A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity – A. D’Orazio

December 3, 2018 • Reviews • 30 Comments

What If Elizabeth Jilted Mr. Darcy?

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

TYPE OF AUSTENESQUE NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

TIME FRAME: Begins 1 year after Elizabeth visits Pemberley

SYNOPSIS:

Darcy and Elizabeth were blissfully engaged for nine days when Elizabeth sends a letter regretfully terminating their engagement. Now the two are about to re-encounter each other for the first time while attending a house party at Netherfield, and they both are prepared to suffer torture of the acutest kind! Poor Mr. Darcy is torn between anguish and anger, he doesn’t know or understand Elizabeth’s reason for breaking their engagement and despises her for now twice ripping his heart out and destroying it. And poor Elizabeth is suffering too, she is carrying a secret pain that no one – not even Jane knows about – and now she must watch as the man she loves vehemently despises her and interacts with other eligible females.

WHAT I LOVED:

  • Persuasion Nods: Ever wonder how Mr. Darcy would react if he was in Captain Wentworth’s shoes? Here is your chance! Similar to Persuasion, we see what happens when a couple with a (partially) secret past is forced into company with each other again after a period of time. There is some bitter resentment, some changed circumstances, and lots of fresh pain. It was interesting to see how both Darcy and Elizabeth reacted to each other in these new and agonizing circumstances.
  • Well-Executed:  Ms. D’Orazio tortures us all by keeping readers in the dark as to the “why” and “what happened” with Elizabeth when she terminated their engagement. It may be hard for some readers to wait for these answers, but I thoroughly enjoyed the painstakingly slow reveals and hard-won moments of truth. And they seemed plausible in these situations where both characters felt as they did. It felt very in accord to their characters and what they believed at the time. In addition, this premise was most definitely not predictable as there were numerous twists and turns that the reader will not see coming! Prepare yourselves!
  • What Is Love?: Through all this heartache and torture, Ms. D’Orazio illustrates a very moving tale of an unconquerable love that cannot be extinguished. I loved the moments where we see how fervently devoted to each other Darcy and Elizabeth are…even when they don’t believe they have a future together. *sigh* I also loved the lesson Darcy and Elizabeth learned about love, and about what key ingredient they were missing.
  • Moments Together: There are so many significant encounters between Darcy and Elizabeth in this story. Even though they are often amongst a large party of people, Ms. D’Orazio found inventive means to give them some spare moments alone. And each encounter was diverse and fraught with emotion, whether it be: awkwardness, volatile anger, fragile amicability, or passionate ardency. I will long remember many scenes from this story (the library meeting, the dance, the call at Davies street, the Frost Fair) because of these significant encounters that were rendered with palpable feeling.
  • Secondary Characters: I enjoyed the well-drawn original characters added to this story, especially as some became new romantic interests for some characters. And I really enjoyed how even though this story was mostly Darcy and Elizabeth centric, Amy D’Orazio gave prominence and detail to many of the secondary characters featured.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

  • My only quibble might be that the knife twist at the end was maybe a little too painful, and perhaps, unnecessary. I don’t mind when creative liberties are taken with Jane Austen’s characters and in this tale there were some unique deviations in this variation that definitely took me by surprise. I’m just not sure if that last bit was maybe a little too much.

CONCLUSION:

Filled with intense emotions, heart-wrenching secrets, and unexpected developments A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity is the type of romance that will completely consume and captivate the reader. Be ready to embark upon a most poignant and compelling emotional journey that will stay with you long after you finish it.

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30 comments

  5. This novel looks absolutely **amazing**!! I’ll have to put it on my Christmas list since it’s beyond my means right now. Or perhaps our library has it!! I’ll look there first!

    Thanks for this marvelous review, Meredith!! You really made me want to read this book, plus I absolutely LOVE Amy’s novels; every one of them has been utterly brilliant!! <3

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    Reply

  6. I haven’t read this yet and am a little worried by the knife twist at the end (and if it involves Darcy and Elizabeth)
    I do love Amy’s stories so I may have to cope with the angst and trust in ODC having their happy ending.
    Thanks for such a lovely review Meredith.

    Reply

    1. I can maybe relieve your worry on that score by saying the knife twist I refer to involves someone else, and how I felt sorry and unhappy for them.

      If I remember correctly you’ve read your fair share of Ausenesque angst that were on my favorites list. I think you will like this one still. If you enjoyed (or survived) Lory Lilian’s A Man With Faults, I would recommend this one to you. 🙂

      Reply

  7. I don’t see any claim of a happy-ever-after in your review, but perhaps that is due to avoiding a spoiler. I hope the twist at the end doesn’t lead to Lizzy and Darcy being parted.
    I have read several fantastic stories by this author, which had plenty of ups and downs, but they end up together in each of them, so I’ll be brave and take the chance all will end well here, too.

    Reply

    1. So sorry! It definitely ends happily…I should find a way to work that into my review. I don’t want readers to assume anything not true! I don’t think I would be happy with a story that didn’t end with a HEA!

      Be brave! I think the happy moments between Darcy and Elizabeth make up for any suffering we go through!

      Reply

  8. I agree with your review Meredith. That gut-punch at the end was a killer. I was never so upset in all my life. I wanted to rail at the injustice of it. I wanted to shake Lydia till her teeth rattled. Oh, I despised her at that point. Oh, man was I upset. I need some hot tea to calm me down. Say hello to Mr. Bingley. Blessings to you both during the Holidays.

    Reply

  14. I might be with Glynis on this one considering the dreadful twist you mentioned at the end of the book. Yet, everyone who has commented here and has read it has given it positive reviews. I know I love Amy’s writing and that is the reason that will get me to buy it. Thanks for this great review, Meredith.

    Reply

    1. The twist is more to do with another character, but it does pack a wallop that I never saw coming! I hope that if you give this one a try, you will love it as much as I did!

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  15. A. D’Orazio is a gifted writer and this is just one more of the arsenal of stories she has ready to be published. It’s one of her best, too, though I’m biased and love one of the unpublished ones more. That’s right–as excellent as this story is, she’s got similar quality up her sleeve for us to eventually enjoy! W00t, Amy! Thanks, Meredith.

    Reply

  16. This is one of my all time favorite books in the P & P variation genre. The angst of our darling couple made me want to cry at times. I hope Amy D’ Orazio continues to write as her style of writing is wonderfully descriptive and moving. I also loved her first book “The Best Part of Love”.

    Reply

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