Love Never Fails by Jennifer Joy - unique story of guilt and unfailing love 4 Stars

Love Never Fails: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Jennifer Joy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love Never Fails is a variation on Pride and Prejudice that I found quite unique and original. Jennifer Joy is a very creative author and I very much enjoy seeing the new situations she finds for Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

I have to say that while listening to this variation on audible.com, I was also reading a very humorous variation by another author. The juxtaposition was quite strange and I have to take care to give this more melodramatic variation its due. It definitely has some angsty aspects, as we are never sure if our dear couple will quite come to the point, but the journey is quite intricate and involved. This makes for a very satisfying read.

In this variation, the Bennet family are unable to attend the Meryton assembly, as they did at the beginning of the original, as Mr. Bennet has died. Elizabeth still refuses Mr. Collins and is faced with the wrath of her mother, and an incredible guilt regarding the break up of her family. The family is feeling the kindness of an anonymous benefactor, but is desperate to find a place of their own.

Unknown to Elizabeth, who is seeking a way to keep the family together, Mrs. Bennet has made her own plans. She places Kitty and Mary with their Aunt and Uncle Philips in Meryton, requests her brother Gardner take Jane and Elizabeth to London, and she sells Mr. Bennet's library of books in order to finance an apartment in London for herself and Lydia. Elizabeth has a couple of opportunities to talk with Mr. Darcy while in Hertfordshire, but the Bennet family has never met the Bingley family, who return to London.

The Bingley family have actually gone back to London to deal with a serious family problem: Lady Lavinia Rutledge, their father's sister. Charles is responsible for his aunt while his parents take a short trip to the Americas in order to search out new business opportunities. Lady Rutledge is, however, quite the handful. She has gotten herself into trouble in London and needs some watching over. With a bit of a twist, Elizabeth is looking for work as a companion, and ends up with the job of watching over the Bingley's aunt.

Lady Lavinia Rutledge is a manipulative, outspoken and daring older woman who, although the bane of the Bingley existence, has earned a spot in the hearts of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Darcy has a secret he is hiding that is causing him great feelings of guilt. He, therefore, is quietly watching over Elizabeth, who is drawn to his compassion and kindness. We can see the two are falling in love. Lady Rutledge is in the background making things happen - and we are not always sure whose side she is on.

Throughout the story the main themes are the guilt keeping our dear couple apart, and the love they have for family and friends which cannot fail. Will they overcome their guilt, acknowledge their love, and find their happy ending?

I enjoyed this story very much and enjoyed the growing friendship and love between Darcy and Elizabeth. There are some other interesting twists regarding the future plans of Mrs. Bennet. I did not give this story 5 stars, however, because there were a couple of aspects to the story that felt a little forced - such as the lack of meeting between Bingley and Jane, and the extreme action taken by Lydia. But, all in all, this was original and well worth reading. A definite recommendation.

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A Conversation Behind the Tapestries by Beth Wood - sweet, silly, clean and romantic 4 Stars

A Conversation Behind the Tapestries: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Beth Wood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes you just want to read a cute Pride and Prejudice variation with a sweet Darcy, a stubborn, but witty Elizabeth, and a lot of HEA. I found myself smiling throughout A Conversation Behind the Tapestries: a Pride and Prejudice Variation by Beth Wood.

The premise of this variation is that Darcy did not join the Bingleys when they first arrived in Meryton, and, therefore, did not insult Elizabeth at the assembly. Instead, Darcy is attempting to avoid Miss Bingley, while Elizabeth is attempting to avoid Mr. Collins (and her mother) at the Bingley ball at Netherfield. Both slip behind a tapestry to avoid being seen. Jane and Bingley come looking for them and the entire foursome is discovered by Mr. Bennet. Compromise is proclaimed and Bingley proposes to Jane. But, Elizabeth jumps in before Mr. Darcy can object, and objects herself to any arrangement between herself and the gentleman. Mr. Bennet is appeased, and there is no more discussion of the time behind the tapestry.

However, Darcy has started thinking that Elizabeth is a singular woman to not jump at a chance to trap him into marriage. He dances the dinner set and enjoys dinner with the lovely young woman, and his mind actually wanders towards matrimony. Due to an overheard conversation at Longbourn, however, our couple does in fact find themselves engaged after knowing each other for less than 24 hours. Elizabeth is determined it will be a long engagement, and Darcy is just happy if Elizabeth is happy.

The remainder of the story involves the manipulations of Mrs. Bennet, the wedding plans of three Bennet sisters, the reactions of the Fitzwilliam/de Bourgh side of Darcy's family, and various other factors familiar to JAFF readers. But, here, Beth Wood has created a great deal of silliness, warmth, humor and romance. There are side stories about frogs, pseudo brothers, feathers, etc. and all are sweet and tender. Even Lady Catherine and Miss Bingley show their soft sides. All the while, Darcy is slowly bringing Elizabeth around to his way of thinking. As mentioned earlier, I just found myself smiling through the whole thing, and laughing out loud on occasion.

I did enjoy this variation. It is not great writing, and I am sure it will not be to everyone's taste, but it suited me just find. Romantic, sweet and clean, A Conversation Behind the Tapestries is a nice little summer reader for JAFF lovers. Definitely recommended.




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A Conversation Behind the Tapestries by Beth Wood - sweet, silly, clean and romantic 4 Stars

A Conversation Behind the Tapestries: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Beth Wood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes you just want to read a cute Pride and Prejudice variation with a sweet Darcy, a stubborn, but witty Elizabeth, and a lot of HEA. I found myself smiling throughout A Conversation Behind the Tapestries: a Pride and Prejudice Variation by Beth Wood.

The premise of this variation is that Darcy did not join the Bingleys when they first arrived in Meryton, and, therefore, did not insult Elizabeth at the assembly. Instead, Darcy is attempting to avoid Miss Bingley, while Elizabeth is attempting to avoid Mr. Collins (and her mother) at the Bingley ball at Netherfield. Both slip behind a tapestry to avoid being seen. Jane and Bingley come looking for them and the entire foursome is discovered by Mr. Bennet. Compromise is proclaimed and Bingley proposes to Jane. But, Elizabeth jumps in before Mr. Darcy can object, and objects herself to any arrangement between herself and the gentleman. Mr. Bennet is appeased, and there is no more discussion of the time behind the tapestry.

However, Darcy has started thinking that Elizabeth is a singular woman to not jump at a chance to trap him into marriage. He dances the dinner set and enjoys dinner with the lovely young woman, and his mind actually wanders towards matrimony. Due to an overheard conversation at Longbourn, however, our couple does in fact find themselves engaged after knowing each other for less than 24 hours. Elizabeth is determined it will be a long engagement, and Darcy is just happy if Elizabeth is happy.

The remainder of the story involves the manipulations of Mrs. Bennet, the wedding plans of three Bennet sisters, the reactions of the Fitzwilliam/de Bourgh side of Darcy's family, and various other factors familiar to JAFF readers. But, here, Beth Wood has created a great deal of silliness, warmth, humor and romance. There are side stories about frogs, pseudo brothers, feathers, etc. and all are sweet and tender. Even Lady Catherine and Miss Bingley show their soft sides. All the while, Darcy is slowly bringing Elizabeth around to his way of thinking. As mentioned earlier, I just found myself smiling through the whole thing, and laughing out loud on occasion.

I did enjoy this variation. It is not great writing, and I am sure it will not be to everyone's taste, but it suited me just find. Romantic, sweet and clean, A Conversation Behind the Tapestries is a nice little summer reader for JAFF lovers. Definitely recommended.




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On Oakham Mount by Sophia Meredith 4 Stars for a truly witty Elizabeth

On Oakham Mount: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Sophia Meredith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One thing you often read of in both the original Pride and Prejudice and various fan fiction is how witty Elizabeth Bennet is, and how this was one of the major things that attracted Mr. Darcy to her. Jane Austen was certainly capable of making her witty, but not many fan fiction authors have this skill. I was delighted to see that Sophia Meredith is one of the exceptions. The best part, for me, of reading On Oakham Mount was the authors ability to truly show Elizabeth's conversational skills and wittiness.

In this variation, Elizabeth has received Mr. Collins proposal of marriage the day following the ball at Netherfield. However, this time Mr. Bennet does not come to his daughter's rescue, but encourages her to accept Mr. Collins. Once again, as the neglectful and indigent father he is, Mr. Bennet is thinking about his own comfort and how lovely it would be to be left alone in his study for the remainder of his days. With Elizabeth married to Mr. Collins, his family would be settled for his eventual demise and he could pursue his own interests in peace.

Hurt and shock over Mr. Bennet's lack of support propels Elizabeth to seek solitude on Oakham Mount where she can cry to her heart's content. She is starting to see the wisdom of the match with Mr. Collins, regardless of how personally disgusting the man. Her plan is to indulge herself in her sorrow now and then accept her lot and her permanent state of unhappiness with a man she cannot abide.

Seeing a woman in distress while taking a final ride before leaving Hertfordshire, Darcy heads to the mount to see if he can be of assistance. Elizabeth desires no assistance from Mr. Darcy, but is too polite to totally send him away. During their conversation several of their misunderstandings are resolved and Elizabeth begins to see Fitzwilliam Darcy in a much better light. In the meantime, Darcy is struggling internally with his feelings for Elizabeth and wonders if it would be possible to marry her so she would not have to marry Mr. Collins. He suggests a marriage of convenience which is accepted, after a slight misunderstanding, and the two settle on a betrothal.

However, in the meantime, Mr. Bingley gets it into his head that he will propose to Jane now, prior to leaving for town. Jane and Bingley promise Elizabeth a season in town for her to meet other men. Feeling honor bound to allow Darcy to bow out of the engagement, Elizabeth releases him. Since no one is aware of their betrothal, she feels now would be the time to allow him to back out. Mr. Darcy, however, takes this badly and leaves Meryton in turmoil. Both are unsettled and distraught about how the engagement ended. The question addressed through the remainder of the story is: why are both so unhappy about the engagement being ended? Is there something more between them? Can they find happiness apart or should they be together? A further misunderstanding about which Bennet sister married Mr. Collins compounds the problem.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, the dialog is wonderful. I love how Elizabeth wittily handles Darcy and his relatives. She is particularly at her sharpest while sparring with Lady Catherine de Bourgh. One of my favorite scenes, though, involves another misunderstanding between ODC when Elizabeth mistakes Darcy's proposal for a proposition.

I very much enjoyed On Oakham Mount. I saw a couple of errors, but maybe they are my misconceptions - I did not think Ann de Bourgh was due the title of Lady as I did not think her father's position provided for it. Lady Catherine is a lady due to her father being an earl, but Ann does not obtain that title from her mother. But, other than one or two minor things, I very much enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.  I look forward to more JAFF from Sophia Meredith.



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My COYER Summer Vacation Challenge starts NOW!

I am going to try something new this summer!  There is a reading challenge called COYER Summer Vacation, and I am in!  The idea is to read and review as many of my e-reads as possible this summer, and maybe even win some prizes.

This sounds like a wonderful group of people involved in reading and reviewing and I can hardly wait to get started. In fact - I think I will link the review I just completed so I can start today.

Forced to Marry Mr. Darcy by Mary Weston - 2 stars - abandoned in frustration

Forced to Marry Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Mary Weston

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

As other reviewers have mentioned, this is an interesting premise, although not unique. Elizabeth and Darcy are caught in an innocent situation that appears compromising, so must marry. Both are reluctant, but find themselves falling in love with each other. After they are forced to marry they are faced with danger from Wickham which draws them together. Pretty straightforward and a story that offers a lot of interesting situations and good conversations.

However, the author has a very annoying habit of creating references to what appears to be a back story, but then never delivers on that story. In addition, many of the characters act so out of character that you are left questioning what is occurring. The story and characters vary from the original Pride and Prejudice, which is fine, but we are often left wondering why and how the changes came about.

For example, at the very beginning of the story the author tells us that at the Netherfield ball the room is tense and feels like the attendees are split into two factions. In a conversation between Elizabeth and Charlotte we hear "This is the most dreadful ball I have ever attended. I've never seen a group of such dismal faces." "I know. It's rather like the air before a thunderstorm. The clouds are gathering and the air is still and sticky and one is just waiting for the storm to break and the air to clear." "What do you think the storm will be? A duel, perhaps?" This is pretty powerful imagery and you wonder what occurred to bring about this great deal of tension. In the original P&P the Netherfield ball is very much enjoyed by all those attending, with the exception of the tension between Elizabeth and Darcy. But, at this version, there is tension that affects every single person attending. Well, that is pretty intriguing. What happened prior to the ball to bring about this kind of tension? Why is everyone at the ball so miserable? What has caused this sense of dread that is expressed in this conversation? Wow, I could hardly wait to find out. But, nothing comes of this. I don't know what the author intended here. Why did she create this situation for the Netherfield ball without any explanation?

Then we have the compromise. The situation is innocent enough - Elizabeth catches her dress on a branch and it tears. Darcy recommends using her broach to pin it together. When Elizabeth struggles with the latch, Darcy helps her. His hand inadvertently touches her breast and this is observed by the Hursts. Now we have a strong series of people acting out of character with no explanation.

Darcy stops Elizabeth over and over as she tries to explain why the situation is innocent. I don't get it. Why does he do this? There is no explanation. The Hursts insist Darcy must marry Elizabeth due to this compromise. What? Don't they want Darcy for Miss Bingley? Miss Bingley believes Darcy has tried to seduce Elizabeth. What? Shouldn't she be defending him so she can keep him for herself? And, Elizabeth knows the situation is dire when told Mrs. Hurst told Miss Bingley about the compromise, because Miss Bingley is a gossip. She would rather gossip than save Mr. Darcy for herself?

It keeps going. Why is Lady Catherine present the next day when Darcy meets with Mr. Bennet? And, she is there to insist Darcy and Elizabeth marry. Isn't this contrary to everything we have ever known about her desire for him to marry Anne? Anne isn't even mentioned. Why is Lady Catherine so different in this variation? Why does Darcy just meekly allow her presence as a representative of his family and his interests? There is no explanation.

Other things are just tossed in as if they matter, but then they don't. Why is Wickham so insistent that Elizabeth is his? In the original P&P Elizabeth is looking forward to dancing with Wickham and feels herself halfway to falling in love with him. In this version, there is no mention of Wickham until after the ball, and Elizabeth feels fear around him. Why? What happened? No explanation.

After the betrothal is all arranged and Darcy is alone to consider what has occurred, he has this thought: "And now he was about to again undertake marriage with a woman who did not want him. Except, this time he planned to stay as far away from his wife as possible." Whoa! Looks like Darcy has been married previously and had a very bad time of it. This is a new twist! Only, it isn't. This line of thinking goes nowhere, apparently, and we are left wondering if we missed something.

When Darcy and Elizabeth reach Pemberley, Lady Matlock visits. She appears to already know Elizabeth! Interesting idea. But, we never find out more about this. It leads nowhere.

So, at some point the headache I was getting from these strange story line starts and stops makes the book difficult to read. Luckily for me another reviewer on Goodreads has chosen to fill their review with all the spoilers necessary to tell the rest of the story. I now can abandon the book without guilt.

Not recommended.





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Accepting Mr. Darcy by Jane Grix - Too short but intriguing - 4 Stars

Accepting Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Jane Grix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating would actually be 3 1/2 stars.

Accepting Mr. Darcy was a short variation on P&P. The concept has been done before - Elizabeth learns her father is ill and dying. Therefore, when Darcy proposes at Hunsford she immediately accepts him and they become engaged. What made this one different for me, both good and bad, was the lack of external emotion attached to this change.

Darcy is very happy about the proposal and wants to take Elizabeth in his arms and kiss her passionately, but he doesn't. Elizabeth still dislikes Darcy and is simply marrying him for his money. However, her lack of enthusiasm is not obvious, as both of them are being very proper and are maintaining their composure.

What I like about this is how it in many ways matches the original. Elizabeth held back her negative opinion of Darcy such that he assumed she liked him and was anticipating his proposal. Darcy held back his passion for Elizabeth hoping to prevent any expectations of an offer. Unfortunately, he succeeded so well that she had no idea it was even a possibility. So, for the two of them to very sedately arrange to marry in this version actually makes complete sense given just the one change in circumstances: Mr. Bennet's imminent death.

We know in the original that once Darcy and Elizabeth start communicating, they quickly fall in love and resolve all of their miscommunication. Unfortunately for our couple, in this version Darcy overhears Lydia comment on Elizabeth's dislike of Darcy. He confronts Elizabeth with what he heard and she, although gently, basically confirms for him that she accepted him for his fortune. Instead of resolving their miscommunication, this now creates it, as Elizabeth is interested in developing a good relationship with her husband once this issue has been uncovered, while Darcy is hurt and backs away.

The resolution of this problem occurs as Darcy and Elizabeth find they need each other and begin to comfort each other during difficult times. This is a bit rushed, but feels natural enough. However, here is the part of liking it and not liking it for the same reason. It just feels like the couple reason everything out. I guess I was wanting a little bit more romance. I feel like the length of this version is what prevented the author from providing opportunities for our couple to fall in love.

But, to be fair to the author, I really loved her characterizations of Elizabeth and Darcy. Darcy has a very dry sense of humor and you can see why Elizabeth finds him attractive. Elizabeth very quickly determines she is not going to cry and fret over the misunderstanding she has with her husband. Yes, she married him for his fortune, but he loved her. She is going to be the woman he fell in love with and work to create a close and happy marriage. She pushes to make sure they are the "mutual help and support" mentioned in the wedding ceremony. I also enjoyed Bingley reminding Darcy about the "with my body I thee worship" aspect, too!

I would love to see what others think of this story to see if I am the only one torn between loving and disliking the same aspect. Overall, I would recommend Accepting Mr. Darcy, as it is at least an intriguing story. I just wish it had been longer.

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