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kstewart424 's review for:
In Default of Heirs Male
by Jann Rowland
This was a nice twist of a variation that was low angst and an approach to the characters that I hadn't seen before. The initial changes that were made to the storyline were enough to give no real baseline for how the story would progress, so you can't really rely on your typical Pride and Prejudice story knowledge to see how this book plays out. I thought it was predictable, but then that is not necessarily a bad thing and the slow development of a predictable story line I thought was endearing because the author was able to add a lot of emotion, thought, and information while not being boring.
The story starts off with the death of Mr. Bennett, which is a fairly standard variation tactic. I almost didn't read it because of that (I'm not usually a big fan of the stories where everyone is broke and destitute because Mr. Bennett died). However, the author played around with the entailment by providing Mrs. Bennett with a surprise pregnancy that puts the inheritance in question, leaving the Bennett women in charge of Longbourn. The thing that really captured by attention was the Netherfield party - and no it's not the Bingleys! Darcy is there, but so are several of his relatives (which I won't discuss because it would ruin the surprise LOL). The Bingley's do appear just in a different location - and not friends of Darcy, which was a fun surprise. Wickham makes his usual appearance, but with a few changes to his interactions with most of the characters. Lady Catherine also makes an appearance and plays as a strong supporting cast member through most of the story line.
I really liked the 'new' characters they introduced. Most were people we've heard of mentioned but hadn't really met. Several characters had slight personality shifts based on the changes made for the beginning of the story which I thought helped all of them - except Elizabeth. However, the changes in Elizabeth served to further the story and provide some growth for her character and Darcy so I can allow it. I did really like the way Darcy was portrayed in this book. I feel like it is probably the most likable but less...societal...than in the original story. This story is basically what he would be like if he was around Colonel Fitzwilliam all the time (like at Rosings in the original story) instead of Bingley and Caroline.
It was a nice, clean, low angst, slow build variation that I'll probably read again when I want something uplifting when I'm sad. There is a good bit of grief in the book, but it is handled well and provides hope for an improving situation without relying on someone to save them. It was also sweet and the higher society women provided some humor and cheerfulness. I would have loved more Georgiana (I'm a big Georgiana fan) but the rest of the cast made up for it (I also love a strong Anne de Bourgh!). Overall, a pleasant, easy read that I'll remember.
The story starts off with the death of Mr. Bennett, which is a fairly standard variation tactic. I almost didn't read it because of that (I'm not usually a big fan of the stories where everyone is broke and destitute because Mr. Bennett died). However, the author played around with the entailment by providing Mrs. Bennett with a surprise pregnancy that puts the inheritance in question, leaving the Bennett women in charge of Longbourn. The thing that really captured by attention was the Netherfield party - and no it's not the Bingleys! Darcy is there, but so are several of his relatives (which I won't discuss because it would ruin the surprise LOL). The Bingley's do appear just in a different location - and not friends of Darcy, which was a fun surprise. Wickham makes his usual appearance, but with a few changes to his interactions with most of the characters. Lady Catherine also makes an appearance and plays as a strong supporting cast member through most of the story line.
I really liked the 'new' characters they introduced. Most were people we've heard of mentioned but hadn't really met. Several characters had slight personality shifts based on the changes made for the beginning of the story which I thought helped all of them - except Elizabeth. However, the changes in Elizabeth served to further the story and provide some growth for her character and Darcy so I can allow it. I did really like the way Darcy was portrayed in this book. I feel like it is probably the most likable but less...societal...than in the original story. This story is basically what he would be like if he was around Colonel Fitzwilliam all the time (like at Rosings in the original story) instead of Bingley and Caroline.
It was a nice, clean, low angst, slow build variation that I'll probably read again when I want something uplifting when I'm sad. There is a good bit of grief in the book, but it is handled well and provides hope for an improving situation without relying on someone to save them. It was also sweet and the higher society women provided some humor and cheerfulness. I would have loved more Georgiana (I'm a big Georgiana fan) but the rest of the cast made up for it (I also love a strong Anne de Bourgh!). Overall, a pleasant, easy read that I'll remember.