“Georgiana, I have come to a decision. It is time for me to find a bride for Pemberley.”
Who that bride would be, he had no idea. Only one thing was certain. It would not be Elizabeth Bennet.
(from Mr. Darcy’s Pledge, page 10)
Mr. Darcy’s Pledge, Volume 1 of The Darcy Novels, is a variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that caught my eye because it focuses on Mr. Darcy’s attempts to forget Elizabeth Bennet by setting out on a quest to find a wife. After she rejects his disastrous proposal at Hunsford, he returns to Pemberley never having presented Elizabeth with the letter that would have told her the truth about him and cleared up all the misunderstandings. With the help of his sister, Georgiana, who knows nothing of his failed attempts to secure Elizabeth’s hand in marriage, he sets about making a list of the qualities he most desires in a wife and mistress of Pemberley.
Darcy is rattled when Georgiana questions him about the most important quality he seeks in a wife, remembering Elizabeth’s laughter, impertinence, and ability to remain poised in the worst of situations. But he can never have her, and his desperate attempts to purge her from his mind give two young women the wrong idea.
Meanwhile, he must contend with Lord and Lady Matlock’s attempts to marry off Georgiana, and he has to patch up his friendship with Mr. Bingley, who has withdrawn from society after learning of the scheme to prevent him from proposing to Elizabeth’s sister, Jane. When an accident brings Elizabeth to Pemberley, Darcy has a chance to change her opinion of him, but with an assortment of house guests preventing him from speaking to her alone, will he lose his only opportunity to marry for love?
In Mr. Darcy’s Pledge, Monica Fairview lets readers see the events following his failed proposal through Darcy’s eyes. From wounded pride to embarrassment over his behavior to unexpected feelings of hope, readers see Darcy stumble — even emerging from the water à la Colin Firth — and evolve into a man worthy of Elizabeth’s love. There were plenty of heated conversations, misunderstandings, and competition among the ladies to have me alternating between anger and laughter, and I wanted to cheer out loud each time Georgiana amassed the courage to put certain disagreeable people in their rightful places.
Fairview keeps readers interested with her expansion of several secondary characters, particularly Georgiana; the introduction of original characters, from the humorous valet Briggs to the obnoxiously transparent Miss Marshall; and Darcy’s sweet attempts to make himself appealing to Elizabeth. My only complaint is that I finished the book disappointed that I couldn’t start the next installment straight away!
Disclosure: I received Mr. Darcy’s Pledge from the author for review.
© 2014 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I think that’s a good complaint to have…if you want to read the next one already!
LikeLike
I agree! I’m very happy with the review.
LikeLike
I’m amazed at how many Austen retellings there are out there. It sounds like you really enjoyed this one.
LikeLike
There are so many, it has become a genre of its own, hasn’t it?
LikeLike
Aww Darcy, I love you 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you for a lovely review, Anna. I enjoyed reading your perspective. The follow-up should be coming out beginning of November, so not too long to wait 🙂
LikeLike
I like the spin offs so much. Each one shows more and more versatility and imagination.
LikeLike
Congratulation on the lovely review, Monica! I had to laugh when I heard you’d managed to work the lake scene into your book. What fun!
LikeLike
Anna, Mr. Darcy’s Pledge sounds like another winner. Terrific review, as usual! 🙂
LikeLike
Great review, Anna! The new characters were very interesting to explore. 🙂 Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
LikeLike
I like the sound of this one, and I’m also attracted to the book cover.
LikeLike
[…] 2 of The Darcy Novels, a variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and the sequel to Mr. Darcy’s Pledge. In this installment, Mr. Darcy, having given up on his list of desirable qualities in a wife […]
LikeLike
[…] Pride & Joy. It’s the third and final installment of the Darcy Novels series, following Mr. Darcy’s Pledge and Mr. Darcy’s Challenge, both of which I really enjoyed. Look for my review of Mr. […]
LikeLike
[…] Darcy Novels series of Pride and Prejudice variations. (I would definitely recommend reading Mr. Darcy’s Pledge and Mr. Darcy’s Challenge before reading this one.) Darcy is thrilled to have finally […]
LikeLike