A Pride and Prejudice Variation NovellaWhen Kitty Bennet loses her heart to Colonel Fitzwilliam, she is determined, with Mr. Darcy’s help, to do what she can to help the colonel find his happiness. Her choice to sell her designs unwittingly puts her not only in the colonel’s path but also in the path of Lady Matlock, as well as a few society misses, who are determined to separate her from the … from the colonel.
Colonel Fitzwilliam has always known his father would try to force him into a marriage of convenience, but after Kitty Bennet captures his heart, he realizes his only chance at happiness lies in making an inconvenient choice. However, it is a choice that will not go unchallenged, and as family secrets are revealed, it is a choice that, in creating happiness for himself, could destroy his family.
The story is about 37,600 words in length or 216 paperback pages.
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Love trumps duty
I loved watching Kitty’s evolution into a woman worthy of being loved by a worthy man. Colonel Fitzwilliam is second only to Mr. Darcy in the JAFF arena. Most variations have him as a most excellent man and totally swoon worthy. In Brown’s variation, our dear Colonel simply wants what his friend [Bingley] and both of his cousins [Darcy and Lord Rycroft] have… a wife, a home, and a life of his own.
At times, it was hard to determine just who’s story this was. Was it Kitty coming into her own, or was it Richard and his becoming his own man apart from his family? Their journey to their HEA was not an easy road. Kitty had to fight for her rights as she dealt with society mean girls. They took it upon themselves to make sure she knew her place, thank you Caroline for bringing the rich bitches onto the stage.
Then we have Richard having to deal with his father the earl and his plans for Richard that did not include a country miss and woodworking. Lord Matlock [his father] was a piece of work and only the staunchest family secret was able to get him to relent and let Richard have his freedom.
I know this could have been a stand-a-lone; however, there was information from the previous books [book 1 especially] that unless you had read them, left the reader wondering about the great secret that made Lord Matlock tremble. We were given bits and pieces of the family secret in each book and it all culminated in this third book. I wonder if we have finished with the necklace and the secret that it holds.
As the ending drew to a close, I felt it was rushed a bit and I had to flip back and reread a few places that didn’t come across as smoothly as it could have if the author had taken more time. It felt rushed. I loved the ending but it was strained and a bit confusing.
I thought Anne seemed rather childish in this version. She had thrown herself out there by putting her own announcement for suitors in the paper. She seemed too young in her responses and comments and the suggestion that the Bennet sisters could help her was a bit much. Her mother would have an apoplexy at such a suggestion. This was an attempt to set up the next book that would feature Anne, her coming out in society for the first time, her courtship and her HEA.
The Bennet sisters have all been exalted beyond any JAFF that I’ve read. They are the women of choice, beautiful, sensible, intelligent, creative, fearless and strong. That doesn’t usually happen in most JAFF, especially with Mary and Kitty. I think we are being prepared for what will happen in future books. Lady Rycroft [Mary], Mrs. Darcy [Elizabeth], Mrs. Bingley [Jane], and soon Mrs. Fitzwilliam [Kitty] will, I predict, become a powerhouse of feminine influence that no one in the ton would challenge. It will be fun to see what Brown does with them, especially when you throw in Lady Matlock and Lady Sophia.
Problems: there were minimal errors and some confusion, and a few threads left hanging that hopefully will be handled in the next book. I wonder if Lydia will be in a future book. She was mentioned but did not make an appearance. Thank goodness, her presence would have been too much as she tends to suck the air out of a room with her demanding ways.
His Inconvenient Choice picks up shortly after Jane and Mary got married so there is a little bit of time between when No Other Choice ends and this book begins. I really enjoyed this story and the way Kitty’s character develops during this series. Kitty and Richard are a really good match in this series and I enjoyed seeing how all the characters joined together to help Kitty and Richard get their happy ending as well. The Bennet family connection to the groomsman who was involved with Lady Catherine’s mother was brought up again in this book and I am curious to learn more about that story and hope to get the full story about that in the next book of this series. I have added Her Heart’s Choice: A Pride and Prejudice Novella (Choices, #4) to my TBR List and hope to read it soon.