Book picks similar to
Rational Creatures by Christina BoydJessie Lewis
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The Forgotten Sister: Mary Bennet's Pride and Prejudice
Jennifer Paynter - 2012
She retreats to her room to read and play the pianoforte and, when obliged to mix in society, finds it safer to quote platitudes from books rather than express her real opinions. She also finds it safer to befriend those who are socially “beneath” her. When wealthy Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley glide into her sisters’ lives, Mary becomes infatuated with an impoverished young musician, the son of her old wet-nurse, who plays the fiddle at the Meryton assemblies.It is only after her sisters tease her about her “beau with the bow” that Mary is forced to examine her real feelings and confront her own brand of pride and prejudice.An elegant accompaniment to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, The Forgotten Sister plucks the neglected Mary from obscurity and beautifully reveals her hopes and dreams.
To Be Mistress Of Pemberley: A Pride And Prejudice Variation
Charlotte Elliot - 2017
So when her aunt and uncle suggest they take a tour of Pemberley, Mr Darcy's ancestral home, only the reassurance that he is away convinces her to agree. Needing some time alone, she takes advantage of her aunt and uncle's absence to explore the countryside around Lampton, when a storm obliges her to take shelter in the woods near Pemberley. As the storm worsens, Elizabeth is injured and is trapped in the woods with no way of returning to the inn where her aunt and uncle are staying. Mr Darcy thought to take advantage of the fine weather to return to Pemberley a day early, to attend to some business with his steward. But the sudden outbreak of a storm obliges him to take a shortcut through the woods. There, he encounters the unconscious form of the lady he thought never to see again. Being too far from Pemberley, he is obliged to take her to a nearby cabin, where he must tend to her injuries. There, they spend the night alone together. The pair agree that they should pretend Elizabeth was alone in the cabin, and Mr Darcy stayed elsewhere, to save Elizabeth's reputation and prevent her being forced into a marriage with a man she does not love. But once at Pemberley, Miss Caroline Bingley grows suspicious that Elizabeth was not so alone after all. Determined to smear her rival's reputation, she returns to the cabin and discovers proof that Elizabeth spent the night with a man. To her horror, Mr Darcy is forced to reveal himself as the man in question, and vows to marry Miss Bennet to save her reputation. Can Mr Darcy prove that he has changed and is now worthy of Elizabeth's love? And can Elizabeth overcome her prejudice and see the man he is now? The arrival of Elizabeth's sister Jane offers Mr Darcy the chance to put right one of his most regretful mistakes. And Elizabeth is forced to consider that there is nothing standing between her and happiness with the man she has grown to love than her own pride.
A Lively Companion
Corrie Garrett - 2019
Darcy, feeling foolish that he came to the brink of a proposal due to an arbitrary deadline, decides to accept his aunt's request to accompany them--hoping that his decision regarding Elizabeth will make itself plain.While Anne spends her morning dutifully drinking the famed waters of Tunbridge Wells, Lizzy is pulled further into the Darcy and de Bourgh family circle. From Darcy's cousin, Lady Honoria, to his sister, Georgiana, Lizzy can't help feeling that this is a family she would like, except for Mr. Darcy! Which only makes it all the more painful when she must resolutely reject the proud head of the family...
Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A Tale of a Gentleman and an Officer
Karen V. Wasylowski - 2011
Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam couldn't be more different, and that goes for the way each one woos and pursues the woman of his dreams. Darcy is quiet and reserved, careful and dutiful, and his qualms and hesitations are going to torpedo his courtship of Elizabeth. His affable and vivacious cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam is a military hero whose devil-may-care personality hides the torments within, until he finds himself in a passionate, whirlwind affair with a beautiful widow who won't hear of his honorable intentions.Cousins, best friends, and sparring partners, Darcy and Fitzwilliam have always been there for each other. So it's no surprise when the only one who can help Darcy fix his botched marriage proposals is Fitzwilliam, and the only one who can pull Fitzwilliam out of an increasingly dangerous entanglement is Darcy...
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?
Darcy's Journey
M.A. Sandiford - 2016
Time has not healed his pain: her unfair accusations, and her refusal to read his letter, still torment him. But now she may be in danger. Disappointed at missing a trip to the Lakes, she has befriended the Italian wife of an English baronet and accompanied them to Venice. Now there is cholera in Italy, and no news has reached Longbourn for months, apart from a cryptic note handed to a stranger. Darcy sails for Venice, to find Elizabeth trapped in a romantic intrigue. She longs to return to England, but first he must pry her away from the Italian family and persuade her to join him on the long journey home. Meanwhile, Napoleon has escaped from Elba, throwing Europe into confusion as Britain and her allies prepare for another war with France ...
Assumptions & Absurdities: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Cinnamon Worth - 2018
This classic couple’s romance is shaken off course when, shortly after leaving Hertfordshire, Darcy receives word that one of the Bennet sisters is engaged to the obsequious Mr. Collins. Darcy, a rich and powerful landowner, knows that Elizabeth is not a suitable match but, having already lost the battle with Cupid, he finds himself rushing back to the countryside. He is relieved to discover that it is Mary Bennet who is destined to become Mrs. Collins. But his path to happiness is still far from assured. Darcy may have resolved his internal struggle to accept Elizabeth’s as she is, but he must now overcome a rival and his own inability to interpret events around him. Read as all ofJane Austen’s favorite characters overcome hilarious misunderstandings and mishaps. Assumptions and Absurdities is a Regency Romance sure to entertain.
Thaw: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
Anniina Sjöblom - 2019
On a rainy November day in 1811, Miss Elizabeth Bennet finds herself wondering why no one ever bothered to tell her about this.A few blithe steps on a morning walk, taken after a succession of rain, lead to unexpected events that irrevocably change the course of Elizabeth’s life, placing her fate in the hands of the haughty and conceited Mr. Darcy – the last man in the world she had ever thought to marry.As long winter days slowly pass, she writes letters to her loved ones, trying to come to terms with her new role as a wife and the Mistress of Pemberley. But can she ever learn to love her husband? Will he overcome his arrogant notions of rank and circumstance?And most importantly – will the shades of Pemberley ever recover from being thus polluted?This novella is based on the beloved characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
1932
Karen M. Cox - 2010
Her family’s relocation from the bustle of the big city to a quiet family farm has changed her future, and now, she must build a new life in rural Meryton, Kentucky. William Darcy suffered family turmoil of his own, but he has settled into a peaceful life at Pemberley, the largest farm in the county. Single, rich, and seemingly content, he remains aloof—immune to any woman’s charms. Until Elizabeth Bennet moves to town.As Darcy begins to yearn for something he knows is missing, Elizabeth’s circumstances become more dire. Can the two put aside their pride and prejudices long enough to find their way to each other? 1932, Karen M Cox’s award-winning debut novel, is a matchless variation on Jane Austen’s classic tale.
A Vision of the Path Before Him: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
Elizabeth Frerichs - 2019
Fitzwilliam Darcy at Pemberley. With the help of George Wickham, events spiral out of control, leaving Darcy destitute of love for the rest of his life—until fate intervenes. What will Darcy do with his second chance? Will he be able to convince Elizabeth that he is no longer the proud man he once was? Will they ever get to “happily ever after”? And how will his changed character affect the people around him along the way?
The Olive Branch: A Pride and Prejudice variation
Sarah Courtney - 2021
Collins or watch him destroy her entire family.Given a choice, Elizabeth would never dream of marrying the pompous, ridiculous Mr. Collins. But when she refuses his offer, he threatens to reveal a shocking secret that could ruin the Bennets.Fitzwilliam Darcy has no intention of giving in to his unsettling attraction to Elizabeth Bennet. Still, before he flees to London, he cannot resist seeing her one last time and discovers, to his dismay, that she is now betrothed to her odious cousin. She did everything in her power to evade Mr. Collins at the Netherfield ball, and the woman he sees before him now is not merely unhappy, but afraid. Elizabeth is in trouble, and Darcy cannot bear to abandon her in her distress.As the wedding day looms, Darcy and Elizabeth become desperate to break the engagement without scandal. It is only when a stranger arrives—a stranger Mr. Collins seems to fear—that Darcy and Elizabeth have any hope of extricating her from this frightening predicament.As Mr. Collins’s plan begins to unravel, it is clear that Elizabeth may not be the only one in danger. Will she and Darcy be too late to stop Mr. Collins’s vile plans?The Olive Branch is a clean, full-length Pride and Prejudice variation of about 90,000 words.
Second Impressions
Amy George - 2016
After Elizabeth discovers Darcy is engaged to another woman, she flees to Boston to seek solace with her cousin, the brash and worldly Emeline Poston. When she returns to England after years abroad. Elizabeth must face the man who shattered her heart. Does she have the courage to seek out the man with whom she fell in love -- whatever the cost? Fitzwilliam Darcy has spent his days regretting what might have been and his nights are tormented by decisions he has made. His life in tatters, he can barely face the once-respectable man in his mirror or the baby girl in Pemberley's nursery. Now that Elizabeth has returned, will he atone for his mistakes and win her heart for good. This alternate path reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice is recommended for adult readers.
Mistress of Netherfield
Julia Winter - 2021
The inheritor of her husband’s estate, Netherfield Park, Elizabeth is now a wealthy young widow, independent and self-reliant. With an eye always on improving her four sisters’ woefully small dowries and providing for her mother, who will be homeless when her father dies, Elizabeth is pleased to lease out Netherfield to the Bingley family, making her home in the dower house in Meryton and vowing that she will never remarry.Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire is rich and well connected, but reserved in company with anybody outside the very few he counts as friends. Towards those friends, he is loyal and steadfast, the staunchest of supporters. So when a young man comes to him with a tale of the clandestine marriage and mysterious death of Darcy’s old schoolfriend, James Grayson, and begs Darcy’s help to investigate the widow’s role, Darcy agrees. Visiting Charles Bingley, the new tenant of Netherfield, Darcy is very soon torn between his loyalty to his dead friend, and his burgeoning attraction to the widow.Throw two unprincipled rogues and an elopement into the confines of Meryton, and how will Darcy’s dilemma over Elizabeth ever be resolved? And is she willing to put aside her misgivings, and trust again?(British English spelling and grammar used throughout).
None But You
Susan Kaye - 2007
Sir Walter Elliot refused to countenance a marriage, and Anne's godmother, Lady Russell, strongly advised Anne against him. Persuaded by those nearest to her, Anne had given him up and he had taken his broken heart to sea. When Jane Austen's Persuasion opens in the year 1814, Frederick Wentworth, now a famous and wealthy captain in His Majesty's Navy, finds himself back in England and, as fate would have it, residing as a guest in Anne's former home. Now, it is the baronet who is in financial difficulties, and Anne exists only at her family's beck and call. For eight long years, Frederick had steeled his heart against her. Should he allow Anne into his heart again, or should he look for love with younger, prettier woman in the neighbourhood who regard him as a hero? The mature sweetness of Jane Austen's Persuasion is brought to life in Wytherngate Press's, None But You ., the first in the two-volume series, Frederick Wentworth, Captain, by Susan Kaye.
Mr. Darcy's Debt: A Pride & Prejudice Variation Novel
April Floyd - 2017
Collins who has come to offer marriage as an olive branch to soothe the way when he inherits their home, Longbourn. A deathbed promise from the past saves the ladies and Elizabeth Bennet becomes better acquainted with the wealthy, handsome Mr. Darcy, the man who insulted her at the assembly in Meryton. With the Bennets living at Somersal, a country estate that belongs to the Fitzwilliam family and is only a short distance from Pemberley, the home of Mr. Darcy, their mutual love of riding fosters a love neither Darcy nor Elizabeth can deny. After a terrible accident, Elizabeth believes she must race in the spring to secure her family’s future, much to Mr. Darcy’s dismay. His proposal, given to keep her from racing, is summarily refused as Elizabeth Bennet will not marry from necessity.