Theo Darcy is everything his disapproving elder brother, Fitzwilliam, is not—charming, easy-going, and full of fun. A tragic event as children severed their bond of friendship, but now they are together again. They are still at odds, though, this time over the love of Miss Elizabeth Bennet and the truth about George Wickham. Will Wickham manage to divide the brothers again? And more importantly, … importantly, which Mr. Darcy will Elizabeth choose? Find out as the two brothers lock horns in this unique Pride & Prejudice variation collectively written by five respected authors.
The Darcy Brothers was first conceived as an interactive group writing project and has developed into a full-length novel featuring the charismatic Theo Darcy. A sweet Regency romance for all lovers of Pride and Prejudice.
Look for more about Theo on Facebook (www.facebook.com/theophilusdarcy), Goodreads (www.goodreads.com/book/show/23084952-the-darcy-brothers), and on The Darcy Brothers website (www.thedarcybrothers.com).
Praise for Abigail Reynolds
“If you are unfamiliar with these riveting and romantic variations, they are retellings of Pride and Prejudice that take our beloved hero and heroine down a slightly altered path. Abigail Reynolds, one of my favorite Austenesque authors, is a skilled-story teller, an ardent admirer of Jane Austen, and quite proficient at infusing a lot of emotion, tension, and passion into her stories!” Austenesque Reviews
“If romantics can overlook the subversion, they should enjoy witnessing Elizabeth as an industrious and caring wife, administering to Pemberley’s tenants, learning how to be an equestrian and growing to love that perplexing Darcy.” Publishers Weekly
Praise for Cassandra Grafton
“This book is a total delight for anyone who is a fan of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Regency romance and… oh, just romance in general. Ms Grafton writes beautifully and has a descriptive style that can make small things into beautiful wonders.” Tess Quinn, Goodreads
“Through witty dialog and beautiful Regency language, this book is in the style of Jane Austen herself. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It ranks among the best of the Austenesque novels that I have read.” More Agreeably Engaged
Praise for Maria Grace
“Grace has quickly become one of my favorite authors of Austen-inspired fiction. Her love of Austen’s characters and the Regency era shine through in all of her novels.” Diary of an Eccentric
“A great read for any Jane Austen fan-fiction lover. With great characters, witty writing, and a swoon-worthy romance, Maria Grace’s Given Good Principles series is a solid addition to your bookshelf.” Austenprose
Praise for Monica Fairview
“This novel stands very well on its own as a Regency Romance, but for the Janeites among its readers it’s important to know how well Monica Fairview treats the beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice.” All About Romance
“Infused with humor … Fairview has proven again why she was my top choice of Austenesque debut authors of 2009. She is well on her way to becoming a nonpareil in Austen paraliterature and I recommend The Darcy Cousins to those who dearly love a satisfying love story and a hearty laugh.” Austenprose
Praise for Susan Mason-Milks
“Susan Mason-Milks pens a Pride and Prejudice variation that explores an untraveled road in Jane Austen’s classic novel…As you may guess, this path to true love has a whole lot more more ruts and turns for our hero and heroine…” Austenesque Reviews
“After reading it I find myself even more enamored of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. I think this is a true testament to how beautifully Susan Mason-M
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An heir and a spare, Darcy has a brother
Authors: Monica Fairview, Maria Grace, Cassandra Grafton, Susan Mason-Milks, Abigail Reynolds [4.5 stars, round to 5]
We are introduced to another Darcy sibling, Theophilus [Theo] Darcy, younger brother to Fitzwilliam and older brother to Georgiana. Only someone who has siblings can relate to the Darcy family dynamics of older to younger siblings. For Georgiana, she now has to deal with two older brothers in addition to her cousin, our dear Colonel, who shares joint guardianship of her. Poor girl.
This story is fraught with drama machinations, intrigue, subterfuge, filial loyalty, misplaced guilt, anger, frustrations, distrust and any other feelings known to man.
Rosings Park, Kent: Lots happening here. I cannot believe Lady Catherine’s continued machinations regarding Darcy marrying Anne, her treatment of her own child [which will come back to haunt her], and her treatment or rather ill treatment of an injured Elizabeth was astounding to say the least.
The accident: Who fired the shot? Are we sure? That thread was sort of left hanging. I believe our authors missed an opportunity for our dear Colonel to examine the bullet and determine the kind, and the type of gun that was used to fire it. Just a thought. It could have been someone else completely.
The de Bourgh Will: Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s Will has created a snafu that will be felt for years. Now we have, as one Darcy brother so eloquently put it, two harpies at each other’s throat. Help us all.
Fitzwilliam Darcy: as the older brother he has felt the greatest responsibility for his family. We learn there was another sibling that died young and his loss is still painful to each sibling. Fitzwilliam feels the guilt most profoundly as he was the oldest and should have prevented it. Even though he was a mere child himself at the time. Also, we are in his head a lot and… at times this was tedious and I felt for him as he journeyed through the process of learning to let go of his feelings and to trust his younger brother. Elizabeth helped him in his journey and he changed a lot under her influence. It was difficult to change ingrained habits and to become a man worthy of the love of a good woman.
Theo Darcy: what younger brother doesn’t feel the coolness when walking in the shade of an older brother. With the death of their parents and sibling, Fitzwilliam went from older brother/friend/playmate to father figure within a short period of time. Plus, Theo’s unfortunate friendship with, guidance and influence from none other than… Wickham, created a foundation for all the mistrust, frustrations and anger from said older brother. And then we have Theo’s propensity to fill the requirements of a pesky brother. He cannot help himself from pushing all those buttons that sends his taciturn brother into fits and his teeth on edge. That is what younger brothers do. They can’t help it. In this sense, Theo also suffers from the middle child syndrome, forever lost between two siblings who get all the attention.
Georgiana: being the younger sister has given her a different perspective. She had just regained her equilibrium, after recovering from her Ramsgate debacle, when she sees Wickham in town. And now, he is causing trouble for her brothers and Elizabeth’s family. Her maturity springs forth in so many ways and yet, she is frustrated as her brothers continue to treat her as though she were still a child. That has always been the struggle of younger siblings.
Elizabeth Bennet: has arrived at Kent for a relaxing visit her good friend Charlotte Collins nee Lucas at the Huntsford Parsonage. Misunderstandings galore, accidents all around and confusion frustrates our dear girl to her limits. Every opportunity to importune her is taken by all the gentlemen involved in this fiasco of love triangles or quartet. A windblown bonnet, a skittish horse, a near blind games-keeper, drugged induced cousins, a chaos of confusion, confessions of love, and sneaky underhanded dealings, contribute to a very bad visit indeed. Lady Catherine’s control or lack thereof, doctors with opposing procedures, and Darcy cousin’s mischievous actions, force our dear couple into a compromise of epic proportion.
Wickham: This guy is simply himself and looking for a way to extract money from the Darcy coffers. His feelings of entitlement are even more elevated than canon. When he hears of the recent nuptials of one Fitzwilliam Darcy with the lovely Elizabeth Bennet, he immediately attempts to ruin the reputation of one of the Bennet sisters. He hopes Darcy will fork over a living worthy of his position in life in order to squelch the scandal. He feels that he was raised to be a gentleman, received a gentleman’s education, but was not given the means to be one. Note: Theo pointed out to Wickham that he could have studied the law with him and been a barrister by then. However, Wickham couldn’t be bothered with studying and instead… spent his time gambling away his funds and seducing women.
Lydia: I have never seen her portrayed in this manner… or to this degree, as she was beyond reach, redemption or salvation. Her attitude and behavior was reprehensible to say the least. Nothing that was said to her made even the slightest dent in her resolve and determination to have Wickham as her husband. Her demeanor was absolutely disgusting and crossed every line of propriety, decorum and comportment. She was little better than a light-skirt in her flirting and coquettish looks. Disgusting. She had no concern for what her actions had done to her reputation, the shame inflicted on her family, the harm to the reputations of her remaining sisters, or the threat to the upcoming nuptials of Jane and Elizabeth. She didn’t care. She would have him.
The angst was real and difficult to read and took a long time to resolve. Once the problems were dealt with and the brothers reach a better understanding of each other, the action moved along at a faster clip. It was good to see when Darcy realized that he needed Theo, or when he saw Theo do something that was good and for no reward for himself. It was like he was surprised.
I loved the parts where Theo was in the courtroom. His interactions with his friends, especially Sir Monty, was a fun story. What happened with Monty? What about Anne and her quest for a new life? What happened to Georgiana? The Epilogue handled a few things, but many threads were left hanging. Is there another book? What happened with Wickham and Lydia? There has to be a follow up… doesn’t there?