Elizabeth Bennet may capture Mr. Darcy’s heart, but what is the truth of her past?When Fitzwilliam Darcy meets Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a simple country girl from a humble estate, he has no idea that she-and indeed, the entire town of Meryton-harbours a secret. Before she meets Darcy, Elizabeth has spent two years hiding from the men who killed her beloved first husband. Feeling destroyed by love, … love, Elizabeth is certain she will never loving again, certainly not the haughty man who can do nothing but offend her in Hertfordshire.In time, Elizabeth surprises herself by finding in Darcy a friend; even greater is her surprise to find herself gradually coming to love him and even accepting an offer of marriage from him. As the newlyweds are just beginning to settle into their happily-ever-after, a condemned man on his way to the gallows divulges a shattering truth, a secret that contradicts everything Elizabeth thought she knew about the tragic circumstances of her first marriage. Against the advice of everyone who loves her-including Darcy-Elizabeth begins to ask questions. But the truth could destroy them both.
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Delicious angst. Likeable characters both canon and not. Clever concept that is a wonderful, passionate example of re-imagining a classic favorite. The ending, wrought with high intrigue and tension, comes with a little leap of faith by the reader–but if Jane Austen could pull a rabbit out of a hat by having Lucy Steele in “Sense & Sensibility” throw over Edward Ferris for the other brother, surely I could accept such an amazing twist. Not to be missed.
Ms. D’Orazio I applaud you for crafting an exquisite debut novel based on the characters of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. You have combined a smorgasbord of elements that pull you in, hold you tight and don’t let go until the very last page.
Not only are we confronted with political intrigue, murder, mystery and hiding in plan sight, but we find Elizabeth as a grieving widow with a son from a peer of the realm. How you incorporated canon with your own original plot line was seamless. The twists and turns of this story, not only had Darcy and Elizabeth in a coil, but my heart as well. The build-up between Darcy and Elizabeth was like a violin being tuned before a concerto. It was a choppy start. However, once Darcy’s pride was curbed and Elizabeth’s fears and prejudices were lessened, you could feel the the crescendo building. It was masterfully done! You wove all of these elements together with such a deft hand along with the superb dialogue that had me savouring this novel and wanting more. Yes, more as I loved this novel for it’s depth, detail and length! It incorporated all of my favourite genres into one! I look forward with great anticipation to your next book. Maybe even one on the intriguing and delightful new character, Lord Saye?
The cover art for this book is gorgeous and beautifully conveys the story within. I just had to own the paperback version as opposed to the Kindle!
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” __Lao Tzu
I purchased and read this when it originally published with a different cover. Both covers are amazing by the way. Rating: Mature, sensual, suggestive, not graphic or explicit, but somewhat descriptive.
In the beginning, our story was fairly similar to canon in that Bingley let Netherfield Park. Darcy accompanied him to Hertfordshire and reluctantly attended the local Meryton assembly. As in canon, Caroline looked around with disdain, while our Darcy insulted any and all denizens of the village, including one lovely lady he deemed tolerable and decidedly beneath him. Yeah, that’s our Darcy.
“Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many.” –Phaedrus
Only, things were not as they seemed. Meryton held a closely guarded secret. Our story dealt with a far-reaching conspiracy with both political and governmental intrigue. It involved the death of a peer, threats to the monarchy, and survivors hidden in plain sight. This was a story worth reading. The language was gripping as our story spanned several years as men from the government continued their search for the culprits and the gunman that killed Elizabeth Bennet’s husband. What???
This was the most mixed up, intriguing, and confusing story. I was trying desperately to figure out who, what, when, how, and why. Wickham was the usual rat-bastard only he really stepped into it this time. The author kept the secret hidden for nearly the whole book. I was going crazy. The clues were scattered throughout the story and I was fat-dumb-and-happy and didn’t catch a single one of them until later. I wanted to yell… this cannot be true… this is not happening!!
“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.” –Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets
I liked the fact our author kept our interactions fairly close to Elizabeth and Darcy. We had a lot of page time with ODC [our dear couple] and their POV. This perspective allowed us to know what they were thinking and feeling. This was agonizing at times and the angst was palpable. Man, it was cruel and yet awesome how our author dragged me… um… the reader through the mud while letting us think all was lost. I kept wondering, how on earth can our author clear this up. And then she did. I was shocked, stunned, and horrified. Man, what a twist. It was brutal and awesome at the same time. What can I say? Not a lot, as it would spoil the reveal. I highly recommend this amazing story.
If you dislike feeling sad, then The Best Part of Love (TBPoL) isn’t for you. Elizabeth, and to a lesser degree, Darcy, is put though so much over the course of the story.
I knew something bad was coming when they got their happily ever after at less than half-way through the book. And I was right. Things got so bad that I skimmed over bits, skipping pages at a time to get past the depressing aspects.
While the story is, generally, good, and the book is well-written, I can’t say I like it. I hate to see characters put through so much. But, if that kind of story is appealing to you, or, at the very least doesn’t bother you, then give TBPoL a read.