Thursday, April 15, 2010

Book Review: The Darcy Cousins by Monica Fairview


Synopsis: (From the Publisher)
"A young lady in disgrace should at least strive to behave with decorum...
Dispatched from America to England under a cloud of scandal,
Mr. Darcy's incorrigible American cousin, Clarissa Darcy, manages to provoke Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Collins, and the parishioners of Hunsford all in one morning!
And there are more surprises in store for that bastion of tradition, Rosings Park, when the family gathers for their annual Easter visit. Georgiana Darcy, generally a shy model of propriety, decides to take a few lessons from her unconventional cousin, to the delight of a neighboring gentleman. Anne de Bourgh, encouraged to escape her "keeper" Mrs. Jenkinson, simply...vanishes. But the trouble really starts when Clarissa and Georgiana both set out to win the heart of the same young man..."


My Review:




The story of Pride and Prejudice continues with this delightful and charming novel. Although the characters are the same, besides some new additions, we find that there is much more to the their personalities then what is currently known. 

When Clarissa Darcy arrives from America, Georgiana is at once taken by her confident personality and coy ways. Determined to be alluring for her first London season, Georgiana tries to emulate her cousin in every way...

Daring and borderline careless, Georgiana and Clarissa embark on a series of escapades that, although done with good intentions, lead to devastating consequences. Through all the trouble that befalls them, it would seem that nothing could cause a rift between these two; but when they are both intent on winning the affections of the dashing Mr Channing, they begin to loose sight of what matters most. In the midst of all the drama and uncertainty, can Georgiana discover what she has truly been seeking for, and if she does, will it be to late?...

There is always a bit of hesitation when starting a spin off of a classic piece of literature, but that usual hesitation was quickly diminished after reading just a bit of this charming novel. It was great to have a story with Georgiana being so in depth and full of spirit, and I found myself greatly enjoying her debates with Mr. Gately. The main characters were very vivid, and their contrast to each other was perfect. The plot was well laid out and easily followed, but it was also in this plot that my one issue laid. While I thought hidden personality behind Anne was brilliant and her disappearance quite intriguing, I felt as though after she disappeared, that part of the plot was quickly dropped and then suddenly picked back up at the end. Besides this little issue, I found the book to be highly enjoyable and will be adding the authors previous novels to my reading list.




Copyright © 2010 Svea Love. All Rights Reserved.
FTC: I recived this book for review from the publisher. Thank you!

7 comments:

Kel said...

I'm so excited to read this. I love Pride and Prejudice. Thanks for the review!

BurtonReview said...

I am glad you enjoyed this one. Out of three Austen sequel Authors that I have read, Monica is my favorite. And I think if you had read her first one in the series by Monica, you would see how much the storytelling improved as well. Glad you are adding her backlist to your wishlist! My review will post tomorrow.

Meredith said...

This was a terrific sequel for Georgiana and your wrote an excellent review! I'm glad you enjoyed The Darcy Cousins, I'm sure you are going to love The Other Mr. Darcy!

Jenny Girl said...

Well after your review and Marie's comments I guess I have check this series out. I must admit I am a bit burned out on P&P takes, but Georgianna and Anne intrigue me. Great review!

Blodeuedd said...

Sounds like a fun book, and a sequel that I would love to read for sure

Joanne said...

It's been a few months since I've read an Austenesque novel, and I'm in the mood again. I'm glad you enjoyed this author...I have The Other Mr. Darcy coming up next to read, so it's good to know that it's going to be a pretty good one! Thanks for the great review.

Unknown said...

You're right about the hesitation as far as spin-offs go :) I usually am not very keen on them but this one sounds quite interesting.