So much of the content did nothing to advance the plot, and it just became tedious. However, I like this author, and it's a compelling story, in spite of being overly melodramatic.
July 3, 2025
Do Not Start this book late at night !!
You will lose hours of precious sleep!
My mistake. lol
Elizabeth knows exactly who Wickham is after reading Darcy’s letter following his disastrous proposal.
She unwisely antagonizes Wickham at every opportunity. Soon she becomes his prey. She leaves an area of Aunt Phillips card party for a dark upstairs. Quickly she is accosted by Wickham and compromised!
There starts a dramatic story that is full of death, crime and nightmares!
It is very well written and a satisfying read!
Don’t miss this book 1 of a trilogy!
I’m off to the next!
You will lose hours of precious sleep!
My mistake. lol
Elizabeth knows exactly who Wickham is after reading Darcy’s letter following his disastrous proposal.
She unwisely antagonizes Wickham at every opportunity. Soon she becomes his prey. She leaves an area of Aunt Phillips card party for a dark upstairs. Quickly she is accosted by Wickham and compromised!
There starts a dramatic story that is full of death, crime and nightmares!
It is very well written and a satisfying read!
Don’t miss this book 1 of a trilogy!
I’m off to the next!
May 30, 2025
Some editing issues. One of the most annoying was when Elizabeth reflects on her trip to Pemberley at the end of the story, which she did not visit.
Good story and mystery. After Hunsford Elizabeth returns to Longbourn understanding Wickham’s true nature. When she makes him aware that she knows things about his past behavior he becomes coldly calculating and compromises her with a kiss. In the meantime Elizabeth has also interfered with Lydia’s plans to join the regiment in Brighton which has Lydia in a total fury unlike any she has directed at any of her sisters before.
After the compromise Elizabeth has no choice but to agree to marry Wickham to save her own reputation and that of her family. When Darcy gets word of a possible forced engagement he and Colonel Fitzwiliam race to Hertfordshire to save Elizabeth from her terrible fate. But there is a death under mysterious circumstances and several people have motives, including Darcy, Bennet and Colonel Fitzwilliam. The outcome could destroy the Bennets reputation for good. What can Darcy do to preserve Elizabeth’s and the Bennets’ good name? And what does Lydia’s mysterious behavior have to do with the situation? This is part one of a three book series.
Good story and mystery. After Hunsford Elizabeth returns to Longbourn understanding Wickham’s true nature. When she makes him aware that she knows things about his past behavior he becomes coldly calculating and compromises her with a kiss. In the meantime Elizabeth has also interfered with Lydia’s plans to join the regiment in Brighton which has Lydia in a total fury unlike any she has directed at any of her sisters before.
After the compromise Elizabeth has no choice but to agree to marry Wickham to save her own reputation and that of her family. When Darcy gets word of a possible forced engagement he and Colonel Fitzwiliam race to Hertfordshire to save Elizabeth from her terrible fate. But there is a death under mysterious circumstances and several people have motives, including Darcy, Bennet and Colonel Fitzwilliam. The outcome could destroy the Bennets reputation for good. What can Darcy do to preserve Elizabeth’s and the Bennets’ good name? And what does Lydia’s mysterious behavior have to do with the situation? This is part one of a three book series.
September 13, 2025
2.5 ☆
miren, me encantan los slow burn (no solo en la parte de los romances, sino también en el transcurso de los plots) pero acá más que un slow burn fue una constante repetición de los mismos pensamientos una y otra y otra vez, con sinónimos y antónimos distintos. La parte del crimen (y sobre todo de la víctima) lo hizo medianamente interesante, pero la narración se me hizo suuuuuuper cuesta arriba. Pero bueno, al menos sí sentí las esencias de los personajes originales en esta variación de sus historias (a todo esto, coronel Fitzwilliam, no lo había visto bien hasta ahora 👀✨)
miren, me encantan los slow burn (no solo en la parte de los romances, sino también en el transcurso de los plots) pero acá más que un slow burn fue una constante repetición de los mismos pensamientos una y otra y otra vez, con sinónimos y antónimos distintos. La parte del crimen (y sobre todo de la víctima) lo hizo medianamente interesante, pero la narración se me hizo suuuuuuper cuesta arriba. Pero bueno, al menos sí sentí las esencias de los personajes originales en esta variación de sus historias (a todo esto, coronel Fitzwilliam, no lo había visto bien hasta ahora 👀✨)
August 15, 2025
The first half of this book is a real page turner, filled with angst. Then the narrative slows down, with Elizabeth overthinking (and repetitively overthinking) everything. You might skip the attached chapter with the beginning of Book 2, since it's rather depressing and colors the ending of Book 1.
August 21, 2025
Compelling story poorly written
I'm quite disappointed. The factual, plots and grammatical errors are unbelievable for someone who wrote The Meddling Matlocks.
The story is compelling though. If it's AI generated, the author should take the time to crosscheck it. AI should be used to assist, nt to take over.
I'm quite disappointed. The factual, plots and grammatical errors are unbelievable for someone who wrote The Meddling Matlocks.
The story is compelling though. If it's AI generated, the author should take the time to crosscheck it. AI should be used to assist, nt to take over.
July 7, 2025
Malice and Misfortune
This is a very different and entertaining variation. Catherine Bilson is an excellent writer that will keep you turning those pages just trying to figure out what could possibly happen next. Needing to get to the next sequel.
This is a very different and entertaining variation. Catherine Bilson is an excellent writer that will keep you turning those pages just trying to figure out what could possibly happen next. Needing to get to the next sequel.
July 26, 2025
Everything changes in the blink of an eye
Elizabeth, Wickham, Lydia, Darcy, Mr Bennet, all is changed in disaster and discovery. Actually, Darcy is constant from beginning to end, and his protective actions wrap around them all in the wake of Wickham’s demise.
Elizabeth, Wickham, Lydia, Darcy, Mr Bennet, all is changed in disaster and discovery. Actually, Darcy is constant from beginning to end, and his protective actions wrap around them all in the wake of Wickham’s demise.
July 3, 2025
Malice & Misfortune
I could have lived with less angst.. especially chapters 5,6,7, & 8. I liked the plot and the ending. Needless to say, I will not be reading volume 2 & 3.
I could have lived with less angst.. especially chapters 5,6,7, & 8. I liked the plot and the ending. Needless to say, I will not be reading volume 2 & 3.
August 30, 2025
Too repetitive
And it gives a book that is too long for the story involved. Too bad because I like this autor.
And it gives a book that is too long for the story involved. Too bad because I like this autor.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews