Darcy and Elizabeth as Newlyweds!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

As most married couples will tell you, the first year of marriage is not only a time of love, happiness, and romance, but also a time of adjustment, discovery, and compromise. For some people, the first year of marriage is challenging, for others it is like being on an extended honeymoon. For Darcy and Elizabeth, it is a time of establishing traditions, making memories, and melding their two diverse lives into one.

In Kara Louise’s lovely Pride and Prejudice sequel Pemberley Celebrations readers will find thirteen short stories that illustrate how Darcy and Elizabeth celebrate their first year together. We witness familiar celebrations, such as: Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Easter, All Hallows’ Eve, and their Anniversary, and some not so familiar, such as May Day, Midsummer’s Day, and Michaelmas, (which looked like fun, I think I should initiate a Midsummer’s Day celebration in my town!)

I absolutely love reading novels by Kara Louise! Darcy’s Voyage and Only Mr. Darcy Will Doare amongst my favorite Austenesque novels! I adore her writing style, accurate renderings of characters, clever plot twists, and ability to create intriguing and romantic stories about Darcy and Elizabeth! I love that through the midst of celebrations and festivities Darcy and Elizabeth still had their misunderstandings, disputes, and battle of wits. The journey through their first year of marriage was plausibly filled with highs and lows, differences and compromises. In addition, I took great pleasure in the inclusion of Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s family in their festivities and holidays. I was so happy to see more of the Bennets, Bingleys, Collins, and the de Bourghs!

What I love about this compilation is that you can read it all at once (like I did) or read it in concurrence with each holiday (like I plan on doing). For example, on Valentine’s Day you can read the Valentine’s Day story, on Easter, the Easter story, etc. I’m really looking forward to rereading Kara Louise’s charming novelettes throughout the year, what a great way to incorporate some Jane Austen into my holiday celebrations!

With so many remarkable stories to chose from, it’s hard to pick a favorite! But I must mention that I found the “Valentine’s Day” and “A First Anniversary” to be the most romantic and “All Hallow’s Eve” to be the most imaginative. However, to put it simply, I loved each and every one of these beautiful, meaningful, and heartwarming tales! I highly recommend Pemberley Celebrations to all readers who want to witness Darcy and Elizabeth as newlyweds!