The Ghosts at Pemberley

by Fenella J. Miller

The Ghosts at Pemberley - a Jane Austen Variation.
A Christmas Ghost Story.
Miss Kitty Bennet is travelling to Pemberley in December in order to become a companion and friend to Miss Georgiana Darcy when disaster strikes. Adam Denney, the Rector of Bakewell comes to her aid and is much taken with her. Bingley is hurt in the accident and he and Jane are obliged to remain at The Rectory, whilst Kitty continues her journey.
The coach accident is just the first of many terrifying incidents that occur once Kitty is established at Pemberley. Somehow her arrival has woken the spirits that occupy the East wing and these ghosts are determined to get their revenge on those who trapped them in the spirit world. Elizabeth is in danger and Darcy is determined to keep her safe. Can the power of God defeat the evil or will Pemberley and its occupants be destroyed?

Genres: Ghosts

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2014

About the author

Fenella Jane Miller was born in the Isle of Man. Her father was a Yorkshire man and her mother the daughter of a Rajah. She has worked as a nanny, cleaner, field worker, hotelier, chef, secondary and primary teacher and is now a full time writer.

She has over twenty five Regency romantic adventures published plus one Jane Austen re-telling and one YA romantic fantasy.

see also Fenella-Jane Miller

Reviews

[Carole (in Canada) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was definitely different and I am struggling to determine my rating. I like 'outside the box' and books on secondary characters of Pride & Prejudice, especially Kitty. This one has a definite 'Gothic' bent with paranormal undertones. Actually, heavy on the paranormal. The book description describes the story well enough.

At times, I found the writing stilted, trite and overly dramatic. There were inconsistencies and some actions were out of character for me. I just could not picture Mr. Darcy snapping (with his fingers) to his servants in such a high-handed manner. By chapter seven, I was having the 'Addams Family' song running through my head..."ba da da dum dum dum...ba da da dum dum dum...it's creepy and it's kooky, mysterious and spooky..."!

I had to keep telling myself it is a Gothic style story and roll with it. I did read it through until the end but found there is a sequel to it, though this story was resolved but no epilogue. I think I have jumped into the middle of the series with this book. There is a good story in here with a bit more proofreading and polish it could shine. I did get this book 'free' on Amazon, so I really shouldn't complain, but it is no longer available in e-book format. Maybe there is some polishing being done before being re-released.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty Bennet's arrival at Pemberley is not the joyous welcome she hopes when it comes with the stirring of ghosts. I was looking for something on the spooky side this month and this one met my needs nicely.

Ghosts of Pemberley is a paranormal P&P sequel that places Kitty in the heroine role and gives Georgiana Darcy some of the limelight, too. Kitty is trying to prove she is no longer the flighty girl she was to her older sisters and their husbands when she comes to live at Pemberley. A carriage accident, an encounter with a handsome vicar, and then a scary ghostly manifestation make it extra hard for her to prove herself.

I thought the author did a great job of mashing up historical romance and the paranormal element with the ghosts. While Kitty is the central figure, the other regular P&P characters get good representation, too. The original character, Adam King, was an engaging hero for Kitty. It was fun to see them bristle toward each other in their first meeting and then slowly learn to appreciate each other.

I liked that the author didn't alter Kitty's personality. She was still somewhat impulsive and led with her emotions, but she is learning to temper this and try to think before she speaks and acts. It was fun to see her and Darcy making attempts at a warmer brother-sister relationship, too. Actually, all the relationships Kitty had were neatly done whether it was friendship with Georgiana or with her older sisters and brothers in law or the new attraction with Adam King.

I did have the occasional moment when I knew Regency era people and specifically Austen's characters wouldn't act or say things in such a manner, but these were small niggles.

The spooky element was a moderately chilling one and brought some good excitement and mystery to the story.

This was my first time reading this author's work, but it won't be my last. I look forward to pressing on with the series. Fans of Pride & Prejudice sequels who don't mind a paranormal element would be a good match for this one.

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was NOT in the mood!

Rating: clean with a bit of mild infatuation heat: angst level: low-to-medium, mainly due to paranormal activities within the halls of Pemberley. Goodreads: Group Reading Challenge for March: Perhaps I shouldn’t even review this. Apparently, I was not in the mood for this story. Within the first chapter, I knew I really was NOT in the mood. For one thing, it ticked me off from the get-go. I should have put it down and attempted to read it later. I had the whole month to read it. But, no. I’d had this book since forever and needed to clear out my older books. Still, I should have put it down. NOTE: This review may contain SPOILERS: yeah, I just might let the ghost out of the bag.

Spirits, that had occupied the East wing of Pemberley since forever, seemed to stir with Kitty’s presence. After all this time? Really? There were no indications of Kitty ever having had any previous precognition or awareness of spirits in the past. So, what was she to them? Although their purpose was not clear at first, their intent was certainly not benevolent. Kitty soon learned the spirits were seeking revenge on those who had murdered them and trapped/tied them to the corporeal world. Someone’s death would be the only outcome for their release.

OOC [out of character] behavior: OMG! Who were these people?

Kitty: secondary character stories are difficult at best. Kitty is nearly a non-event in JAFF stories. She is the shadow of her more exuberant younger sister, Lydia. After Kitty saw how far that got her younger sister, she determined to be more than Lydia’s shadow and what others thought of her. She was looking forward to being a companion to Darcy’s shy sister, Georgiana. Hopefully, Georgiana’s reserve and ladylike behavior would rub off on Kitty and not the other way around. She could only hope.

Georgiana: who was this girl? The whole purpose of having Kitty come to Pemberley was to befriend Georgiana and to help with her shyness. However, that shyness seemed to have fallen away before Kitty even arrived. Everyone kept saying how Georgiana had changed just knowing Kitty was coming. Really? Where was the transition? I couldn’t tell the difference between the girls after a while. Why?

Adam Denney: Rector of Blakewell [The Rectory]: Now, I did like him and this could have been a great story anywhere else. However, your lite cannot shine brightly in the presence of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Really? If you want him to be a hero, he needs his own story.

Darcy: I don’t know who the heck this guy was, but that was NOT Fitzwilliam Darcy. I have NEVER read a JAFF story where Darcy snapped his fingers for a servant. NEVER… EVER!!! That ticked me off royally. His condescending behavior was worse than I’ve ever read for him. How humiliating for a servant to be snapped at and be expected to hop to. And they did. This was Darcy after all. Finger-Snap and servants were at hand. I hated it every time it happened and it happened a lot.

Elizabeth: a dim-bulb to our Lizzy of Longbourn. This was not her story after all.

Jane and Bingley: easy going and just there in the background. Who travels north in December? That accident felt contrived and I didn’t believe it for a second. What? Really?

Pemberley: sounded like a huge mausoleum full of halls, corridors, wings, ghosts seeking revenge, locked rooms that would open at will, swirling mists, hanging curtains, and tapestries. This was NOT Pemberley that we know and love.

Religious element: “Can the power of God defeat the evil or will Pemberley and its occupants be destroyed?” [book description]

Well, of course, there would be a religious element with ghosts to be exorcised. Not that they went full-on head turning with the pea soup [movie reference]. However, they did pray, evoke the power of God and give a half-__ effort at relieving someone in the throes of a trance. It was a mild, milquetoast kind of religious effort which wasn’t even the final relief it should have been. The ending was shocking and I didn’t enjoy it.

Cut/edit/trim/please: Some of the repetitions and excessive prose could have been sacrificed. It felt jagged and jumped about from the Christmas festivities, where everyone was having a great time, to running and screaming through the halls of Pemberley. It just felt wrong. I apologize to the author. This just was not for me.

[Hazel Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me some time to complete this book being distracted by two other books in the middle of it which tells me immediately this one didn't really grab me completely. I did like the idea, I'm always up for a different angle and the idea of ghosts at Pemberley was a good one. I certainly didn't dislike this book but I wasn't disappointed when I had finished it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this Pride and prejudice sequel, Kitty Bennet is invited to live permanently at Pemberley. Unfortunately her presence and Lizzy's condition awaken the spirits that reside in the deserted East Wing.
The tale could have had more of a story, or a shorter length but was interesting enough.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of the someone else pick for me December group read for the Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2016 group
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a real struggle to get finished! The focus of the story is Kitty and when she arrives at Pemberley to live, ghostly things start happening. I quite enjoy paranormal books.... but not this one.

The premise of the story is 'off' for me and couldn't really recover. Historically, two Darcy's were killed at Pemberley by angry villagers for being rakes and rogues.... (seems fair enough to me) and yet these same two Darcy's seem to almost end up as being seen as the victims and that to set them free they must have retribution. What???? Pemberley has been haunted by these two for years and yet has been inhabited just fine till now... but now we are led to believe after one incident it's so dangerous that Pemberley will have to be abandoned?? Really??

The ghostly scenes fail to produce and sense of atmosphere, Kitty is forever screaming and running off and then there is a ridiculous moment where Darcy, Elizabeth, Georgiana and Kitty all climb onto his bed for a talk and the curtains drawn so nothing can hear them speaking!? Noise insulating curtains? From ghosts?

Darcy's character is completely inconsistent... one minute very snobby, the next supposedly hilarious. He just got on my nerves. Kitty and her love interest had the depth of a puddle. Their story made no real sense to me either.

I shouldn't have finished this. I wasn't enjoying it from the start and feel resentful of how long it took to finish.

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Hazel I put this story down in the middle to read an ARC which came my way. This tale was different but it didn't really "grab" me.

Kitty goes to live at Pemberley. She and Georgiana become best friends and decide to explore...especially the East Wing which has been shut off for some time. When Kitty goes off to explore in that area she finds herself being drawn into the abandoned area and then even on the edge of death until she is rescued by Adam King, a rector. (She and the Bingleys met him when their coach was in an accident during their nearing to Pemberley. Bingley stays at the rectory with Jane due to his injuries.) Kitty and King develop an attraction and he is often acting as protector to her.

Elizabeth's pregnancy is suggested to be what has awoken the ghosts but Kitty soon realizes that she is the only one who can communicate with them. They preyed upon some innocent young ladies and were attacked and murdered. Present day descendants of the "murderers" are expected to pay with their lives before the hauntings stop. Darcy refuses to participate when told it must be a Darcy who exacts justice.

So it is that Darcy and his family and friends decide to abandon Pemberley with claims it is "infested" and dangerous to dwell in. So preparations are made to pack up, not only personal belongings but also some furniture, etc. to move into the rectory which, being a large residence and only occupied by the one man and his employees, will suit the temporary need.

Much is made of the dark presence making itself/their selves known and certain estate areas are avoided. We also read much about the attraction between Adam and Kitty. Georgiana blossoms with the support of Kitty and others, i.e., Elizabeth.

Some of the language in this book did not flow smoothly for me. Some editing would help.

[Sandra Gebhard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much religion, not enough story

This is a well written book with an excellent story. However, I think it should have a disclaimer for religious content. It permeates every aspect of the story and takes over at times. It wasn't bad at the beginning, but once the ghosts become the central focus, there's so much religion, you wonder if you didn't stumble into a bible story with Darcy and Elizabeth's names slapped onto a few characters. I would have liked to read more about the ghosts back story or the new characters.

[Barbara Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not Jane Austen it was good. Nice to see what life our characters lead as we watched them ride off in the carriage after the wedding. I enjoyed it, oh Mr. Darcy!