Follies and Vices


Title and Author: Follies and Vices by Emily Russell
Type: P&P Variation
Perspective: Darcy and Elizabeth
Romance Level: Kissing
Recommended: yes, 3.5 stars
Availability: This one is only available as a Kindle book, but is free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Summary: During the Netherfield Ball, Elizabeth hides away in the library to escape Mr. Collins constant attention. Wickham, desperate to repay a debt, leads a band of thieves taking items of value from Bingley's home. When Elizabeth interrupts them, they kidnap her. Darcy intervenes, leading both to be taken. As the pair band against the thieves for survival and plots escape, they grow closer. They are hopelessly compromised by their situation and must marry eventually, but the path is not easy.

Things I Liked:
* I enjoyed the sweetness of the scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth as they band together against the thieves. Although Darcy is drawn to Elizabeth, she originally dislikes him (and of course he is clueless to this).
* I like that Elizabeth can have some closure with the thieves, but this was a slow part to the story.
* Although Wickham was still terrible, he had a chance to redeem himself somewhat in this version.

Things I Didn't Like:
* The plot slows as they are heading back to London together and dealing with Shaw.
* Because the main action takes place while they are kidnapped and returning to London, everyone else is a minor character.
* Everything that could be an issue is resolved rather easily in this version

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Only Mr Darcy Will Do

Image
Title and Author: Only Mr Darcy Will Do  by Kara Louise Type:  P&P Alternate Path  Perspective: Elizabeth Romance Level: Kissing Recommended: yes, 4 stars  Access: Free for Overdrive through my Library Summary: This alternate path picks up the year following the Rosings proposal. Mr Bennett has died and Elizabeth takes a job as a governess with the Willstone family. The family is kind to her and she is relatively happy. However, the family is acquainted with the Darcy family so she is thrown back together with Mr. Darcy. An invitation to Pemberley for the family brings Elizabeth in daily connection with Mr. Darcy. He is determined to treat her well despite the lowering of her status. This is an alternate path, but stays very true to the original characters. Overall I really liked this one.  Pros: * It was nice to see Elizabeth's slow change and insecurity about Darcy.  * I liked Georgiana in this one as well as the addition of Mr. Hamilton, Darcy's cousin.  * Jane gets her
Read more

The Challenge of Entail

Image
Title and Author: The Challenge of Entail by Jann Rowland Type: P&P Variation Perspective: Elizabeth and Darcy Romance Level: P&P Recommended: yes, 3 stars Summary: In this P&P variation, Mr Phillips had discovered how to end the Entail on Longbourne and so that Mr Bennett can bequeath it to Jane. With increased security, each of the members of the family each are a better version of himself, Mr Bennett putting more care into the home and family, Mrs. Bennett with no need for nerves or scheming for husbands for her daughters, Kitty and Lydia have a governess and are not "out" and so on.  Things I Liked: * I enjoyed seeing Mr. Bennett more engaged with his family. This is one place where the original story bothers me. * I liked how Mr. Collins was put in his place. * Darcy also is his best self, giving Georgiana more freedom, but also more power and assertion. * We see more of Colonel Fitzwilliam in this retelling and he gets his o
Read more

The Other Bennet Sister

Image
Title and Author: The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow Type: Pride and Prejudice Parallel Story Perspective: Mary Romance Level: Austen-esque Recommended: yes, it was a fresh story where Mary gets her happy ending Summary: Mary is the Bennet sister no one particularly likes or notices. She isn't accomplished despite her piano practice and her learning isn't valued because it comes across as moralistic. In this Austen retelling, Mary gets her own story. We can see how her mother's nagging and anxiety as well as Mr. Bennet's neglect change Mary's character. The first few chapters happen in parallel with P&P (Mr Collins, Jane and Bingley, Elizabeth and Darcy), but most of the book is the story of Mary finding her own way in the world with the help of Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Gardiner and others. Pros I really liked Mary's relationships with Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Gardiner and Mr. Collins. It was interesting to contemplate how Mary became the way she was and what it was l
Read more