His Uncle’s Favorite by Lory Lilian
This
variation begins with Lizzy accompanying Jane, Mrs. Gardiner and her children on
an extended visit to London for the Christmas holidays. Jane’s heart is
troubled by the sudden and recent departure of Mr. Bingley from Herefordshire.
Lizzy’s heart is leaning toward a preference for Mr. Wickham, her high opinion
of him not shared by her aunt. Mrs. Gardiner is not so easily influenced by his
charms as she sees Mr. Wickham’s eagerness to share, with strangers, the intimate
details of his association with Mr. Darcy, as ungentlemanly behavior.
Mr.
Gardiner, a well-respected businessman, highly successful and intelligent,
tragically died two years earlier. Because of his good reputation and business
skills, along with Mrs. Gardiner’s refined manners and exquisite taste, the
couple had many influential acquaintances and some very close friends among the
ton. They not only attended many
parties with this illustrious society but gave well received parties in their impressive
home as well.
Thus, as a
return to a somewhat normal life for herself and a much needed diversion for
both her nieces, Mrs. Gardiner promises them attendance to some parties and
maybe a few small balls from people that she still considered close friends! The first such invitation comes from the Earl
of Matlock and his married daughter, Lady Selina, who had been dear friends of
the both the Gardiners. The Earl is now a widower and has two sons that are single.
He has a favorite nephew and niece that will be in attendance as well. Expect
some fireworks at this dinner when Darcy and Elizabeth reunite
unexpectedly. The Earl is extremely fond of Lizzy and her quick wit and he
admires Jane’s quiet nature. He thinks either would be fine wives for his two
sons, much to Darcy’s surprise! As Mrs. Gardiner and the two eldest Bennet
sisters are often the special guests of the Earl and/or his daughter, there are
many opportunities for Darcy and Elizabeth to spend time in each other’s
company...and isn’t that what we all desire?
I loved the
Earl of Matlock. He is a wonderful character and is central to the story. The
Colonel is his lovable self and his brother, the Viscount, is nice and
honorable. I adored Lady Selina and Georgiana! Lady Brightmore, Lady Selina’s
mother-in-law, is delightful!
The Queen of
Mean, Caroline Bingley, has a rival for nastiness in Lady Sinclair. They eventually get
their put downs quite nicely! There is still the story of Lydia and Wickham but
with a twist this time. It is a very interesting turn of events and is resolved
in a manner unlike any I have read before. Nicely done, Ms. Lilian!
There are
sleigh rides, balls, parties, theater visits and hunting trips---lots of time
for Darcy and Lizzy to have misunderstandings; then time for Darcy to accept
his feelings for Lizzy and for her to eventually change hers for him! The
relationship that develops between Darcy and Mr. Bennet is wonderful and very
enjoyable to read!
Although I
prefer a PnP story to have passionate but chaste romance, this story is for
mature audiences as it does contain several scenes of explicit sex after Darcy
and Lizzy wed. If that is your preference you will enjoy the hot, steamy
scenes in this book.
Overall, I
enjoyed this variation very much. Lory Lilian is a good story teller and kept
her characters true to their personalities and created some new favorites! I
liked the way she changed some of the scenes from the original by using
different characters to enact them. This book will be a great addition for any
fan of Pride and Prejudice and JAFF. I found it difficult to put down!
Rated M for
mature audiences and explicit sex
Leave a comment here to be entered in the giveaway with the post by Lory Lilian. If you comment here and at her post, you will double your chances to win either a trade paperback or an eBook. The giveaway is worldwide! Since I am linking the giveaway to include both posts, I have extended the giveaway to the 8th. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with an (at) instead of @. Winner will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway ends at midnight, July 8.
This one sounds interesting, quite a few changes and I always enjoy seeing how things unfold differently from there, as sometimes even a small variation can lead to quite a different outcome.
ReplyDeleteFrawli1978(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi Ceri, thanks for commenting! You are quite right!
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts, Janet. From the looks of it, I love the premise already even without reading the book itself.
ReplyDeleteevangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com
It was a very good book. The Earl is a lovely character. I loved Lady Matlock in Rainy Days and the Earl in this one! :)
DeleteWell that is a totally different variation with new characters. Like to have a read
ReplyDeletemeikleblog at gmail dot com
I hope you get a chance to read it! It is a very good book.
DeleteThanks for the very informative review, Janet - this sounds like an exciting book with many interesting twists!
ReplyDeleteHi, Joana. Thanks for stopping by. It is an enjoyable book and the twists were a nice change.
DeleteI can't wait to read this one. I loved the short story version. Thank you for writing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteNow I'm even more interested!
ReplyDeletearjanne.boneschanscher(at)gmail(dot)com
Hope you get a chance to read it! Glad you stopped by and commented!
Delete