Will her brother’s opinion keep her from finding true love?The Bennet ladies are all eager anticipation. Netherfield has been let at last! And joy of all joys, it has been leased to a single young gentleman of good fortune! To Elizabeth’s delight, the new neighbor has not come alone but has brought with him a handsome friend. With any luck, if this gentleman proves to be more than just handsome, it will not only be Jane who finds a husband.Fitzwilliam Darcy has heard many times over the past weeks about the fabled beauties of Longbourn from his friend who is leasing the estate next door. However, he is not prepared for just how unexaggerated those claims are when he meets two of the ladies from Longbourn and their brother while on a ride.While Darcy and Elizabeth would like to get to know more about each other, Elizabeth’s brother is not as favourably inclined to the match. He knows a secret, and, unless he can learn to trust that anyone could ever be worthy of his beloved sister, his censure may just be the thing that keeps them apart forever.Assessing Mr. Darcy is the first novel-length addition to Leenie Brown's Dash of Darcy and Companions Collection of Pride and Prejudice inspired stories. If you like well-written sweet romance featuring strong family ties and unbending devotion, then you will enjoy this story about love persevering through pain and triumphing over familial prejudice.So, put the kettle on, grab your copy of Assessing Mr. Darcy, and slip into a world of sweet and endearing romantic indulgence today.
Leenie Brown has always been a girl with an active imagination, which, while growing up, was both an asset, providing many hours of fun as she played out stories, and a liability, when her older sister and aunt would tell her frightening tales. At one time, they had her convinced Dracula lived in the trunk at the end of the bed she slept in when visiting her grandparents!
Although it has been years since she cowered in her bed in her grandparents’ basement, she still has an imagination which occasionally runs away with her, and she feeds it now as she did then ─ by reading!
Her heroes, when growing up, were authors, and the worlds they painted with words were (and still are) her favourite playgrounds! Now, as an adult, she spends much of her time in the Regency world, playing with the characters from her favourite Jane Austen novels and those of her own creation.
When she is not traipsing down a trail in an attempt to keep up with her imagination, Leenie resides in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia with her two sons and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley, and Edmund with a healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tilney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).
William Collins was orphaned as a child and came to live with the Bennets, his closest relatives. He found a warm home there, and he was formally adopted, becoming William Bennet. He and Elizabeth have an especially strong brother-sister-type relationship. We're still talking about the man who would otherwise become Jane Austen's Mr. Collins, so he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer even though his life has taken a different trajectory. He means well, but he is extremely protective of his sisters and a bit bull-headed.
Netherfield is let at last! The unmarried Bennet sisters are a-twitter over the news that an eligible bachelor has taken the lease. Bingley and Darcy are no less eager to get a look at the reputedly beautiful Bennet sisters. William convinces Jane and Elizabeth that, as a man, he would have access to information about potential suitors that they would not, and he must approve of a gentleman wishing to marry either of them. While that sounds great in theory, it doesn't work so well when Elizabeth and Darcy are immediately attracted to each other but William does not trust him.
It's an interesting twist, with the pride and prejudice in the story mostly exhibited by William rather than by Darcy or Elizabeth. Caroline isn't quite as evil here, and she even becomes reasonable by the story's end. It's a clean, sweet story, as are all the novellas that I've read in this collection.
I received an ARC from the author with no promise of a review, favorable or otherwise.
Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. ~ Vietnamese Proverb
In a review of another story (Master of Longbourn) from this same author, I wished the attractive Mr. Collins had changed his name to Bennet when he inherited the estate.
In this story, I get my wish!
William Collins had been sent to live with the Bennet family after his natural father died when William was ten years old. As he came to know and love the Bennets, he asked to be known as William Bennet. He grew to adulthood as a well-loved older brother for the Bennet sisters and a beloved son to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Family dynamics are changed by the addition.
There’s no other love like the love for a brother. There’s no other love like the love from a brother. ~ Terri Guillemets
The new Mr. Bennet has a particularly strong attachment to his second sister Elizabeth (think of young Fanny Price and her cousin Edmund Bertram). This time, William is the one who credits unsubstantiated rumors. Then a romance begins with a man he cannot approve. What is a protective older brother to do?
I enjoyed this quick, clean romance although I usually prefer a little more angst. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys JAFF.
The author gifted me an ARC of this book with no promise of a review, favorable or otherwise.
A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams. ~ Author Unknown
Book 16 in the Dash of Darcy and Companions Collection: Rating: clean, quick read at 16 chapters. Ends at 91% with an excerpt from ‘Confounding Caroline’ and several pages of author information. I read this in one sitting.
“My brother has been, and will always be, my closest friend.” –GRiZ
Elizabeth Bennet has a brother, William Collins Bennet. Mr. Bennet’s cousin, the elder Mr. Collins, died and his 10-year-old son, who was the heir, was sent to live at Longbourn. After six months, William requested to take the Bennet name. He grew up accepting Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as his parents and their five daughters as his sisters. The relationship between little Lizzy and William was especially close.
Fast forward, and Netherfield has been let at last. How would our P&P story differ if the Bennet girls had a brother? A brother who believed Wickham’s lies and tales of woe. This was a fantastic story. I loved the brother-sister relationship between William and Lizzy. They were so close and were such good friends. I had to force myself to concentrate because I had a hard time wrapping my thoughts around this being the former toad… em… Mr. Collins.
There were lots of changes in the dynamics within the Bennet family. Due to the influence of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, William turned out to be a completely different person. They accepted him gladly into their family and he grew up under their influence and love. Mr. Bennet now had help on the estate, the girls had the protection of an elder brother with opinions on their safety, and Mrs. Bennet didn’t fret as much. Not to be outdone, she still worried about the hedgerows should something happen to William before she could get the girls married.
Since the story moved at a fast pace, things were resolved relatively quickly, including our love story. Some things happened off the page and we learned about them through the telling of the incident. Lots of people were mentioned but, again, it happened off the page or only appeared on the last few pages. There wasn’t an epilogue so I don’t know what happened to certain people. There was minimal angst for those who don’t like a lot of angst. However, it did get a bit rough when things went downhill and threatened the HEA of ODC [our-dear-couple]. We were presented with the stubborn side to Elizabeth’s overprotective brother. It was a creative bent to the storyline I’ve not seen before. I’m wondering if there will be another story to follow this one. It wasn’t a cliffhanger, it ended smoothly with the potential for a story with ‘brother William’ and his HEA and that of the sisters still at home.
I volunteered to read an ARC [advanced reader copy] with no expectations of a review. The views expressed are my own. I loved it.
Having a brother (even if not a real brother) makes a lot of difference in the lives of the Bennet ladies. A highly recommended read, entertaining and well written.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. This story ended at 92% on my Kindle and then we are given an excerpt from another story.
In this variation William Collins lost his father at age 10 and showed up on the Bennets' doorstep as he had no where else to go and as he was the heir to Longbourn. The Bennets embrace him fully and he is called "brother" and takes the surname "Bennet" for his own. Elizabeth, as a young girl, follows him around, pestering him, etc. but she also becomes his favorite of the sisters.
So it is when Bingley and Darcy show up at Netherfield and begin to show an interest in Jane and Elizabeth, William Bennet takes on the duty to "assess" both men as to their worthiness to court and/or marry any of his sisters. It seems that somehow William heard about the ill treatment of Darcy's father's godson & the disregarding of a will. Then he further witnesses Darcy's foul humor when he slips and injures his ankle and disregards Elizabeth's advice concerning how to care for that. For William this only confirms that the man is not one of honor; he has disrespected Elizabeth...enough said.
So Darcy (as well as Bingley) have more than just their lady's hand to win. More than one person herein is found to be stubborn and that once a person has lost their regard it is seemingly lost forever.
Mr. Collins comes to live with the Bennets at age 10 when his father dies. They are his only relatives and he is the heir.
Having grown up with the sisters he takes the place of a brother. He is still intellectually challenged and a stubborn kind of fellow but since he missed out on a lot of his father’s abuse and had the love and caring of the Bennets, he has turned out well and is part of the family.
Unique take on Pride and Prejudice where Mr Collins has been brought up as the Bennet sisters brother. Loved the relationship between William and Elizabeth, bickering like brother and sister, indeed... Made me snicker and grin. Another enjoyable relationship was that between Darcy and Bingley. Bingley was not a push over in this story and he was not afraid of making fun to the expense of the stoic Mr Darcy either. In fact, I really liked how all the characters in this story was portrayed. Not faultless but their faults was mostly endearing.
The Netherfield party arrived and tender feelings evolved almost instantly. William Bennet (nee Collins), was sceptical of Mr Darcy, and by association his friend, due to some rumours he had heard. He was giving him the benefit of the doubt until Mr Darcy was rude to Elizabeth which made his resolve against him into an immovable dislike. In the end, the question that remained was if you should abide to your family's rules even when they are proven utterly wrong or follow your own inclination. Elizabeth was never in doubt, Darcy however saw it from another angle. William redeemed himself nicely in the end, though my good opinion once lost... I have a much older brother in real life, he is thankfully not the meddling kind, (God bless him) and he will not be substituted with "Mr Collins" anytime soon... Although Williams protectiveness was adorable. It was fun and interesting to see what could have happened if the Bennet sisters had a brother.
Ends a little abruptly, no epilogue although Caroline managed to throw in a surprise twist (love surprises) and there is a hint of a romance to come... As this is "A dash of Darcy " story, I expect a companion story, who will answer any questions, will follow.
I loved this story lime a story where the bennets have a son. Loved Derby in this book glad Wickham was off screen in this book, and no slip ment. Would have loved an epilogue!
I'm going to be honest. This book should be a 3 star rating and that's what it would have gotten if not for the for the fact that the author wrote an AU premise that I never read before. And I've read a lot of P&P AU/sequel/prequel/etc novels and even more fanfiction. Yes I'm that kind of nerd. So yeah plotwise and characters wise...3 stars.
What made me bump that up to 4? Mr Collins was adopted by the Bennet family when he was 10 and is a brother to the Bennet sisters. For me a turn I'd never read before. Now he might not be the annoying Mr Collins that we all love to hate/ridicule but he's still not perfect. In fact he has some of Lizzy's traits with the Prejudice going on.
I actually liked Mr. Bingley best in this book. He actually showed a spine and put his sister in her place and pushed back against Darcy when he was being unreasonable. Better than his behavior written by Ms. Austen.
The romance felt rushed to me and the younger sisters were underused. A love interest for Mary was mentioned yet that plotpoint was dropped for unneeded drama. Kitty I didn't even notice and Lydia was mostly mentioned.
Still an enjoyable way to spend some time but I am really glad I got this as a freebie and didn't pay for it. That would have been a disappointment.
There was a lot to like in this variation. Our couple got there quickly, maybe too quickly, but it is short. Jane had a bit of a bite to me but is that bad? I would say that I think a lot of clean, sweet romance readers will love this one. If you like angst and conflict, maybe not so much.
I love Ms. Brown's writing style, and this story was very enjoyable. To start, I think the cover of the book sets the tone for the story, and on this one I imagine cousin William to be the handsome man on the cover, which goes a long way toward being able to accept him as a good lead character in this story, instead of the overbearing, aged parson as we know him. I enjoyed having his story woven into the family history as he grew up with the Bennets. The characters are more verabally open. I loved that both Charles and Mr. Darcy set Caroline Bingley straight regarding her aspirations of becoming Mrs. Darcy. I wanted to applaud! Mr. Hurst even has his say in things and we learn him to be of a sensible mind. I enjoyed having the story centered on Jane and Elizabeth, mostly leaving out the younger daughters and Mrs. Bennet. The were only a couple of the Austenisms that we've come to know, but that was okay. It was lively, fun and great variation. I found only three proofreading errors, which helped the read move quickly.
Another low angst reimagining of Elizabeth and Darcy's meeting and romance. This story had an element I've not seen before and thought was delightful. Mr. Collins was orphaned and taken in by the Bennets and even took their name. He is not the dolt we typically see in Collins. Far more enjoyable person. I loved his relationship with Elizabeth. There is also a twist that is different in that it is not Elizabeth that listens to Wickham's lies about Darcy. It changes how Lizzy looks to Darcy from day one. I also liked that Jane was capable of showing anger and Darcy was not afraid of being blunt toward Caroline about her never being the mistress of Pemberley. My one big negative is that I couldn't see the need for the way Darcy and William try to resolve their differences. That part didn't quite make sense to me given that Mr. Bennet had already given his permission. But whatever. I still enjoyed the story. It is a quick read and perfect for when you only have a few hours to get your Darcy fix.
I have enjoyed many versions of Pride and Prejudice the oft retold story of how pride causes problems with people falling in love and that love often overcomes the prejudice. I must admit that it has a strong enough plot to be converted into many different versions. In this retelling Mr. Bennett has adopted a nephew as his parents had died and this would give him a son to leave his estate to upon his death as all he has are four daughters. Mister Bingley is visiting an estate he has purchased accompanied by his friend Mr. Darcy. Yes there is romance and drama and a lot of misunderstanding but all works out well in the end. A good variation of an oft told tale!
In this P&P variation, William Collins, orphan, comes to live at Longbourn as its heir and takes the name of Bennet. he becomes protective of all his cousins but especially Elizabeth. When the Netherfield party arrive, William takes against Darcy and tries to keep him away from Elizabeth as he deems him not worthy. Why does he feel this and how can William's dislike be overcome. An enjoyable story
I really enjoyed this book! The introduction of a new twist on an old character really made the story. This author is very prolific but also, and more importantly, very inventive! I've never read a story by this author that sounded like another. I will happily await the next!
There are times when a book just wraps you into it with the warmth of what is always familiar but telling you a tale that you could never have imagined. I loved this book, and though quickly did the couples find one another, so, too, did it have some of my favorite elements and a wonderful cousin who became the protective older brother of the girls. It was such a pleasure to read!
Low angst journey for ODC in which they fall fast for each other and the only obstacle is a differently presented William Collins, who has lived with the Bennets since being orphaned aged ten. Not taxing, well written and perfectly amiable, although this reader prefers a few more obstacles (I dont know, pride? prejudice?) along the way...
Collins has been with the Bennet family since orphaned at the age of 10. He grew up with the girls as a brother and protects them as such. It is he who first develops a poor opinion of Darcy from the beginning. The book follows Darcy, Elizabeth, and Collins as the relationship between them changes and develops. I particularly liked the end.
Enjoyable story, a few surprises for me, but just wish the author had added in more scenes and more in the conclusion, not just leaving it to the imagination. Guess I always want more.
This is a great book.it has a little bit of everything in it that makes a book great.Laughter suspense intrigue and finally happiness.I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes romance.
I like that Mr Collins isn't as he was in the original P&P,that was an interesting twist. The rest of the characters are true to the original. It was a tad corny, but, as with this genre it's expected.
Status: unread *** Received an Advance Reader Copy/Gift from author - provided with no expectation of, or promise of a review (favourable or otherwise). ***
I was in a bit of a book slump when I reached for this one in desperation, it caught me on page one and held me fast until the end. I love a devoted Darcy and a clever loving Lizzy. And I really enjoyed this William.
This story could have been a much better story if more time was spend on the development of the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. I liked the way that they brother was introduced to the story. Rather unique and plausible.
I loved this variation and how Leenie Brown wrote William Bennet in this variation. The relationship between him and Elizabeth was really fun and I enjoyed reading about them teasing one another and the sibling relationship they had developed. I also really liked the Mr. Bingley in this variation and how he stood up to Darcy and wasn't as reluctant as he is in other variations to tell Darcy when he thought he knew better. All the characters were so well written and the story was so fun. I would love to read more of this story and about what happens next and would have liked more of an epilogue about what happens next for all the characters. I look forward to reading more of Leenie Browns wonderful variations in the future.
Such a unique premise on this one. What if Mr Collins was not the despised and ridiculed heir but instead a beloved and protective older brother. He’s set on protecting Lizzy and Jane from unworthy suitors and goes to great lengths to do so. The romance happens quickly in this one but it’s a novella so we don’t have 200 pages to devote to the getting to know you stage. It’s a very entertaining and quick read.
I received a free ebook from the author and a review, favorable or otherwise was not required.