My Pride, His Prejudice

Austen in Love #1

by Jenni James

When Will Darcy proposes out of the blue, Eliza Bennet's world comes crashing down. Of course she tells him no, but why would he ask her in the first place? Haven’t they always been enemies? For the past year, Eliza has worked for Will's company, Revolutionary Innovations, as an efficiency expert. Her whole goal has been to raise profits, finish her contract, and then get out. She assumed Will wanted the same, but now she's not so sure. And more importantly, she has begun to wonder if she made a mistake in telling him no.

Jenni James, author of The Jane Austen Diaries series for teens, does it again! Now she's creating a whole new series just for adults, Austen in Love. Book #1 is a delightful adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that has all the components of Jane Austen's amazing love story, sticking true to the original theme, while taking modern liberties to give this a fresh, new twist for the clean romance genre.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Retellings, Chick Lit, Fiction, Young Adult, Adult

127 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2015

About the author

CLEAN ROMANCE FOR TEENS:

*The Jane Austen Diaries*
Pride & Popularity (Aug 2011)
Persuaded (Aug. 2012)
Emmalee (Jan 2013)
Mansfield Ranch (Dec 2013)
Northanger Alibi (Feb. 2012)
Sensible & Sensational (July 2015)
Sand & Sun (2016)
The Wilsons
Queen Sydney

*Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection*
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Rumplestiltskin
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstalk
Snow White
The Frog Prince
Twelve Dancing Princesses
Rapunzel
The Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Return to Neverland
The Forgotten Princess
The Princess With the Golden Touch
Little Red Riding Hood
(and more...)

MIDDLE GRADE READERS:
Prince Tennyson (May 2012)

EARLY READERS:

*Andy & Annie Collection*
A Ghost Story
Greeny Meany

WOMEN'S FICTION:

*Revitalizing Jane Series*
Drowning
Swimming
Crawling
Walking
Running
Soaring


CLEAN ROMANCE FOR ADULTS:

*Eternal Realm Series*
Eternity
Destiny
Divinity

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun clean Pride and Prejudice retelling set in Utah. The story starts with a marriage proposal. I honestly felt a little lost for the first few pages but as I kept reading I saw why the author started the book that way. We were as in the dark about the proposal as Eliza was. How could the man she considers to be her enemy be proposing to her? I enjoyed reading this one and watching how the characters relationship develops as they came to understand each other better. You need not be a Pride and Prejudice fan to enjoy this book but if you are you will likely smile at the way this story parallels Jane Austen's original work.
Content: squeaky clean

[Jenni James · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Trifecta Books asked me to revamp modern Jane Austen again, this time for their Sweet & Clean Romance Collection, I couldn't say no.

Welcome to Book 1, of AUSTEN IN LOVE.

The challenge was telling such an incredible Jane Austen story in the allotted short 40K words I was given for the Sweet & Clean Romance Collection. It was challenge... but what a crazy, fun journey this was to write! I'm completely in love with Will Darcy and the adorable Eliza Bennet--and her mother! Ahhh! I hope you love Melissa as much as I do.

This series will only be available for ebook. So make sure you download an ebook app to any device. (kindle, nook, istore--they're all free)

This book is available for pre-order now. And will go live APRIL 27, 2015!

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read "Pride and Prejudice". Shocking I know. But I'm the "Sherlock" type of girl so I have never been a fan of simpering ladies.

This book started when Will Darcy was proposing to Eliza. On her doorstep. In the middle of the morning. This is taking the word "surprise" to a whole new level. Of course she said no seeing that Will is a jerk to her even though he is her boss.

I think that this story is more like a 2nd book. It would have been better if I get to see Will's dark side. I want to get a grasp of how a douchebag he is to Eliza. My Pride, His Prejudice is an okay book, if you're looking for a clean,light read.

Still looking forward for Jane and Charles' book. :)

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Pride, His Prejudice was a cute little romcom retelling of Pride & Prejudice. In it, you will meet Will and Eliza. They work quite well together in Will's company. So, when he proposes out of the blue, she's not quite sure what to think. Is it a joke? Maybe. Should she say yes? Absolutely not. Does she? Eventually.

It all started off with a misunderstanding. She thought he hated her. He had a little schoolboy crush on her. After family drama starts, she (sort of) sees him in a different light. It's the little things - like touches, kisses, and words - that get to her. With little butterflies starting to form in her stomach, she can't help but start to like the guy. Especially when a little trip to Vegas happens.

In the end, I liked this. It was a very clean romance, a little too clean for me, but I enjoyed getting to know them.

[Moira]

DNF at 55%. This was a huge let down as I like her YA books. This book felt liked the first few chapters were cut from it. It starts at the proposal so there's no story development, you're just dropped into the middle of the story. It's only at 20% that you realise Bingley and Jane are in it, and they've already broken up.

I didn't like either Eliza or Will. Both felt like they had multiple personalities, especially Eliza. One minute she would be hating on him and threatening to murder and LITERALLY the next paragraph she would be all nice and telling him everything was going to be okay and they would get through it. The only character who was consistent was Eliza's mother, and she was just constantly annoying.

[Valerie Waters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's my mood but I just didn't love this book. First off I didn't like that the names were the same as in Pride and Prejudice. What was the point of not letting her read the email?! That was weird. And the way Darcy talked was sooo weird. A rich 30 something year old man doesn't talk like a teenager. It was weird to me.

[Kathy Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession... I have never read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I know... I know... there are some of you that are probably yelling at me right now. But I have tried... several times in fact. But each time I did... I would fall asleep. I just couldn't get through it! But that doesn't mean I am not a Pride and Prejudice fan. I fell in love with it the first time my aunt made me watch the BBC version with Colin Firth and Elizabeth Ehle. I swore up and down that I did NOT want to watch it and I was only doing to because she asked me to. But once she went to bed I just kept watching and watching and watching and finished it in one night! I LOVED it!! When I got into reading and saw that so many authors had retellings of Pride and Prejudice I just had to read them!! And of course when one of my favorite authors releases her modern version of Pride and Prejudice I just HAD to snatch it up!

My Pride, His prejudice starts out with a proposal... one that came out of left field. It had Eliza shaking her head wondering where in the world Will got the idea that she actually liked him... let alone loved him! She thought that they hated each other and were pretty much enemies. While she was counting down the days until her contract with his company was up... he was thinking that they were the perfect fit and that he had found the one person who made him better. So when she turns him down and tells him what she really thinks of him, he is beyond confused and can't believe that he let himself believe that she felt the same way he did.

When an emergency arises with his sister, Georgia, he relies on Eliza to take care of his company while he is away. But when he finally finds Georgia he realizes that he needs Eliza in Las Vegas with him. After he explains the situation to her, she drops everything and heads out to help him and his sister. While there they are both able to let their guards down and really get to know each other. No... it is not always smooth sailing but once they actually start communicating things start to look up. And maybe... just maybe... there will be a future for them after all. ;)

For the most part, I really did enjoy this book. There were times when I was shaking my head and wondering if people that age really acted the way they were acting. Eliza definitely had some immature moments and I wanted to shake her and say seriously?! Grow up! But all in all it was definitely a cute book! I was sad when it just ended though! I was like what?! No!! So many unanswered questions for me!! I know this is the first book in the series so I am crossing my fingers and hoping that they will be answered in book 2!! I can't wait to see what Jenni has in store for us next!! Seriously... she is a ROCKSTAR and and definite auto-buy author for me!! <3

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute read and fun modern adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. I've become a fan of Austen reimaging's and thought this one was really well done. It managed to stick with the original version, yet be unique and fresh. I think anyone would enjoy this chick lit even if they've never read the original.

I liked Eliza and Will (at times they sometimes came across younger than they were), they had fun banter and good chemistry. This is a novella and was a fun escape. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies.

Content:
Romance: Squeaky clean
Language: None (that I remember)
Violence: Mild, off-page Darcy's sister runs off with a guy who assaults her. No details. <\spoiler>
Religious: None

[Happy Reading Watching]

I really enjoyed this book! I wish it were longer. It was a really fast read I finished it in hours, that's rare for me. Really liked Mr. Darcy and Eliza it was great. I tend to enjoy most of Jenni James books!
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I have reread this book multiple times and it's my favorite fast fluffy read. Is this book perfect no? Is it like eating cotton candy Yes!!
The cover is ⭐
The romance ⭐⭐⭐ (insta love?)
Kisses ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot ⭐⭐⭐
My enjoyment ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
.
.
Times read
Sep.8.2016
July.2.2017
2018 e book
2019 e book
May.25.2020
October 2021
November 2022
January 2023

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, clean, quick read that I finished in a couple of hours. I liked the story but… the Darcy figure was so OOC [out of character] that I had trouble identifying with him. He was a bit immature and his behavior just seemed off. We had Georgia as his sister, who was dealing with very modern issues. Darcy needed Eliza’s help with his sister. This brought them together so they could work on their differences and issues. Mrs. Bennet was a hoot. I liked it.

[Madenna U · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darcy is used to getting everything that he wants in this modern take on Pride and Prejudice. Eliza is working for his company as a consultant and been improving both his company and his personal perspective. He believes he is in love as the story opens with a proposal, which is of course rejected.

Through the story, Darcy must learn what it means to really love someone more than yourself and Eliza must learn to trust men and herself.

Mrs Bennet is my favorite character in this story - she is hysterical!!

[Katelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Anyway here it goes.

Cons: Eliza. She didn't change. She was such a hypocrite! She's all complaining about how Collin emotionally abused her and said nothing nice yet the WHOLE book she is being rude to will even AFTER he turns all nice. Ugh. It just didn't feel like a healthy relationship. Also it felt backwards. They were kissing before they had feelings. WHAT??? She's still not sure if she even likes him as a person and she KISSES him??? Maybe it's just me but I like to save my kisses for people I actually care for. Also the writing sounded realimmature. Keep in mind: I am no literary scholar. I don't expect my books to be like Shakespeare. Actually I don't even like Shakespeare I think he's a terrible writer. But even for me it sounded immature. I felt like I was directly in their brain. Now some of you may be like "that's good you want to feel connected!" But in reality the human brain is quite scatter minded and doesn't make sense. So I would of liked it if it felt less like literally reading someone's mind.
Pros: I loved Georgia! She was so sweet and kind! It would have gotten a higher rating if it was about her. Will...he was great. So sweet and kind, always trying to do better. Actual character development ya know... it was funny at parts and did have me laughing out loud.

Over all it was a 2.5 it was funny and I liked the Darcy family but Eliza was.annoying and frankly a hypocrite who never changed. She would think about changing and then just not do anything. It would be "wow I'm too judgemental....cool story! Whatevs" also too much kissing...like every couple pages...didn't like that much

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Refreshing Take on Pride and Prejudice

I've loved Jenni James' Austen retellings for teenagers, and was really excited about this new series. It did not disappoint!

Eliza Bennett works for Will Darcy as a consultant, improving the productivity and management of his company. What was really different about this retelling was it's starting point. We come into the story at Darcy's proposal, and get a little of the back story along the way.

I loved Eliza and Will together. I loved the banter, the flirting, and even the arguing. The romance was clean, sweet, and one I was definitely rooting for.

The characters were well written, and I gained a better understanding of Eliza's parents. I actually liked her mother, which is hard to do in the original story.

The only thing I wish for was more resolution with Jane and Bingley. The book was short, about 120 pages if I remember correctly. It was good enough that I wish it was twice as long just so I could have enjoyed it longer!

I highly recommend this to fans of Jane Austen retellings!

Content: clean (kissing, no language, talk of abuse in general, not detailed)

[Happy Reading Watching]

My Pride, His Prejudice
Book by Jenni James
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am going to be 100% honest here. This is my fluffy, super corny, over the top romance read! Is it a perfect book? NO! Do I still enjoy it & reread it often? YES!
I read & watch a lot of things from the fantasy, suspense & crime genres. This book (most of her books) is a perfect corny good time!


If you enjoy...
♡Corny
♡Retellings
♡Modern P&P
♡Short Reads
♡Sweet Romance
♡Fluffy Romance
♡Clean/Closed door romance

Then I recommend looking into this one & her other books 📚


Times Read 📖❤️
1) August 26th, 2017
2) November 2nd, 2017
3) June 5th, 2018
4) May 10th, 2019
5) March 20th, 2020
6) August 3rd, 2020
7) November 12th, 2020
8) September 7th, 2021
9) October 1st, 2022
10) November 8th, 2022
11) October 5th, 2023
12) November 3rd, 2024

Book Synopsis:
"When Will Darcy proposes out of the blue, Eliza Bennet's world comes crashing down. Of course, she tells him no, but why would he ask her in the first place? Haven't they always been enemies? For the past year, Eliza has worked for Will's company, Revolutionary Innovations, as an efficiency expert."

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Darcy is Salt Lakes hottest and wealthiest bachelor, but that doesn't mean Eliza Bennett wants to marry him - and so when he asks, she refuses. But when he needs her help after his young sister, Georgia, runs off with George Wickham, she can't refuse him.

This is a fun, modern-day re-telling of Pride and Prejudice!

Content: Very clean
Source: amazon.com

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not nearly enough development of story or characters, and way too much cheesy style romance.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Fast romance with the things you love about Austen's story.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Will Darcy

I adore Pride and Prejudice and this adaptation is a winner! This modern day version of P&P just hooked me from the first sentence and I read it in a day's time.
Will Darcy in this version came across strong, vulnerable and totally swoon-worthy! I highly recommend this book to P&P fans and lovers of sweet romance....happy sigh....

[Mary Ann Bulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay for finding another Pride and Prejudice Variation!! They are my favorite! This was a fun and clean retelling and I definitely stayed up too late reading it, but it was worth it!

[Joy Crain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenni James is the queen of cheesy and this book is no exception. Cheesy books for me are sometimes the best and the worst kind to read because on one part, they appeal to us because they are light and easy to read while on the other hand they can be dreadfully unrealistic. This book had a good balance of both. The writing and storyline was easy to read and mirrored Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice" really well while being somewhat unrealistic at certain intervals. 


Eliza Bennet cannot believe that the proudful  Will Darcy has just proposed out of the blue. How could he do that? They've been working together for over a year and for most of that time, hated each other. So why this sudden proposal? There is no way she's marrying Mr. Darcy. He's just the kind of man she vowed to avoid.


Will Darcy can't explain why he got down on one knee and proposed out of the blue. What could have possessed him to do such a thing? No wonder she said no. 


This is a clean romance novel that is enjoyable to read even if it is a little unrealistic. This book is appropriate for ages 13+ for mentions of physical and emotional abuse (non graphic).

[Lydia Howe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've wanted to read a P&P spin-off for a long, long time now, but haven't pretty much because I had a feeling they would be really cheesy and eye-roll worthy. Then I was sick and I decided to get Kindle Unlimited and go on a reading spree while recovering.

This book was cheesy, but it was also funny and interesting. It's kinda like a fairytale retelling, you know what's going to happen cause you know the story, but it keeps you reading anyway, so you can discover HOW it happens.

The reason for only giving this book two stars is because it has a lot of romance (which is to be expected), but I didn't like how much physical-ness was in the book. Mostly just kisses and such, but still it was a bit much for my tastes. Plus, I was annoyed at the MMC, because there were times when he really wasn't focused on what he should be focusing on, etc... and therefore it didn't seem realistic.

I'm glad I read the book though, because I've wanted to for a long time and even though I wouldn't recommend it, I still enjoyed it.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute and fun!
It started off feeling a little rushed (or maybe I felt like I was missing something), but that's just because it started off in the middle of their story. I also thought Eliza and Will sometimes seemed younger than they actually were, but they were still enjoyable characters!
All in all, I enjoyed this one...and if you enjoy light, fun romantic comedies, you most likely will as well!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aw, this was a fun, cute, swoony book. Loved all of it, had a hard time putting it down, and I haven't read one of those books for a while now.

Moral Note: Some drama with Joe Wickham & Georgia Darcy as you can imagine, not graphic, just some mild details. Nothing I wouldn't let my teen read. Clean romance, clean language.

[Kirsi Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recency Remake

Here's another entry for those of us who just can't get enough of "Pride and Prejudice." I can't say I LOVED this re-imagining, but if you're a die hard, it's worth a read.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, fluffy, fun take on P & P. It's a shorter book and I kind of wish it were longer (full length) but what I got was a fun distraction.

[Karina Kozubik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible!!! Señora, no cree que es hora de probar ideas propias y dejar el constante homenaje a Jane Austen?, porque lo único que hace es hundir clásicos de la literatura que todas amamos.

[Deon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on #KindleUnlimited

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: 0 stars or 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

I don't know what to say except this - don't call something Austen-inspired/adapted from P&P unless you're actually going to follow through. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the use of creative liberties, but if you're going to go off the deep end, just make your own story and leave poor Darcy and Lizzy out of it.

Names aside, this really has nothing to do with P&P. It starts with Darcy's proposal, and I thought this was going to be in media res or an alternate timeline or something, but it's really more like an exercise in flash fiction than any kind of story with an actual plot. The TL;DR version is Darcy gets rejected, he goes to Vegas to save his sister from Wickham, for whatever reason, Lizzy gets pulled in to help, they live happily ever after. There is a lot of kissing throughout.



Nothing makes sense in this book, especially Will and Eliza's "relationship" and the speed with which it escalates. "What guy is lame enough to get up the nerve to propose to a woman who hates him and then attempt to forget about her rejection, only to kiss her the next time they meet?" Mr. Darcy, apparently. Minor spoilers ahead, but hear me out. Not only does he propose to his consultant (i.e. his employee) without ever dating her then kiss her later when he knows she hates his guts, but he tells her his deepest darkest secret. Later, she and her mom (don't ask) go to Vegas to "bring Georgia her clothes" because Eliza's the only person he can depend on, apparently. They kiss some more even though she hates his guts even more now that she knows he told Bingley Jane was a gold digger. THEN they talk it all out and suddenly decide they're in love and get engaged within a week of the first disastrous proposal? The whole story could be summarized in one GIF:

"I’m not saying all—but some of those romance books must completely skew the reality of what men really are. You women gush and sigh and long for this impossibly romantic weirdo you’ve just read about, then toss aside the actual normal man right next to you because he’s not Damien, or Alfonzo, or Luke."

Darcy has this rant about romance novels and unrealistic expectations (which Eliza refutes, of course,) but do you honestly expect me to believe any of it when you write this kind of nonsense? Then again, I didn't gush and sigh and long for this impossibly romantic weirdo, so I guess I'm safe.

But seriously, if Georgia really did suffer so much trauma, would Darcy really be devoting all his time and energy to pursing an office romance with the woman that jilted him?? He just found his sister, but he has the time to walk Eliza through a virtual tour of his house? Uh, okay. If he thinks Georgia's experiencing "PTSD or something," why is he calling his consultant to fix his problems and not a certified therapist? You can't tell me with all the money Will Darcy has he wouldn't have a world renown psychiatrist flown out that day for his baby sister. Though, looking at Georgia, you'd think she was perfectly fine. She has one crying sesh but is otherwise a cheerful, meddling little sister.

The characters are flat. Jane and Charles are essentially plot devices, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are like some wacky comedy duo, and Darcy and Lizzy? Oh man...Darcy is shy and awkward, which is probably the only thing James gets (kind of) right. I would've appreciated it a lot more if that didn't manifest itself as him going on about how giddy and girly he feels around Eliza, who is not the sharp and clever Bennet girl we've all come to know and love, but is far from articulate.

Exhibit A: "That woman has more intelligence in her body than you do in your pinky toe. The little gross one. Actually the fungus-covered pinky toe…Wait. Maybe I got that backwards. Maybe she has more intelligence in her toe than you do in your—gah! You know what I mean."

She also comes with baggage because apparently she was engaged to Collins(!) who was emotionally abusive, and after years of "finding herself" and "learning to trust again," she has hangups about being the rich lady Collins wanted her to be. (Darcy also relates because he feels the same way about his dad/ex's apparently). Again, if you want to write your own crazy story, you do you; just don't slap an Austen sticker on it.

The writing is awkward, cringey, and sometimes nonsensical. Like, what is a "raspberry-kissed voice"? and can someone please tell me what it means when "her soft sultry tones prick their way into his eardrums and down his neck"? I'm pretty sure people hear with their ears...I'm all for the artistic and metaphoric use of language, but this is ridiculous. And if I hear the word "princess" or "angel" come out of Darcy's mouth one more time, I might actually vomit. The pseudo-swearing like "golly" and "heckfire" sounds juvenile. Don't get me wrong, I am all for clean language in my fiction, but there's a way to do it without sounding like a 10-year-old. Also, what was with the mini-commercial for Newsies? Were they sponsors or something?

This book apparently marks Jenni James’ passage into adult fiction, as “she joins Trifecta Book’s Sweet and Clean Romance Collection for adults.” I've never heard of Trifecta Books, but I'm guessing the trifecta is sweet, clean, and poorly written? Because this just confirms my theory about books marketed as clean romances.

[the_bookish_took · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was suuuper cute! I really like how she updated/adapted it—I do wish she'd have started from the beginning though so we could've gotten a "whole" before picture of Mr. Darcy and Eliza but it was very interesting how she summed up what happened before then. I think it stays true to the book in most circumstances, and in heart. A few things are changed of course with the modern setting and one of the plot points are tweaked just a little bit—meaning that it still happens like in the original except with somebody else Georgia runs off with Wickham instead of Lydia (Lydia is non-existent in this book) and Darcy's revelation about him is something else. Oh and Wickham is an absolute sleeze ball—as he is.

Every time I reread Pride and Prejudice Mr. Darcy, in the beginning, always sinks in my opinion—he is rude and is a crab and a jerk—and I'm always so surprised, and then the book continues and I see how he changes and I forgive and forget how much of a jerk he was until the next time I read it. The same thing happened here. Will was a snob in the beginning but by the end he was so different and adorable!

And it doesn't have a single curse word!! I feel like it's so hard to find a contemporary that doesn't swear and have all that other gunk, which doesn't ruin a book for me but it does hamper my enjoyment of it.

There's really nothing I didn't enjoy—the humor had me giggling to no end, both Jane and Georgia were adorable side characters—very excited to read Jane's story next because we only see a little bit of her (she's a school librarian!)—and Eliza's mom is hilarious, and when she meets Georgia for the first time and they're sitting around bantering was so fun and cute!

Bottom line: super cute, super cheesy, heartwarming and a good quick read!

[readundancies · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you haven't any idea as to what the plot of Pride and Prejudice is going into this novel, you're bound to feel at least a little disoriented when starting this one.

It essentially covers the last two thirds of the original tale but in a modern setting with modern twists.

It definitely could've benefited from including the first third it deigned to bypass. I also would've liked more of an epilogue, but it was not to be borne. Because it appears that there is some sort of established backstory, but as a reader we're not privy to it and have to infer way more than is comfortable considering this is a modern retelling and I picked this up on whim thinking it would be quick and easy read.

Which it was, but there was still confusion on my part with respect to that decision.

To be honest, this definitely feels more like unpublished JAFF than anything, and I think there are better modern retellings of P&P out there, if that's what you're inclined towards.