Book picks similar to
The Perfect Gentleman by Julie Cooper


jaff
historical-fiction
austenesque
pride-and-prejudice

Follies and Vices: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Emily Russell - 2019
    In particular, she’d been looking forward to dancing with the charming, amiable George Wickham. But when he fails to appear, Elizabeth blames the proud Mr Darcy and his animosity against Wickham for keeping him away. Disappointed in Wickham’s absence and eager to escape Mr Darcy and the flirtation of her boorish cousin, Mr Collins, she escapes to a quieter part of the house. But she is not alone. Wickham owes money to dangerous criminals and the only way he can pay them back is to allow them into Netherfield Park while everyone is distracted by the ball. To Elizabeth’s horror, Wickham and his accomplices seize her so she cannot expose them. Fitzwilliam Darcy has never been so bewitched by any woman as he is by Elizabeth Bennet. When she agreed to dance with him, he was so overwhelmed with delight, he could hardly speak. But she attracts him more than he likes and she is far too unsuited to be mistress of Pemberley. Wanting to avoid her before he makes her an offer he will regret, Darcy escapes to the garden. While there, he witnesses a strange sight; two men running across the lawn holding the very woman Darcy hoped to avoid. He pursues them but is soon outnumbered. Only the knowledge that Darcy’s wealthy family will pay for his return keeps him safe. Darcy claims Elizabeth as his betrothed to add her to the ransom but when the thieves decide Darcy’s uncle will pay more for a Mrs Darcy than a Miss Bennet, the pair are forced into an illegal marriage ceremony. When they finally escape with help from an unexpected source, they are forced to put their differences aside as they navigate a dangerous countryside littered with rogues and highwaymen. And as their journey brings them closer together and forces them to disregard the rules of proprietary, they discover that their unwanted spouse might just be more perfect for them than they ever imagined.

A Will of Iron: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Linda Beutler - 2015
    Their return finds Rosings swathed in mourning. In death, Anne is revealed as having lived a rich life of the mind, and she plotted rather constantly to escape her loathsome mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Anne’s journal—spirited into the hands of Elizabeth and Charlotte Collins—holds her candid observations on life and her family. It also exposes her final, and sadly fatal, means of outwitting her mother. Anne’s Last Will and Testament, with its peculiar bequests, sends Lady Catherine into a tailspin and throws into turmoil every relationship amongst the Bennets, Darcys, Fitzwilliams, Collinses, and even the Bingleys! Was Anne de bourgh a shrewder judge of character than Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy combined?Includes mature content.

Hypothetically Married: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Renata McMann - 2018
    Trying to do better for his remaining wards, Mr. Phillips moves them to London. Elizabeth is happy enough to visit London with her uncle and sisters, until town life throws her into the company of Mr. Darcy. She met him the autumn before, when he and his friends visited Hertfordshire, and found him thoroughly disagreeable. Now, it seems she must be in his company nearly every day. Darcy is aware that Miss Elizabeth Bennet doesn’t care for him, which suits him perfectly. After all, he has no intention of courting the aggravating country miss. Even so, he must see her often and they develop a tentative friendship. Both make it clear to each other that it is friendship, not love. As those around them seek their help for their romantic relationships, Darcy and Elizabeth are steadfast in avoiding romantic involvement with each other. Or are they? This is a Pride and Prejudice variation novel of approximately 59,000 words. Renata McMann and Summer Hanford began writing Pride and Prejudice Variations together in 2014 and have since become immersed in the amazing world Jane Austen created. Whether you’re a fan of Darcy and Elizabeth specifically or of clean Regency Romance in general, you will enjoy both McMann’s ability to imagine variations of this classic love story and Hanford’s skill in turning these variations of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, and their enduring love into entertaining stories.

A Gentleman's Honor: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Melanie Rachel - 2021
    It’s all Fitzwilliam Darcy’s fault.Elizabeth Bennet wants the truth from Mr. Darcy. When she follows him from the ballroom to insist upon it, she becomes an unwilling witness to a scandalous scene. And for once, she cannot blame Mr. Darcy for disdaining his company. Not even when he departs Netherfield in the middle of the ball.When Darcy returns to London, he leaves both Miss Elizabeth Bennet and his growing infatuation for her behind. Or so he believes. For soon, their paths cross again under the most painful of circumstances.Elizabeth suddenly finds herself dependent upon Mr. Darcy. With the gradual unveiling of his character, she is surprised by a burgeoning affection for him. Will her heart survive their inevitable parting?Thrust together out of necessity, Elizabeth and Darcy must discover the culprit responsible for their predicament. But whoever has harmed Elizabeth is still looking for her, and Darcy cannot hide her forever.

Darcy and Elizabeth: A Most Unlikely Couple


Brenda J. Webb - 2014
    Not a simple retelling, it is an intriguing new story that does not follow canon. It is rated for mature audiences. With his persuasive tongue, Andrew Darcy is a very charismatic scoundrel. Having dealt for years with the scandals created by this wayward cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy has grown weary. Thus, when yet another gentleman confronts Darcy about Andrew’s blatant betrayal of his daughter, Darcy decides he has had enough. He sets out for Meryton to find Andrew, but no sooner has Andrew left for Manchester to offer for the unfortunate lady, than Meryton is abuzz with a new scandal involving Andrew and a local woman. Feeling obligated to offer his assistance to the father, Darcy has no idea that accompanying Bingley to Longbourn will change his life forever. For the lady whose reputation is now at stake, Elizabeth Bennet, is the very reason he fled Meryton only weeks before.

An Odd Situation: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Sophie Lynbrook - 2018
    Darcy is taken to Longbourn, a place which is unfamiliar to him. He finds himself dependent upon the care of strangers. While there is much to shock and distress him, his situation has unusual compensations. Unbeknownst to others, he is able to hear everything. The resulting revelations and observations give him a new perspective.

Love Never Fails


Jennifer Joy - 2016
    love never fails. After her father dies, Elizabeth Bennet refuses to marry the heir of her family’s estate, leaving her, her mother, and her sisters without means and without a home— and it is all Elizabeth’s fault. What are five single women with no prospects to do? A string of emotional decisions lead her from her beloved Hertfordshire to London, where she becomes a lady’s companion to a scheming woman with too much time and money and too few scruples. Fitzwilliam Darcy is full of remorse. Humbled from his arrogance, he sets out to prove that he is a man of honor by earning the respect of the one most affected by his indifference— Miss Elizabeth Bennet. From the offering of a handkerchief to a hot air balloon ride, he will do what he must to become the man she believes him to be. However, even the best intentions often go awry… especially when Charles Bingley’s aunt, Lady Lavinia Rutledge, is involved. Can Darcy and Elizabeth see past their guilt and regret to recognize the love they long for? *This is a sweet romance based on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice.

The Child


Jan Hahn - 2018
    In Jan Hahn’s "The Child," Darcy flees England soon afterward, striving to overcome his longing for her. Upon his return two years later—while standing on the steps of St. George’s Church in Hanover Square—he spies the very woman he has vowed to forget. But who is the child holding her hand? Darcy soon discovers that Elizabeth and her family are suffering the effects of a devastating scandal. His efforts to help the woman he still loves only worsen her family’s plight. His misguided pride entangles him in a web of falsehood, fateful alliances, and danger. Will Elizabeth be able to forgive Darcy for his good intentions gone awry? And what effect will the child have on Darcy’s hopes to win Elizabeth’s love?

Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl


Christina BoydBeau North - 2020
    “I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print…” wrote Jane Austen in a letter, January 1813―and we think so too!

A Reason to Hope: A Pride & Prejudice Novella


Christie Capps - 2019
    Fitzwilliam Darcy has reason to believe he does not have long to live. Knowing he needs an heir, he offers marriage to the only lady who has caught his eye and held his interest: Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Once exposed to the gentleman’s vulnerability, Elizabeth realizes she may have misjudged him. When he extends to her the opportunity of eventually becoming an independent woman, she accepts his unexpected offer to wed. Both vow to feel only gratitude toward the other. The last thing either wants is to suffer the heartbreak of falling in love when their future is uncertain. As the couple explore treatment options and listen to sound advice, they are drawn into a love that will last through the ages. Will Darcy and Elizabeth overcome all odds to have their happily-ever-after? (Of course! I always write happy endings.) This 20,000-word angst-filled Regency variation (appropriate for all ages) by bestselling author Christie Capps can be read in an hour or two.

Friends and Enemies: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


J. Dawn King - 2017
    Fitzwilliam Darcy, the hero of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, has his world turned upside down when his character, of which he is particularly proud, is called into question by those whom he trusts. Will he learn from his mistakes or remain his own worst enemy? When he discovers a secret which could destroy not only the reputation of his beloved sister but threatens her very life, he can no longer hide behind his mask of social indifference. Dismaying circumstances will test the strength of his personal beliefs and convictions as well as his devotion to family and friends as a rival from his past determines to ruin him and take everything Darcy holds dear. Out of the flames of adversity, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, once scorned, becomes a beacon of hope. Can love grow from adversity? Is happiness possible? In this full-length novel set in Regency, England, true friendships are made, enemies are revealed, and happily-ever-after is on the horizon. Or is it…

Elizabeth and Darcy: Ardently Yours: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Evangeline Wright - 2019
    Darcy’s introduction. What if Elizabeth visited Pemberley before meeting Darcy, and was prepared to think the best of him, rather than the worst? What if Georgiana Darcy stayed home from Ramsgate, and Wickham’s dastardly schemes had not yet been revealed? The answer: An ardent, inevitable love story that unfolds quite differently… but is, in essentials, very much what it ever was. Elizabeth and Darcy: Ardently Yours is a sweet, chaste Regency romance of approximately 60,000 words. A note: This story was originally posted several years ago on Jane Austen fan sites, under the title “In Essentials: Much as It Ever Was”. It has been lightly edited, but is otherwise unchanged. — Evangeline (“Vangie”) Wright.

Don't flatter yourself: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Sydney Salier - 2019
     What if Mr Bennet married a second time and his new wife is a lady with impeccable manners, who is down-playing the fact that she really is a Lady. Will the improved manners of all the ladies make a difference to Mr Darcy? Or is the Bennets' perceived social standing and lack of wealth still an issue for him? Will Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet have a happily ever after?

Fearful Symmetry: A Pride & Prejudice Variation


Gailie Ruth Caress - 2021
    Seeing how he put his own life at risk to pull her from the fire, how could she help but change her opinion of him?THROWN TOGETHER AGAIN in the refuge offered at Netherfield, Darcy and Elizabeth’s unexpected bond gains strength. But disapproval, debts, and doubts all arise when the costs in time and expense involved in rebuilding Longbourn threaten to widen the gulf in standing between Elizabeth and Darcy in the eyes of society. Amidst these perplexities of destruction and decorum, can love’s courage overcome calamity?FEARFUL SYMMETRY is a Pride and Prejudice variation

Balter: A Retelling of Pride and Prejudice


Newton Priors - 2020
    They stop to see Pemberley and Elizabeth encounters Mr. Darcy, a man she has never met before. She expects never to see him again, but her expectations prove mistaken. Repeatedly.