Darcy and Elizabeth – Linda Berdoll

Not for the Faint of Heart!

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Source: Paperbackswap

INTRODUCTION:

In this sequel to a sequel (Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife), readers witness the Darcys’ first weeks, months, and year as parents to their adorable twin babies. Similar to Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, this novel introduces many minor characters, intertwines several subplots, and flashbacks to scenes from the past. In addition, as with her previous novel, Ms. Berdoll delivers a passionate, scandalous, and tension-infused saga!

WHY I WANTED TO READ THIS NOVEL:

In Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, I loved witnessing the strong bond and intense passion Darcy and Elizabeth had for each other. Their marriage isn’t perfect, they have their trials and misunderstanding, and I just love how Ms. Berdoll portrays them. Since I greatly enjoying the first of Ms. Berdoll’s novels, I decided I should see what happens in book two!

WHAT I LOVED:

  • Wickham: Yes, the Wickham plot-line in this sequel is VERY interesting! He isn’t redeemed or granted penance. But readers are able to observe him feel some emotions that must be quite foreign to him, such as love and sorrow. I like Ms. Berdoll’s portrayal of Wickham – he is indeed the villain we love to hate!

  • Less Sex: I might be wrong, but it felt like there were fewer intimate scenes in this novel than the previous one. Darcy was still insatiable, but because Elizabeth was recovering from birthing twins, their romantic rendezvouses seemed a little less frequent.
  • The Action: Just like its predecessor, the last third of this novel is brimming with excitement and drama! With Darcy and Elizabeth traveling all over London, keeping secrets from each other, and becoming entangled with Wickham and his schemes, the last one hundred pages had me spellbound!
  • Geoff and Janie: The Darcy twins are just so cute! Their antics and witnessing their parents joy in them really touch my heart!
WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:
  • Georgiana: I can see Georgiana becoming more assertive and confident under Elizabeth’s influence and companionship, but I cannot see her becoming deceitful and manipulative! (She’s not Wickham, you know!) I must say I did not much care for this representation of Georgiana or her storyline.
  • The Narration: A lot of the first hundred pages of this novel seemed to be a recapitulation of events that took place in the previous novel. I know the reason for doing this is to help readers who haven’t read Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife understand what is going on in Darcy and Elizabeth, but I started to find it a little bit wearisome. I wanted to read about new adventures and conflicts, not revisit the old ones!
  • The Plethora of Fallen and Unfortunate Women: There just seemed to be one too many disgraced or deserted females in this novel. I enjoyed the minor characters Linda Berdoll created in her previous novel, but with her new additions in Darcy and Elizabeth, I started to have a hard time keeping them all straight! In addition, I didn’t really find them all to be entirely necessary to the plot.
WARNINGS:
  • Mature Scenes (Darcy is neither inexperienced or easily satiated!)

CONCLUSION:

Sadly, I must admit that I did not love Darcy and Elizabeth as much as I did its predecessor. For me this novel just wasn’t as epic and thrilling. While this novel does have some excitement and passionate moments, it just wasn’t enough to satisfy me. Nonetheless, I will probably reread Darcy and Elizabethin the future (maybe I will feel differently a second time), I enjoy Ms. Berdoll’s writing and am now looking forward to reading The Ruling Passion!

What say you? 

 Did you enjoy BOOK 2 as much as you did BOOK 1?

6 comments

  1. Loved this review bought this awhile back and thought HMMM? Now I want to read even though it wasn’t as epic and thrilling you got me interested in your reaction! Thanks

  2. “Darcy is neither inexperienced or easily satiated!” Bahaha! I am sure that makes Elizabeth happy! 😉

    Ooh, I am interested now in this new Wickham story line! I like it when we see a bit more of him, and even in a refreshing way! Thanks!

  3. I read the 2nd book first and I liked it but it made me curious to read the first, so I went back and read the first and then the 2nd book and found that I just loved both books. I do think sometimes rereading the book does give you a better appreciation for all the events that occur. Ms Berdoll has lots of things going on and rereading makes te events more meaningful and things that might of been missed are suddenly picked up. This novel is very engaging and of alot of P&P continuation there is so much going on that it is worthh rereading! Just my thoughts

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