Review - The Trouble With Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan

Pride and Prejudice continues...

TITLE:    The Trouble with Mr. Darcy
AUTHOR:    Sharon Lathan
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 245 pages
PUBLISHED:  Sourcebooks, 2011
SOURCE:   Received ARC from Publisher for Review

FROM GOODREADS:    In the fifth in Sharon Lathan's bestselling series, George Wickham returns to Hertfordshire bent on creating trouble, and Elizabeth and her newborn son are thrown into danger. Knowing that Wickham has nothing left to lose, Darcy and Fitzwilliam rush to the rescue in a race against time.


This lushly romantic story takes a turn for the swashbuckling when Mr. Darcy has to confront the villainous Wickham and his own demons at the same time... devoted as he is, what battles within will Mr. Darcy have to face?

MY TAKE:    I enjoyed Jane Austen books as a younger reader and have recently been having a lot of fun reading some of these remakes and variations of her stories.  Sharon Lathan has done an excellent job of taking some of Jane's beloved, as well as the despised characters and giving them slightly different adventures.  While this book is the fifth installment in the series, it also makes a pleasant stand-alone read.  You are given plenty of background information in the beginning to allow you to jump right into the action.

After I read The Trouble with Mr. Darcy I read some of the reviews for the book on Goodreads.  I usually wait until I've written my own before seeing what others have said, but this time I veered from my routine a bit.  It was interesting to me that some readers were upset that this book wasn't exactly as Jane Austen would write it.  They wanted the characters to be and do exactly the same things as the originals in Pride and Prejudice.  I am siding with the opposite camp who enjoys a different take on the old tried-and-true Darcy and Lizzie that we all know.  The "what-ifs?" are what make Ms. Lathan's stories a lot of fun for me.  We still have the familiar, but they're put into situations out of their normal comfort zone.  New dilemmas are thrown at them and it is fun to see how they either muck it up or get themselves out of it.

The writing is very easy to follow and flows smoothly.  I liked the dialogue as it was filled with warmth and wit.  The solid foundation of Jane Austen's beloved masterpiece are much in evidence, but Sharon Lathan has added her own touches that allow a completely new audience to fall in love with the timeless characters.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it: 

WHERE TO BUY IT:    Amazon and The Book Depository

   

  

  

 

~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Review - What Would Mr. Darcy Do? by Abigail Reynolds

A Pride & Prejudice Variation

TITLE:    What Would Mr. Darcy Do?
AUTHOR:    Abigail Reynolds
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 230 pages
PUBLISHED:   Sourcebooks Landmark, 2011
SOURCE:   Received ARC from Publisher for review

FROM THE PUBLISHER:  This sexy installment in the Pride and Prejudice Variations series explores one of the roads not taken in Jane Austen’s original. Before Darcy leaves the Lambton Inn after learning the scandalous news about Lydia and Wickham, he and Elizabeth declare their true feelings. Determined to give Darcy up rather than drag his name through the mud, Elizabeth will have to choose between what is right, and what she wants more than anything...

MY TAKE:   This was a fun look at how the story might have gone if Darcy and Lizzie had not skirted around their attraction in the beginning.  We get a chance to see how the different outside influences could have affected alternate outcomes.  Wickham and Miss Bingley could have really messed it up for the lovebirds!

The author did an excellent job of building the tension between Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam.  Their chaste kisses and steamy glances made the reader really want to help them find their stolen moments together.  The "behind the scenes" action and support of Georgiana as well as the Gardiners added to the romance and fun.

This book is a quick, easy read that I found to be quite enjoyable.  I recommend it to any Austen, romance and Abigail Reynolds fans ~ of any age.
  

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

WHERE TO BUY IT:    Amazon, The Book Depository

  

   

   

About the Author:  Abigail Reynolds is a lifelong Jane Austen enthusiast and a physician. In addition to writing, she has a part-time private practice and enjoys spending time with her family. Originally from upstate New York, she studied Russian, theater, and marine biology before deciding to attend medical school. She began writing From Lambton to Longbourn in 2001 to spend more time with her favorite characters from Pride & Prejudice. Encouragement from fellow Austen fans convinced her to continue asking ‘What if…?’, which led to four other Pemberley Variations and her modern novel, Pemberley by the Sea. She is currently at work on another Pemberley Variation and a sequel to Pemberley by the Sea. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two teenage children, and a menagerie of pets.

 
~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.