Rumours & Recklessness

Daring, touching, shocking, hilarious, OMG reveal, love rewarded

I just want to say… read the reviews… they were great in helping me decide if I wanted this book or not. Before writing this review, I also read the book… twice. I wanted to see if my original thoughts were true and second to simply enjoy the story again.

The journey to love is not a straight line, especially with P&P characters. There are a lot of bumps in the road to happiness. This work is no different. Some will argue that it was too long or too slow in development. I think we are becoming too accustomed to the current craze of the novellas and short stories regarding JAFF. Now days, an author can have a wild thought, can write it down, doesn’t have to develop the complete story and can have it published. That is fine if you like that sort of thing and shouldn’t take away from those who write a full novel.

I enjoyed the emotional journey Elizabeth took when her world was shaken. First, her father was seriously injured; second, her toad of a cousin embarrassed her by declaring her his fiancée before a room full of people; thirdly, Mr. Darcy, with whom she did not have an agreement, declared that she was his fiancée. We watched as she struggled and came to grips with her situation. Over time, she discovered that Mr. Darcy was not the evil incarnate that Wickham had painted and that Wickham was in fact a complete villain and the opposite of the gentleman that he portrayed to her and to society.

Elizabeth’s world as she knew it was shaken to the ground. She felt she could no longer trust her own instincts. This was a hard blow for our beloved heroine, since she always prided herself on knowing people and could make out their character. It was interesting to watch her understanding change; her emotions and finally her feelings for Darcy evolve over time into love. There was none of this jumping from hate into ardent love as most novellas/ short stories try to foist on readers.

Darcy is so caught up in the web of his own creation that he could not escape. It was NOT his intention to become engaged to Elizabeth. He and the Bingley party were in fact leaving Hertfordshire for London never to return. Darcy simply lost it when Collins cornered Elizabeth with his declaration, and watched as Elizabeth tried valiantly to refuse her cousin. He couldn’t bear hearing Mrs. Bennet screeching at Elizabeth as she tried to force her to accept her cousin’s hand. He watched with horror as Elizabeth, with tears in her eyes, started to panic knowing her injured father was not there to support and back her in her refusal. Darcy simply could not allow it to go on any longer and acted through impulse and love. This is why the world loves Mr. Darcy… it is simply who he is.

Colonel Fitzwilliam: I loved this version of our dear Colonel. He is AWESOME, powerful, smart, crafty, and everything wonderful. What a man, what a brother/ friend to Darcy and so important in his life.

The Earl of Matlock and Lady Matlock: Darcy’s uncle and aunt are generous, wise people that recognized the love Darcy had for Elizabeth and though she was beneath his station, they accepted her as the future Mistress of Pemberley.

Mr. Collins: even more of a toad than canon…if that is possible. He is sprinkled throughout the story wherever Lady C is located. His future condescension from that quarter; however, is in serious jeopardy.

Lady Catherine was in rare form… she was superb in her regal villainous ways, simply awful…delicious. I loved the creative ways in which Darcy’s staff handled her… delightful. It was hilarious watching her thwarted in every endeavor. The author was creative as she sprinkled subtle hints and signs throughout the story that alluded to the madness engulfing Lady C. The big reveal is so massive that you will not believe it. I’ve never see it and the author was so creative. Well done, horror that it was. Just like Lady C.

Caroline Bingley: held out to the very end in her self-importance and thinking that she was best suited for Darcy. She still believed that she could wrestle Darcy from the grips of Elizabeth Bennet. She and her brother Bingley locked horns on more than one occasions due to her behavior toward Darcy and toward his staff. She was awful. It wasn’t until she was in the grips of Lady Catherine that she was able to see how her behavior looked to others.

Charles Bingley: At last… he listened, watched and learned as Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam handled the many problems presented to our group. He put on his big boy britches and was finally able to conduct business with the grownups. I liked how he evolved throughout the story. He and Jane will do fine.

Jane was the strong influence wherever she went. Everyone loved Jane.
Georgiana: I would have liked to see her evolve more than she did. Yes, we saw some change and we needed to see that change process; however, it could have been taken a bit further. After Darcy commented on her release her anger and passion by slapping Elizabeth…there should have been more progress with her development after the dam broke… so to speak. She still reacted too violently where Wickham was concerned. At some point she should progress beyond that initial fright and hold her head high, not quiver in her boots and hide her face in tears. That drew way too much attention to her.

Lydia Bennet: did not change in the story. Everyone, except her mother, saw her for what she was…a spoiled silly girl. Once her father gets on his feet, her life will take a dramatic change. Now THAT is a story I would love to read. The taming of Lydia…how her father manages to wrangle her into becoming a young lady.

Kitty and Mary were able to change somewhat…Mary more so than Kitty. There is hope for them yet. If Elizabeth can separate Kitty from Lydia’s influence, she will improve.

Mrs. Bennet: subdued somewhat by the presence of prestigious guests visiting Longbourn, fooled no one by her quiet demeanor.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner played a heavier role in this version and were well liked and respected by everyone they met… including Darcy’s noble relatives. Uncle Gardiner filled in nicely for Mr. Bennet. He was wise, cared for his nieces, and was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect the family, the family honor and name.

NOTE: when they mentioned Mary King’s uncle…there was a subtle hint that he was not a man to cross. That would be a story. We should have heard more about him coming to the rescue of his niece. Even if it had only been a meeting with Darcy, it would have been powerful.

There were minimal errors, already mentioned in other reviews, no need for me to repeat them.

***Spoiler*** I doubt this is a spoiler as it has been mentioned in another review. I just don’t want to spoil it for anyone. We were left to conclude how the love transferred from Georgiana to Anne came about for one gentleman. I think there were enough clues leading up to it and sufficient hints of the basis for that affection already in place and was not such a big leap.

Also there was concern regarding Charlotte and the Doctor. This was not such a great leap. Remember, she only wanted a home of her own. She accepted Collins on short acquaintance. She had met and liked the doctor the first time she saw him and blushed when he touched her as he kept her from falling. I would say this was a far better arrangement than Collins ever presented and I love how she was presented with a prince of a guy and not the toad.

Absolutely enjoyed a different take on Pride & Prejudice! Very well done!

Rumours & Recklessness was a creative variation on Jane Austen’s P&P when a series of small actions change the course of the original story. What if Darcy encountered Mr. Bennet just before he makes the decision to leave behind the temptation of a woman he feels he cannot have? What if Mr. Bennet takes a fall from his horse and is rendered unconscious and slips into a coma? What if Mr. Collins is more greedy and sleazy and makes his move while Mr. Bennet is not there to defend his daughters? What if Wickham is more wicked than canon? What if Lady Catherine holds a secret that takes a gothic bend? And what if Mr. Darcy takes the biggest, most reckless gamble of his life to save Elizabeth?

I enjoyed exploring each and every one of those what ifs and seeing where it took Darcy, Elizabeth, and the rest of the cast of characters that involve known and new characters to love and hate in their turn.

The story is gently paced and takes it’s time once the opening events transpire. Though it lags in spots, those scenes are important for establishing the transitions for what is to come and I appreciated especially seeing the steady courtship between Darcy and Elizabeth after the rush to save her and her fury in the beginning.

There is a vast deal of humor sprinkled throughout the story to balance the drama taking place. I thought Colonel Fitzwilliam’s antics with keeping Lady Catherine at bay and also the over the top bombasity of Lady C quite amusing.

The flavor of the gothic with Wickham’s evil rumour-mongering, Collins’ grungy greed, and the big dark secret in Darcy’s family wonderful sources for conflict.

Elizabeth started out as a heroine I struggled to like because she was so determined to be put upon and stubborn when she didn’t have all the facts and didn’t want to believe them at first because it went contrary to her views. She also tends to be more of a tease than I was prepared for so I had to adjust my expectations. She also grew and became the lady just suited to a dour and broody Darcy and she stood true and strong through some trying circumstances. Darcy gets his comeuppance, but he really is the solid and supportive hero of the piece- not just to Elizabeth, but to everyone around him.

This is a longer story, but that is because the focus is not narrowed in to just Darcy and Lizzy’s romance. This is Georgiana’s story, the whole Bennet family, the Bingleys, and Darcy’s family. So many plot threads are going on here. I enjoyed each one and it was fun when they all converged for the big scenes near the end.

I experienced this story in the audio version and was rather taken with narrator Stevie Zimmerman. She was in touch with the tone and pace and emotion of the story and she had a huge cast of characters to distinguish from one another. I was impressed. Her Darcy voice was scratchy, but I adjusted. I would definitely listen to more of her work.

All in all, this was a fantastic P&P variation that I would definitely recommend to other Austenesque lovers and also to sweet historical romance fans.

I have read 2 books by this author. I enjoy JAFF and have read many books by various authors. I did enjoy this book and These Dreams, another variation. This begins the day after the Netherfield Ball. I like that the Colonel and Georgiana were asked by Bingley to come to help Darcy. Wickham is true to form, Caroline is vindictive and faces consequences,. It is slow at first with internal thinking. Could have used additional editing, but did not spoil the story.

One of the best Elizabeth/Darcy books.

Jane Austin was already one of my favorite authors and this twist on her great story was amazing. I fell in love w/ my Miss Bennett and Mr, Darcy all over again. Thank you for such a great story. It was fun and engaging from the beginning and I never thought at any time “well this isn’t how this should go!”. Even though I knew the story this was so different I could simply enjoy it. I couldn’t wait to read again…..made for some long days at work.

Loved It

For those of us who are Jane Austen readers, this book is a great tribute to her original work. The characters are a little more lively and personable, This is an enjoyable read for sure!

Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. .

Delightful! I laughed out loud many times, and found it very hard to put down. Needs editing in a few places, but not enough to distract me. Ms Clarkston has borrowed all the memorable characters and many events from Pride and Prejudice, and woven them into an original, engaging new story, with some surprising plot twists and a similar HEA ending. Because this story begins after the Netherfield Ball and makes many references to prior events, I would highly recommend reading Jane Austin’s classic first, if anyone has not, or at least watch the BBC mini-series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Of the several cinematic versions I’ve seen, the BBC series is my favorite, and this book seems to evoke the BBC cast and characters, with the exception of Mrs Bennett and Lady Catherine. Mrs Bennett is much subdued, and Lady Catherine is over the top, by comparison. (Spoiler alert!) I was gratified to see Charlotte get her own HEA… Ms Clarkston has perfectly captured the witty flavor and style of the original story. Rumors and Recklessness is a must-read for JA P&P fans!