What if….Elizabeth Bennet outranked Fitzwilliam Darcy? The familiar love story featuring two of the most celebrated characters in our history comes to life again in a “what if” story with a twist. Elizabeth and Darcy are in love and plan to marry, until Elizabeth comes face to face with Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Although standing strong during the worst confrontation of Miss Elizabeth’s life, she … she soon realizes that she cannot marry Mr. Darcy and refuses him. Futile attempts by Mr. Darcy to win her back fail, until he finds out the most astonishing information about Elizabeth Bennet.
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“I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn’t matter what you do, or who you are or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together.” Julia Roberts
This was a clean romance and I simply loved the story. There were many new characters from the highest circles of the realm. I mean really high circles. There was a secret regarding the Prince of England and it involved Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn. This was such a neat twist to our regular JAFF. It was off canon and I admit many liberties were taken in propriety, comportment, and manners. Man, this was so neat.
Wickham was, as always, a scum-bag-rat-bastard trying to garner funds from Darcy. He thought he played his cards well, only we knew that Darcy held the winning hand, and that end was so cool.
Mr. Collins was the subservient toad of Lady Catherine and both acted out and acted badly. I was so upset, that I was moved to violence, and wanted to stab him in the heart, and smash Lady Catherine with her own cane. I felt really bad about that side of me.
Mr. Bennet… OMG! This was such a sweet man. I shall love him forever for his kindness to Elizabeth. Of course, on the other hand, I am angry at him for allowing Mrs. Bennet to become a ridiculous woman and allowing the younger girls to become such silly creatures. Lydia’s disgrace and behavior falls at his door step and at the feet of her mother.
Elizabeth Bennet: “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.” Richard Bach
I absolutely sustained whiplash from the going back and forth with her feelings and emotions. I grew tired of her vacillating, mercurial feelings. Her actions spanned the length of the emotional scale and I was dizzy as she worked through an issue only to revert back to that of a simpering, sniveling, quaking, diva. I grew tired her manipulating poor Darcy into an emotional wreck. How many times did they need to reassure each other of their devotion and love? How many times did he need to find the bottom of a bottle for relief to his pain? And how many times did he have to dredge, once again, an emotional commitment from Elizabeth? I wanted to tell him to run. Elizabeth would walk away, and then cry her eyes out, only to do it all over again. It was too much and too OOC [out of character]. At every turn, she was a flight risk. I mean, seriously, I am surprised Darcy didn’t post a guard on her to make sure she didn’t bolt.
Darcy: “When a woman is talking to you, listen to what she says with her eyes.” Victor Hugo
Thank goodness, Darcy was persistent. I grew tired of his having to, once again, settle the frayed nerves of his intended, ex-intended, re-intended [is that a word?] and then almost wife. Lawd, my neck hurts from jerking back and forth as I watched scenes between these two characters.
Mrs. Bennet: “They do not love that do not show their love.” William Shakespeare.
This was a perfect quote that epitomized the feelings and emotions regarding Mrs. Bennet. Everyone knew that there was no love lost between Mrs. Bennet and the second Bennet daughter. Mrs. Bennet was angry in so many areas where Elizabeth was concerned.
The Epilogue was cute as it looked back over the last fifteen years. There were a few surprises and a few tears. Not every thread had an ending. We were left to wonder about a few of the characters. Over all I enjoyed the creative twist of our P&P characters.