Darcy thought his problems were over when Pemberley hatched and successfully imprinted on humans. But baby dragons prove far more difficult than any dragon lore prepared him for. Only Elizabeth Bennet’s notes offer him any help. When his imperious Aunt Catherine takes matters into her own hands, things take a turn for the worse and Pemberley’s life hangs in the balance. He desperately needs more … more of Elizabeth’s help, but she ignores all of his requests.
Elizabeth, though, has problems of her own. After the Bennet family dragon sent Pemberley away, life at Longbourn was supposed to return to normal and Elizabeth get on with the all-important business of marrying the heir to her father’s estate. Except that he is the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry—a bumbling, addle-pated dragon-hater who demands she gives up the dragons she lives for.
Can she, with the help of her dragon friends, find her way back to Pemberley before they both suffer their fate from the Dragon Entail?
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This wonderful twist on Pride and Prejudice is utterly delightful. It feels a bit like Jane Austen blended with J. K. Rowling. The dragons are fantastic. The story has been told in a three book series, so be sure to read them all. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am really enjoying this series so far and thought this book did a great job of continuing the storyline from where book 1 Pemberley left off and I can’t wait to see what happens next in Book 3 Netherfield: Rogue Dragon (Jane Austen’s Dragons, #3)
. I look forward to seeing how Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship will continue now that they are betrothed as well as seeing how things go for Mary.
“I desired dragons with a profound desire.” C.S. Lewis, Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories
Book 1: Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon: 5-stars
Book 2: Longbourn: Dragon Entail: 5-stars
“If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons.” Ilona Andrews, Fate’s Edge
If you don’t like fantasy, paranormal, dragons and such… then don’t read this. If, on the other hand, your pulse increases and your eyes dilate just thinking about dragons… then this is the book series for you. OMG! Maria Grace is most excellent in creating this universe where humans and dragons coexist. Book 1 established the universe in which our characters lived. There were both major dragons and minor dragons. Dragons, that lived on estates, took their name from that estate and their Dragon Keeper was the landed gentleman. Thus, Longbourn Estate had the distinction of being the territory of Longbourn, a major dragon.
“Never laugh at live dragons.” J.R.R. Tolkien
In book 1, we learned of the death of the estate dragon Pemberley from Devonshire and that an egg had been stolen from that estate. The trail led Mr. Darcy to Hertfordshire where he attempted to enlist the aid of the Blue Order Historian, Mr. Bennet. Unfortunately, he was not much help due to his lackadaisical attitude and his indolent and cranky dragon Longbourn. Thank goodness Mr. Gardiner was on hand to help with the search. All clues pointed to the thief hiding within the ranks of the Meryton militia. Well, that settles that… we can only guess who that must be.
The egg was eventually retrieved [took way too long to get to that point]. The finding of the egg happened off the page and I am wondering if some secret will be revealed in book 3 as to how and who retrieved the egg. There seems to be something going on that we are not privy to and it is just out of sight and off the page. We hear it whisper and hear the noise and wonder what is going on. Little clues are scattered all over the page and we simply cannot get them all together enough to form a picture.
Wickham: “He had only heard of dragons, and although he had never seen one, he was sure they existed.” Dee Marie, Sons of Avalon: Merlin’s Prophecy
Through two books, Wickham has not done anything that anyone can put their finger on. We just know that he is enamored with the dragon stories that Lizzy tells her Gardiner niece and nephew. There is something going on with him and we are not sure what it is. We assume a lot but you know what happens when we assume. It was eventually determined that he could not hear dragons. That left something far worse.
Mr. Collins: “But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them.” Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea
Lawd! That man was as dense as a brick and also could not hear dragons. How could he be a Keeper of Longbourn when he inherited only due to an entail? Of course, he would marry Elizabeth and she would run the estate and manage the estate dragon. The pressure was now on… from Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, and even Longbourn himself. And, there seemed to be another presence trying to influence her subliminally. Lizzy finally collapsed under the pressure after an encounter with Longbourn.
Marie Grace made the world of dragons come alive. Elizabeth loved being with dragons more than she did with people. She innately sensed what they needed and she was happy to accommodate them. It reminded me of Dame Jane Goodall, the British primatologist who is considered to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees. Jane was willing to live and study the primates for most of her life. Elizabeth was willing to live with and study the dragons; she loved them.
Actor Andy Serkis traveled to the jungles and mountains of Rwanda in order to study the great apes and gorillas so he could mimic them in his performance for King Kong and his other nonhuman roles. I mention this because Elizabeth needed to know the sounds, mannerisms and posturing that the various dragons preformed and expected from their human counterparts. What Elizabeth could do with her cape was just short of amazing. Those gestures and actions were the icing on the cake. I was amazed at the performance of her meeting with dragons and various creatures. At every turn she was earning their respect and esteem. Darcy was constantly asking the question… how did she know to do that? I was constantly asking the question… how did Maria Grace know to do that? It was fricking awesome.
This is a multi-layered story and I loved it. I loved knowing ‘There Be Dragons’ in the world. The society of dragons and their Friends and Keepers was so much fun. I can hardly wait to read book 3 so we can see who or what has been hiding in the shadows. Since the title of the next book is ‘Netherfield: Rogue Dragon’… I suppose that is who has been about.
Longbourn: Dragon Entail: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (Jane Austen’s Dragons Book 2) by Maria Grace – This series is on kindle unlimited. I think Maria Grace and I would be friends. While leaving large chunks of famous dialogue intact, she manages to weave a slightly different (but equally enjoyable) story around the Bennet ladies. Though this book had a slow start, I inhaled the last half! I can’t wait for the next installment! Happy Reading!
Reviewed: April 27, 2017
Dragons, Darcy and Deception…Oh My! This is Book 2 of Jane Austen’s Dragon series that had me clutching my Kindle as I was again immersed into the visual world of dragons, their personalities and their Keepers. In order to fully appreciate the story and plot, I highly recommend reading Book 1, Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon.
The tension is even higher in this book. All is not well at Longbourn as Elizabeth deals not only with dragon-deaf Mr. Collins but with Longbourn, the petulant and indolent dragon of Longbourn…sounds like someone else we know! Throw into the mix, the charming but deceptive Mr. Wickham, whom Elizabeth has been warned about from her Fairy Dragon, April, and her Aunt Gardiner. This quote alone from Wickham should have set off warning bells (‘Danger Will Robinson’ was going off in my head)!
“…I have always found that making allowances for a liberal amount of fiction in one’s life is necessary to maintaining equanimity.”
All of this is leaving her decidedly overwhelmed and exhausted and not thinking straight! However, there is also something more sinister afoot that sends chills up her spine!
While all of this is going on at Longbourn, Darcy is having his own troubles at Rosings Park with Lady Catherine and Anne de Bourgh. Pemberley his baby dragon is missing “Her” and has started teething! The resident dragon, Rosings, along with the cockatrice dragon, Cait are adding to his problems. I found it amusing how vain Lady Catherine’s dragons are and the lines blur between who has taken on traits of their Keeper or their Dragons! Colonel Fitzwilliam and Georgiana arrive and everyone’s feathers and scales are in an uproar!
There are so many delicious plots and subplots going on throughout this tale that blend and flow beautifully. I loved how certain original comments within Pride & Prejudice are said by others that make total sense and left me laughing. The dragons within, each have their own unique personalities and the visual description of each one brought them to life. Mary Bennet is coming into her own in this story as well. I loved how she chided Elizabeth in this story.
I must commend Ms. Grace for such a new and exciting world that she has created within the Jane Austen Fan Fiction genre by adding a major dose of Fantasy. I can certainly see this series going even further than the third book that is expected at the end of the year…at least that is what I am hoping for!
I highly recommend this imaginative and spellbinding series that wraps around you and draws you in!
Firstly, l had to giggle after reading other people’s reviews, it seems l am not the only reader/listener to listen to this series multiple times. This series is fantastic, l can’t recommend it enough. I have the audio book and the narrator does an amazing job.
PRECONCEIVED BELIEFS SHOULD NEVER BE TRUSTED UNTIL PROVEN
I received this book for free and am giving my honest and voluntary review
Dragon imprinting, forced betrothals and people unaware of dragons. This story is book two of Jane Austen’s Dragons series. It is about a jealous dragon, Longbourn, the machinations of a parsimonious father and the intentions of a pompous cousin that leads Elizabeth to run away from home and find herself betrothed to a man, Darcy, that she believes she hates.
I like the way the characters interact and the fact that it is a historically set story.
This is an exciting tale and gives us a small history. We find that the kind Mr. Bennet isn’t as kind and loving of Elizabeth as we imagine him. He conspires with Longburn to force Elizabeth to marry Colins. When Colins unknowingly kicks a dragon, Elizabeth runs to London to be with her Aunt. Meanwhile, Darcy is dealing with an Aunt who thinks she know what best for everyone, and Pemberley is suffering. The twists and turns this story takes; makes for a marvelous story and for you wanting to know what will happen next. Benjamin Fife, our narrator keeps the story going with his dramatic voice characterizations.
Elizabeth and Darcy’s story continues along with their beloved dragons, however, in this retelling, some of the parts get swapped. Elizabeth is supposed to marry Collins, but finds him unbearable. Dragons begin to meddle in the match along with Lady Catherine and Elizabeth’s sister Mary. Elizabeth also grows closer to Wickham, since Darcy doesn’t feel comfortable spilling his secret. But then there are some strange twists. Darcy struggles with his growing feelings, but some of his harsher words to Elizabeth are spoken by Mr. Collins instead. Elizabeth has a number of harsh things to say about Darcy, but the dragons and Col. Fitzwilliams quickly set her straight. Apparently dragons can’t lie. Unless Longbourne is lying.
Baby Pemberly is my favorite. I don’t get why Darcy can’t confess to Elizabeth. Georgiana is darling. And Elizabeth? She might be a little too strong-willed for me in this particular retelling. But then again, this might be the same as her original character, but the setting makes it feel different. Still, I can’t wait to see how the story ends, since it’s diverged quite a bit from Austen’s version and is still very fun. The flavor of the characters is the same, even though the story changed.
I received a free copy of this book from Story Origin and have reviewed it voluntarily.