What if Mr. Darcy Had to Fiercely Defend His Choice of Bride to His Family?

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Gift from Publisher

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation Novella

THE PREMISE: When Colonel Fitzwilliam learns of his cousin’s doomed-to-fail matrimonial aspirations, he decides to advise him with a step-by-step courtship plan bearing the organization of a military campaign to win Elizabeth Bennet’s heart. But in the midst of carrying out Fitzwilliam’s tactical maneuvers, their aunt, Lady Catherine, discovers her nephew’s romantic inclinations and brings in reinforcements to put a decided end to it…

MY THOUGHTS: Meddlesome family members! For good and for ill! I was excited to seeing all the unsolicited advice and interference from these well-meaning? (hmm, I think that only applies to a very few of them….) family members. In addition, I always love seeing when Mr. Darcy opens up about his feelings to someone in his life and they become his ally.

What I loved most about this variation novella was witnessing the battles and skirmishes between Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam and the rest of their family. Mr. Darcy shows such strong adamance in his choice and is completely impervious to his family’s coercion. Even when he is uncertain that he will successfully win Elizabeth’s heart! And Colonel Fitzwilliam, in addition, shows his own intransigence and opposition to his family’s desires and dictates. I loved seeing how resolute these men were – how strong and independently-minded. Witnessing Mr. Darcy’s powerful feelings of love and seeing his resolve to fight for that love was incredibly swoon-worthy. How lucky is Elizabeth Bennet to inspire such feelings!

In addition, I equally loved Colonel Fitzwilliam’s own romantic adventures in this novella. We are so accustomed to seeing him speak of heiresses and marrying with attention to wealth/connections. But in this case, Colonel Fitzwilliam finds a bride that instead offers him genuine love, companionship, acceptance, and joy – and he discovers that those are the qualities he craves more than a comfortable living or elevated lifestyle.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the premise and the tension of this tale, I was sadly not as fond of the abruptness of the events that occurred in the last third of this novella. Especially concerning Elizabeth’s own feelings and actions. She has a lot of brand new information to digest and feelings to sort through, and she seems to do it within a blink of an eye – without the reader being aware of how she got from point A to point B. Her marriage acceptance felt a more like a strategic decision to join forces against their opposition instead of her realizing and declaring her own feelings of love. Moreover, there were some additional family showdowns that took place in the last third of the book that sometimes felt rushed and a little far-fetched. And a few conversations or incidents that felt either out-of-character or out-of-place for the time period.

Despite these quibbles, there was a lot to love and enjoy in this combative and contentious familial drama! Skirmish and Scandal is an easy and captivating read filled with strong-minded men, steadfast love, and enough family drama to give readers a new sense of appreciation for their own mildly interfering and intrusive relations! 🤭

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