Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation

By: Abigail Reynolds

Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett

Elizabeth Bennet can't imagine anything worse than being stranded by a blizzard in a tiny cottage with proud and unpleasant Mr. Darcy. But being trapped there for days - and nights - with an injured and confused Mr. Darcy who keeps saying the oddest things about her is even worse. At least he possesses the useful ability of lighting a fire to keep them from freezing to death. But when he puts his arms around her, she discovers the hearth isn't the only place he knows how to build a fire. And the little half-frozen kitten he finds in a woodpile isn't proving to be much of a chaperone.

She doesn't really believe his promises to marry her if anyone finds out they spent two nights alone together, especially after learning he was betrayed by another woman in the past. When her worst fears are realized and her reputation is in tatters, she isn't surprised to discover Mr. Darcy has vanished into thin air, leaving her no choice but to find a husband as soon as possible before her whole family is ruined. Any husband will have to do, no matter how much she dislikes him. Even if she can't stop thinking of Mr. Darcy....

©2015 Abigail Reynolds (P)2015 Abigail Reynolds

as usual Ms. Reynolds delivers.

Another excellent book by Abigail. she is the best P&P fiction author out there in my opinion. I always love how she brings the characters to life, and always manages to twist at least one character just enough to give the plot a whole new turn. Well done. Good narration as well.

Great story and recording

I really enjoyed this book and have read my digital copy twice. Unlike other reviews I have read, I found the treatment of Darcy discovering the abuse of Maria Lucas to be consistent with the cultural of the time. Yes it would be handled differently today. The portrayal of Mr. B was a departure from his usual support of E.

The recording was very well done. I liked the narrator and her performance.

I highly recommend this book and/recording to JAFF fans.

Buy, but only thru a special deal

Not up to Reynolds's usual level of intriguing storyline (only two and one half 🌟), but an easy enough way to have company while doing chores (vs. a commute during which a more compelling plot would be required). The truly interesting bits are just that and never fully realized, e.g. Wickham's fate or Darcy's childhood among others. And Mr. Bennet's character is wholly misanthropic in such an arbitrary way!!! But there are some very bright, enlivening spots including snow, cousin Anne DeBourgh's physician, post-traumatic stress syndrome, Charlotte Lucas Collins and cats.

The narrator is not one of the best. Her voice is naturally high and somewhat thin so all her female characters sound much the same. Her pronunciation is good, and Darcy and Elizabeth are discernibly different.

So worth a special deal, but NOT an entire credit, unless you are an Abigail Reynolds's fan and collector.

Loved it!

Abigail Reynolds is, again, the queen of P&P variations. She weaves a believable tale with much beloved characters. Big, happy sigh.

Unlikeable back stories

I can see why the author wanted to give Darcy an opportunity to “save” a girl’s reputation for the storyline. However, this could have been done with a simple, much less harmful situation. Gang rape? Was that really necessary? To make matters worse, why didn’t they help her at the time? Rather than allowing it to continue….. Badly done. Also, I didn’t see the whole build up and storyline fizzle of the evil step-mother. Speaking of storyline fizzle.. what happens to Jane? The other sisters? We hear more of the HEA of a cat. An epilogue would have been nice. Finally, one of the things I enjoy about Austin’s writing is the chemistry that is developed with dialogue between the characters. This book had little of that. Instead, she tried building chemistry with the physical scenes alone, which blurred the line of gentlemanly manner.

Great variation

Would you consider the audio edition of Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation to be better than the print version?

I loved both, but narration is a delightful experience

What was one of the most memorable moments of Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation?

Mr. Darcy describing Mr. Gardiner's appearance and house.

Which scene was your favorite?

Elizabeth and Darcy's banter in the cottage.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did

Any additional comments?

A very enjoyable variation with many twists and turns.

Sounds to make one smile

I always enjoy Reynolds’ work and this was no exception. I was constantly smiling or laughing throughout this audiobook! I am equally sad that the story has concluded and look forward to a relisten someday in the future. I always love a stuck in a cabin story, especially when it is well-written!

Not your mother's Austen!

If you could sum up Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation in three words, what would they be?

Sexy updated joyful

What was one of the most memorable moments of Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation?

When you realize that Lizzy Bennett is falling for Mr Darcy at the cottage.

What about Elizabeth Klett’s performance did you like?

The most enjoyable part for me was Elizabeth Klett's performance she has a rich regal voice that illustrates excitement, intrigue and despair without being too much. Excellent tempo and pronunciation. Plus that English accent really helped transport me back.

Any additional comments?

I have read Abigail Reynolds before, but this book kept my attention, I didn't know what was happening next, even though I know the original very well. I love the sexy new touches without too much. Great book worth the time to listen to it.

Bodice Ripping Alternative Tale of P&P

What made the experience of listening to Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation the most enjoyable?

I do enjoy Elizabeth Klett's reading style.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that the author of this book kept her ties to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE loose enough that she was free to write a true "alternative" tale. While being familiar, it is also new and fresh. I didn't like that some key elements that define Jane Austen works were missing in this story.

Have you listened to any of Elizabeth Klett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am a longtime fan of Elizabeth Klett and find her reading style understandable, entertaining and always first rate. I mostly chose to listen to this story because I knew that this narrator is a wonderful reader who always delivers an enjoyable listening experience. ALONE WITH MR. DARCY is no exception and, once again, she lives up to the caliber of performance that I have come to expect. She is real pleasure to listen to! I am only sorry that this particular book wasn't the best use of her considerable talent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I didn't quite make it through in ONE sitting but it took me about 48 hours to finish the book from start to finish.

Any additional comments?

I was offered this audio book for free in exchange for an honest review, and chose to listen to it because I am a fan of the narrator, and also because I love Jane Austin and am on a quest to find JA Fan Fictions that live up to the originals that inspired them. There are a plethora of "spin-off" books that take their inspiration from Jane, but seldom do they live up to the beloved classics that we cannot get enough of. This one is no exception.

This book is inspired by PRIDE AND PREJUDICE but doesn't try to recreate the classic story at all. I really liked that the author started the book at Charlotte Lucas's wedding and from that point on, she gives us an original story that deviates from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE so much that it plays out in a completely different way. While the roots of ALONE WITH MR. DARCY are anchored in Jane Austen, Abigail Reynolds takes the liberty of writing an original story that gives the reader a completely new and different ending to the book. I found this to be refreshing. However there were some mistakes in this story that ruined it for me.

The biggest issue with ALONE WITH MR. DARCY was that it lacked that certain something that defines Jane Austen's work. There was none of the underlying passion that builds up, so that the reader stays completely engaged without the narrative ever spelling out the more explicit sexual elements that are part of the story. I do realize that there are many people who WANT these things to be spelled out, but many JA fans prefer the understated, clever writing style that results in a balance between the romance and other elements of the story. Jane Austen is not essentially a romance novelist, but a writer whose books are romantic within a context of a well rounded story that develops a number of characters and situations. This is an important distinction for me. ALONE WITH MR. DARCY is a pure, crude, bodice ripping romance novel, and the feel it captures is more correctly defined as Barbara Cartland rather than Jane Austen. If you like that kind of thing, then this is a pretty readable romance, but I prefer Jane's humor, clever dialog, understated passion, insight, satire and well rounded commentary on all elements of society and human relations. Romance enthusiasts will love this book as it is a tidal wave of unrestrained kissing, cuddling, groping and more, so that the characters are in a perpetual state of swooning over each other. True Jane Austen fans will miss the subtle elements that make Jane unique. The characters are familiar only in their names, places and general situations, but they behave in ways that leave the reader wondering where our familiar old friends are!

PROCEED WITH CAUTION! SPOILERS AHEAD!

This story begins on Charlotte Lucas's Wedding day. Elizabeth Bennett takes a winter day's walk during the party and happens upon a barely conscious Mr. Darcy who has been in an accident just as a winter blizzard is beginning. In order to save their lives, the two of them take shelter in a nearby deserted cottage where they are snowed in for 3 days. This particular plot device felt contrived to me - a way to get them alone in a compromised situation and let the sparks fly without Elizabeth deliberately allowing this kind of intimacy. You can imagine what transpires during these 3 days and when it is over, Elizabeth's reputation is ruined in a way that ONLY marriage can repair. I found myself rolling my eyes during this portion of the book, as it is a very unlikely situation and felt pretty manipulative. But that was just the beginning of this book's shortcomings.

One particular thing that grated on me was that it is a lightweight read that tries to tackle some pretty heavyweight subject matter and fails miserably. Early in the book, one of the characters from the original PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is publicly gang raped in a tavern by a bunch of officers. This is pure GRATUITOUS sex and violence at it's worst. Darcy and Elizabeth accidentally walk into the tavern and witness this terrible scene and (even though the girl who is being destroyed is supposedly a friend of Elizabeth's), they do nothing to intervene. Instead, they avoid the situation and leave quietly because they fear that taking a stand would be dangerous to them. As they go on their merry way, they barely seem to be bothered by what they just saw and a few days later, when the terrible event is gossiped all over town, Elizabeth reacts with a vague "oh dear, poor Mariah Lucas, but ins't Darcy HOT!" In really good fiction, as in REAL LIFE, witnessing a close friend being gang raped would have devastated any normal woman. But Elizabeth doesn't seem to be too bothered, which made her come across as a kind of sociopath who I didn't really like at all.

Some works of fiction are very serious, and when sensitively rendered, a story can do a lot of good by including things that are difficult to read or watch. The riveting movie, TWO WOMEN is one such work, and the subject of gang rape is treated with the gravity it deserves. When an author chooses to include such a event in a book, play or movie, they are accepting a serious responsibility on how they do it. Such a writer really needs the chops to handle this kind of subject matter and that was sorely lacking here. This particular book is pure fluff and doesn't have the depth needed for this kind of event. It has no place in the central theme of the story and serves no purpose other than a lame attempt by the author to make this book "serious" when this is absolutely lightweight fodder for folks who don't want to think too hard. (There is nothing wrong with lightweight reading, or enjoying a fun read when you want to relax, but scenes such as a gang rape have no place in this kind of sheer storytelling.) I couldn't believe the careless way this was handled and I found myself not respecting this version of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy for leaving this poor innocent virgin to her fate and not helping her. Later on, Darcy paid some "good sport" to marry Mariah, but I couldn't help thinking that this gesture was far too little and far too late when he could have tried to rescue her and did not. The original Elizabeth and Darcy were ethical and courageous and I cannot imagine them engaging in an act of cowardice like this. And between all her swooning and trembling over Darcy, Mariah Lucas's fate seemed to make very little impression on Elizabeth. She was slightly distressed but didn't shed a single tear, didn't lose a moment's sleep over this situation and barely managed a "tsk, tsk" when she thought of it. This alone was enough to put me off of this particular tale.

When an author chooses to write a book it is important for them to accurately assess what they are capable of, and from what I saw in this instance, I don't think Abigail Reynolds has the talent or depth to tackle something like this. Honestly, as much as I love Jane Austen, I don't think even she could have pulled off such an event in one of her books. P& P is expertly written, but is not constructed for heavyweight material, and when updates and alternate tales veer into such territory, they do a disservice to the type of story they are constructing. One of the things that made Jane so VERY GOOD at what she did was her understanding of what her type of stories could and couldn't handle. It is to her credit that she didn't go to into places that her stories couldn't support, and Fan Fiction writers would do themselves a favor if they refrained from charging into territory that the Original Author didn't dare to tread.

I also didn't think the story had the underlying feel of Jane Austen. As I said before, this might have worked as a Barbara Cartland fan fiction, but it simply didn't live up to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Nothing is included about Jane Bennett and Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth loses her wit and strength, and there is a very dumb back story of Mr. Bennett that was jarring. Mr. Darcy comes across as moral but wimpy. I think it would have been preferable for the author to remove all references to Jane Austen's story and written this book as an original romance novel. And I think it would have wise to drop the rape altogether because it really, REALLY didn't belong here. So if you are an enthusiast of the Romance genre, you might like this book. If you are a fan of Jane Austen, you will may or may not finish reading it, and you will feel unsatisfied, because all the things that make Jane Austen unique are gone from ALONE WITH MR. DARCY.

Enjoyable story, good narration

Got through the book in 2 work days. Fun story that sticks pretty true to the original p&p