What If Loose Lips Had Half of London and Meryton Believing Darcy and Elizabeth were Engaged?

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

TIME FRAME: Begins just before Mr. Darcy’s Hunsford Proposal

SYNOPSIS: Behaving quite responsibly and pragmatically, Mr. Darcy departs Rosings briefly to prepare his relations (and garner their support) for his impending engagement to Elizabeth Bennet, in addition to visiting Longbourn and seeking Mr. Bennet’s blessing. And both of the Fitzilliam and Bennet relations are “very industrious in setting the news abroad” not knowing that Mr. Darcy is “the last man in the world [Elizabeth] could ever be prevailed on to marry!” Elizabeth is worked on by Mr. Darcy’s well-intentioned relations to no avail, but it looks like the answer Mr. Darcy seeks lies with Mr. Bingley and his anticipated trip to Pemberley… Will bringing Elizabeth and Jane to Pemberley change her unfavorable opinion of him? Will Mr. Bingley forgive Darcy for his mistaken advice about Jane and join him in Pemberley?

WHAT I LOVED:

• An Honorable Mr. Darcy: While he had good intentions, Mr. Darcy handled things quite badly and officiously, and ran the risk of ruining Elizabeth’s reputation in the process. But it is easy to forgive Mr. Darcy his sins when you see all he does to try and make it right – all the plans he makes and the unthinkable things he is willing to put himself through to take care of Elizabeth and others. I loved seeing the ardency of Mr. Darcy’s love for Elizabeth in this story. And I was quite ready to swoon when he made comments that left no question of his devotion and desire for her…

• Elizabeth’s Evolution: I love it when we get to witness Elizabeth gradually falling in love with Mr. Darcy – especially when it takes place at Pemberley! *sigh* I really appreciated the depiction of Elizabeth’s journey to love in this story – how she first grew to understand Mr. Darcy better and found pleasure in his stimulating and surprisingly pleasant conversation, and then eventually grew to admire him and wish to spend more time with him. I especially loved the turn of events that prompted Elizabeth to be unapologetic and demonstrative about her love and wishes. Elizabeth Bennet, you are my hero.

• Thoughtful Character Deviations: One unique twist to this premise was that it had a bad, or troublesome, Mr. Bingley! And while I am a fan of Bingleys 💕, I do recognize the plausibility of this character deviation – Mr. Bingley is impressionable and easily swayed in Pride and Prejudice. This is the road Mr. Bingley could travel down if he was more influenced by less reputable friends than the mature and responsible Mr. Darcy. His actions and inactions felt very believable and I applaud Ms. D’Orazio for realizing and exploring this unique character deviation! (Side Note: I really loved Jane Bennet and her character development in this story!)

• Romantic Moments: Two words. The. Roof. *swoon* Gah!! Such a heart-stopping and exquisitely romantic scene! I absolutely adored every minute of it. But that wasn’t all – there were plenty of adorable, devoted, funny, and stirring scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth that brought on smiles, sighs, and heart flutters. Ms. D’Orazio has quite the talent for creating memorable and moving scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth filled with palpable emotion.

• Viscount Saye and the Fitzwilliams: A favorite original character of many, Viscount Saye (Colonel Fitzwilliam’s older brother) is absolutely a riot – deliciously irreverent and meddlesome, with no filter and a penchant for mischief. I loved every one of his scenes and enjoyed his interactions, silent observations, and oh-so-helpful tips! (I think Saye might need his own story one day!) And I loved this portrayal of the rest of the Fitzwilliam clan – it was fun to see their well-meaning attempts to help Darcy win Elizabeth over.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Not. A. Thing. 😉

CONCLUSION:

Rumors and reputations, mistaken assumptions and atoning for past mistakes, interfering family members and false friends – A Lady’s Reputation is a compelling and cleverly crafted Pride and Prejudice variation that traverses a unique set of obstacles for Darcy and Elizabeth. Definitely one I highly recommend!

Note: For those who may not have read Ms. D’Orazio’s previous works – The Best Part of Love and A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity – because of their reputation for high angst, 😩😭 A Lady’s Reputation might be a great story for you to try as it is doesn’t have the same measure of anguish and turbulence that these others do. It is more on the moderate-angst side. 😨

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