Beth G. (BethG) - , reviewed on 6/27/2007 + 108 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This is the second book in Ms. Aidan's trilogy, following Mr. Darcy's side of the story in Pride and Prejudice. And there is a lot to fill in, since he is absent from Austin's book for a good deal of the story.

This particular volume follows his story when he is out of "Pride and Prejudice" entirely.

I have to say I found this story a disappointment because the tone and events were so unlike P&P. This feels like a Regency romance that turns into a Gothic romance.

This was not a mistake, rather the author states that she wrote in the style of a Gothic romance as a kind of homage to "Northanger Abbey," so I suppose it is a matter of taste. However, it certainly didn't work for me. I found the extreme difference jarring and the inflation of Mr. Darcy's importance unnecessary.

When I could read the book as an independent work with characters who simply happened to share names with characters in P&P, it was somewhat entertaining. But the differences from P&P in tone, actions, and characters bothered me greatly.

Still it is a great deal to ask someone to live up to Ms. Austen's prose. In the end it is entirely a matter of personal taste.

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