Elizabeth Bennet has received two proposals of marriage in the last twelve hours: one from her ridiculous cousin Mr. Collins and the other from the arrogant and disdainful Mr. Darcy. She turns both of them down flat. Unfortunately for her, between her mother’s insistence that she marry and some mysterious hold Mr. Darcy has over her father, she is forced to choose one.Fitzwilliam Darcy is a man … is a man in need of a wife. He has searched high and low amongst the high society women of London but has yet to meet someone who combines all the attributes he requires. When he meets Miss Elizabeth Bennet in the small market town of Meryton, he finds her pointed dislike of him refreshing in its honesty. After observing her for a while, he decides he will marry her, and instructs his solicitor to investigate Mr. Bennet in the hopes of finding some sort of leverage to force her to accept him.
Though she chooses Darcy, Elizabeth is not happy. It takes weeks of being in his presence and learning his character, and the drama of people totally unrelated to her, to make Elizabeth see that that the consequence of her decision could possibly be a deep, abiding love.
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Alpha-male checks his list and checks it twice
Having recently read two other works by this author, I must say this one was much better. It didn’t feel rushed as the other novellas; the characters were fleshed out better and I was able to enjoy the transition from one scene to another without that choppy feeling. I really liked this work. I see our author progressing as she builds her writing career.
We open with the Bingley party arriving at the Meryton Assembly and is quickly followed by Darcy’s insult. We then deviate just a bit from canon as Elizabeth moved closer to Darcy so he could hear her comments to her friend where she insulted him right back. This Darcy was no pushover. He didn’t crumble into himself by being embarrassed or shy. In fact, there wasn’t a shy bone in this guy’s body. Instead, he was intrigued that she didn’t like him and began to take note of her attributes and compared them to the list he had compiled as he searched for a wife. So far things were looking up and he decided to watch her more closely. Oh, this was so funny.
Darcy: OK, let’s just say that I loved this version of Darcy. Not-sorry. I love a good strong alpha-male. This guy was a no-nonsense, get-it-done, take-no-prisoners, large-and-in-charge, alpha-male. OMG!!! He would be a terror in a board room. Burton created a backstory for our hero that was amazing. From the time he was a small child, he was groomed and trained to run Pemberley and all the Darcy holdings. His earliest memories were of himself and his father working the land on horseback and managing the various holdings. Burton really provided a base for his determination and drive. Man, what a guy.
At the Netherfield Ball, Darcy danced with Elizabeth and as he escorted her off the floor, asked if he could speak with her. When they were seated, he first complimented her, listed all her attributes, and stated that she would make the perfect wife and concluded by asking her to marry him. He was not taken aback when she refused. In fact, he expected it.
As we know the canon story, the next morning, she was again assaulted with another proposal. This time from her odious cousin Mr. Collins, which she also refused. Unknown to her, Mr. Darcy had arrived earlier and was in her father’s bookroom requesting his consent for her hand and negotiating with leverage that Mr. Bennet could not refuse.
The first rule of business is to never go into a meeting, deal or negotiations unless you know the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. Many reviewers were horrified by Darcy’s actions; however, they were consistent with the era, his station in society and his alpha-male-take-control persona. It was a business deal, devoid of emotion and Darcy made sure he held all the cards. Everything hit the fan when Mrs. Bennet burst into the bookroom demanding that Mr. Bennet make Elizabeth marry Mr. Collins.
When readers dwell in novels of the Regency Era, we have to remember that our modern sensibilities and understanding are very different than the societies of that time period. Yes, they married and were given in marriage but the concept of a marriage of convenience is horrifying to the modern mindset. So, put yourself in that mind frame as Elizabeth was advised she had to marry and was presented with two options. Marry Mr. Collins and be mistress of Longbourn, thus, securing her family. Or, she could marry Mr. Darcy, who could also provide for her mother and sisters. Decisions, decisions, decisions… what should she do?
Well, it wouldn’t be a JAFF without the drama and angst of making the right decision. Elizabeth was very thorough as she made her comparison of the two men and in the end, made the best decision for herself and her family. The next chapters deal with their courtship, learning to kiss, getting to know each other, realizing she liked to kiss, preparations for the wedding, loving to kiss her betrothed, bringing Bingley closer to Jane, kissing each other senseless, overturning Caroline’s lies to Bingley, kissing with abandon, and learning to respect each other.
Wickham, of course, attempted to taint Elizabeth’s image of Mr. Darcy. That backfired big time and with severe consequences. The other militia officers were not best pleased, especially when the SBRB went AWOL [absent-with-out-leave].
Then we have the arrival of relatives: first, Lady Catherine…OMG!!! That was an interesting visit or should I say an attack on Elizabeth. Our author gave us the history between Lady Catherine and her younger sister Lady Anne regarding the betrothal of their children. Burton did an excellent job of explaining what really happened between the sisters. It also described the understanding between Darcy and his cousin Anne de Bourgh. Most excellent.
Next, we have the arrival of Lord and Lady Matlock, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Georgiana for the ball and wedding. While they were staying at Netherfield, Caroline approached Darcy’s Aunt and Uncle in an attempt to gain their support in stopping Darcy’s wedding to the inappropriate and inferior Miss Elizabeth. That went over well.
Bingley did something most excellent and right in the middle of the ballroom. Oh my gosh!!! Bingley, you did not. Bless his heart.
While at the ball, our dear Colonel noticed one of the Bennet sisters and decided she was interesting and he needed to keep his eye on her.
Ever since the SBRB went AWOL, there was an air of tension and apprehension as Burton built up the action for the climax. While life went on with our characters… Colonel Forster had men on the search for the deserter. When disaster finally hit, it was quick and deadly. Readers will struggle with the family as they endure the heartache of the disaster. The action from here on out was dramatic and [thank goodness] quick. The story ended with the last chapter wrapping up most of the loose ends and acting as an epilogue. I read this twice, I enjoyed it so much.