Source: Review copy from author
The Colonel’s Son is the second book in April Floyd’s Lost Heir series that began with Mrs. Fitzwilliam. A retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the series imagines that Elizabeth Bennet met and married Mr. Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, after the Netherfield party leaves Hertfordshire. About four years have passed since Elizabeth gave birth to Richard, who is destined to be the Earl of Matlock. When the late colonel’s family learns of Richard’s existence, Elizabeth is thrust into London society and forges a bond with Mr. Darcy.
In The Colonel’s Son, Darcy has become a big part of young Richard’s life, and his feelings for Elizabeth and hers for him have slowly blossomed. However, one thing on which they disagree is the presence of Major Wickham at Fitzwilliam House, but Darcy can’t bring himself to tell Elizabeth the exact reasons for his stern warnings against the man. With Wickham and Darcy at odds and Elizabeth still worried about losing her son to the Matlocks, there is a lot at stake and numerous obstacles in Darcy and Elizabeth’s path to happily ever after.
I love that Floyd took a chance in giving Elizabeth a previous marriage, a dead husband, AND a child, and for those of you who commented on my review of Mrs. Fitzwilliam that you were reluctant to read it because of the colonel’s death, please be assured that his death is known from the beginning of the first book, and readers never officially “meet” him but only hear about him in conversation. That definitely softens the blow. And by taking such a chance, Darcy and Elizabeth have much in common — namely their love for the colonel — but also different challenges to overcome.
The story is perfectly paced, and with all three installments having been released, readers don’t have to wait to finish the story. The first two books each feature a major obstacle that Elizabeth and Darcy must overcome and hint at the challenges to come in the next book, but I didn’t feel as though there were any major cliffhangers, which was a real relief to me.
I do hope you will give this trilogy a chance. Floyd shakes things up while staying true to Austen’s characters, and there is plenty of romance and light moments interspersed with the drama. I will be reading the last installment, Mrs. Darcy, soon, so stay tuned for my review.
Giveaway: April is generously offering 5 ebook copies of The Colonel’s Son to my readers. To enter, please leave a comment with your email address. This giveaway will be open through Sunday, February 10, 2019. The winners will be chosen randomly and announced in the comments section of this post. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received The Colonel’s Son from the author for review.
I don’t normally read stories where they are in love with someone else but I am interested in reading this series. I especially like that one of the things they have in common is their love for the colonel. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. jadseah4(at)yahoo
darcybennet, I couldn’t help the thought that popped into my head on this one, of Elizabeth having loved before. Darcy is full of recrimination for leaving Hertfordshire without her. But, the love they share for Richard, and his son, is so deep and abiding, it just works. I promise it is handled respectfully for ODC. Thank you for entering and good luck!
This sounds delightful. I don’t mind these kinds of stories
Good luck in the giveaway!
I *prefer* for them not to have other love interests, because it means that someone gets hurt, or has to die. But I manage to get through the stories that do.
I have all of the titles in this trilogy in my wishlist. Just waiting their turn.
I’m curious to find out how come the colonel’s family is unaware of their son.
Ginna Say What at gmail dot com
Hey Ginna, I’m so happy you entered to win a copy! That part of the book is quite interesting as I get to make one character very unlikable because of how they tried to manipulate so much of other character’s lives. I hope if you win it, you enjoy it. Good luck!
Thank you for the review and giveaway. I have not read Mrs Fitzwilliam but plan to. I can easily imagine Darcy taking an interest in Richard and Elizabeth being afraid of losing him.
evamedmonds(at)gmail.com
Good luck in the giveaway Eva! It’s an angsty story full of love.
After reading your review, I went to check out Mrs Fitzwilliam, the first book in the trilogy. It says in the Amazon
sample of the book that the third book is MR DARCY’S RETREAT; it will end in a cliff-hanger and there will be further continuations. Did the author change both the third title and her mind about there being more to the story?? I am puzzled.
Beatrice, after beginning the writing of book 3, I realized there was no retreat for Darcy or Elizabeth and so I rethought the title for that book. Elizabeth comes into her own as Mrs. Darcy in ways she could not as Mrs. Fitzwilliam. Thus the title change. Note to author:: slow down with titles. LOL!
Delightful review. I already own the first two books and the third is on my wish list. I am looking forward to doing a marathon and reading all three at once. I didn’t want to wait between books so I wanted to have all three before I started the series. This sounds amazing.
J.W., first, thank you for purchasing the first two. I’m so pleased to know you wish to read them all! I think this is my favorite story I’ve written to date. So much love, angst, and family drama! But it all comes right in the end.
Love the review. I have all the books on my Amazon “to buy” wish list –which functions as my virtual to-be read stack.
Good luck in the giveaway Nancy!
This story sounds interesting. I can imagine how the colonel and Elizabeth could have gotten together. Definitely adding this to my wish list. Thank you for the generous give away.
Forgot to leave my email:
skamper25 at gmail dot com
Good luck Deborah!
This sounds like a very unique read. I look forward to reading this!
Good luck in the giveaway Lynn!
Congratulations on this release. I will add the trilogy to the TBR pile.
Pattyedmisson at gmail dot com
Good luck in the giveaway Patty!
This book (and the entire trilogy) sounds very interesting! Thanks so much for the chance to win a copy!
I like the idea of giving the Colonel a more prominent role even if it is posthumously. His charm and affability shines through.
I look forward to hearing what you have to say on Mrs. Darcy, Anna. I’ve got the first two books in the series though I haven’t got the chance to read them yet.
Thank you all for checking out my review and entering the giveaway — and for patiently waiting for me to announce the winners.
The winners are: sagustocox, evamedmonds, Pam Hunter, deborahanne2, and Ginna. Congratulations and happy reading! Please check your emails.
Thank you so much. Congrats to the other winners.