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Family Secrets: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
"Family Secrets" is an intriguing take on Pride and Prejudice variation, where the Bennet family finds themselves entangled in a web of hidden truth and unexpected revelations.
Following the untimely death of his wife, Mr Bennet is compelled to remarry, seeking a motherly figure for his daughters. Under the new Mrs Bennet's watchful eye, the girls grow into lively, witty and strong-minded young ladies.
Their life is soon disrupted when the charming Mr Bingley and the enigmatic Mr Darcy arrive in the neighbourhood.
Before long, Mr Darcy's arrival sets off a chain of events that reveals a familial connection between the Bennets and Mr Darcy's family.
"Family Secrets" is a must-read Pride and Prejudice variation that will hold your attention from beginning to end, with well-developed characters and a compelling storyline.
Following the untimely death of his wife, Mr Bennet is compelled to remarry, seeking a motherly figure for his daughters. Under the new Mrs Bennet's watchful eye, the girls grow into lively, witty and strong-minded young ladies.
Their life is soon disrupted when the charming Mr Bingley and the enigmatic Mr Darcy arrive in the neighbourhood.
Before long, Mr Darcy's arrival sets off a chain of events that reveals a familial connection between the Bennets and Mr Darcy's family.
"Family Secrets" is a must-read Pride and Prejudice variation that will hold your attention from beginning to end, with well-developed characters and a compelling storyline.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 26, 2023
48 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 22, 2024
what-if the Bennet daughters had a different mother(s)
A very original story about different mothers for the Bennet daughters. For one, Lydia doesn’t elope with Wickham. All sort of small differences in the Bennet family, in Longbourn, and in Meryton.
No further spoilers here. A short novel which I enjoyed the story more than I thought I would.
A very original story about different mothers for the Bennet daughters. For one, Lydia doesn’t elope with Wickham. All sort of small differences in the Bennet family, in Longbourn, and in Meryton.
No further spoilers here. A short novel which I enjoyed the story more than I thought I would.
June 8, 2023
A family secret changes everything
Mr. Bennet’s wife dies shortly after giving birth to their 4th daughter as she wants to tell him something. Years later the Netherfield party arrives and sees the Bennet daughters and realizes their could be a family connection.
Darcy is not so prideful and his aunt Catherine is really awful. The journey to truth is dangerous and surprising.
I did enjoy the story and all the twists and turns.
Mr. Bennet’s wife dies shortly after giving birth to their 4th daughter as she wants to tell him something. Years later the Netherfield party arrives and sees the Bennet daughters and realizes their could be a family connection.
Darcy is not so prideful and his aunt Catherine is really awful. The journey to truth is dangerous and surprising.
I did enjoy the story and all the twists and turns.
June 11, 2023
Entertaining, but.....
The first Mrs Bennett dies after having four daughters, then Mr Bennett remarries in order to have a mother for his children, and then Lydia comes. The second Mrs Bennett is a loving and strict mother, so all the daughters are smart and well behaved. Bingley arrives at Netherfield with his sisters, Hurst, and Darcy. Darcy immediately perceives a striking resemblance of Mary Bennett and Anne DeBourgh, and he informs his uncle and cousins, bringing them to Netherfield along with Lady Catherine and Anne. A family connection is discovered between the first Mrs Bennett and Lady Catherine, resulting in an upheaval for Lady Catherine and her daughter.
I was happy with the original premise for this story. It's far fetched, but I was ready to accept it. Unfortunately, other factors arose, and made me less inclined to go along with the idea. The book is written well enough. However, it appears the author is so set upon using flowery and formal language that she often gets tripped up by it. There was too-many-to-count instances of sentences that made no sense, or of poor grammar and usage of inappropriate words. I'm all for JAFF variations that honor Regency era notions or ways of speaking. However, this one went way over the top, to the point of seeming somewhat ridiculous.
Then there was the lack of romance. Elizabeth and Darcy have encounters throughout the story, but an attraction between them is hardly mentioned. Then at the end they're getting engaged, as they should, but we're cheated out of any sort of buildup to their resolution. I think Mary and Mr Collins have a lot more screen time for their relationship. Also, the author's treatment of Mr Bennett's relationship with his second wife is kind of strange. Mr Bennett seems like a pretty useless blob of a man, who remarried strictly for a caretaker for his daughters and his house. Not a very admirable person. I tentatively recommend the book, but this is definitely not great literature.
The first Mrs Bennett dies after having four daughters, then Mr Bennett remarries in order to have a mother for his children, and then Lydia comes. The second Mrs Bennett is a loving and strict mother, so all the daughters are smart and well behaved. Bingley arrives at Netherfield with his sisters, Hurst, and Darcy. Darcy immediately perceives a striking resemblance of Mary Bennett and Anne DeBourgh, and he informs his uncle and cousins, bringing them to Netherfield along with Lady Catherine and Anne. A family connection is discovered between the first Mrs Bennett and Lady Catherine, resulting in an upheaval for Lady Catherine and her daughter.
I was happy with the original premise for this story. It's far fetched, but I was ready to accept it. Unfortunately, other factors arose, and made me less inclined to go along with the idea. The book is written well enough. However, it appears the author is so set upon using flowery and formal language that she often gets tripped up by it. There was too-many-to-count instances of sentences that made no sense, or of poor grammar and usage of inappropriate words. I'm all for JAFF variations that honor Regency era notions or ways of speaking. However, this one went way over the top, to the point of seeming somewhat ridiculous.
Then there was the lack of romance. Elizabeth and Darcy have encounters throughout the story, but an attraction between them is hardly mentioned. Then at the end they're getting engaged, as they should, but we're cheated out of any sort of buildup to their resolution. I think Mary and Mr Collins have a lot more screen time for their relationship. Also, the author's treatment of Mr Bennett's relationship with his second wife is kind of strange. Mr Bennett seems like a pretty useless blob of a man, who remarried strictly for a caretaker for his daughters and his house. Not a very admirable person. I tentatively recommend the book, but this is definitely not great literature.
June 11, 2023
This is almost identical to a story on Dwiggie. https://www.dwiggie.com/derby/katep1.htm. I sure hope this was published by the original author and not copied and monetized by someone else. I would say the original was better. The published version has much more flowery language. There is even a couple of paragraphs where Lydia starts using “thou” when speaking.
June 3, 2023
Interesting
An interesting premise in this unusual variation inspired by author Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Karen Kate Rowley. I liked it.
An interesting premise in this unusual variation inspired by author Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Karen Kate Rowley. I liked it.
June 9, 2023
It didn't work for me
I wanted to like or love this book after paying such a price for it. Unfortunately, it was okay at best.
I liked the beginning and the way Darcy and Elizabeth got on together. There isn't much romance after that. Mystery, crime, and threats follow. Not so much to be considered an angsty story, but there is violence.
Relationships seemed rushed.
-Caroline and Elizabeth's friendship
-Caroline and the viscount
-Charlotte and the Colonel (For some reason, writers feel the need to pair Charlotte with someone, and for some reason, they think the Colonel is the perfect candidate. I don't get it)
At times the story came across like a bunch of little scenes here and there. In other instances, I felt like something was missing or glossed over. I needed more depth to these characters.
Sidenote: Caroline must be delusional if she genuinely believes that she and Lady Catherine are equal because her sister, Louisa, married a gentleman.
I wanted to like or love this book after paying such a price for it. Unfortunately, it was okay at best.
I liked the beginning and the way Darcy and Elizabeth got on together. There isn't much romance after that. Mystery, crime, and threats follow. Not so much to be considered an angsty story, but there is violence.
Relationships seemed rushed.
-Caroline and Elizabeth's friendship
-Caroline and the viscount
-Charlotte and the Colonel (For some reason, writers feel the need to pair Charlotte with someone, and for some reason, they think the Colonel is the perfect candidate. I don't get it)
At times the story came across like a bunch of little scenes here and there. In other instances, I felt like something was missing or glossed over. I needed more depth to these characters.
Sidenote: Caroline must be delusional if she genuinely believes that she and Lady Catherine are equal because her sister, Louisa, married a gentleman.
January 1, 2024
Interesting but Strange
This variation has an interesting premise, Mary Bennet looks amazingly like Anne de Bourgh! Why? Are they related somehow? Not according to the Bennets.
But that would be one of the Family Secrets. Twisted and Strange, but at least interesting.
Then there is a series of attacks on the local women. Not even hard to figure out who is behind that. But who will be the next victim and how will the nefarious criminal receive justice? A shocker... NOT!
Then there are the editorial errors. Truly annoying! Chaise lounge should be chaise longue.
'Miss Bennets' really should be 'The Misses Bennet' but 'the Miss Bennets' at least would have flowed grammatically. Why not add the word the?
Then there is a paragraph and a half where they decided to revert to Old English. Why?
Yes, all in all interesting but strange.
This variation has an interesting premise, Mary Bennet looks amazingly like Anne de Bourgh! Why? Are they related somehow? Not according to the Bennets.
But that would be one of the Family Secrets. Twisted and Strange, but at least interesting.
Then there is a series of attacks on the local women. Not even hard to figure out who is behind that. But who will be the next victim and how will the nefarious criminal receive justice? A shocker... NOT!
Then there are the editorial errors. Truly annoying! Chaise lounge should be chaise longue.
'Miss Bennets' really should be 'The Misses Bennet' but 'the Miss Bennets' at least would have flowed grammatically. Why not add the word the?
Then there is a paragraph and a half where they decided to revert to Old English. Why?
Yes, all in all interesting but strange.
May 5, 2024
This felt like an overuse of a thesaurus.
This story was interesting, but reading it became excessively tiresome. Truly it comes across as though someone wrote a story then asked AI to make it sound smart and fancy. Here is an example “‘Richard has embarked upon a sojourn to the metropolis, aiming to unveil any confederates Wickham may have consorted with in this diabolical scheme and to ensure that they do not perpetuate any further disturbances,’ uttered he in a simple yet meaningful manner.” A very fancy easy to say “Richard has gone to town to find Wickham’s accomplices….” If it was not an AI thesaurus, and this is just how the author writes, then I apologize. However, the author should know how it comes across.
Other than that, there were a few typos but it did not bug me as much as the word choices I mentioned before.
This story was interesting, but reading it became excessively tiresome. Truly it comes across as though someone wrote a story then asked AI to make it sound smart and fancy. Here is an example “‘Richard has embarked upon a sojourn to the metropolis, aiming to unveil any confederates Wickham may have consorted with in this diabolical scheme and to ensure that they do not perpetuate any further disturbances,’ uttered he in a simple yet meaningful manner.” A very fancy easy to say “Richard has gone to town to find Wickham’s accomplices….” If it was not an AI thesaurus, and this is just how the author writes, then I apologize. However, the author should know how it comes across.
Other than that, there were a few typos but it did not bug me as much as the word choices I mentioned before.
June 3, 2024
Many likeable aspects...
...But it tries a bit too hard, both in vocabulary and plot complications.
Like Darcy, I think the author did not write easily, studying 'too much for words of four syllables'. Particularly in conversation, this came across as a little forced and unnatural.
The plot, too, was a bit crowded. Sometimes less is more. For me, the assaults more detracted than added to the central story.
...But it tries a bit too hard, both in vocabulary and plot complications.
Like Darcy, I think the author did not write easily, studying 'too much for words of four syllables'. Particularly in conversation, this came across as a little forced and unnatural.
The plot, too, was a bit crowded. Sometimes less is more. For me, the assaults more detracted than added to the central story.
June 12, 2023
Very different🌹
This is the first review I have given in quite a while. I've enjoyed the (many) other books, but this one, was very different. Sometimes I find myself skipping entire paragraphs because they are the same as the book before! Not this one, totally new and fresh idea! Loved it! I won't spoil it. I'll just say low agnst, and not typical. Enjoy!🌹
This is the first review I have given in quite a while. I've enjoyed the (many) other books, but this one, was very different. Sometimes I find myself skipping entire paragraphs because they are the same as the book before! Not this one, totally new and fresh idea! Loved it! I won't spoil it. I'll just say low agnst, and not typical. Enjoy!🌹
April 28, 2024
It had potential but the ridiculous use of language was annoying. Plus, several plot devices were mentioned and never made clear. Why did Lady Catherine do what she did? We are never told. What hold did Wickham have over her? We don't know! This could have been good but the execution was abysmmal.
May 20, 2024
disjointed
This story did not flow. Not enjoyable. It was very disjointed. Did not enjoy this story at all. It had potential but it left the reader wanting more.
This story did not flow. Not enjoyable. It was very disjointed. Did not enjoy this story at all. It had potential but it left the reader wanting more.
April 19, 2025
nice
Entertaining and interesting. This was well written and well conceived in both plot and character development. I recommend this book.
Entertaining and interesting. This was well written and well conceived in both plot and character development. I recommend this book.
August 31, 2024
Very poor indeed - I just could not finish this
I read a lot of books and I very rarely fail to finish but I just could not torture myself any more and gave up around the 20% mark. I am not sufficiently interested in the secret to read on.
The author has sought to use period appropriate language but this just does not work. Every single noun has some sort of flowery adjective attached to it as do most of the verbs. That does not constitute period appropriate language. Even the lad working the fields starts his sentences with "Pray tell..."! The effect of all of these unnecessary words is that the sentences frequently make no sense at all.
I realise this seems harsh but this is not a cheap book to buy (I read it through KU) and it is not fit for purpose.
I read a lot of books and I very rarely fail to finish but I just could not torture myself any more and gave up around the 20% mark. I am not sufficiently interested in the secret to read on.
The author has sought to use period appropriate language but this just does not work. Every single noun has some sort of flowery adjective attached to it as do most of the verbs. That does not constitute period appropriate language. Even the lad working the fields starts his sentences with "Pray tell..."! The effect of all of these unnecessary words is that the sentences frequently make no sense at all.
I realise this seems harsh but this is not a cheap book to buy (I read it through KU) and it is not fit for purpose.
December 1, 2024
I loved This!
I have lost count of how many times I have been inspired to leave a favorable review of a book. I can honestly say that from the first word to the last I was enthralled by this story, it is a work of master craftsmanship imo
I have lost count of how many times I have been inspired to leave a favorable review of a book. I can honestly say that from the first word to the last I was enthralled by this story, it is a work of master craftsmanship imo
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews