What If Mr. Darcy Was A Widowed Father Trying to Escape His Mother’s Influence?

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

THE PREMISE: Mr. Darcy married young and impetuously, and is now a widowed father of three. He eagerly takes a sojourn to Netherfield with his children and his sister as some aspects of his life are growing more problematic and he is lacking both control and solutions…

WHAT I LOVED:

• Inventive and Original: Lady Anne is still alive and is as domineering and proud as Lady Catherine, Mr. Wickham has maintained honorable and good behavior, Ramsgate never happened, and Mr. Darcy’s first marriage had lots of complications and strife – there are so very many interesting twists being employed at once! Each one is creative and causes some interesting and unexpected deviations.

• Mr. Darcy as a Dad: I cherished each and every moment Mr. Darcy interacted with his children. I love his hands-on approach and solicitous concern for their well-being at all times. Which makes him quite singular, since many gentry parents were not involved in raising their chidren. Thinking for yourself – swoon. Being a devoted father – swoon. Guarding your children and making sure they feel loved – swoon infinity.

• Beatrice, Laurel, and Fitz: Mr. Darcy’s children are  adorable and so easy to love –  even Beatrice. They each are drawn with such distinct personalities And Ms. Hanford did an incredible job of creating perceptive and plausible issues for each of them to deal with.  I especially adored Elizabeth’s interactions with Mr. Darcy’s children, and the diverting game they played together. Such a good time! In addition, I loved how the presence of these children impacted some change -like with Jane’s and Elizabeth’s stay at Netherfield.

• Elizabeth, the Authoress: I loved seeing Elizabeth spend so much time in this endeavor. Her collaboration with Georgiana and the thoughtful encouragements she introduced into each children’s story were just brilliant. I love that there were plenty of excerpts and descriptions of these stories to give the reader the same sense of wonder and enjoyment the children experienced. And for those that are wishing they could read the entire children stories mentioned in this book – you can!

• New Conflicts, New Antagonists: While we see some pride, prejudice, and opposition from the likes of Lady C and Caroline Bingley, this story had quite an array of different challenges for our characters to face- mainly Mr. Darcy. Between all the emotions he is still carrying from his first marriage, his controlling mother, and his fractured relationship with his best friend, there were plenty of new dynamics and new challenges to explore. And seeing Lady Anne and Lady C in scenes together is truly a fearsome thing to behold.”

• “It Ends With Living Happily Ever After”: Summer Hanford worked some creative magic and made sure that nearly everyone – who deserves it – got a happily ever after. I especially enjoyed that Charlotte, Anne de Bourgh, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia were all included in this.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

• Small Quibbles: With Mr. Darcy dealing with so many different areas of his life – his children, his mother, his sister, his deceased wife, his friend, his scheming aunt- I did feel that all that left a little less room for Elizabeth and his falling in love with her. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more take place on page and more words spoken between Elizabeth and Darcy. In addition, while I loved seeing the conflict and tension Lady Anne and Lady C brought to the tale, some of their machinations and actions were tottering very closely to incredulousness and madness.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

❤️‍🩹  When genuine compassion and concern heal wounds of guilt, loneliness, and disregard.

📕  A most charming tale of three children learning to find comfort with life’s toughest changes through written word.

✍🏼  Elizabeth Bennet puts her quick wit to excellent use and pens children’s stories that are sure to enchant.

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