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The Shadows of Pemberley: A dark reimagining of Pride & Prejudice
A standalone Regency romance — part of the Austen Seasons collection of swoon-worthy retellings.
Some houses are built on secrets. Some secrets refuse to stay buried.
After the sudden death of Mr. Darcy’s parents, Pemberley estate has grown cold and strange, its grand halls echoing with whispers and shadows. When Elizabeth Bennet arrives to visit her newlywed sister at nearby Netherfield, she is drawn into the unsettling mystery surrounding Darcy, who is rumored to be cursed—his family bound to dark forces that demand loyalty and sacrifice.
As Elizabeth and Darcy's paths intertwine, secrets unravel, revealing a power struggle not just between pride and prejudice, but between light and darkness. Love might save them both—or doom them to Pemberley’s haunting legacy forever.
Never whisper Pemberley’s name after midnight.
Some houses are built on secrets. Some secrets refuse to stay buried.
After the sudden death of Mr. Darcy’s parents, Pemberley estate has grown cold and strange, its grand halls echoing with whispers and shadows. When Elizabeth Bennet arrives to visit her newlywed sister at nearby Netherfield, she is drawn into the unsettling mystery surrounding Darcy, who is rumored to be cursed—his family bound to dark forces that demand loyalty and sacrifice.
As Elizabeth and Darcy's paths intertwine, secrets unravel, revealing a power struggle not just between pride and prejudice, but between light and darkness. Love might save them both—or doom them to Pemberley’s haunting legacy forever.
Never whisper Pemberley’s name after midnight.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2025
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36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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August 13, 2025I read the free sample. Elizabeth is very troubled because there's been twelve mysterious deaths connected with Pemberley in the last three years. The society has explained them away but Elizabeth is suspicious because each victim has had carved wooden figures in their fingers. It is not clear to me why the newspapers reported the allegedly-natural deaths of maids and governesses but they have, and Elizabeth is the only person to realize there is something iffy about this.
Her married sister Jane wrote her a letter inviting her to stay at Netherfield, which is located only miles from Pemberley, and Elizabeth wants to travel the next day so she can protect Jane. I thought Jane was at Netherfield. But somehow she's in the carriage with Elizabeth, traveling from Hertfordshire to Netherfield the following day. This made no sense... if Jane is in danger at Netherfield why didn't Elizabeth even try to convince her to stay at Longbourn? Why are they in such a hurry to travel to be closer to the danger? If Jane was at Longbourn why is she sending Elizabeth letters? (this was the weird detail that made me wonder whether the author has read their own book).
Charles Bingley is proud of his and Jane's renovations at Netherfield. Elizabeth says she hardly recognised it. So she's been here often before? it's not clear.
Darcy's parents have both died. But Darcy appears at a ball. A chandelier falls. He saves her life and leaves. Wickham suggests it was a deliberate sabotage so she'd be grateful for his rescue, but he also insinuates that there is something strange that Darcy wouldn't stay to listen to her gratitude. So, damned if he does want gratitude, damned if he doesn't.
Jane hears threatening voices.
This is the end of the free sample and where I DNF'ed.
TL;DR the one in which Jane is near Pemberley and near Longbourn at the same time.
Her married sister Jane wrote her a letter inviting her to stay at Netherfield, which is located only miles from Pemberley, and Elizabeth wants to travel the next day so she can protect Jane. I thought Jane was at Netherfield. But somehow she's in the carriage with Elizabeth, traveling from Hertfordshire to Netherfield the following day. This made no sense... if Jane is in danger at Netherfield why didn't Elizabeth even try to convince her to stay at Longbourn? Why are they in such a hurry to travel to be closer to the danger? If Jane was at Longbourn why is she sending Elizabeth letters? (this was the weird detail that made me wonder whether the author has read their own book).
Charles Bingley is proud of his and Jane's renovations at Netherfield. Elizabeth says she hardly recognised it. So she's been here often before? it's not clear.
Darcy's parents have both died. But Darcy appears at a ball. A chandelier falls. He saves her life and leaves. Wickham suggests it was a deliberate sabotage so she'd be grateful for his rescue, but he also insinuates that there is something strange that Darcy wouldn't stay to listen to her gratitude. So, damned if he does want gratitude, damned if he doesn't.
Jane hears threatening voices.
This is the end of the free sample and where I DNF'ed.
TL;DR the one in which Jane is near Pemberley and near Longbourn at the same time.
September 29, 2025
I’m almost finished with this book, I typically read it late at night when I was very tired, and so I’m ashamed to admit how long it took me to realize this was written by AI.
At first, I thought some of the ideas were due to inexperienced author writing more in like a fanfiction style, where they assume the readers know certain things. And now I realize it was just inconsistencies of AI. Somehow Netherfield and Pemberley are close to each other. Pemberley is described as a scary place, yeah, a character is moved to Pemberley to “be safe” but then somehow they’re magically back at Netherfield at some point? Out of the blue there’s a ball? I skimmed back to the previous chapter thinking I had missed some build up, but no, a new chapter starts as Elizabeth is walking into a ball and even the descriptions there are inconsistent page to page. I can’t tell you how it ended because I haven’t gotten that far and I’m not sure if I’m gonna continue but disappointing.
Please spend your time reading books written by people and not computers.
At first, I thought some of the ideas were due to inexperienced author writing more in like a fanfiction style, where they assume the readers know certain things. And now I realize it was just inconsistencies of AI. Somehow Netherfield and Pemberley are close to each other. Pemberley is described as a scary place, yeah, a character is moved to Pemberley to “be safe” but then somehow they’re magically back at Netherfield at some point? Out of the blue there’s a ball? I skimmed back to the previous chapter thinking I had missed some build up, but no, a new chapter starts as Elizabeth is walking into a ball and even the descriptions there are inconsistent page to page. I can’t tell you how it ended because I haven’t gotten that far and I’m not sure if I’m gonna continue but disappointing.
Please spend your time reading books written by people and not computers.
September 30, 2025
Ok I was initially torn about what to rate this but as I thought more and more, I had to give it 2 stars because, even though I finished it, there were a lot of problems. Another reviewer said this book was AI written - frankly, that seems very possible, or at the least it was never edited.
As a gothic story, it is ok. It has some decent atmosphere, especially when one gets to Pemberly but sometimes it's a bit misplaced. Example, in the first chapter, Elizabeth is at home but literally already she's filled with foreboding and there seems to be shadows everywhere, in her home, the carriage ride, at Netherfield - none of these places should be creepy.
If you didn't know this was supposed to be an Austen re-imagining, you wouldn't know it was an Austen re-imagining - it's basically a Gothic story with the Austen character names inserted. The charged chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth is non-existent in the first third or so of this book. We're told about their animosity and distrust as if we should already know the characters or should have read a prior book (yes we know the characters but would have been nice to see more of their "pride and prejudice" than to be told it exists. Again, the names just feel like filler).
So many odd inconsistencies in this book:
- Elizabeth's sister Jane isn't safe at Netherfield because she hears whispering voices. So she moves her to Pemberly which is definitely known to be a "bad place." What? Yes, she admits it's a bit of a ploy to get to Pemberly but if she was really concerned about her sister's safety why not go ANYWHERE else? I know why. Because it was a lazy plot device. If they had discovered Pemberly was the wrong place to go, that would have been fine, but they knew going in that it was a terrible place.
- Disjointed transitions between chapters and scenes. Characters in the wrong place. Suddenly there's a ball at Pemberly (It was so sudden I thought it was a dream). Jane has a fever at Pemberly but then she's suddenly at Northfield with her husband and no mention of Darcy at all. When did she go home? She didn't. Three servants are named but Elizabeth notes that 5 servants have stayed. Then she says 7 of them will fight. What? There were only 3 servants and a total of 6 people. Just so much of this throughout the book, it doesn't seem like anyone ever edited this.
- Yes there's love and strength and sisterly bonds but no real romance. I guess I was just expecting more. Literally we see one kiss and it's over in a minute. I just wanted more romance between them.
- A lot of repetition, especially in the last five chapters. The last 3 felt like an extended, Hallmark epilogue. So much of it could have been condensed. And it was kind of ironic that the ending was so drawn out when everything leading up to the climax was rushed.
So this was an interesting concept but the execution was a bit muddled, although it really had some potential. Sadly, I probably wouldn't recommend this reimagining.
As a gothic story, it is ok. It has some decent atmosphere, especially when one gets to Pemberly but sometimes it's a bit misplaced. Example, in the first chapter, Elizabeth is at home but literally already she's filled with foreboding and there seems to be shadows everywhere, in her home, the carriage ride, at Netherfield - none of these places should be creepy.
If you didn't know this was supposed to be an Austen re-imagining, you wouldn't know it was an Austen re-imagining - it's basically a Gothic story with the Austen character names inserted. The charged chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth is non-existent in the first third or so of this book. We're told about their animosity and distrust as if we should already know the characters or should have read a prior book (yes we know the characters but would have been nice to see more of their "pride and prejudice" than to be told it exists. Again, the names just feel like filler).
So many odd inconsistencies in this book:
- Elizabeth's sister Jane isn't safe at Netherfield because she hears whispering voices. So she moves her to Pemberly which is definitely known to be a "bad place." What? Yes, she admits it's a bit of a ploy to get to Pemberly but if she was really concerned about her sister's safety why not go ANYWHERE else? I know why. Because it was a lazy plot device. If they had discovered Pemberly was the wrong place to go, that would have been fine, but they knew going in that it was a terrible place.
- Disjointed transitions between chapters and scenes. Characters in the wrong place. Suddenly there's a ball at Pemberly (It was so sudden I thought it was a dream). Jane has a fever at Pemberly but then she's suddenly at Northfield with her husband and no mention of Darcy at all. When did she go home? She didn't. Three servants are named but Elizabeth notes that 5 servants have stayed. Then she says 7 of them will fight. What? There were only 3 servants and a total of 6 people. Just so much of this throughout the book, it doesn't seem like anyone ever edited this.
- Yes there's love and strength and sisterly bonds but no real romance. I guess I was just expecting more. Literally we see one kiss and it's over in a minute. I just wanted more romance between them.
- A lot of repetition, especially in the last five chapters. The last 3 felt like an extended, Hallmark epilogue. So much of it could have been condensed. And it was kind of ironic that the ending was so drawn out when everything leading up to the climax was rushed.
So this was an interesting concept but the execution was a bit muddled, although it really had some potential. Sadly, I probably wouldn't recommend this reimagining.
February 6, 2026
I loved it!
Warning: Meant for mature audiences. Contains scenes that would scandalize the ton. 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 a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation. Fall in love all over again with the Austen Seasons series that are high-stakes romantic adaptations of Jane Austen’s most beloved novels, reimagined with bold heroines, brooding love interests, and twists of scandal, suspense, and forbidden desire.
Each book in this Austen-inspired Regency romance series can be read as a standalone and offers a fresh take on classic love stories, perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice variations, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and richly drawn historical settings. Whether you're drawn to smuggler intrigue on the Brighton coast, witches in crumbling abbeys, or snowbound second chances, Austen Seasons delivers the wit, passion, and danger of historical romance with spice. This is Book 2 in the series. Some houses are built on secrets and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
After the sudden death of Mr. Darcy’s parents, Pemberley estate has grown cold and strange, its grand halls echoing with whispers and shadows. When Elizabeth Bennet arrives to visit her newlywed sister at nearby Netherfield, she is drawn into the unsettling mystery surrounding Darcy, who is rumored to be cursed, his family bound to dark forces that demand loyalty and sacrifice. As Elizabeth and Darcy's paths intertwine, secrets unravel, revealing a power struggle not just between pride and prejudice, but between light and darkness. Love might save them both, or doom them to Pemberley’s haunting legacy forever. Never whisper Pemberley’s name after midnight. 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.
Warning: Meant for mature audiences. Contains scenes that would scandalize the ton. 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 a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation. Fall in love all over again with the Austen Seasons series that are high-stakes romantic adaptations of Jane Austen’s most beloved novels, reimagined with bold heroines, brooding love interests, and twists of scandal, suspense, and forbidden desire.
Each book in this Austen-inspired Regency romance series can be read as a standalone and offers a fresh take on classic love stories, perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice variations, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and richly drawn historical settings. Whether you're drawn to smuggler intrigue on the Brighton coast, witches in crumbling abbeys, or snowbound second chances, Austen Seasons delivers the wit, passion, and danger of historical romance with spice. This is Book 2 in the series. Some houses are built on secrets and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
After the sudden death of Mr. Darcy’s parents, Pemberley estate has grown cold and strange, its grand halls echoing with whispers and shadows. When Elizabeth Bennet arrives to visit her newlywed sister at nearby Netherfield, she is drawn into the unsettling mystery surrounding Darcy, who is rumored to be cursed, his family bound to dark forces that demand loyalty and sacrifice. As Elizabeth and Darcy's paths intertwine, secrets unravel, revealing a power struggle not just between pride and prejudice, but between light and darkness. Love might save them both, or doom them to Pemberley’s haunting legacy forever. Never whisper Pemberley’s name after midnight. 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.
January 20, 2026
This book fells 10000% written by AI and no one checked this book before it was published.
This book was, unfortunately, more confusing than compelling. It feels written with the assumption that the reader has Pride & Prejudice fresh in mind—and even then, it struggles to hold together.
The timeline between Netherfield and Pemberley is chaotic and disorienting, making it hard to follow where characters are, when events are happening, or why certain moments matter. Instead of feeling like a deliberate dark reimagining, it often feels simply poorly structured.
Wickham’s storyline is particularly ridiculous, lacking depth or believable motivation, and this problem extends to most of the cast. Character development is thin across the board, leaving familiar figures feeling flat rather than intriguingly reinterpreted.
This book was, unfortunately, more confusing than compelling. It feels written with the assumption that the reader has Pride & Prejudice fresh in mind—and even then, it struggles to hold together.
The timeline between Netherfield and Pemberley is chaotic and disorienting, making it hard to follow where characters are, when events are happening, or why certain moments matter. Instead of feeling like a deliberate dark reimagining, it often feels simply poorly structured.
Wickham’s storyline is particularly ridiculous, lacking depth or believable motivation, and this problem extends to most of the cast. Character development is thin across the board, leaving familiar figures feeling flat rather than intriguingly reinterpreted.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews