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Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker
Would Pride and Prejudice have been different if Colonel Fitzwilliam had accompanied Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy to Netherfield? What would happen if Mr. Darcy made friends with a mysterious member of the Meryton neighborhood who refuses an introduction but who has a close relationship with the Bennet household?
Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five daughters to Mr. Thomas Bennet has caught the attention of the rich and handsome Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy almost from the moment he laid eyes on her, but when he purposefully misinterprets her families expectation of her marrying well and slights her in a way unknown to those who have always loved Jane Austen 's acclaimed Pride and Prejudice, he must leave forever or make amends. Sulking in the library he determines to leave the place and give her up, but is waylaid by a member of the Meryton neighborhood who claims an intimate acquaintance with the Bennet family and offers up advice on how to win Elizabeth 's heart.
Longbourn 's Unexpected Matchmaker puts a spin on Pride and Prejudice that no one would ever expect as Colonel Fitzwilliam attends Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy to Netherfield, Elizabeth Bennet is witty enough to detect the motives of Mr. Darcy 's long time enemy Lieutenant Wickham and Georgiana Darcy is bold enough to defy her brother and cousin and comes to Meryton in the midst of a storm. Not to mention Caroline Bingley, Lieutenant Wickham and Lady Catherine are all working against our hero and heroine ever finding their own happily ever after.
Re-edited January 2010 - Second Edition
Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five daughters to Mr. Thomas Bennet has caught the attention of the rich and handsome Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy almost from the moment he laid eyes on her, but when he purposefully misinterprets her families expectation of her marrying well and slights her in a way unknown to those who have always loved Jane Austen 's acclaimed Pride and Prejudice, he must leave forever or make amends. Sulking in the library he determines to leave the place and give her up, but is waylaid by a member of the Meryton neighborhood who claims an intimate acquaintance with the Bennet family and offers up advice on how to win Elizabeth 's heart.
Longbourn 's Unexpected Matchmaker puts a spin on Pride and Prejudice that no one would ever expect as Colonel Fitzwilliam attends Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy to Netherfield, Elizabeth Bennet is witty enough to detect the motives of Mr. Darcy 's long time enemy Lieutenant Wickham and Georgiana Darcy is bold enough to defy her brother and cousin and comes to Meryton in the midst of a storm. Not to mention Caroline Bingley, Lieutenant Wickham and Lady Catherine are all working against our hero and heroine ever finding their own happily ever after.
Re-edited January 2010 - Second Edition
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
32 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
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June 3, 2017
June 2017: My Amazon settings are for automatic updates. I noticed recently that this book downloaded again on my device with a new cover and a new author... Ayr Bray. Apparently it was originally published under the author Emma Hox. I went to Amazon and looked it up and sure enough... new cover and all. Just thought I'd let everyone know just in case they saw the new cover and reveal.
“A man with money is no match against a man on a mission.” Doyle Brunson [3.5 stars]
We have a variation that runs parallel to the P&P canon account. Bingley and Darcy have arrived at Netherfield; however, our dear Colonel Fitzwilliam has also arrived with them. He had business with Colonel Forster assisting him with the arrival of the militia at their new quarters in Meryton. Those of us familiar with the story know who else will arrive with the militia. But, I am getting ahead of myself.
With the addition of Colonel Fitzwilliam at the Meryton Assembly, we now have a jocular Bingley as well as the jovial Colonel providing ample men to dance with those ladies against the wall. Poor Darcy now had double trouble as both attempted to get him to dance. It was at Lucas Lodge when things finally came to a head. Our dear Colonel escorted Darcy to Sir William’s library in order for him to calm down after exchanging words with Miss Elizabeth. It was there that he met the stranger that was a friend to the Bennet family. After they talked they agree to meet and to further their discussion.
The brunt of the story… these two men meeting in secret, talking, playing chess and expounding on things that troubled them. Darcy was given an insight into the Bennet family history, especially the reason the two eldest girls were so different than the rest of their sisters, and he had time to examine his feelings for the second eldest daughter. Throughout this whole encounter, Darcy did not know the gentleman’s name. He was promised a clarification at a later time and was content to wait.
Mr. Collins arrived at Longbourn and we know what he was all about. With his sights solely on Elizabeth, he and Darcy locked horns on more than one occasion. The surprise was Caroline Bingley as she made her thoughts and presence known. Her snide remarks were ever daring as she and sister Hurst secretly plotted and planned their redecorating scheme for Pemberley.
At about 55% the book we received a shock of what she was doing and it was beyond the pale. OMG!! Caroline, what have you done? Bingley went off and suddenly found, and put on, his big boy pants. Wow! Way to go Bingley. I didn’t know you had it in you.
Wickham… that low-life schemer wasn’t as bad as I have seen him in most JAFF. He was simply scheming and attempting to finagle as much money as he could. However, the cost to him was more than he bargained for.
Lady Catherine really went off and big time. She took on the whole family… that was one crazy b-witch and I think Anne got the better end of the deal. Way to go Anne.
Elizabeth and Jane rode the waves of love and the story held a bit of romance between our couples. There were several romantic moments that would melt any heart of stone. Mr. Bennet was adorable as he was enjoying his stay in London, in Darcy’s library, with a book and a drink. He was keeping an eye on his two eldest girls. I really liked him.
The angst just didn’t quite go anywhere. There was danger, but it was handled very quickly and most efficiently. I loved the use of the Army. Way to go Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Everyone was most obliging as they fell all over themselves in love with Elizabeth. Everyone expounded on her beauty, and it became a bit stale after a while. Society was pretty happy when they found out that she and Jane were the nieces of the Gardiners. What??? Everyone loved the Gardiners…???
Lord and Lady Matlock were just precious and I loved them. Poor Lord Matlock had a hard time and I really felt for him. As the head of the family, he had the hard decisions to make and that was a big responsibility. I wanted to weep with him as the ramifications of his decisions hit home. He had a hard time accepting what had to be done.
Mrs. Bennet was left at home with the younger girls to plan the celebrations. Mr. Bennet had put the kibosh on Lydia in one fell swoop. She didn’t know what hit her. Her blatant disregard to his warning and directions could have been deadly for her sisters. She had no idea what she had done or what she was saying when her father rained all over her, complete with thunder and lightning. She deserved every ounce of his anger and fury. And… she deserved his new commands regarding her freedom, or lack thereof. Even Mrs. Bennet was stunned by his reaction.
This could have been trimmed a bit. We didn’t need to know quite so much about what they were buying when they were shopping. The descriptions of actions were explained, then described, and explained again, and then discussed with the group… that could have been trimmed. However, it was a clean story and I enjoyed it.
“A man with money is no match against a man on a mission.” Doyle Brunson [3.5 stars]
We have a variation that runs parallel to the P&P canon account. Bingley and Darcy have arrived at Netherfield; however, our dear Colonel Fitzwilliam has also arrived with them. He had business with Colonel Forster assisting him with the arrival of the militia at their new quarters in Meryton. Those of us familiar with the story know who else will arrive with the militia. But, I am getting ahead of myself.
With the addition of Colonel Fitzwilliam at the Meryton Assembly, we now have a jocular Bingley as well as the jovial Colonel providing ample men to dance with those ladies against the wall. Poor Darcy now had double trouble as both attempted to get him to dance. It was at Lucas Lodge when things finally came to a head. Our dear Colonel escorted Darcy to Sir William’s library in order for him to calm down after exchanging words with Miss Elizabeth. It was there that he met the stranger that was a friend to the Bennet family. After they talked they agree to meet and to further their discussion.
The brunt of the story… these two men meeting in secret, talking, playing chess and expounding on things that troubled them. Darcy was given an insight into the Bennet family history, especially the reason the two eldest girls were so different than the rest of their sisters, and he had time to examine his feelings for the second eldest daughter. Throughout this whole encounter, Darcy did not know the gentleman’s name. He was promised a clarification at a later time and was content to wait.
Mr. Collins arrived at Longbourn and we know what he was all about. With his sights solely on Elizabeth, he and Darcy locked horns on more than one occasion. The surprise was Caroline Bingley as she made her thoughts and presence known. Her snide remarks were ever daring as she and sister Hurst secretly plotted and planned their redecorating scheme for Pemberley.
At about 55% the book we received a shock of what she was doing and it was beyond the pale. OMG!! Caroline, what have you done? Bingley went off and suddenly found, and put on, his big boy pants. Wow! Way to go Bingley. I didn’t know you had it in you.
Wickham… that low-life schemer wasn’t as bad as I have seen him in most JAFF. He was simply scheming and attempting to finagle as much money as he could. However, the cost to him was more than he bargained for.
Lady Catherine really went off and big time. She took on the whole family… that was one crazy b-witch and I think Anne got the better end of the deal. Way to go Anne.
Elizabeth and Jane rode the waves of love and the story held a bit of romance between our couples. There were several romantic moments that would melt any heart of stone. Mr. Bennet was adorable as he was enjoying his stay in London, in Darcy’s library, with a book and a drink. He was keeping an eye on his two eldest girls. I really liked him.
The angst just didn’t quite go anywhere. There was danger, but it was handled very quickly and most efficiently. I loved the use of the Army. Way to go Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Everyone was most obliging as they fell all over themselves in love with Elizabeth. Everyone expounded on her beauty, and it became a bit stale after a while. Society was pretty happy when they found out that she and Jane were the nieces of the Gardiners. What??? Everyone loved the Gardiners…???
Lord and Lady Matlock were just precious and I loved them. Poor Lord Matlock had a hard time and I really felt for him. As the head of the family, he had the hard decisions to make and that was a big responsibility. I wanted to weep with him as the ramifications of his decisions hit home. He had a hard time accepting what had to be done.
Mrs. Bennet was left at home with the younger girls to plan the celebrations. Mr. Bennet had put the kibosh on Lydia in one fell swoop. She didn’t know what hit her. Her blatant disregard to his warning and directions could have been deadly for her sisters. She had no idea what she had done or what she was saying when her father rained all over her, complete with thunder and lightning. She deserved every ounce of his anger and fury. And… she deserved his new commands regarding her freedom, or lack thereof. Even Mrs. Bennet was stunned by his reaction.
This could have been trimmed a bit. We didn’t need to know quite so much about what they were buying when they were shopping. The descriptions of actions were explained, then described, and explained again, and then discussed with the group… that could have been trimmed. However, it was a clean story and I enjoyed it.
April 18, 2019
Delightful, sweet and chaste read. Low to no angst although Wickham, Caroline and Lady Catherine did cause trouble.
In this PnP variation, the Colonel accompanied Darcy and Bingley to Netherfield.
There was delivered no insult to Elizabeth at the assembly as Richard interrupted before the words could be uttered, changing the timeline off canon from this point. Darcy did manage to insult Elizabeth in another manner though and as he retreated to the library, he got a new but anonymous friend. His new friend offered to aid him in restoring him in Elizabeth's good opinion, meeting frequently to discuss the matter.
An understanding between ODC occurred about halfway through the book and the rest was meeting relatives, dealing with the trouble makers and wedding preparations.
Deducted a star as it occasionally dragged and was a tad on the sweet side for my liking.
Enjoyable read.
In this PnP variation, the Colonel accompanied Darcy and Bingley to Netherfield.
There was delivered no insult to Elizabeth at the assembly as Richard interrupted before the words could be uttered, changing the timeline off canon from this point. Darcy did manage to insult Elizabeth in another manner though and as he retreated to the library, he got a new but anonymous friend. His new friend offered to aid him in restoring him in Elizabeth's good opinion, meeting frequently to discuss the matter.
An understanding between ODC occurred about halfway through the book and the rest was meeting relatives, dealing with the trouble makers and wedding preparations.
Deducted a star as it occasionally dragged and was a tad on the sweet side for my liking.
Enjoyable read.
Read
October 29, 2020Let me start off by saying, that what I read, I read with a smile on my face. And it wasn't a smile of derision. Something about Lizzy and Darcy happy together just makes me smile.
That said, I couldn't finish this book. I got about halfway before deciding that the tedious dialogue and frank conversations between the characters -- all of the characters -- made the book essentially unreadable (at least for me). There's complete honesty between Lizzy and Darcy, a commendable quality in a relationship, but one that makes for a bad book.
Another problem I have with this book, and perhaps the more serious problem, is that in the original P&P, both Lizzy and Darcy have some maturing to do in order to become the people who are so very well-suited for each other (and that they were the ones who challenged each other to do it after Darcy's original proposal). This book starts with the events of page 1 of Austen's original, but casts the Darcy and Lizzy from p 368 in them. They are already the people they need to be to live happily ever after, and while so far the author hasn't made them do anything out of character for their future selves, it still doesn't work for me.
****Update****
It's really really hard for me not to finish a book, so I picked this one up again this afternoon to try to get through some more. After making it through some 80% of the book now, I am still unable to finish it, but it has also occurred to me that this is in part because the author seems to be unable to allow any of her characters to suffer more than a moment's discomfort, which seriously impairs my enjoyment in reading this story. Granted, Lord Matlock has a bad time of it at one point, but the troubles for almost everybody else rarely survive the advent of the next paragraph.
That said, I couldn't finish this book. I got about halfway before deciding that the tedious dialogue and frank conversations between the characters -- all of the characters -- made the book essentially unreadable (at least for me). There's complete honesty between Lizzy and Darcy, a commendable quality in a relationship, but one that makes for a bad book.
Another problem I have with this book, and perhaps the more serious problem, is that in the original P&P, both Lizzy and Darcy have some maturing to do in order to become the people who are so very well-suited for each other (and that they were the ones who challenged each other to do it after Darcy's original proposal). This book starts with the events of page 1 of Austen's original, but casts the Darcy and Lizzy from p 368 in them. They are already the people they need to be to live happily ever after, and while so far the author hasn't made them do anything out of character for their future selves, it still doesn't work for me.
****Update****
It's really really hard for me not to finish a book, so I picked this one up again this afternoon to try to get through some more. After making it through some 80% of the book now, I am still unable to finish it, but it has also occurred to me that this is in part because the author seems to be unable to allow any of her characters to suffer more than a moment's discomfort, which seriously impairs my enjoyment in reading this story. Granted, Lord Matlock has a bad time of it at one point, but the troubles for almost everybody else rarely survive the advent of the next paragraph.
March 7, 2016
Please beware that this is the most poorly-edited book of my knowledge. It contains numerous word-pair mixups, bad grammar, punctuation errors, layout errors, the works. But the story is quite good. I hope the author intends to update it with a real editor and re-market it because it deserves that attention.
November 16, 2019
Charming.
June 10, 2016
I liked the general storyline of this book, where guides him along the path to winning Elizabeth's affections. However, the whole thing was marred by tedious, wooden, unnatural dialogue. All hellos and goodbyes are unnecessarily detailed, and the dialogue often repeated what was just mentioned in the narrative. (Elizabeth decided to tell Jane the story. "Jane, I'm going to tell you the story." That's not a quote, but you get the idea.) The conflicts all resolve very quickly and mostly through coincidental occurrences--people happen to hear/find things or be in the right place at the right time, and we're never really given time to fear for Darcy and Elizabeth's happiness. I don't think either of them are ever directly impacted at all. Also, the last 1/3 of the book pretty much revolved around the day-to-day of wedding planning and prep and had no conflict at all.
The audiobook was well done, and the narrator did the best she could at making the dialogue she had sound good. Reading in that format definitely did highlight the dialogue issues, and I might have been able to ignore them a little better if I'd been able to visually skim instead.
The audiobook was well done, and the narrator did the best she could at making the dialogue she had sound good. Reading in that format definitely did highlight the dialogue issues, and I might have been able to ignore them a little better if I'd been able to visually skim instead.
April 17, 2019
Will Darcy and Lizzy marry with Lady Cat at her worse?
Starts with an unlikely premise. Can Mr. Bennet engineer a love match after manipulating Darcy? Not likely with the standard arrogant, proud Darcy. But perhaps he can.
After the start this is an interesting, fun read.
I recommend the book.
Starts with an unlikely premise. Can Mr. Bennet engineer a love match after manipulating Darcy? Not likely with the standard arrogant, proud Darcy. But perhaps he can.
After the start this is an interesting, fun read.
I recommend the book.
April 6, 2025
Review Published at:
https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...
Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker shifts the Pride and Prejudice storyline early on when Colonel Fitzwilliam travels to Netherfield with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. However, the real twist comes when Mr. Bennet secretly takes on the role of matchmaker. Seeing Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet quietly offers advice on how to win her heart, all while hiding his true identity. When Darcy finally discovers that his secret ally is none other than Mr. Bennet, the revelation leads to a humorous and heartwarming moment that brings them all closer together in one of my favorite relationships of the book.
Unlike the original tale, there’s minimal tension between Darcy and Elizabeth, there is no pride, no prejudice and no misunderstandings, just a sweet romance. However, the absence of conflict made the story feel less engaging for me because there really wasn’t anything else I was looking forward to in the book.
Despite the interesting plot twist, Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker also felt overly long, partly due to repetitive dialogue. For instance, when Lydia uncovers a significant piece of information, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet decide that Darcy, Georgiana, and Elizabeth should travel to London. This decision is communicated multiple times, first by Mr. Bennet to Elizabeth, then by Darcy to Georgiana, and finally, Darcy recounts it to Bingley. Since the reader is already aware of this decision from the initial discussion, these repetitions feel redundant. While it’s great that much of the story is conveyed through dialogue, it tended to slow down the narrative, making it less engaging. In my opinion more concise exchanges in scenes like these would help maintain the momentum and keep the plot moving forward.
The relationship between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet in this story was truly unique, interesting, and wonderfully unexpected. It felt as though Darcy had found a father-like figure in Mr. Bennet, someone who guided him with wisdom and tact. At the same time, Mr. Bennet seemed to discover the son he never had, forming a bond that was both heartwarming and refreshing. Their connection added a rich layer to the story, and I loved it.
Overall, Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker is an intriguing read with a humorous and unexpected plot twist. However, the lack of tension and repetitive dialogue slows the pacing, making the story feel longer than necessary. While the sweet romance and the bond between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet adds depth to the story, I didn’t find myself fully engaged and cannot recommend it.
https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...
Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker shifts the Pride and Prejudice storyline early on when Colonel Fitzwilliam travels to Netherfield with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. However, the real twist comes when Mr. Bennet secretly takes on the role of matchmaker. Seeing Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet quietly offers advice on how to win her heart, all while hiding his true identity. When Darcy finally discovers that his secret ally is none other than Mr. Bennet, the revelation leads to a humorous and heartwarming moment that brings them all closer together in one of my favorite relationships of the book.
Unlike the original tale, there’s minimal tension between Darcy and Elizabeth, there is no pride, no prejudice and no misunderstandings, just a sweet romance. However, the absence of conflict made the story feel less engaging for me because there really wasn’t anything else I was looking forward to in the book.
Despite the interesting plot twist, Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker also felt overly long, partly due to repetitive dialogue. For instance, when Lydia uncovers a significant piece of information, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet decide that Darcy, Georgiana, and Elizabeth should travel to London. This decision is communicated multiple times, first by Mr. Bennet to Elizabeth, then by Darcy to Georgiana, and finally, Darcy recounts it to Bingley. Since the reader is already aware of this decision from the initial discussion, these repetitions feel redundant. While it’s great that much of the story is conveyed through dialogue, it tended to slow down the narrative, making it less engaging. In my opinion more concise exchanges in scenes like these would help maintain the momentum and keep the plot moving forward.
The relationship between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet in this story was truly unique, interesting, and wonderfully unexpected. It felt as though Darcy had found a father-like figure in Mr. Bennet, someone who guided him with wisdom and tact. At the same time, Mr. Bennet seemed to discover the son he never had, forming a bond that was both heartwarming and refreshing. Their connection added a rich layer to the story, and I loved it.
Overall, Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker is an intriguing read with a humorous and unexpected plot twist. However, the lack of tension and repetitive dialogue slows the pacing, making the story feel longer than necessary. While the sweet romance and the bond between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet adds depth to the story, I didn’t find myself fully engaged and cannot recommend it.
April 11, 2016
Many faults could be found with this variation, but were easily overlooked due to my immense soft spot for Mr. Bennet and his wit. However, I do have to say that the author was too generous regarding Mrs. Bennet's perceived character. The fate of Caroline Bingley, Mr. Wickam, and Mrs. de Bourgh was completely deserved and thoroughly enjoyed!
October 11, 2013
This is one of my favorite fanfiction books ever written!! I go back and read it from time to time!
August 30, 2013
"Be careful what you wish for," the old saying goes, and in this instance I have to say that is exactly what this book proves quite decisively. Often in the past I have bemoaned the fact that there are too many misunderstandings, and with just a few simple words the characters in the book would understand each other and everything would work out. But I've realized that those misunderstandings are often what create such perfect conflict and make the story interesting.
Now to this book. I was really intrigued by the subject of Mr. Bennet's matchmaking, and the book started out well enough. But soon it got bogged down by too much information. Characters repeat themselves way too often and spill their guts at the slightest provocation. Lifelong secrets are revealed with little prodding even when done so by virtual strangers. And after a fairly decent first half that had me thinking about perhaps rating it 3 1/2 stars it is lucky I didn't go down to one by the second half, which became boring in the extreme.
After this is all sweetness and rainbows. There are villains, but stupid ones that tell their hero counterparts all their plans so they can be instantly foiled. So after this the only thing that the rest of the story gave me was boring fillers. Lots of rushing to each other and fluttering hearts and heavy breaths. Too many details about finances and about how much money the Bennet daughters will receive as dowries and pin money once they are married. Every single penny is explained and gushed about with amazement. Another thing is there is too much discussion of shopping and purchases. I’m usually one who loves shopping and description of finery, but in this book it went on and on for chapters. It got to the point that I was either wishing to skip ahead because it was too boring or rolling my eyes at the sappy romantic scenes.
In the original Darcy was proud and disagreeable and only changed because of his love for Elizabeth. Not so in this story. Darcy and Elizabeth are perfect and without flaws. There is no conflict, and even their original misunderstanding was quickly fixed, and they were left gazing into each others eyes and trying to outdo each other in their professions of love.
I'm glad that I read the book though because it really made me appreciate conflict in novels, and I'll remember the next time I am complaining about it.
Now to this book. I was really intrigued by the subject of Mr. Bennet's matchmaking, and the book started out well enough. But soon it got bogged down by too much information. Characters repeat themselves way too often and spill their guts at the slightest provocation. Lifelong secrets are revealed with little prodding even when done so by virtual strangers. And after a fairly decent first half that had me thinking about perhaps rating it 3 1/2 stars it is lucky I didn't go down to one by the second half, which became boring in the extreme.
After this is all sweetness and rainbows. There are villains, but stupid ones that tell their hero counterparts all their plans so they can be instantly foiled. So after this the only thing that the rest of the story gave me was boring fillers. Lots of rushing to each other and fluttering hearts and heavy breaths. Too many details about finances and about how much money the Bennet daughters will receive as dowries and pin money once they are married. Every single penny is explained and gushed about with amazement. Another thing is there is too much discussion of shopping and purchases. I’m usually one who loves shopping and description of finery, but in this book it went on and on for chapters. It got to the point that I was either wishing to skip ahead because it was too boring or rolling my eyes at the sappy romantic scenes.
In the original Darcy was proud and disagreeable and only changed because of his love for Elizabeth. Not so in this story. Darcy and Elizabeth are perfect and without flaws. There is no conflict, and even their original misunderstanding was quickly fixed, and they were left gazing into each others eyes and trying to outdo each other in their professions of love.
I'm glad that I read the book though because it really made me appreciate conflict in novels, and I'll remember the next time I am complaining about it.
February 13, 2010
Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker takes Jane Austen's acclaimed novel Pride and Prejudice and puts a spin on it from chapter one. It must be different because Colonel Fitzwilliam is also a friend of My. Bingley's and comes to Netherfield at Michaelmas.
Darcy slights Elizabeth in an all new way, falls in love sooner, is determined to give her up and leave the place, runs into a mysterious friend and then takes the time to learn about the Bennet family and not judge them so quickly.
The result is a courtship that no one expects with discussions in unlikely places, friendships no one would ever have considered and an event near the end that will shock you.
There are unlikely characters conspiring together and an added element to the ever popular double wedding.
Be sure to read this great Pride and Prejudice adaptation. You are sure to love it.
Darcy slights Elizabeth in an all new way, falls in love sooner, is determined to give her up and leave the place, runs into a mysterious friend and then takes the time to learn about the Bennet family and not judge them so quickly.
The result is a courtship that no one expects with discussions in unlikely places, friendships no one would ever have considered and an event near the end that will shock you.
There are unlikely characters conspiring together and an added element to the ever popular double wedding.
Be sure to read this great Pride and Prejudice adaptation. You are sure to love it.
February 12, 2019
Funny and romantic
I really enjoyed this book, no angst, lots of love, enchanting quirks, the baddies get what they deserve, and the matchmaker is great, aside from unexpected.
A great pick me up!
I really enjoyed this book, no angst, lots of love, enchanting quirks, the baddies get what they deserve, and the matchmaker is great, aside from unexpected.
A great pick me up!
April 15, 2010
I read Pride & Prejudice for the first time in anticipation of reading this adaptation. To be honest, it was a bit of a struggle to get through. It took me some time to get used to the language of the period and it really didn't help that the edition I was reading had quite small print. I found I was only able to read a chapter or so at a time before taking a break. So when I discovered Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker was written in the language of Austen's time, I had to suppress a groan. Thankfully, I had either read enough Austen to familiarize myself with the language or Hox updated it just enough to make it a lot easier for me to read than the original.
I greatly enjoyed Hox's take on Pride & Prejudice. While the characters are familiar and the book starts out following the events of Pride & Prejudice quite closely, Hox definitely provides her own take on the classic. It is when events begin to veer from the original story, that Hox really comes into her own as a writer. In Pride & Prejudice, the characters are so tied up in the conventions and rules of their time that I didn't really feel I got to know them as individuals. I honestly didn't see the appeal of Mr. Darcy when I finished reading the story. While reading Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker, I was able to see the spirit of Elizabeth as she was released from some of the conventions of society. I got to know Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet much more intimately and found them both very likable characters. The family of characters expands as we meet more of the London relatives but also shrinks as we hear less of Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, and the three younger sisters. While Wickham and Lady Catherine appear in the story, they have different roles and are even more intent upon bringing ruin to the Darcys. I also felt there was more activity and conversation in Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker while Pride & Prejudice seemed to be filled with long descriptive passages.
I am certainly no expert on Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice, or Austen adaptations but I thoroughly enjoyed Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker.
I greatly enjoyed Hox's take on Pride & Prejudice. While the characters are familiar and the book starts out following the events of Pride & Prejudice quite closely, Hox definitely provides her own take on the classic. It is when events begin to veer from the original story, that Hox really comes into her own as a writer. In Pride & Prejudice, the characters are so tied up in the conventions and rules of their time that I didn't really feel I got to know them as individuals. I honestly didn't see the appeal of Mr. Darcy when I finished reading the story. While reading Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker, I was able to see the spirit of Elizabeth as she was released from some of the conventions of society. I got to know Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet much more intimately and found them both very likable characters. The family of characters expands as we meet more of the London relatives but also shrinks as we hear less of Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, and the three younger sisters. While Wickham and Lady Catherine appear in the story, they have different roles and are even more intent upon bringing ruin to the Darcys. I also felt there was more activity and conversation in Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker while Pride & Prejudice seemed to be filled with long descriptive passages.
I am certainly no expert on Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice, or Austen adaptations but I thoroughly enjoyed Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker.
March 25, 2011
Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker is a P&P variation - it starts at the same point as the original novel but then diverges from the original plot for a number of reasons. Overall I did enjoy it; it's a frothy feel-good sort of book that kept me smiling. Poetic justic was handed out in spades to the villains of the piece - although I'm not quite sure that her brother, even as a belted Earl, would have been able to manage what actually happens to Lady Catherine, but it's a nice thought!
I suppose on the downside you could say that all potential sources of conflict are resolved rather too quickly and easily. I'm still not entirely convinced about Lizzy sitting and singing in trees either!
It also could have done with some better editing. The typesetting was odd as there were sometimes unecessarily large gaps between words. The bookseller at Meryton was named one thing one minute and something else a few pages on which threw me for a minute. There were also errors and inconsistancies in title usage: Sir William Lucas was referred to both as Sir William (correctly) and Sir Lucas (no-no).
I would have thought higher of Darcy's intelligence though - surely he should have figured out who Mr Bennet was?!
I suppose on the downside you could say that all potential sources of conflict are resolved rather too quickly and easily. I'm still not entirely convinced about Lizzy sitting and singing in trees either!
It also could have done with some better editing. The typesetting was odd as there were sometimes unecessarily large gaps between words. The bookseller at Meryton was named one thing one minute and something else a few pages on which threw me for a minute. There were also errors and inconsistancies in title usage: Sir William Lucas was referred to both as Sir William (correctly) and Sir Lucas (no-no).
I would have thought higher of Darcy's intelligence though - surely he should have figured out who Mr Bennet was?!
February 19, 2015
What if Mr Darcy was friends with Mr Bennett but he didn't know it was Mr Bennett... will Lizzy's father help Darcy to understand why Lizzy's family is the way she is, will he help him to succumb to his feelings for Lizzy instead of letting her lack of connections or family to make him run away... They become good friends and all Darcy knows of Mr Bennett is that is a good friend of the family, what will happen when Darcy learns its Elizabeths father?? By the time he does Lizzy is as good in love with Darcy as she ever thought she would be.. but what about Darcy?? Perhaps not realistic that Darcy would speak to man repeatedly without a proper introduction... I felt Elizabeths character differed from what we image her to be and their love story too easy...And the writing style is a bit strange..Not that it was immature but he said she said before each quote and speaking to yourself in the first person was vexing.
June 17, 2012
I loved the use of Mr. Bennet in this story! I also really enjoyed the development of Lizzy and Darcy's relationship, but
February 9, 2010
So this is a book with a different take on the Pride and Prejudice story which I love. At first a lot of the things were really similar to the original book just told from the eyes of a different character and as such we were able to see things that we didn't know about before. I enjoyed this book - it made me want to read Pride and Prejudice again. I at first had a hard time not comparing this book to the original, but as the books took a different turn at the end I really enjoyed it. This book gave more insight to the mysterious Darcy and why he acted the way he did. It gave him more emotion. Thanks! It was a good, clean book and fun to read. Thanks for letting me win this on goodreads. I look forward to future books by Emma Hox.
May 12, 2011
This book was a wonderful read. Everything you'd want it to be. I enjoyed this variation of P&P so much. Mr. Bennet as a very in charge father. Col. Fitzwilliam is fun also, he goes to Netherfield with Bingley and Darcy...what unexpected things happen while he's there? The wit and dialog explain so many things - the entail, family lineage, actions and reactions. I am so sorry it took me so long to get to this book. Lady Cat gets her just desserts as well as Wickham. I'd highly recommend this read to fanfic lovers. Anne comes out of her shell just in the nick of time. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are examined and found to be so loving, intuitive, kind and wealthy. Wealth also from an unexpected source.
February 26, 2011
The fist half of this book, I wanted to give 5 stars, as I was constantly laughing out loud as well as exclaiming on how much I loved this version of P&P. However, as soon as the Bennet Girls went to London, my assessment went to 2 Stars. The second half of the book seemed rushed, and rather stilted. The second half was all too 'shiny, happy people' for me.
Having Mr Bennet be an 'unknown' to Darcy, and his helping Darcy learn more about Elizabeth and their courtship was a very nice touch. I could imagine that Elizabeth would be a tree climber, though I imagine it would have been rather difficult in long dresses.
If only the book kept with the tone of the first half, this book would have been a winner!
Having Mr Bennet be an 'unknown' to Darcy, and his helping Darcy learn more about Elizabeth and their courtship was a very nice touch. I could imagine that Elizabeth would be a tree climber, though I imagine it would have been rather difficult in long dresses.
If only the book kept with the tone of the first half, this book would have been a winner!
April 12, 2015
This books has a rather voyeristic view on the romance of Elizabeth & Darcy an aspect only embeded by the role of the Matchmaker. This, in turn lends an unlikely air to the story as it pre-supposes the character response and takes the grist of having the protagonist sort out their own love life. I must admit I did like the fate of Carolyn Bingley. The issue of having Liza go to London & mix socially showed how social barriers of the day were open for challenge. Not a bad book, however once read soon forgotten. Hated the ending - too too too sickly sweet... A marriage is not about the wedding it's about life & how the complementary characters contend to enable a firm outcome.
January 4, 2012
I was disappointed with the style of writing and lack of material change when I first started this book. It felt as though a lot of the text was either taken directly from the original or re-ordered slightly.
I'm glad I decided to stick with it. At the halfway mark the pace started to pick up and there was a more prominent display of original writing. The second half was thoroughly enjoyable.
I'd highly recommend this book to fans of Austen sequels and re-writes, though I would warn them of the first half.
I'm glad I decided to stick with it. At the halfway mark the pace started to pick up and there was a more prominent display of original writing. The second half was thoroughly enjoyable.
I'd highly recommend this book to fans of Austen sequels and re-writes, though I would warn them of the first half.
March 7, 2010
This retelling of Pride and Prejudice was an enjoyable read. Imagine a Pride and Prejudice where nothing goes wrong. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are free to fall in love without all the distractions. Okay, there were a few complications, but they were usually quickly resolved and we could get back to the developing love story.
This was a fun read. My copy still has a lot of editing issues, but hopefully they'll get those straightened out.
This was a fun read. My copy still has a lot of editing issues, but hopefully they'll get those straightened out.
June 14, 2017
4.5 stars
It was a very well written book, mostly focused on D&E relationship and Darcy and Mr Bennet's friendship. I enjoyed them both very much. There were a lot of interactions, and they made the majority of the book.
My main complaint is that the villains were dealt with too quickly, and there were too many quotes from P&P. But the original scenes were excellent.
Highly recommended for readers who look for a relationship, not plot driven book.
It was a very well written book, mostly focused on D&E relationship and Darcy and Mr Bennet's friendship. I enjoyed them both very much. There were a lot of interactions, and they made the majority of the book.
My main complaint is that the villains were dealt with too quickly, and there were too many quotes from P&P. But the original scenes were excellent.
Highly recommended for readers who look for a relationship, not plot driven book.
March 20, 2010
I really enjoyed this book, and the author's presentation of Mr. Bennet. It caught me off guard that this book didn't follow the Pride and Prejudice storyline exactly, and I kept waiting for things to happen that didn't. However, this was definitely made up for by all the things that did happen - novel ideas that were a fresh new twist to a favorite story. Hope Emma Hox writes more. :)
November 5, 2010
I like Mr. Bennett much more in this version of Pride and Prejudice. The whole story is lovely. Elizabeth and Darcy get together much sooner and it really feels like a love match - doesn't just seem to pretend to be as in the original. Lady Catherine De Bourgh gets her just dues and Wickham too. This is an especially happily ever after version of the story.
February 8, 2010
This book will be launching April 15, 2010...but I got to read it early...the benefits of being a book publicist! I love the cover and it drew me into a story that will enchant and feel satisfying to anyone who is a Jane Austen fan. Emma Hox is a brilliant debut novelist!
December 30, 2014
A sweet for those who love Jane Austen Fan Fiction. Some things didn't sit well with me but for the most part it was enjoyable. Loved that Caroline, Wickham and Lady Catherine got what they deserved. I loved Mr Bennett in this version.
April 30, 2010
I am a huge Pride and Prejudice fan.. This book was a new twist from a fresh new voice. I loved this novel and I hope to hear more from this author..
June 6, 2011
One of the most fun & original adaptations I've read so far. Just made me happy to read it.
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