Conundrums & Coincidences

A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (Mr Darcy's Dilemmas)

De: J Marie Croft

Narrado por: Annabelle Hyde

To suffer my second is the doom of my first; And of all of my seconds, my whole is the worst.

After two months of suffering the heartache of Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection of his marriage proposal, Fitzwilliam Darcy unexpectedly encounters the lady at Oakwood Manor the estate of the late Miss Phoebe Armstrong. The dearly departed Miss Armstrong has disposed of her worldly goods in an uncommon manner. She has called together five young people, including Darcy and Elizabeth, to vie for a legacy—the manor itself and a substantial fortune. For Darcy, however, the true prize is a second chance at winning Elizabeth’s hand.

During the week-long tournament where critical thinking is required, and with such a coveted prize at stake, not all participants are willing to play fair. By the time Darcy and Elizabeth have persevered through a se’nnight of charades and conundrums, of making friends and enemies, nefarious goings-on, forgiveness…and a deepening attachment to one another.

By the time they leave Oakwood, Darcy and Elizabeth have resolved their prior differences and are on the brink of an understanding. That’s when they face another conundrum: Mr Bennet adamantly refuses to consent to an engagement between his favourite daughter and Darcy.

With her twenty-first birthday fast approaching, Elizabeth is put in the unhappy position of having to decide between the two gentlemen she loves most. In both battles of wills, who wins?

©2024 Joanne Rycroft (P)2025 Quills & Quartos Publishing

Inheritance Games

This is a new JAFF narrator and I thought she did a great job. I enjoyed both her male and female voices. The premise of competing for an inheritance was new and different. There were new characters but as Elizabeth points out in the story they were very similar to the people at Netherfield.
I enjoyed the puzzles and Darcy and Elizabeth working through their misunderstandings to get to know each other. Though somehow their interactions didn’t feel especially romantic to me. Mr Bennet and Lydia cause most of the angst and irritation.

An Unusual House Party

Two months after Darcy’s disastrous proposal at Hunsford, an extraordinary coincidence brings him and Elizabeth together again for a most unusual house party. Old Mrs Armstrong, a mutual acquaintance, has passed away and named them—and several others—as beneficiaries. They are all summoned to the estate of the dearly departed to take part in a contest of wit and will: the first among them to solve all the conundrums will inherit her entire estate. Elizabeth is determined to win for the sake of her family, while Darcy, still nursing the wounds of rejection, is simply seeking a distraction. Neither knows the other will be in attendance. If you enjoy house parties and the sort of delicious angst I always feel when I ‘attend’ one, you’ll appreciate the clever writing and sharp wit of J. Marie Croft.

Annabelle Hyde, a new-to-me narrator, brings the various character voices to life exceedingly well, and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance. I do have one small critique, though for me, it was rather important. I know Darcy is often portrayed as serious or even morose—particularly at the start of stories like this one—but even when he was happy, his tone still felt too sombre. I wanted to hear more emotion in his voice when he was happy or excited. The narrator did that beautifully with every other character, which made the contrast more noticeable. That said, the narration overall was excellent.