Abandoned at the Altar

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

By: Julie Cooper

Narrated by: Gill Mills

To hear that some impoverished girl you met a couple of months ago and with whom you have been in close company for a few days is now your affianced bride?

Incredible! Elizabeth Bennet is surprised and delighted when Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy and handsome bachelor from Derbyshire, declares himself to her. Still more surprising are her own feelings for him; a chance overheard conversation had changed her first impression of him enough to see the good man he was…and she had fallen in love.

Having made an unexpected choice, Darcy is certain marital felicity awaits him. Alas, a calamity of unexpected events conspire preventing him from honoring the promises he has made to his intended bride.

What should have been the happiest day of both Darcy and Elizabeth’s lives becomes the source of their deepest heartbreak. Elizabeth is left standing at the altar, her bridegroom having failed to arrive and Darcy is left bereft amid the wreckage of his hopes and dreams.

Only one thing grows more certain each day: Darcy loves Elizabeth, and wishes more than anything to forge a future between them. But can abandonment be forgiven? Will they successfully overcome the forces aligned against them to build a happily-ever-after from the ruins of the past?

©2024 Julie Cooper (P)2025 Quills & Quartos Publishing

A tearful read in parts.

This was tough to listen to sometimes it was either very sad or shocking or maddening. The prologue sets us up as to what to expect so it’s like the tension of a very large shoe waiting to drop. The early parts of the story were charming when ODC are falling in love. But then that enormous shoe does drop. Colonel Fitzwilliam is very unlikable in this story. My figurative mouth was gaping open with his actions as I was shocked listening to what he did.

The road to the happily ever after was rough and bumpy. But Darcy gets some help from an unusual source to bring them together after it really felt like all hope was lost.

Although I found it hard to get through, I know I’ll want to listen again in the future. This author always delivers. Highly recommended.

Great read

This book started with Elizabeth being stood up at the altar. Then we found out what really happened great read. Great Jaff.

Loved loved loved

Wonderful narration. And their author!!!!!! What a storyteller. So much delicious tension on every page. A well-earned happily ever after as the satisfying reward. Easy to recommend.

A Definite Favourite

Excellent narration and performance by Gill Mills for this outstanding variation. The biggest test for me was whether Mills would make me cry during the tender moment between Elizabeth and her mother, a moment that touched me deeply when I read the book. Mills didn’t fail me. As I mentioned in my Goodreads review for the book in 2024, Julie Cooper is one of my favourite authors for good reason. Her prose has a depth and elegance that truly sets her apart in JAFF, making her stories feel polished, expressive, and always memorable, showing a level of care that elevates her work to the top level of this genre. Abandoned at the Altar has everything—angst, a romantic and determined Darcy, a strong-willed and compassionate Elizabeth, excellent dialogue throughout, a happy ending that feels right, and the ever-present humour I love from this author. This book kept me hooked, rooting for Darcy to change his prejudices, and Elizabeth’s mind, and hoping these two could find their way back to each other.

Highly recommend.

Wonderful tale of forgiveness and restoration

I enjoyed this audiobook narrative of one of my favorite books in the past season of new offerings. I had enjoyed the reading, and the listening was very well done.