Friday, November 23

Book Review: Mr Darcy's Secret


Author: Jane Odiwe
Title: Mr. Darcy's Secret
Genre: Jane Austen variation, romance, historical fiction, historical romance
Pages: ebook
First Published: December 10th, 2010
Where I Got It: my shelf (Amazon)

"One dark secret can completely ruin a bright future. From the author who brought you Lydia Bennet's Story and Willoughby's Return, comes a unique look into one of the most famous relationships of all time, in Mr. Darcy's Secret. After capturing the heart of the most eligible bachelor in England, Elizabeth Bennet believes her happiness is complete-until the day she makes an unsettling discovery. When she finds a stash of anonymous, passionate love letters that may be Darcy's, Elizabeth begins to question the quiet, stoic man she married."


Took me an eon to finish this book. 

You know me....I can't help myself when it comes to Jane Austen and Jane Austen variations, so when they book popped up for free on Amazon one day, I snatched it up in a hurry. However, I'm glad it was a freebie.........

The beginning was very well done. Jane Odiwe gave a small nod to the beginning of 'Pride and Prejudice' using the insane, but loveable Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Bennet have marital squabbles. Mrs. Bennet is freaking out and being all insane, while Mr. Bennet is having a good laugh at his wife's expense. It was a fantastic first chapter, which is rare to see.  Jane Odiwe surely did a wonderful job voicing the characters and sticking with the appropriate Jane Austen voice. She also avoided using too many modern words and phrases. It felt like it was written from that time period. 

Also, the story took its time to get rolling. It was a slow set-up and I oddly liked it. I wasn't too bored. However I was getting really angry because I wanted to know what Mr. Darcy's secret was! Sure there were hints scattered about, but nothing really substantial! It was driving me insane being left in the dark! However, the secret would have to wait because the author threw in a little romance for Miss Darcy, Mr Darcy's shy little sister.

At some points I preferred Georgianna's POV and storyline, because stuff was actually happening. Also, I was always upset that Georgianna didn't get airtime in 'Pride and Prejudice'. I loved transformation you could see in Georgianna when she met her Prince Charming. It was nice to see. 

BACK to the main storyline though....

The moment you thought you learned the secret of Mr. Darcy it morphed and changed. It changed so many times I just didn't care anymore. At the "climatic" point of the book where Elizabeth confronts Mr. Darcy, I felt almost embarrassed for her, because even I knew that that wasn't the secret. SPOILER ALERT **It was all a waste of time...there was no real secret! It was just a scam the Wickhams invented to get money. The secret was that the child was Wickham's and his step-sister's. GAH! I really wish that the baby had been one of the Darcy's or something. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmeeeee. **END OF SPOILER!

In the end, it was alright. Not the best variation I've ever read, story-wise, but I must say that it had the most Jane Austen feel to it. I really wish I could have been there while the author was writing and convince her what the secret should have been. Oh well. All's well that ends well, I suppose. I would recommend this to those that like Jane Austen and variations. Out of five stars, I stamp this 2 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Georgianna, Mr. Butler, Elizabeth, and Jane (who honestly doesn't like Jane?)
Not-so Favorite(s): Those damned Wickhams....they are SO wicked. >.>
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<3CaroleRae

3 comments:

Blodeuedd said...

Yeah silly secrets, I guess she was too chicken to go all the way

SF said...

Hmm interesting. That's cool that the writing sounded like it was from that time, at least.

Carole Rae said...

B, ooooh she was. She didn't want anything to stain Mr. Darcy.

Susan, yeah that was the best part of the book.