I've owned this book for...years (wow, far longer than I thought by at least a couple of years!) but I'd never read it before now. It both was and wasn't what I was expecting.

The book is broken into three sections: Darcy, The Colonel, and the Family. The first two sections focus on Darcy after his marriage and the issues he and Elizabeth face surrounding that (Aunt Catherine, a baby, etc.) and Colonel Fitzwilliam as he deals with what war has done to him mentally and emotionally as well as finally finds a woman he can't live without. The last wraps up the situations both face as well as other elements.

I can't in good conscience recommend this book. The attempts to make it sound contemporary were...to me, nonexistent and there were several plot points that I found...implausible is a kind word.

Yet I loved this book. I've not laughed so hard at an Austen-esque book since Austen herself. Yes, some of the characters were a bit (more than a bit OOC though there were reasons given, but this book shocked loud laughs out of me again and again.

There were also some truly poignant moments. I've never seen a P&P pastiche deal to a such a degree with Col. Fitzwilliam's profession and the toll that would take on him.

So while I say try this only if it sounds really interesting to you (or like me, you have to try basically every P&P pastiche once), this is basically one of my guilty pleasures.

I think I've read too many of these. I spent the entire time convinced I'd read this before and yet every time the original parts surprised me (as much as they could within the framework of source material). All in all, I found this to be a decent pastiche but nothing spectacular.

This novel falls into the category of P&P from Darcy's POV. It starts out, of course, with Ramsgate and we see some of Georgiana's struggles after the aborted elopment. Darcy is practically packed off to Netherfield by his cousin in order for him to get some distance and so that his sister can heal.

We see how he perceives Elizabeth's teasing and because of this, her refusal is a complete surprise. And we see how hard he works to conquer his pride and try to correct the faults she threw in his face.

I tend to like these type of pastiches, though some are stronger than others. Here, the author stayed very true to the original source but managed to expand beyond it. One of the best parts was that Colonel Fitzwilliam gets a much bigger role and we get to see how much he means to the Darcy family. I loved seeing how he totally knew Darcy loved Elizabeth and goaded him a bit while at Rosings.

A quick and easy read, my biggest issue with this book was the style of writing and vocabulary. While nothing stuck out, it also didn't really read as contemporary to Austen. Now the author also didn't do anything crazy like have Darcy and Elizabeth make out before their marriage, so I'm willing to forgive a lot just for that.

I've read at least two of Reynolds books (though I think I've read at least one other) and she's hit or miss with me. I didn't expect both to be true of one of her books!

I've wanted to read this book forever as the idea really intrigued me. the Bennett's situation was bad enough, but what if it got worse? The Collins are at Longbourne, the Bennett girls split up among relatives, and Jane is married to a shop keeper! Elizabeth is living with the Gardiners, helping her aunt with the children. A chance encounter with Bingley brings the cast of characters together again.

Awesome premise and the obvious research into the time period added a great deal of social, historical, and even economical aspects that were wonderful to read. The characters were recognizable and mostly themselves (see below for exceptions), though obvious changed slightly by the circumstances of the 'What If' scenario. There were touching moments, hilarious ones, and painful ones.

I really wanted to like this book.

But man, it thwarted me at every turn!

This book nearly killed me. I have limited tolerance for stupidity and man, did these people exceed it constantly. I came so close to throwing this book against the wall again and again but I couldn't because this volume is seriously a dangerous weapon. It's heavy and if you are planning to read this in a timely manner and on the go, don't use this version. I highly recommend it but be sure you are prepared to deal with a heavy monstrosity of a book.

Volume III, Chapter 7

The stupidity is killing me.