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lifeand100books's review against another edition
4.0
Fresh off the success of Willoughby’s Return and Lydia Bennet’s Story, Jane Odiwe is back with her third Austen-inspired novel, Mr. Darcy’s Secret. Picking up where the pages of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice left off, Odiwe brings us back to Pemberley with the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Along with the Darcy’s we are treated to a deeper look at Georgiana as well as introduced to a whole cast of new characters.
Set immediately after the newlyweds return to Pemberley, life seems full of bliss, that is until a Mrs. Eaton comes along to shatter the post-nuptual honeymoon period. Gossiping about a malicious rumor of a Darcy connection to an illegitimate affair, Mrs. Eaton plants a seed of doubt in Lizzy’s mind that grows further when Lizzy discovers some love letters hidden in the library! Furthermore, Darcy begins acting differently, pushing Georgiana to marry for title and fortune, rather than love, which is exactly the opposite of his own history. With Georgiana torn between honoring her brother’s wishes and her own true desire to marry a Mr. Butler, her strain seems to rub off on Lizzie who begins to view Darcy in a much different light. Why is he pushing Georgiana so hard in the wrong direction? What is the true history of the secret love letters? Will their marriage ever be one of equal minds or will Darcy revert back to the taciturn prideful man he once was?
Jane Odiwe does a fantastic job at making Darcy and Lizzy’s marriage realistic. What I mean by realistic is that it wasn’t perfect. There are little arguments here and there that make it a more believable sequel than others; it stands out above the rest because it’s unafraid to delve into the challenges of Darcy overcoming his brooding personality and Lizzy becoming less impertinent to become a respected woman in society. Odiwe gives us faithful representations of Austen’s characters as well as infusing the story with new characters that could have come from the mind of Austen herself. Most of the sequels that I have read portray Lizzy and Darcy’s marriage as one without conflict and filled with perfection, happiness, and love. And while it is believable that their marriage really could be happy, there is no way it could have been this extreme.
The attention paid to Georgiana has made this one my favorite sequels. Georgiana’s story in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is so sad due to what befalls her at Wickham’s expense. It’s nice to see fan fiction authors give her the opportunity to grow into herself as a woman and as an individual. The strangest part of reading this book for me was how thrown off I was by the title Mr. Darcy’s Secret. When I picked up the novel, I originally thought that it was going to be about some deep, dark secret that Darcy had, one that could shake the Darcy marriage to its core. Instead, the “secret” storyline was just bits and pieces thrown around the novel that suddenly became a big deal at the end of the book. The book instead focused on Georgiana’s quest for love with someone below her social standing. What disappointed me the most was that the “secret” storyline was magically resolved at the end of the book with practically three sentences. I would have loved to have seen the resolution fleshed out more since I was kept wondering about it throughout the novel.
Overall, Odiwe is to be thanked and praised for her willingness to stick with a storyline that can be classified as historically accurate for the time period, and followed social norms, rules and scandals of the time. This being the first time that I’ve read Ms. Odiwe, I was impressed by her characters and obvious attention to detail. These elements combined are the ingredients needed to make an irresistible and addictive novel. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to those of you who love continuation pieces to Austen’s masterful classic.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-kU
Set immediately after the newlyweds return to Pemberley, life seems full of bliss, that is until a Mrs. Eaton comes along to shatter the post-nuptual honeymoon period. Gossiping about a malicious rumor of a Darcy connection to an illegitimate affair, Mrs. Eaton plants a seed of doubt in Lizzy’s mind that grows further when Lizzy discovers some love letters hidden in the library! Furthermore, Darcy begins acting differently, pushing Georgiana to marry for title and fortune, rather than love, which is exactly the opposite of his own history. With Georgiana torn between honoring her brother’s wishes and her own true desire to marry a Mr. Butler, her strain seems to rub off on Lizzie who begins to view Darcy in a much different light. Why is he pushing Georgiana so hard in the wrong direction? What is the true history of the secret love letters? Will their marriage ever be one of equal minds or will Darcy revert back to the taciturn prideful man he once was?
Jane Odiwe does a fantastic job at making Darcy and Lizzy’s marriage realistic. What I mean by realistic is that it wasn’t perfect. There are little arguments here and there that make it a more believable sequel than others; it stands out above the rest because it’s unafraid to delve into the challenges of Darcy overcoming his brooding personality and Lizzy becoming less impertinent to become a respected woman in society. Odiwe gives us faithful representations of Austen’s characters as well as infusing the story with new characters that could have come from the mind of Austen herself. Most of the sequels that I have read portray Lizzy and Darcy’s marriage as one without conflict and filled with perfection, happiness, and love. And while it is believable that their marriage really could be happy, there is no way it could have been this extreme.
The attention paid to Georgiana has made this one my favorite sequels. Georgiana’s story in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is so sad due to what befalls her at Wickham’s expense. It’s nice to see fan fiction authors give her the opportunity to grow into herself as a woman and as an individual. The strangest part of reading this book for me was how thrown off I was by the title Mr. Darcy’s Secret. When I picked up the novel, I originally thought that it was going to be about some deep, dark secret that Darcy had, one that could shake the Darcy marriage to its core. Instead, the “secret” storyline was just bits and pieces thrown around the novel that suddenly became a big deal at the end of the book. The book instead focused on Georgiana’s quest for love with someone below her social standing. What disappointed me the most was that the “secret” storyline was magically resolved at the end of the book with practically three sentences. I would have loved to have seen the resolution fleshed out more since I was kept wondering about it throughout the novel.
Overall, Odiwe is to be thanked and praised for her willingness to stick with a storyline that can be classified as historically accurate for the time period, and followed social norms, rules and scandals of the time. This being the first time that I’ve read Ms. Odiwe, I was impressed by her characters and obvious attention to detail. These elements combined are the ingredients needed to make an irresistible and addictive novel. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to those of you who love continuation pieces to Austen’s masterful classic.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-kU
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
I think one thing I liked about this one was that it showed that it takes time to change. Darcy may have changed for her but he still had his ideas and wanted to set a great match for Georgiana. A good match is better than love. Oh you silly man. But yes it shows that you do not change like that, little by little, until we got a nice MR Darcy, who still standoffish at times.
The big thing here was the secret, does he have a bastard? A hidden mistress? What is going on? I wanted to know. Sure I wish she had just asked him but they are newlyweds and I get her concern.
But this book is not about these two alone, now Georgiana has got half the book in a way as she finds her own way and finds love, and is unsure. I can't tell you more about that, read and see what happens.
It was a good variation, and even if Mr.Darcy was an ass at times, I still liked it cos we all know he is an ass but we still love him.
The big thing here was the secret, does he have a bastard? A hidden mistress? What is going on? I wanted to know. Sure I wish she had just asked him but they are newlyweds and I get her concern.
But this book is not about these two alone, now Georgiana has got half the book in a way as she finds her own way and finds love, and is unsure. I can't tell you more about that, read and see what happens.
It was a good variation, and even if Mr.Darcy was an ass at times, I still liked it cos we all know he is an ass but we still love him.
samhend101's review against another edition
3.0
I don't think there is anything wrong with this story-line. Perhaps I just don't connect with this writers style. I skipped over lots of descriptive pages to get to dialog and even that I skimmed enough to keep up with the story.
melarsen57's review
3.0
This was a well written P&P sequel. Most of the usual suspects at least make an appearance - Caroline Bingley,Lady Catherine, Wickham. There are a few mysteries to be solved. It is quite to true to Austen's portrayal of the characters with the exception of Elizabeth who seems somewhat tentative. I enjoyed it and recommend it as a nice fix when in need of some Darcy.
liriel27's review against another edition
2.0
Fluff with annoyingly misplaced modifiers, a whimsical disregard for standard punctuation, and no real conflict or consequences. Not bad, for fanfic, but not what one would call good, either.
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