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Alone with Mr. Darcy
Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation | Abigail Reynolds
1 post | 6 read | 3 to read
Alone with Mr. Darcy.... Elizabeth Bennet can't imagine anything worse than being stranded by a blizzard in a tiny cottage with proud and unpleasant Mr. Darcy. But being trapped there for days - and nights - with an injured and confused Mr. Darcy who keeps saying the oddest things about her is even worse. At least he possesses the useful ability of lighting a fire to keep them from freezing to death. But when he puts his arms around her, she discovers the hearth isn't the only place he knows how to build a fire. And the little half-frozen kitten he finds in a woodpile isn't proving to be much of a chaperone. She doesn't really believe his promises to marry her if anyone finds out they spent two nights alone together, especially after learning he was betrayed by another woman in the past. When her worst fears are realized and her reputation is in tatters, she isn't surprised to discover Mr. Darcy has vanished into thin air, leaving her no choice but to find a husband as soon as possible before her whole family is ruined. Any husband will have to do, no matter how much she dislikes him. Even if she can't stop thinking of Mr. Darcy.... Praise for Abigail Reynolds "If you are unfamiliar with these riveting and romantic variations, they are retellings of Pride and Prejudice that take our beloved hero and heroine down a slightly altered path. Abigail Reynolds, one of my favorite Austenesque authors, is a skilled-story teller, an ardent admirer of Jane Austen, and quite proficient at infusing a lot of emotion, tension, and passion into her stories!" Austenesque Reviews "If romantics can overlook the subversion, they should enjoy witnessing Elizabeth as an industrious and caring wife, administering to Pemberley's tenants, learning how to be an equestrian and growing to love that perplexing Darcy." Publishers Weekly
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TheAromaofBooks
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I actually really like most of the #parents in the original P&P and have an especial soft spot for Mr. Bennet, even though he's a terrible provider and can be a bit of a dick. Consequently, I couldn't DEAL with this variation that turns Mr. B. into a complete and total liar.

Reynolds gives us a semi-plausible set-up for Darcy & Elizabeth to be stranded together for a couple of days. D wants to marry E immediately to save her reputation, but E ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) does think that's necessary so D makes her promise to let him know if rumors start flying and she says she will. But when the rumors DO start flying, Mr. B. literally refuses to let E contact D! Mr. B even goes so far as to SAY he is taking E's letter to D, and then DOESN'T and comes back and tells E that D blew her off and has no interest in her. It literally DID NOT MAKE SENSE. There's also this incredibly creepy scene where when D&E ⬇ 3y
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) are coming back from their snowed-in cabin they pass the inn and a girl is literally BEING RAPED BY SOLDIERS and E is like “oh there isn't anything you can do because there are like ten of them and they're all drunk“ - so they leave her there?!?! It was absolutely horrific and I couldn't imagine EITHER of these characters actually saying that/leaving this girl to her fate. It was extra enraging because it had basically nothing to do with⬇ 3y
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) the rest of the story?! Like why is this scene even here??

Despite being considered one of the foundational writers of JAFF, I've always personally found Reynolds to be a bit of a mixed bag, and this one was definitely a miss for me!

#200PnPcovers @CrowCAH @mabell
3y
See All 8 Comments
mabell Yikes. It doesn‘t sound like there is much to like about it! Just the change in Mr. Bennett would be enough to ruin it for me! What was his motivation for the deception? 3y
CrowCAH Gosh yes. I believe both E and D would try to help the girl. They‘re not that callous. 3y
MaureenMc That‘s a hard pass from me. 🙅🏻‍♀️ 3y
TheAromaofBooks @mabell - Supposedly he doesn't believe E will be happy with D, so he thinks he's justified in his lies - because later D comes to check on E and Mr. B lies then! Even though E tells him that D didn't do anything inappropriate when they were stranded, Mr. B refuses to believe her and thinks she was seduced and that that's the only reason D said he would marry her. The whole part where Mr. B refuses to believe his daughter was also super annoying. 3y
mabell What a great father 😆😆 3y
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