As the ship carrying his beloved family slips into the night, Darcy watches with impotent rage, knowing the recovery will be long and arduous. But Darcy is a man of resolve, one who will stop at nothing to retrieve them. With the assistance of excellent friends of longstanding, he vows to pursue them to the ends of the earth if need be. But the journey will be long and arduous, for those who wish to profit from them have taken them far from England. The very mention of their destination brings agony, places out of legend where men without souls barter and profit from the misery of others. Elizabeth and Georgiana find themselves in a desperate situation, surrounded by enemies and bound for horrors beyond their imagination. In spite of all this, they keep to their wits and courage, determined to meet their fates with heads held high, and escape what their captors have planned for them. And even should they manage the impossible, the return to England is also fraught with danger. For not only must they cross the long miles pursued by implacable foes, but an old adversary awaits them, one who has sworn to avenge himself on them. Bonds of Love is the second book and conclusion of the Bonds of Life series.
Jann Rowland is a Canadian, born and bred. Other than a two-year span in which he lived in Japan, he has been a resident of the Great White North his entire life, though he professes to still hate the winters.
Though Jann did not start writing until his mid-twenties, writing has grown from a hobby to an all-consuming passion. His interests as a child were almost exclusively centered on the exotic fantasy worlds of Tolkien and Eddings, among a host of others. As an adult, his interests have grown to include historical fiction and romance, with a particular focus on the works of Jane Austen.
When Jann is not writing, he enjoys rooting for his favorite sports teams. He is also a master musician (in his own mind) who enjoys playing piano and singing as well as moonlighting as the choir director in his church’s congregation.
Jann lives in Alberta with his wife of more than twenty years, two grown sons, and one young daughter. He is convinced that whatever hair he has left will be entirely gone by the time his little girl hits her teenage years. Sadly, though he has told his daughter repeatedly that she is not allowed to grow up, she continues to ignore him.
Book Two The action and adventure of this book was excellent, albeit somewhat over detailed and drawn out. Between both books, there are over 800 pages to complete the story, so it’s an epic, not a sprint.
The bonds of friendship are maintained throughout the second volume. The focus is on rescuing Elizabeth and Georgiana from the slaver, and ultimately, the villain who caused it all.
My favourite part of this story was the portrayals of the male characters, especially Mr. Bennet. I believe this is my favourite portrayal of him after hundreds of variations read. In the end, he even becomes the ultimate hero.
I couldn’t quite give this five stars because I found it a bit too drawn out and repetitive in some instances. There were also a bit too many oversights in the proofreading.
I definitely recommend it though, especially if you like drama, action and adventure.
When the first book ended on a cliffhanger, I was shocked! Couldn't read the 2nd book fast enough
The last we see of Elizabeth and Georgiana, they are being sailed away on a disguised slavers ship. Darcy and the gang get there 5 minutes too late. However with some swift sleuthing they quickly surmised where the ship was heading and wouldn't you know Mr Gardiner already ordered his fastest ship to show up at those docks, together with a Sea captain who Adores Little Lizzy!
The first half of the book takes place mainly on our 2 ships, with some glimpses in to how the rest of the family and gang are faring, peppered here and there. Our 2 girls are frightened, trying to remain calm and have the opportunity to converse with the head poo-bah of slavery.
Our striping young men use their time to not lose their minds (Darcy) strategize and train all of them for fighting (Fitzwilliam) and worry about Darcy's frame of mind in case they can't save the women (Mainly Wickham, but also the others). Needless to say, with a few hiccups, all are saved and back on the ship homeward bound.
Now that that tension is over, talk turns to romance and finding the Bag Bad Blackburn, who still wants his payday and revenge! It is still a boys club with older and younger generation, plenty of ribbing and agreeing with everyone. The women are all supportive of each other and sing kumbayah around the campfire (well Caroline is still on the fence)
Fitzwilliam and Wickham take the last 2 available (and very young - half their age) Bennet girls (a little icky?), leaving Mary with a Collins who is learning what true familial love is for the first time in his life.
A little more Drama with Lady C., Blackburn and the always selfish Lydia to round out the story.
The tone of the book and writing is quite similar to the first book, so that is consistent. I personally found it not to be JR's finest work. Way too much agreeing with one another, repetitive speech patterns and over-explaining for my taste.
However, it IS different and the story has a happy ending, with the good people winning the day and the baddies getting their due! You can't argue with that :)
This book was definitely a continuation of the first and not stand alone. It was a rescue and then happily ever after with a short bump to finally capture the bad guy.
What if Pride and Prejudice was a Tom Cruise movie
As the book opens Lizzy and Georgiana have already been kidnapped and are on a slave ship. The young males of Pride and Prejudice are following to rescue. The rest of the story is straight from a Tom Cruise movie. Lots of angst, lots of preparations, lots of chasing and action.
Evil still waits in England and must be dug out from it’s lair before the HEA can be earned.
Lots of fun to to watch, I mean read, and much fun having Lizzy play Cameron Diaz’s role(s).
The few interesting subplots of this “series” were overshadowed by the dull and redundant monotony of 80% of the two books. I wish more P&P variations only referenced Lydia and Jane - one is written as a buffoon and the other a mannequin.
Darcy does not arrive in time to save Elizabeth and Georgiana as he watches the ship sail away, he along with his supporters devise a plan to save them. Mr. Gardiner arranges for a ship to sail after them. Darcy and his contingent of friends sail after them while trying to arrive at the same port without detection. Elizabeth and Georgiana learn they are to be sold to be slaves and devise a plan to save themselves. The ships captain takes a liking to Elizabeth and offers her his home with certain expectations. Darcy’s team works together to save them. It was a great story of pirates and hero’s.
This book continues from the Bonds of Friendship. This is book was better than the first, but still just so repetitive. I really found myself skimming through large junks of material to avoid reading the same feelings, attitudes, blah, blah, blah, I had already read. The book was ok, but could have been so great! This is a writer that always gets a one click from me, so I am surprised. Will I continue to read his books? Definitely! None of us hit it 100 percent everytime.
I waited a long time for this book. Wow, wow, wow. I wasn't disappointed, what a cliffhanger. It was like being in an action movie. It took me three days to read it. I enjoyed how the new villains the new characters were interesting, and you make sure they were there at the end. I love love love this book. Thank,d.Cooper
A action packed and emotionally charged variation inspired by author Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Jann Thompson. I read this duology in on sitting without stopping and enjoyed every minute.
Absolutely non-canon, full of excitement and swashbuckling adventures. Lots of fun! Well written and edited and very different from Rowland's usual trope.