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About the Book:
If the two of them weren’t so stubborn…
It’s obvious to Georgiana Darcy that the lovely Elizabeth Bennet is her brother’s perfect match, but Darcy’s pigheadedness and Elizabeth’s wounded pride are going to keep them both from the loves of their lives.
Georgiana can’t let that happen, so she readily agrees to help her accommodating cousin, Anne de Bourgh, do everything within their power to assure her beloved brother’s happiness.
But the path of matchmaking never runs smoothly…
About the Author:
Mary Simonsen has combined her love of history and the novels of Jane Austen in her first novel, which explores universal truths about love and conflict that cross generations and oceans. The author lives in Peoria and Flagstaff, Arizona.
My Opinion:
I am sure you can tell from the title of this book that this is another in the seemingly unending line of Jane Austen continuation tales. I am still amazed at just how many there are. I guess it just goes to show how beloved Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy and Ms. Austen’s other characters are!
This book basically parallels Pride and Prejudice; giving further insights and adventures to the characters as they move to the inevitable conclusion of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy finally finding love. Anyone who has read Pride and Prejudice and I don’t think this book would really stand alone – you need the knowledge of the characters and their personalities to fully appreciate the story – will enjoy this book. It mirrors Ms. Austen’s prose with one glaring exception; Ms. Simonsen for some reason felt the need to include a sexual element. While this may appeal to modern readers it really detracts from – in my humble opinion – what she is trying to do. The passages where Mr. Darcy is wallowing in his erotic dreams are so far afield from Ms. Austen’s original that they jar you out of the story. At least they did me. I have nothing against a steamy read as I am sure you can tell from what I review here. It just seemed out of place to me. And these passages were mild – again it’s just alien behavior for these characters from what we know of them.
Overall though, I did enjoy the book. It was delightful to see more of Miss Anne de Bourgh out from under the thumb of overbearing Aunt Catherine. Georgiana comes into her own as well. Of course Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy find love but it seemed simpler in this tale; the original was better in telling that story.
The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy is available at Sourcebooks
The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy
is available at Amazon.com
Disclosure: I received a gratis copy of The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.