OK all you Jane Austen fans, I’m almost embarrassed to say that I only read Pride and Prejudice once many years ago. So, when this crossed my desk I thought – why not? I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author.

This is the first book in this new series that changes some of the characters’ behaviors or events and enriches what could have been. With a fresh perspective of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, I enjoyed this tale. It also brought forth some characters I did not remember having such a prominent role. I laughed at some of the dialogue and the bit of a bombshell Mrs. Bennett drops.

What appears to be a good idea – a fake courtship – ends up wreaking havoc on so many characters that I had to give up trying to compare it with my faltering memory of the original. When I read it as an original story, I enjoyed it. It almost made me want to go back and read the original. This unique and beguiling book will delight fans and non-fans alike.

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SUMMARY

What if Darcy and Elizabeth pretended to court?

Mr. Darcy is not in want of a wife. At least, not one that only loves him for his money. Ever since he came of age, Darcy’s been an object of prey to fortune hunters– greedy ladies and their scheming mamas who would do anything to get their hands on his ten-thousand a year and his luxurious estate. Tired of being the most eligible man in any room he walks into, Darcy decides the only way to stave off the fortune hunters is to make himself unavailable to them.

Elizabeth Bennet is convinced that only the deepest love could persuade her into matrimony, and since that has yet to appear, she would do anything rather than marry without affection. Unfortunately, all her mother’s thoughts are bent on finding rich husbands for her and her sisters. With the arrival of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy causing a stir among all the mothers of Meryton, Elizabeth knows it is only a matter of time before her own mother pushes her to try to capture one of these rich gentlemen for herself at all costs.

Seeing themselves in virtually the same predicament, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth come up with a convenient arrangement: they will pretend to court while Mr. Darcy is staying at Netherfield. Mr. Darcy will get a reprieve from the relentless husband hunters, and Elizabeth can satisfy her mother with the notion that she has landed a suitor.

But when the time comes for their partnership to end, the feelings that were merely an act have started to become a reality. Will Darcy and Elizabeth find a way to express the feelings that are in their hearts, or will they part ways for good?