What would change if Elizabeth were older than Jane, if she was pushed into a forced marriage, and if she is older than Darcy and enters society as Bingley's sister in law?

These changes fascinated me and I was eager to see how I d the altered story.

I soon discovered that if I was to have any enjoyment from this book that I had to adjust to the fact that this was not very close to the original both in the plot and the characters somewhat. These are more mature characters with lusty needs. I also found it interesting to see how much the author has matured as a writer since I've read more of her recent books and went back for this earlier one.

I d this story, but didn't end up loving it for a few reasons. Elizabeth was the main reason. She had a traumatic experience and I can't blame her for how it scarred her, but what I do blame her for was making the same mistake over and over and...yes, over. She is a lousy judge of character and knows it, but lets it guide her anyway. She gets a hair up her nose about Darcy and chooses to obstinately ignore everything he tries to counsel her about using his knowledge of the people and the world of society he knows well and she knows not at all.

Darcy was a dashing hero and worked hard to court Elizabeth and coming to her rescue. I loved the way Jane and Charlotte were written. Lady C and Caroline were the comic relief though moderately.

So, it was good, but not great though a creative story path was the strong point.historical-romance jane-austen-austenesque12 s Sheila Majczan2,470 172

4.5 stars

I actually read this book as part of Romancing Mr. Darcy: Pride and Prejudice Variations Collection, but am posting my review separately under this same but separate book as my tend to be lengthy.

In this variation of P&P the Widow Elizabeth Calbry née Bennet, negotiates a first “season” on the London scene after her official year of mourning is past. However, this widow is naïve even though having been married for 6 months. She is the product of a small town, with small minds and actions judged by close and all acquaintances. Even her dear father was quick to judge and now she keeps feelings about and experiences of her recent past a secret from all – even her dear younger sister, Jane.

Jane and Charles Bingley have invited her to live with them after her husband’s death and it is in their home that she overhears from a deep seat Charles and his friend, Darcy, discuss Charles’ recent marriage and the family into which he has married. In mentioning the sister, Elizabeth, Darcy declares her “tolerable” but upon a second thought changes his description to “stunning”. Elizabeth decides to make her presence known. She has now decided just in what esteem she will hold Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Soon she makes the acquaintance of one George Wickham and he reinforces her low opinion as to Darcy. Darcy realizes, as he knows Wickham oh so well, just what poison has been whispered into Elizabeth’s ear. Darcy does make attempts to impart the truth to her as now he has developed a tendré for her. But it seems the more he attempts to gain her good graces the more she is put off.

They next meet in London where Elizabeth seems to be the belle of the season. Bingley’s house has many visitors and they are calling on Elizabeth. Darcy discovers a wager on the books at White’s and it is not exactly a new one; just one is which the names are changed in this season. The practice of new widows taking lovers and the sport of one man trying to push his way to the forefront is not new. But when Darcy tries to warn Elizabeth of the true reason for some of the attentions she thinks him jealous. Disaster is forestalled but it is a near thing.

This story is one of Darcy falling in love early in the game while a bitterly disillusioned Elizabeth thinks to take part in society without involving her feelings or entangling her position as an aloof widow. Why not flirt and dance and just enjoy the freedom. Even as she grows to want more than just friendship from Darcy, she finds there is a price to pay and it is just possibly the giving of her heart.

Is the price too dear?

This book does have intimate scenes so be warned or plan to skip or skim over those.7 s ana darcy272 6

Still a Young Man: Darcy is in Love is one of my top 10 JAFF books with a what if about the characters in Pride and Prejudice. P.O. Dixon is one of the first JAFF authors I discovered and I have read most of her work and I highly recommend it.

At the beginning of the story we found Elizabeth marrying Mr. Calbry, one of her favourites, according to everyone who knew them, but he dies after six months. Elizabeth is sent away by her husband’s family and she goes to live with her newly wed sister, Jane Bingley.

Elizabeth shows herself as the perfect mourning widow during a year and one day, after that time, she wants to live again.

Mrs. Elizabeth Calbry is back to society with her sister and brother and she is the new “attraction” of the ton, a pretty young widow. Although she is not in possession of a fortune, she is seen as a experienced and woman in possible need of a man, maybe not to marry but to “share her experience”. This is how some so-called gentlemen see her, but not all of them. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth’s brother’s best friend, is amazed with her and he wants to protect her even if she does not want him to do it.

Mrs. Calbry diss Mr. Darcy from the first moment of her acquaintance due to his words and his questions about her life and also due to the information, or misinformation, given by a childhood friend of Fitzwilliam. Everything she knows together with her own opinion, show Darcy in a bad light but that starts changing when Elizabeth sees herself entangled in a dishonourable event where she was going to be the only victim. Fortunately for her, Darcy keeps his own promise to protect her and he arrives just in time to avoid further harm to Elizabeth.

From that moment onwards, they begin spending time together and become fast friends, they share a lot of nice moments together and after Darcy saved her from that entanglement, he wants something back, he wants her to sped the summer at Pemberley, his house, with him and obviously with Jane and Charles Bingley. Elizabeth cannot deny him and she is happy to oblige, she is eager to spend more time with him. However, her feelings are changing and she is unsecure, he is a younger man and she is a widow. She can see the mutual attraction and she decides to offer herself as his lover just once. Unfortunately, this is quite common among the ton, widows sometimes look for lovers to have their needs covered. Elizabeth knows that she could only have Darcy as her lover. Eventually, when they are in Pemberley, she gathers all her courage and tells him to go to her that night. He is puzzled, bewildered but hopeful at the same time. He loves Elizabeth and he just wants her to feel the same for him and share their life.

As you already know, with this couple, nothing is easy or goes smooth. It will be very difficult to see them together but (SPOILER ALERT!) with a lot of patience, time and people who love them, they will find happiness but, as I mentioned, it will not be easy at all!

“You are mistaken. You know nothing about me”, she protested.

“What more do I need to know, Elizabeth… other than I love you with all my heart?”jaff4 s Les2,911 1 follower

These are potato chip, you just can't have one. I sped through a group of P.O. Dixon's books a woman possessed. These are fun reads that take p & P in new and interesting directions.austenesque ppown purchased3 s Meredith (Austenesque Reviews)971 324

Elizabeth Calbry née Bennet, at the age of twenty-seven, has given up. She has given up on love, on romance, and happiness in marriage. With the passing of her husband and the end of their disastrous and infelicitous marriage occurring just a year ago, Elizabeth looks forward to returning to society, answering to no one, and indulging in some innocent diversions. Unfortunately for Lizzy, it is generally assumed that a beautiful, vivacious, and young widow must be in want of a man to warm her bed...

Now that she has concluded her period of mourning and is allowed to rejoin society, Elizabeth encounters several young men that supply her with ample attention. There's the engaging George Wickham, the captivating and very attractive Lord Winthrop, the wealthy and flirtatious Mr. Cranford, and the man Elizabeth is least interested in...the arrogant and presumptuous Mr. Darcy. Lizzy enjoys the attentions of the men that flatter her and adore her, but Mr. Darcy just stares, broods, and officiously tells her what not to do. Will Lizzy's charming behavior and lack of caution get her into trouble? Will she continue to refuse Mr. Darcy's counsel and support?

What an intriguing alternate path for our beloved Darcy and Elizabeth to travel! Elizabeth a widow? Darcy younger in age? Obstacles such as disbelief in lasting love and the inability to trust? I just love how P. O. Dixon boldly steps out of the Pride and Prejudice canon to create such an imaginative and diverse variation! Some readers may hesitate when they hear the alterations made to Elizabeth's age and situation, but the uniqueness of this premise and P. O. Dixon's deft execution will easily dispel any qualms. I greatly appreciate the author's skill in plausibly deviating from the plot, while respectfully remaining true to the original characters.

To continue reading, go to: http://janeausten.blogspot.com...jane-austen pride-and-prejudice3 s Suzan LauderAuthor 13 books78

I've read books with head-hopping, non-Regency language, and given them fairly high star ratings because the story made up for it. This book had those problems, and the story was, in essence, a good one, but for some reason, it dragged. I usually P.O. Dixon's books, and in this case, I d the prose, the premise, the steam, the lacking in diversions, etc. Yet how was it that it didn't keep me wanting to stay up all night reading it? How was it that when my evening reading time came I was "meh" while I was reading this book? I can only put it down to the fact that it was for some reason slower than it should have been. The pace needed to be picked up. Don't ask me how to do that, because had it been my book, I'd have been at a loss. There were some redundancies, the constant referral to the age difference, and that slowed things down. Perhaps it was because there was little conflict, so the angst level was low. I can't put my finger on it. However, I can't in my heart give this book more than three stars.

Disclaimer: I am a Jane Austen Fan Fiction writer, and some might have concern that I might have a conflict of interest as a reviewer for that reason; however, I was a reader first, and my are honest and unbiased.jaff-regency mature-not-hard-erotica regency-romance-mature ...more1 Carmen8094407 19

Still a young man è una Pride and Prejudice Variation, una "What if" novel, che si chiede come sarebbero andate le cose in Orgoglio e Pregiudizio se gli eventi si fossero svolti diversamente.
In questo romanzo, Jane ha sposato Bingley, ed Elizabeth, a causa di uno scandalo -in realtà solo un malinteso- è stata costretta a sposare Daniel Calbry, uno dei suoi favoriti, ma rivelatosi poi un farabutto che ha reso il suo matrimonio un inferno.
Per la gioia di Elizabeth, l'uomo -simile a Wickham sotto molti aspetti- è morto a soli sei mesi dalle nozze, e la nostra eroina è andata a vivere con la sorella ed il cognato, non avendo mai perdonato al padre di non averla voluta ascoltare in merito allo scandalo, e di averla costretta al matrimonio.
Lizzy conosce così Darcy, per il quale, come nel romanzo originale, non prova simpatia (anche se, in questa variazione, con ben poche motivazioni). Darcy ha qualche anno meno della vedova, e ne è subito attratto, mentre Elizabeth pensa che tale comportamento sia dovuto al fatto che l'uomo voglia scoraggiare Caroline Bingley, in quanto già fidanzato con la cugina Anne.
Interessante poter conoscere i sentimenti e i pensieri di questo più giovane Darcy, come quando si chiede perché Mr Bennet è così insensibile da interrompere la performance di Mary al piano, mentre non fa nulla per il comportamento delle figlie più piccole.
Diversamente da quanto accade nel romanzo di Jane Austen, Darcy scende da cavallo quando, a Meryton, vede Wickham parlare con Elizabeth, e le confida tutto riguardo ai suoi rapporti con l'uomo, non attraverso una lettera, ma a voce...

Ero molto curiosa in merito a questo romanzo, ma ho trovato la prima parte della storia piuttosto noiosa, ed ho impiegato un bel po' di tempo per leggerla; per fortuna, alcuni episodi invariati di Orgoglio e Pregiudizio vengono narrati molto velocemente -soprattutto quelli riguardanti Wickham-.
La seconda parte è stata invece più veloce, Darcy è sempre molto dolce, ma Elizabeth è del tutto out of character. Pur volendo attribuire alcuni suoi comportamenti e stati d'animo alla brutta esperienza matrimoniale che nel romanzo originale le è risparmiata, mi sembra davvero -davvero- troppo che lei inviti Darcy in camera sua e gli proponga di diventare amanti!
Mi è piaciuto, invece, che lei rifiuti la prima proposta -fatta a Netherfield- perché, dopo le prime nozze, crede di non poter amare nessuno e di non poter essere amata, e che invece si ricreda proprio grazie ad una lettera che Darcy le scrive dopo il suo rifiuto, a causa della quale si rende anche conto che la responsabilità della sua passata infelicità non è da attribuire solo agli altri, ma anche a se stessa.

In conclusione, Still a young man è un libro che può deludere, e che si salva solo grazie alla dolcezza del giovane Darcy e alla -per me- novità rappresentata dal fatto di non aver mai letto una variation prima.

Altre differenze col romanzo originale, note a margine e curiosità:
- viene raccontata una liaison di Darcy con una donna; mi è sembrato molto strano leggere di una lady nuda nel letto dell'eroe austeniano, ma ancora non sapevo cosa mi aspettasse in seguito;
- molto godibile la scena tra Miss Bingley e Darcy in cui questo dice che Elizabeth è una delle donne più belle che abbia mai visto;
- Lizzy comincia a fidarsi di Darcy quando questi la salva da una brutta scommessa fatta da un gruppo di uomini ai suoi danni (nel romanzo le vedove vengono viste come donne piuttosto "allegre");
- Mrs Hurst sgattaiola di notte nella camera da letto di Darcy e cerca di sedurlo...;
- Elizabeth sente molto più fortemente che nel romanzo originale la negligenza del padre;
- Bingley ottiene il merito di aver "salvato" Lydia, ma, non potendo mantenere il segreto sul reale coinvolgimento di Darcy, si confida con Jane, che dice tutto a Lizzy;
- Lady Catherine propone al nipote di sposare Anne e di prendere Elizabeth come amante; alle proteste della figlia, le risponde di aver accettato, a suo tempo, che il marito si comportasse nello stesso modo;
- Darcy pronuncia quella che ricorda la nota battuta di Mr Knightley di Emma: "A man who had felt less, might have said more."

http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewausten-related e-book romanzi-e-saggi1 Jakki73 47

Dixon delivers yet another fascinating adaptation on much loved tale.

Finding herself widowed after six months of marriage, Elizabeth moves in with her sister, Jane Bingley. Determined to enjoy life as a widow, Elizabeth makes the most of the Season, welcoming the steady stream of callers who grace the Bingleys’ sitting room. Yet, all may not be as it seems. Scarred by her past, Elizabeth does not trust easily. Realizing she harbors a secret, Darcy sets out to discover what Elizabeth is hiding, while at the same time, desiring to earn more than her trust.

Dixon does a great job of incorporating the goings on of the ton into her story. Here, we catch a glimpse of what really goes on inside gentlemen clubs, such as White’s, and how widows keep their beds warm. Coincidentally, this is also where I became irritated with Elizabeth’s naiveté. Not only is she inexperienced, but at times she is also immature. The way Elizabeth openly flirts with callers, and doesn’t realize the import of her words or the consequences of such forward behavior, reminds me of Lydia and the regiment. A few times, it seemed as if I was reading a Regency romance with some drawing room drama taking place.

Dixon slowly builds up the heat between Darcy and Elizabeth. While there is the hot, sensual passion, their needs run much deeper than just the physical. Welding together friendship and trust, the two come to have such a deep love for each other in all aspects. Even though my heart broke for the pain in Elizabeth’s past, Darcy was quick to put me at ease with his gentle solicitude. The way Darcy sets out to protect Elizabeth, regardless the cost, the trust each gains from the other, and the sense of oneness they achieve, solidify their relationship into being one that will overcome any obstacle.

With a few scoundrels, a dynamic heroine, pain, passion, and abiding love, Still a Young Man is a winner and sure to please the Pride and Prejudice variation lover.

FTC Disclaimer: Review copy provided by author1 Candy262

In this Pride and Prejudice variation, after being forced into a loveless marriage, Elizabeth, vows never to marry again. She has just come out of morning the loss of her late husband when she meets a young Mr. Darcy. After overhearing his disparaging words about her and her family Elizabeth thinks Darcy is overbearing, rude and pompous. As Darcy learns more about Elizabeth, he becomes intrigued by her. He sees a sadness in her that most don’t see and feels the need to protect her. Elizabeth however, is not willing to listen to him when he cautions her about the new friends she is making.

Traveling to London with Jane and Bingley, Elizabeth is determined to enjoy the Season. She becomes friends with the widow Lady Marie Hargrove. Having received a nice settlement from her late husband, Lady Marie has money and independence, which she has no intention of giving up by re-marrying. Elizabeth is also receiving the attention of Lord Winthrop. Darcy, suspicious of both, tries to warn her but she is unwilling to listen to him.

I found Elizabeth to be a bit naive. She wants to have the freedom and fun she had before she married, but doesn’t realize the position she is in now. While she is dancing and enjoying the company of certain men, they on the other hand have entirely different ideas of what the company of a widow might bring. Also, I was not fond of the fact that Elizabeth is older than Darcy. It just didn't seem right with me, but I was able to ignore that and enjoy the rest of the story.

I loved finding lines from Pride and Prejudice put in a variety of places throughout the story. In some cases, it would be the same character, in the same setting, saying the line. Other times, it would be a different character, in a different setting, saying a line. Quite fun!

I always enjoy reading P O Dixon’s stories! Still a Young Man is a fun read with an interesting twist!austenesque1 Victoria514 6

This was a unique retelling of P&P, I didn't expect Darcy to be younger than Elizabeth, or to have her be the oldest sister. I must say, it did change the way I viewed Darcy throughout the story, and made his behaviour much more forgiving.

I was very pleased with this story!austen reviewed1 Carol Perrin607 25

Still a Young Man: Darcy Is In Love

Another wonderful variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In this variation, Elizabeth is a widow living with her sister and her husband, Jane and Bingley. Charles contacts Darcy for estate help and when Darcy finds out what he has married into, he asks if he lost his mind. Not knowing that Elizabeth is in the library with them, Darcy first tells Charles that she's tolerable, then States she is stunning. Although she agrees with his assessment of her family, she is still aggravated by his remarks. She then gets up, and excuses herself giving Darcy a look that could kill. As in any other variation, misunderstandings continue to dominate their relationship. Darcy does upon seeing her in Wickham's presence, tells her his history with him. She is angry with herself that she didn't recognize things about him, because he was just her deceased husband. She was forced to marry Daniel Calbry, because in an attempt to run for him after witnessing him in the trees with one of the servant girls, her gasp alerted him to her presence and as she struggled as he grabbed her, this was witnessed by neighbors. Mr. Bennet's refusal to listen to her explanation of what really happened, combined with the forced marriage, Elizabeth went into a unhappy union by both parties. When Daniel dies in a carriage accident, his family who has never desired the marriage, throws her out. No where to go, Jane with Bingley's blessing, takes her sister in. When Caroline sees how infatuated Darcy is with Elizabeth, she throws out ever vile comment she can think off whether it is true or not. Until, her sister, Louisa, feeds into these lies, because she too desires Darcy. Jane and Bingley promise her a season in London. She is widely accepted and popular, aided by Lady Marie Hargrove, Darcy's past bedroom partner ( not lover). He begins to wonder why all the attention to the beautiful widow, of course he wants her for himself, when visiting his club, White's, he sees the wagers who will bed her first. He tries to warn her the viciousness of the Ton, but she cannot take any criticism from him and suggests he is jealous. He wonders at Lady Marie Hargrove's invitation to tea and suspects something is going on. He pays her servant to notify him when Lord Winthrop shows up, because he knows they hang together, and Lord Winthrop was in on the wager. Lady Marie never shows, but Lord Winthrop enters the drawing room and locks the door. He tells her he has come to collect what's his for all the time he's wasted on her. Remembering what Darcy told her, she is frightened and angry at Lord Winthrop and Lady Marie. Darcy comes through the door while Lord Winthrop leaves disgusted. In her eyes, Darcy sees sadness beyond today's happenings. He invites the Bingleys and Elizabeth to Pemberley to spend the summer. The Hursts and Caroline show up uninvited. Needless to say, Caroline is quite angry at Elizabeth being there, and she continues her usual hateful remarks along with Louisa. Darcy and Elizabeth have formed a strong friendship, and she believes she wants his passion. One night, one of the ladies find themselves in Darcy's bed chamber. He is beyond angry and demands that they leave Pemberley and never will they be invited to any of his homes. The next morning sees the Hursts and Caroline leaving, Darcy proposes and is not accepted, Jane gets the letter from Mary about Lydia and Wickham's eloping to Greta Green. Bingley talks to Darcy, and Darcy tells him he will see to their recovery, while Bingley takes Jane and Elizabeth back to Longbourn. Darcy fixes everything and because the newlyweds are not invited to Longbourn, the Bingleys are stuck with them until Wickham goes to Newcastle. Bingley invites Darcy to Netherfield, but Darcy says he cannot come because of family business in Kent. He's been in Kent longer than he's ever been , and Elizabeth knows she has lost him forever, just as she realizes she loves him. When Charlotte invites her to Hunsford, she willing goes even though he cousin Collins is there whom she refused his hand. She's hoping to see and talk to Darcy, but when she arrives finds he has left. Sad and disheartened, she now realizes it's all too late. While being interrogated by Lady Catherine, Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive. Lady Catherine attributes his return to his commitment to Anne, but when everyone sees his attention to Elizabeth, they know better. Lady Catherine is about to rescind her invitation to dinner but despite her concern between Darcy and Elizabeth, she does not. Always a sticker for proper formal dining, Mr. And Mrs. Collins cannot sit together which much to her dismay, puts Darcy and Elizabeth next to one another. Even though they didn't speak much, they were both watched by Lady Catherine and Anne. The next time they're invited to dinner, Elizabeth doesn't want to go, but Collins will not let up. Darcy has talked to Anne, and she tells him to go for love instead of duty. Upon arrival, Colonel Fitzwilliam relates a story about a wealthy gentleman that marries a gentle woman lacking a dowry. Lady Catherine begins ranting, while Elizabeth supports the couple's right to their own happiness. Lady Catherine begins to criticize Elizabeth for her impertinent remarks, and Elizabeth having more than enough of her Ladyship's nonsense, runs out, followed by Charlotte, explains she cannot take anymore, and leaves Rosings. Not paying attention to the weather, it starts to pour, leaving her soaked and chilled, looking for shelter. Darcy finds at the Grecian Folly, and he renews his proposal while this time, she accepts. Darcy gets her back to the parsonage, into dry clothes, and stays for awhile. He waits to leave when everyone is in bed. Upon leaving, he meets Charlotte coming up the steps. They acknowledge one another and proceed on their way. Charlotte is happy because she knew it would be, and Lizzy deserved happiness. Well we know Lady Catherine was unhappy as we're Caroline and Louisa, Richard, Georgiana, and the Bingleys are happy for their marriage. The Matlocks are coming to grip with it. Eventually, they make for home - Pemberley. Another great story by Pam Dixon. Barbara766

Usually these re-tellings are interesting but this one was too far from the original. Dancer387 5

Widowed after six months of marriage, an older Elizabeth is determined to leave her past behind and enjoy life to its fullest, on her own terms. Charming, witty, and engaging, she is widely admired by all. However, everything is not as it seems. She harbors a secret. The beautiful widow captivates a younger Mr. Darcy. He knows her better than she knows herself. He struggles to break through her protective barriers, the most daunting being her tightly held conviction that she will never marry again. Follow Darcy and Elizabeth on this path of discovery that leads to true and abiding love.

First, I must say when I downloaded this book onto my Kindle, I thought it would be a novella. Instead, it goes on and on and on for 28 chapters. Ms. Dixon adds unnecessary characters that do little for the story line (for example, Sir John Brandon, Miss Margaret Cranford, Lady Anna Norris, etc.) She needs a good editor.
I do appreciate that she uses direct quotes from "Pride and Prejudice" to her text. However, I HATE that she chose to change the basic tenets of the story line. Elizabeth Bennet becomes the oldest of the Bennet sisters. She is older than Darcy.
I do not mind that Elizabeth is a widow. Abigail Reynolds explored a similar story line in one of her "what if" books. I do not mind that Ms. Dixon uses scenes from both the Colin Firth and the Matthew Macfadyen film versions. I have seen it done before. Sharon Lathan's first novel relied heavily on P&P 2005. However, there are so many GREAT Austen writers on the market, such as Mary Simonsen, Regina Jeffers, Cindy Jones, Jack Caldwell, etc., each with his/her own style. None of these destroy the basic tenets of Austen's original story line. Instead, they expand on Ms. Austen's story. Katherine449 36

I found it a bit strange... Elizabeth is the eldest daughter (not Jane) whose forced into a marriage even before Jane meets Bingley. I found it hard to believe that Mr Bennett would force her into a marriage she didn't desire and that everyone would believe (apart from her husbands family) that they were happy and that she mourned his loss when he died. What was even stranger is that Darcy is younger than Elizabeth in this book and that he is "attracted" to older women as Elizabeth was not his first interest. What also shocked me was how open Darcy was in his interest in Lizzy, everyone could tell he had eyes only for her, that he sought her company constantly, that he tried to protect her which initially seemed just jealously to the point where it was petty and I thought that it didn't reflect the true character of Darcy we all know and love. As in any book of Lizzy and Darcy, they do end up together in the end but how they get there is interesting. Wickham is still an issue, Lydia is still silly and Lizzy still initially refuses Mr Darcys proposal. The only reason there were no issues between Bingley and Jane is because Darcy was away touring with his sister for a year and didn't come to Netherfield with Bingley initially. OK read but one of my least enjoyable P&P redos. Charlene471

Well this is sort of a second reading for me. I believe I've read it on one of the JAFF sites. It is a little change or edited I believe. I did enjoy reading this alternate version. But for some of the purist out there might take a little offence. Elizabeth and Jane are reversed in age. Elizabeth is the older sister and she is forced into a loveless marriage to a gentleman Lizzy grew up with and admired only to find out he is a rogue. Having discovered this she finds herself in a compromised position and married to him. This is how this story begins. Bingley does come to Netherfield and meet Jane. Elizabeth becomes a young widow when her husband is in a carriage accident. And Darcy comes to visit Netherfield AFTER Bingley and Jane marry. Anyway this how Darcy and Lizzy meet and as usual there is pride, conceit and misunderstanding. It was quite interesting and intriguing to see the progressing of misunderstanding and final realization of love. I really enjoyed this story! Carey Louise143 4

Definitely not for a JAFF purist! While many readers of fan fiction, balk at major changes to the plot and characterization, I usually am fairly open-minded about about the changes . . . anything for a good Darcy/Elizabeth fix. Also, I've read enough bad attempts at fan fiction, to set the bar fairly low. The changes in this novel, however, were off-putting to me. In no particular order, changes I didn't include: Elizabeth's estrangement from her father, her previous marriage, and the rearrangement of ages for everyone. Most of all, I HATED Elizabeth's proposition of Darcy to be his mistress. Although I can understand her wishes to be an independent woman, her desire for such an arrangement took away from some of the most beloved aspects of their relationship in the original. All things considered, I'd ly not recommend this book to fan fiction lovers.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Jeanah242 4

I'm sorry I really wanted to it, but there were too many annoying inconsistancies and changes from P&P facts to truly enjoy it. Elizabeth was stated to be older than Darcy and instead of being the second eldest Bennett daughter now she is eldest? A "what if" story is meant to change situations not change who the characters are! Also more than once I found this author stole original lines or scene descriptions directly from the 2005 movie version of P&P. "You have bewitched me body and soul." REALLY? Didnt you think we'd notice? I love that movie so much, but give me a break. Shame on you. LAZY!pride-prejudice r.174 82

Why would you write a book where Lizzie is an older woman and a widow and Darcy is a young buck AND THEN STILL MAKE HER THE NAIVE INEXPERIENCED ONE?!?!

What a waste. This is also poorly written/edited to the extent that it's often legitimately hard to even understand what's happening. There are various instances where the author completely skips over a key event, then randomly writes in a scene about it later. If it was done with any grace, I would assume it was intentional achronological storytelling, but it's not so it just comes off as if the author forgot to include the scene then just wrote it in later and couldn't be assed to stick it in the right place.historical p-and-p publication-contemporary ...more Craftyhj802

3.5*
A very interesting “what if” variation which is well structured. The characters in this story have depth and reality. They are flawed and far from perfect making for a very enjoyable read as they find their way through life despite their past.

Why 3.5*? The language is far too modern throughout which grated somewhat.audio mature maybe ...more Dianna Anderson60 1 follower

I very much d this variation of p&p fan fiction. Susan6,059 54

Elizabeth Calbry née Bennet at the age of 27, widowed, is determined to stay single. She meets several young men ready to console a young widow among them the young Fitzwillam Darcy.austenesque Charlotte Wiebe150 3 Read

I skim read more than I would have d so Meh..... Anna NotAnne16 1 follower

3.5jaff Donna Sanders373 4

Intriguing

Always a pleasure to read one of PO Dixon’s variations and this one did not disappoint. Love the way her “what if’s” turn out. Elin EriksenAuthor 20 books150

Autor del comentario:
=================================