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blodeuedd's review
3.0
‘Death of a Batchelor’ by Caitlin Williams
Darcy's thoughts the month before his wedding and after the wedding. A sweet story.
From the Ashes' by J Marie Croft
Darcy as I have not seen him before when he is trying to write THE letter to Lizzy. He was funny
If Only a Dream’ by Joana Starnes
Oh Darcy, you are such a fool, but being a fool brings him closer to Lizzy at Rosings. So it all works out. I like these sides of him.
‘Clandestiny’ by Karalynne Mackrory
Netherfield Park, the Ball. See what things you can accomplish by talking!
‘The Beast of Pemberley’ by Melanie Stanford
A Beauty and the beast re-telling :D Fun! Even if Lizzy could have been nicer. I mean Darcy was so sweet.
‘A Resentful Man’ Lory Lilian
I am not the biggest fan of stories which are just through another POV, but it made it up for it at the end cos he was so dang sweet
‘In Terms of Perfect Composure’ by Susan Adriani
Here they did not get together when Bingley proposed so everything is still unsure and Darcy makes friends with the Gardiners
‘Without Affection’ by Jan Hahn
Darcy looks back at their life together and a few bumps in the road. All cos of him, men are silly.
‘Hot for Teacher’ by Sara Angelini
Present day, everyone are teachers. Darcy was even more proud than usual
“You Don’t Know Me” by Beau North
I think my least fav, as I do not really care for the modern day (fine 60s) variations, and this was not even a variation. It was just people with their names.
‘Reason to Hope’ by Jenetta James
This "Modern" day ones sure do not follow the story. Just the names. Darcy meets Lizzy during the war. Though no war action.'
Pemberley by Stage’ by Natalie Richards
1860s, bandits, Darcy to the rescue. Again, no story, just names. WIckham was evil as alwayas, but I did feel sorry for him too.
‘Darcy Strikes Out’ by Sophia Rose
Present day (present day just works so much better than the in betweens because here they are free. I want free or you know 1800s.)
Anyway, it takes place after "lambton" and it worked really well. Could even been its own story without the PP stuff.
‘The Ride Home’ by Ruth Phillips Oakland
This one was short and took place in a car but it was fun and Lizzy was drunk. It was amusing.
‘I, Darcy’ by Karen M Cox
I have come to realise that Lizzy really tends to be an idiot, yes I get that is the whole point with prejudiced bur Lizzy come on! Tsk.
Modern day, not anything from the story except names.
All in all fun stories! I am a classic which means I prefer it to take place around when it should take place. I like the era and how polite everyone has to be. Or not be.
But some modern ones were really fun too cos it changes thing.
Narrator
He did well and I forgot that I listened to a bunch of stories cos it worked so well
Darcy's thoughts the month before his wedding and after the wedding. A sweet story.
From the Ashes' by J Marie Croft
Darcy as I have not seen him before when he is trying to write THE letter to Lizzy. He was funny
If Only a Dream’ by Joana Starnes
Oh Darcy, you are such a fool, but being a fool brings him closer to Lizzy at Rosings. So it all works out. I like these sides of him.
‘Clandestiny’ by Karalynne Mackrory
Netherfield Park, the Ball. See what things you can accomplish by talking!
‘The Beast of Pemberley’ by Melanie Stanford
A Beauty and the beast re-telling :D Fun! Even if Lizzy could have been nicer. I mean Darcy was so sweet.
‘A Resentful Man’ Lory Lilian
I am not the biggest fan of stories which are just through another POV, but it made it up for it at the end cos he was so dang sweet
‘In Terms of Perfect Composure’ by Susan Adriani
Here they did not get together when Bingley proposed so everything is still unsure and Darcy makes friends with the Gardiners
‘Without Affection’ by Jan Hahn
Darcy looks back at their life together and a few bumps in the road. All cos of him, men are silly.
‘Hot for Teacher’ by Sara Angelini
Present day, everyone are teachers. Darcy was even more proud than usual
“You Don’t Know Me” by Beau North
I think my least fav, as I do not really care for the modern day (fine 60s) variations, and this was not even a variation. It was just people with their names.
‘Reason to Hope’ by Jenetta James
This "Modern" day ones sure do not follow the story. Just the names. Darcy meets Lizzy during the war. Though no war action.'
Pemberley by Stage’ by Natalie Richards
1860s, bandits, Darcy to the rescue. Again, no story, just names. WIckham was evil as alwayas, but I did feel sorry for him too.
‘Darcy Strikes Out’ by Sophia Rose
Present day (present day just works so much better than the in betweens because here they are free. I want free or you know 1800s.)
Anyway, it takes place after "lambton" and it worked really well. Could even been its own story without the PP stuff.
‘The Ride Home’ by Ruth Phillips Oakland
This one was short and took place in a car but it was fun and Lizzy was drunk. It was amusing.
‘I, Darcy’ by Karen M Cox
I have come to realise that Lizzy really tends to be an idiot, yes I get that is the whole point with prejudiced bur Lizzy come on! Tsk.
Modern day, not anything from the story except names.
All in all fun stories! I am a classic which means I prefer it to take place around when it should take place. I like the era and how polite everyone has to be. Or not be.
But some modern ones were really fun too cos it changes thing.
Narrator
He did well and I forgot that I listened to a bunch of stories cos it worked so well
rockchick19's review against another edition
5.0
I love Pride and Prejudice! I love anything from Mr Darcy's POV and I enjoyed the modern day stories also.....they were def different!
sophiarose1816's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I'm deliberately not rating this because I might be thought to be a tad biased since I can claim one-fifteenth of it is my writing= or one-sixteenth since we should count our fantastic editor Christina's thoughts and work on each story.
But guys, I just had to express my adoration for all the stories I had the privilege to read. The theme was already a winner with me, but it was more than that. I think what struck me was the many ways one character could be portrayed. Whether Darcy's story was set traditional Regency or if he wandered into fantasy or other eras, he was a hero I could appreciate. I enjoyed fresh and familiar views alike through these variations, sequels, and retellings.
I chose to read it spread out with a few stories at a time and I mixed and matched flipping back and forth between the eras. This was a fun option to have. And if you want a great sampler to explore new to you authors or further explore an author's works, this is a fantastic way to do it.
But guys, I just had to express my adoration for all the stories I had the privilege to read. The theme was already a winner with me, but it was more than that. I think what struck me was the many ways one character could be portrayed. Whether Darcy's story was set traditional Regency or if he wandered into fantasy or other eras, he was a hero I could appreciate. I enjoyed fresh and familiar views alike through these variations, sequels, and retellings.
I chose to read it spread out with a few stories at a time and I mixed and matched flipping back and forth between the eras. This was a fun option to have. And if you want a great sampler to explore new to you authors or further explore an author's works, this is a fantastic way to do it.
samhend101's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful mix of Darcy short stories. Some I loved! Others were not to my taste.
I appreciate the special idea of authors collaborating together to make these projects happen!
I appreciate the special idea of authors collaborating together to make these projects happen!
crinolinelaphroaig's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's always hard to rate Anthologies because there's always some stories you like better than others.
Pride and Prejudice is tough to modernize because a woman is no longer going to starve in the hedgerows if she doesn't marry. When Darcy is the boss and Elizabeth is the employee it feels inappropriate through modern day lens.
Overall I enjoyed. But my favorites are always the Regency ones.
Pride and Prejudice is tough to modernize because a woman is no longer going to starve in the hedgerows if she doesn't marry. When Darcy is the boss and Elizabeth is the employee it feels inappropriate through modern day lens.
Overall I enjoyed. But my favorites are always the Regency ones.
drcopeland's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
There were a few stories I really enjoyed but there were also a few I thought missed the mark. That said, I think the concept of the stories I thought fell flat could have been better with more space, a short story just didn't seem to fit with the complexity.
There were a few stories I really enjoyed but there were also a few I thought missed the mark. That said, I think the concept of the stories I thought fell flat could have been better with more space, a short story just didn't seem to fit with the complexity.
englitlover's review
5.0
Great compilation
Really fun to read short stories by different authors centered on Darcy. In the bargain you get a sampler of stories with different styles and circumstances.
Really fun to read short stories by different authors centered on Darcy. In the bargain you get a sampler of stories with different styles and circumstances.
vesper1931's review
3.0
An enjoyable set of stories which I did prefer the Regency setting tales to the others. My laugh out moment occurred during J. Marie Croft story, thank you for that. For the Darcy lovers our there.
littlecornerreads's review
3.0
TIL Goodreads has a 15K character count limit for reviews. This partial review, but if you're curious, the full review can be found on my blog.
Death of a Bachelor ([a:Caitlin Williams|266587|Caitlin Williams|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]) 0.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains some language and suggestive content)
And how are you bearing up, now that you cling to your bachelorhood by only the slimmest of edges? Will you mourn for it at all?
I remember why I prefer modern Austen variations to Regency ones. It’s much harder to avoid comparisons when someone's trying to pretend they're Jane Austen. It’s nearly impossible to match her wit and brilliance, but modern retellings are more forgiving because you know from the outset it’s a work attempting to capture the essence and spirit of P&P, rather than to recreate it.
This story starts off promising but quickly degrades into a sappy, cheesy romance. It's mostly Darcy and his impure thoughts about “his little nymph." As if the gross “romance” isn't bad enough, some contemporary language slips through (which is also why I tend to avoid Regency works,) and there are some sad attempts at what (I’m assuming is supposed to be) humor. There isn't much depth to this story, and the rest of the narrative is pretty unremarkable. A snowstorm forces the newlyweds to rent a tiny room in a crowded inn where Darcy was finally able to celebrate the death of his bachelorhood. I don’t think I would’ve been a fan of this story, but the description of Darcy as some kind of playboy sowing his seeds all around London, which seems to ignore the historical and canonical context, solidified my opinions.
From the Ashes ([a:J. Marie Croft|4221289|J. Marie Croft|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282582305p2/4221289.jpg]) 1.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains alcohol use and very minor allusions to suggestive content)
This really should be called Salty and Petty Darcy. It's meant to be an exploration of the “dreadful bitterness of spirit” Darcy experienced when he wrote the letter, but grumpy Darcy, admitted “a wee bit inebriated,” reads more like the Beast after he found Belle in the West Wing than a gentleman scorned. There's a symbolic dream where he's trapped with a dragon, Elizard, and its fine eyes. The whole thing reads like some kind of weird acid trip to the Regency Era, especially when he starts lecturing an imaginary penitent and equally insomniac Elizabeth, declaring her malapert mouth “deserves to be silenced by a blistering kiss…with tongue!” Which, of course, prompts a weird fixation on tongues…I’ll admit Darcy in Denial struggling with all his feels is endearing and at least in keeping with Awkward Darcy™.
It's a fine story, a little heavy on the ash imagery for my tastes, but when Darcy starts talking about his “saucy little minx of a wife” and starts waxing poetic at the end, I might’ve deducted a star from my review and vomited in my mouth a little.
If Only a Dream ([a:Joana Starnes|7076897|Joana Starnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1367799473p2/7076897.jpg]) 3.5-4 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains mentions of alcohol and minor language)
She had taxed him for his prideful manner. Very well. He had nothing left now but his pride. And he would rot in Hell before giving her the satisfaction of knowing she had reduced him to a pitiful wretch with her refusal!
It’s no Austen, but the writing is humorous and fun. The story is pretty entertaining. Lady Catherine feigns illness and accidentally induces a real injury that keeps a guilty Darcy at Rosings. I loved the dynamic between Darcy and his cousins, and the first post-letter meeting between Darcy and Elizabeth is brilliant. The pair’s heightened awareness of the other and Darcy daydreaming—in a church, moreover!—is the best. Super awkward, super relatable. It was all going swimmingly until he falls into an alcohol-induced sleep on a sofa and “dreams” of Elizabeth visiting him. It just seemed like such a dumb catalyst (read: lazy writing) for their eventual reconciliation (which ends with them making out in the hedges). Despite the slightly disappointing ending, this was still enjoyable and might actually be changing my mind a tiny bit about Regency retellings?!
Clandestiny ([a:KaraLynne Mackrory|5822342|KaraLynne Mackrory|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1338047314p2/5822342.jpg]) 0.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains some suggestive material, mentions of alcohol, and minor language)
Three pages in, I read “she was like a heady drink I could not seem to refuse” and knew brilliant writing was not in my immediate future.
It got worse from there. We get passages like “her eyes upon mine were like great gulps of air to my hypoxemic soul,” and “desire slinked up from my feet, consuming me as it burned a path through my whole body. It was torture. It was pleasure.” I would’ve thrown the book in frustration I hadn’t been reading on my laptop.
If you thought the writing examples I gave you were bad, the story itself is SO CRINGEY. Darcy retreats to his study for a drink and some respite only to find Elizabeth found some secret passageway and got her dress stuck in the hinges. It’s all super corny. The confession scene wasn’t really believable, especially when she revealed she’s secretly liked him all along?? The punny title should’ve clued me in to what kind of story this would be. Thanks, but no thanks.
The Beast of Pemberley ([a:Melanie Stanford|14079511|Melanie Stanford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1469653022p2/14079511.jpg]) 5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains mild violence)
It is a truth universally acknowledge, that a hideous face will cause a single woman to run the other way.
Okay, you know I love retellings, right? But like in addition to being some of my favorite stories, Pride and Prejudice and Beauty and the Beast are the basis for my favorite kind of retellings. Still, this combo sounded strange to me. I was wary, but this was a whole experience. It’s some kind of a weird mashup of P&P and B&B (though it leans more on the Beauty and the Beast side), in case you couldn’t tell. Wizard Wickham replaces the enchantress, but Cogsworth and Lumiere still exist. Instead of being transformed, they just get throbbing scars which makes Darcy ugly. She marries him because the Bennets are in debt and she already turned down Collins…
(Okay, that’s not in the original but makes sense). She must allow him to tell her how ardently he admires her. He saves her from the wolves…I don’t know, at some point I forgot how weird the whole thing was and just embraced it. And even though Darcy and Lizzy’s characters were more like the Beast’s and Belle’s, the whole thing just worked. It was so weird but so fun! I feel like this won’t be for everyone, but it’s my literary equivalent of ice cream so I loved it…and this may or may not have inspired me to listen to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack while I read the rest of the book.
A Resentful Man ([a:Lory Lilian|3128307|Lory Lilian|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]) 2.5 stars
I had traveled to Pemberley to escape memories of Elizabeth Bennet only to meet her at Pemberley.
(In case you were wondering, this story contains some suggestive content)
It’s an adequate story. Darcy returns to Pemberley and finds Elizabeth. They walk and they talk and four months later, they get married and spend their wedding night at Pemberley (after a few days of travel). It’s all perfectly boring. It’s tolerable, but not interesting enough to tempt me. Apparently JAFF readers call Lory Lilian “the Queen of Hot Mush,” but the fact that the story closed with, “in vain I have struggled to conceal my feelings—they were more powerful than pride. So, my dearest Mrs. Darcy, you must allow me to show you how ardently I admire and love you…’ certainly made me feel like I’d eaten the mental equivalent of hot, mushy baby food, so yeah.
The Terms of Perfect Composure ([a:Susan Adriani|2799849|Susan Adriani|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]) 3.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains minor language)
We finally get a third person omniscient narrator! There are some clever turns of phrase, but otherwise, I’m hard pressed to find anything noteworthy about this, either good or bad. After the Wickham incident, Darcy befriends the Gardiners, Mr. Gardiner chats with Darcy about his niece, and sends him back to Longbourn with a pep talk.
The story picks up a bit once Darcy goes to Longbourn and finds his aunt there. It was a pretty entertaining read. Again, nothing amazing or awful, but it somehow was better than A Resentful Man? The kiss at the end felt kinda out of place, though. I also feel like the "Lady Catherine has been of infinite use" quote would've been better here instead of If Only a Dream, but that's just me.
Without Affection ([a:Jan Hahn|5054957|Jan Hahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1326942131p2/5054957.jpg]) 2.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains suggestive content)
I don’t know why it’s been so hard for me to judge the stories after The Beast of Pemberly... maybe high expectations? But they’re all a Goldilocks kind of mediocre—not too bad, not too good, just adequate. This story features old Darcy reminiscing on his relationship with Elizabeth on their 50th anniversary. He’s gotten sappy and forgetful and is apparently Scottish now? It mostly focuses on the “troubled time” in their marriage when Elizabeth almost died in childbirth, and Darcy decided he must protect her from himself
Death of a Bachelor ([a:Caitlin Williams|266587|Caitlin Williams|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]) 0.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains some language and suggestive content)
And how are you bearing up, now that you cling to your bachelorhood by only the slimmest of edges? Will you mourn for it at all?
I remember why I prefer modern Austen variations to Regency ones. It’s much harder to avoid comparisons when someone's trying to pretend they're Jane Austen. It’s nearly impossible to match her wit and brilliance, but modern retellings are more forgiving because you know from the outset it’s a work attempting to capture the essence and spirit of P&P, rather than to recreate it.
This story starts off promising but quickly degrades into a sappy, cheesy romance. It's mostly Darcy and his impure thoughts about “his little nymph." As if the gross “romance” isn't bad enough, some contemporary language slips through (which is also why I tend to avoid Regency works,) and there are some sad attempts at what (I’m assuming is supposed to be) humor. There isn't much depth to this story, and the rest of the narrative is pretty unremarkable. A snowstorm forces the newlyweds to rent a tiny room in a crowded inn where Darcy was finally able to celebrate the death of his bachelorhood. I don’t think I would’ve been a fan of this story, but the description of Darcy as some kind of playboy sowing his seeds all around London, which seems to ignore the historical and canonical context, solidified my opinions.
From the Ashes ([a:J. Marie Croft|4221289|J. Marie Croft|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282582305p2/4221289.jpg]) 1.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains alcohol use and very minor allusions to suggestive content)
This really should be called Salty and Petty Darcy. It's meant to be an exploration of the “dreadful bitterness of spirit” Darcy experienced when he wrote the letter, but grumpy Darcy, admitted “a wee bit inebriated,” reads more like the Beast after he found Belle in the West Wing than a gentleman scorned. There's a symbolic dream where he's trapped with a dragon, Elizard, and its fine eyes. The whole thing reads like some kind of weird acid trip to the Regency Era, especially when he starts lecturing an imaginary penitent and equally insomniac Elizabeth, declaring her malapert mouth “deserves to be silenced by a blistering kiss…with tongue!” Which, of course, prompts a weird fixation on tongues…I’ll admit Darcy in Denial struggling with all his feels is endearing and at least in keeping with Awkward Darcy™.
It's a fine story, a little heavy on the ash imagery for my tastes, but when Darcy starts talking about his “saucy little minx of a wife” and starts waxing poetic at the end, I might’ve deducted a star from my review and vomited in my mouth a little.
If Only a Dream ([a:Joana Starnes|7076897|Joana Starnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1367799473p2/7076897.jpg]) 3.5-4 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains mentions of alcohol and minor language)
She had taxed him for his prideful manner. Very well. He had nothing left now but his pride. And he would rot in Hell before giving her the satisfaction of knowing she had reduced him to a pitiful wretch with her refusal!
It’s no Austen, but the writing is humorous and fun. The story is pretty entertaining. Lady Catherine feigns illness and accidentally induces a real injury that keeps a guilty Darcy at Rosings. I loved the dynamic between Darcy and his cousins, and the first post-letter meeting between Darcy and Elizabeth is brilliant. The pair’s heightened awareness of the other and Darcy daydreaming—in a church, moreover!—is the best. Super awkward, super relatable. It was all going swimmingly until he falls into an alcohol-induced sleep on a sofa and “dreams” of Elizabeth visiting him. It just seemed like such a dumb catalyst (read: lazy writing) for their eventual reconciliation (which ends with them making out in the hedges). Despite the slightly disappointing ending, this was still enjoyable and might actually be changing my mind a tiny bit about Regency retellings?!
Clandestiny ([a:KaraLynne Mackrory|5822342|KaraLynne Mackrory|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1338047314p2/5822342.jpg]) 0.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains some suggestive material, mentions of alcohol, and minor language)
Three pages in, I read “she was like a heady drink I could not seem to refuse” and knew brilliant writing was not in my immediate future.
It got worse from there. We get passages like “her eyes upon mine were like great gulps of air to my hypoxemic soul,” and “desire slinked up from my feet, consuming me as it burned a path through my whole body. It was torture. It was pleasure.” I would’ve thrown the book in frustration I hadn’t been reading on my laptop.
If you thought the writing examples I gave you were bad, the story itself is SO CRINGEY. Darcy retreats to his study for a drink and some respite only to find Elizabeth found some secret passageway and got her dress stuck in the hinges. It’s all super corny. The confession scene wasn’t really believable, especially when she revealed she’s secretly liked him all along?? The punny title should’ve clued me in to what kind of story this would be. Thanks, but no thanks.
The Beast of Pemberley ([a:Melanie Stanford|14079511|Melanie Stanford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1469653022p2/14079511.jpg]) 5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains mild violence)
It is a truth universally acknowledge, that a hideous face will cause a single woman to run the other way.
Okay, you know I love retellings, right? But like in addition to being some of my favorite stories, Pride and Prejudice and Beauty and the Beast are the basis for my favorite kind of retellings. Still, this combo sounded strange to me. I was wary, but this was a whole experience. It’s some kind of a weird mashup of P&P and B&B (though it leans more on the Beauty and the Beast side), in case you couldn’t tell. Wizard Wickham replaces the enchantress, but Cogsworth and Lumiere still exist. Instead of being transformed, they just get throbbing scars which makes Darcy ugly. She marries him because the Bennets are in debt and she already turned down Collins…
(Okay, that’s not in the original but makes sense). She must allow him to tell her how ardently he admires her. He saves her from the wolves…I don’t know, at some point I forgot how weird the whole thing was and just embraced it. And even though Darcy and Lizzy’s characters were more like the Beast’s and Belle’s, the whole thing just worked. It was so weird but so fun! I feel like this won’t be for everyone, but it’s my literary equivalent of ice cream so I loved it…and this may or may not have inspired me to listen to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack while I read the rest of the book.
A Resentful Man ([a:Lory Lilian|3128307|Lory Lilian|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]) 2.5 stars
I had traveled to Pemberley to escape memories of Elizabeth Bennet only to meet her at Pemberley.
(In case you were wondering, this story contains some suggestive content)
It’s an adequate story. Darcy returns to Pemberley and finds Elizabeth. They walk and they talk and four months later, they get married and spend their wedding night at Pemberley (after a few days of travel). It’s all perfectly boring. It’s tolerable, but not interesting enough to tempt me. Apparently JAFF readers call Lory Lilian “the Queen of Hot Mush,” but the fact that the story closed with, “in vain I have struggled to conceal my feelings—they were more powerful than pride. So, my dearest Mrs. Darcy, you must allow me to show you how ardently I admire and love you…’ certainly made me feel like I’d eaten the mental equivalent of hot, mushy baby food, so yeah.
The Terms of Perfect Composure ([a:Susan Adriani|2799849|Susan Adriani|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]) 3.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains minor language)
We finally get a third person omniscient narrator! There are some clever turns of phrase, but otherwise, I’m hard pressed to find anything noteworthy about this, either good or bad. After the Wickham incident, Darcy befriends the Gardiners, Mr. Gardiner chats with Darcy about his niece, and sends him back to Longbourn with a pep talk.
The story picks up a bit once Darcy goes to Longbourn and finds his aunt there. It was a pretty entertaining read. Again, nothing amazing or awful, but it somehow was better than A Resentful Man? The kiss at the end felt kinda out of place, though. I also feel like the "Lady Catherine has been of infinite use" quote would've been better here instead of If Only a Dream, but that's just me.
Without Affection ([a:Jan Hahn|5054957|Jan Hahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1326942131p2/5054957.jpg]) 2.5 stars
(In case you were wondering, this story contains suggestive content)
I don’t know why it’s been so hard for me to judge the stories after The Beast of Pemberly... maybe high expectations? But they’re all a Goldilocks kind of mediocre—not too bad, not too good, just adequate. This story features old Darcy reminiscing on his relationship with Elizabeth on their 50th anniversary. He’s gotten sappy and forgetful and is apparently Scottish now? It mostly focuses on the “troubled time” in their marriage when Elizabeth almost died in childbirth, and Darcy decided he must protect her from himself