A Charismatic and Dangerous Houseguest Descends On Pemberley
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Sequel, Fantasy
TIME FRAME: Begins 3+ years after the close of Pride and Prejudice
SYNOPSIS: An unsuspecting Mr. Darcy almost meets an untimely end while riding his horse near a ravine. But Mr. Darcy’s life is spared by the intervention of an angel of death named Graham. Graham, who is able to see into person’s past and future, is fascinated by mortals’ fear of death. Graham determines he wants to study mortal life, especially Mr. Darcy’s, to learn what makes them so happy here on Earth and disinclined to leave. Even though Mr. Darcy abhors the idea of an angel of death staying at Pemberley and coming near his wife and young son, Graham doesn’t give him an alternative as he has the power to take his life at any moment. What mischief can an angel of death cause at Pemberley? What will happen at the end of his visit?
WHAT I LOVED:
- An Inspired Slant: An angel of death visiting Mr. Darcy? Mr. Darcy’s life in danger?! Sounds like am intriguing and unique premise! While I’ve read Austen-inspired stories that include angels and specters before, this was a new and risky premise that was fun to explore! How would Mr. Darcy react to an encounter with an angel? What would Mr. Darcy do if he did not have long to live? I love that that the author drew inspiration from classic movies (such as Death Takes a Holiday, Heaven Can Wait, and Meet Joe Black) where angels visit and interact (ahem interfere) with mortals. Whether it is Pygmalion, Groundhog Day, or Death Takes a Holiday – it always fun to see some well-loved stories blended into Jane Austen’s world!
- Life and Death: With Graham wanting to learn about the facets of life and Mr. Darcy dwelling on his possible death, this story brought some interesting observations and reflections to the forefront. I thought the author did a wonderful job of weaving in these weightier topics that caused some plausible tension in her tale.
- Graham: Here is a devastatingly handsome and too-charming-for-his-own-good original character for readers to enjoy! I adored Graham, and I loved seeing each of his interactions with the characters in this story. Through them all we see his capacity to care, to love, and of course, to meddle. I love that Graham came to understand Mr. Darcy’s greatness and was in awe of all his highly admirable qualities and accomplishments, and I didn’t mind seeing him fall for and appreciate the lovely Elizabeth Darcy…
- Mr. Darcy and Family: It was such a delight to see the wonderful contentment and well-deserved joy that Mr. Darcy feels with his life and family. *happy sigh* The ardent love between Darcy and Elizabeth, their open communication with each other, the time they spend playing with their two-year old son – it was all so satisfying in every particular. And yet…it wasn’t a perfect picture of bliss, it felt like an authentic portrayal of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy several years into their marriage.
- Secondary Subplots: I loved that Ms. Miller gave us some extra subplots and conflicts to enjoy in this tale. Graham isn’t the only unexpected houseguest to arrive at Pemberley, and I appreciated the fresh drama (oh boy, these guests are a handful!), the new discoveries made, and the relationship developments that take place with the secondary characters in this tale. Well done!
WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:
- This might just be my personal preference, but I thought there could have been a little bit more of Graham…it felt like he and his purpose were put on the back burner for a bit of the story as some other characters took over.
CONCLUSION:
In her debut release, Kelly Miller crafts a compelling tale of angels, death, love, and loss. Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley is wonderfully entertaining, endearing, and enthralling – I highly recommend!
Great review! I look forward to reading this one!
Thank you, Pam! I hope you enjoy it too!
Thank you for reading it, Pam! Hope you get to read this one soon!
I read and enjoyed this story. Great review as always, Meredith.
Hi Sheila, You were one of the first to read and review my book, and it is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Thank you, Sheila! So happy to hear that you enjoyed this one too!
Great review, Meredith. I’m looking forward to reading this sometime very soon. I’m already looking at that date on the calendar and counting the number of days until you post the end of the month round up and next month’s agenda. And saying ‘oh no!’ What I’d like to read and what I’m able to read just don’t mesh with each other. There are so many 1st time authors who have contributed to JAFF recently and there are an amazing amount that really look worthy of a chance to be read, and to succeed and be encouraged to keep writing.
Thank you, Michelle. I hope you get to read it soon. 🙂
Thank you, Michelle! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I can’t believe its that time already! So glad to hear you are looking forward to it!
I too loved this book. Kelly Miller is a fresh writer and luckily for us, there’s more where this came from, with new and unusual plots and characters to give us an approach to JAFF that isn’t the same old thing over again. Bravo, Kelly! Thanks, Meredith, for an insightful and thorough review.
Thank you so much, Suzan! I appreciate your support! 🙂
Thank you so much for your review, Meredith! I could not be more pleased that you enjoyed this story and especially Graham. He was a lot of fun to write, and it is great that you wished for more of him! 🙂
My pleasure, Kelly! Thank YOU for sharing your story with us! Yes, he was such a fun character to see added to the mix!
Great review, Meredith! I especially appreciate the things you love about a novel and things you’re not too fond of. The fact you wanted more of Graham shows that Kelly created a fresh, new character who really made an impression. Congratulations, Kelly, on a great first novel. Looking forward to much more from you.
Thank you, Jan! I appreciate you checking out my review! It’s funny, Graham – or a supernatural being in general, was the aspect of this story that I felt a little iffy about going in. And now it ended up being one of my favorite parts of it!
Same here!
I was really taken with how Death’s world worked and mashed with the P&P story, too. Enjoyed your review, Meredith!
Yes, it wasn’t too farfetched or hard to understand. Thanks for reading my review and sharing your thoughts! I’m always happy to hear them!
At last I’ve got round to commenting! I absolutely loved this book! I wasn’t sure about Graham and his motives at first. I also did have a few tearful moments reading it and was a little worried at times but it’s no spoiler to say there was a happy ending!
So happy to see your comment, Glynis! Yay – so happy to hear you loved this book. I felt the same way as you – I was thinking he might be the antagonist of the story. And I too had some moments where I was made fearful by some unexpected twists!
Congratulations Kelly! And thanks for the review, Meredith 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and lending your support, Heather!
Great review, Meredith, and one I want to read! I’m just waaaaayyyyy behind on my reading this year!
Thank you, Carole! I know what that feels like – I think I am barely treading water! Not complaining though!
Hope you get to catch up on the reads you want to soon!