What If A French Spy Was Lurking Around Meryton?
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Gift from Publisher
TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation Novella
THE PREMISE: During her stay at Netherfield, Mr. Darcy makes an apology and begins to improve Elizabeth’s opinion of him. And then he learns Wickham is in town and there are rumors of “traitorous activity linked to Colonel Foster’s regiment.” But before Mr. Darcy could do more to warn and protect Elizabeth and the inhabitants of Meryton, he and Elizabeth are captured by a French spy! Can they escape this predicament with their hearts and reputations in tact?
MY THOUGHTS: Captured together by a nefarious spy? Darcy and Elizabeth in forced isolatation and needing to work together? I love this premise!
What I enjoyed most about this novella was seeing Darcy and Elizabeth come together. How Elizabeth was not so quick to jump to a wrong impression, how Mr. Darcy did not retreat behind a haughty mask, and how their conversations became playful, sincere, and open. It was a wonderfully satisfying evolution to witness. And my enjoyment in their relationship amplified with the dangerous predicament of their capture and their adventurous escape. I loved seeing their clever ingenuity, kind consideration for one another, and trust in each other.
While I found the romantic storyline to be very satisfying for a novella, I did feel a little less satisfied with the traitorous spies storyline. It felt like this situation was just dropped into the story a third of the way through and that there wasn’t much connection or backstory developed for it. It’s a terrific conceit – especially since the main spy is a familiar character and this is a very interesting twist for his personality. I would have loved to learn more about how these characters became involved in espionage, why were they doing it, and what was their mission in Meryton. I think 25-50 pages more would have allowed the author to flesh out this storyline some more and still maintain the story’s status as a novella.
With Spies of our Acquaintance, Brigid Huey creates an exciting tale that shows our favorite couple facing a dangerous situation and working through it together harmoniously. A fun and easy read that can be enjoyed in one sitting.
The stories involving spies are really entertaining. It’s a pity there is no enough development in this case although the fact of Lizzy and Darcy being captived together is thrilling 😉
Thanks for the review and have a fun weekend my friend!
I love stories too! And yes, what an ordeal for D&E! Hope you are doing well!
I agree about the spies, one of them got away with no reprisal. However I too loved the lesser misunderstandings between Darcy and Elizabeth and the rapport that built up during their imprisonment. Yes a couple more chapters would have made all the difference, I’m not sure but I think there was a page limit for this series.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Glynis! I’m glad to hear that you loved D’s&E’s relationship in this one.
I read and enjoyed this story. Good review here, Meredith.
Thank you so much, Sheila!
It sounds good and full of action.
Yes! There is a good amount of that!
Thank you for reviewing, Meredith. It is always nice to read your thoughts on a book.
Thanks so much for checking out my review, Janet! I’m happy to have read this book!