Darcy's Continental Escape in Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2016

Apr 25, 2016 Sheila Majczan rated it liked it

3.5 stars

I followed this as a WIP (work in progress) as the author posted chapters online. I made comments with each chapter but two significant remarks on needed corrections were ignored. One: Elizabeth's older brother's (the heir to Longbourn) name begins as "Adam" and the changes to "Alex” and then back to "Adam" and again to "Alex" in this story. Two: Lady Matlock’s sister, Arabelle, has cook pack a basket of food for the family to take with them as they flee Austria as the French invade. Bu 3.5 stars

I followed this as a WIP (work in progress) as the author posted chapters online. I made comments with each chapter but two significant remarks on needed corrections were ignored. One: Elizabeth's older brother's (the heir to Longbourn) name begins as "Adam" and the changes to "Alex” and then back to "Adam" and again to "Alex" in this story. Two: Lady Matlock’s sister, Arabelle, has cook pack a basket of food for the family to take with them as they flee Austria as the French invade. But then as the ship they take departs the midshipman (or whomever) tells the passengers that they only have water to hand out as they left so quickly there was no time to load provisions. So what happened to that basket? Did they drop it? Did someone wrestle it out of their hands? I do like those little details attended to.

I have read a number of Mel’s stories online and, as one person commented, her stories tend to have a “body count” (good or bad people – doesn’t matter). The author does have a very active and creative imagination. And I have to agree with the one review on Amazon, that she spent an inordinate time giving the history of the Abbey over giving details in other parts of the story. I had the thought while reading it that the man giving the tour must have “photographic memory” as every detail was related…no summarizing the history here.

(One SPOILER detail related in this paragraph.) The story is one in which not only Lady Matlock, her son, Richard, and her nephew, Fitzwilliam Darcy, are fleeing the French invasion of Vienna, Austria, but also among the persons attempting to avoid capture are Elizabeth Bennet and her older brother, Adam/Alex. Tragedy strikes the siblings as they are boarding the ship. The former group steps forth to prevent further tragedy and mayhem and then offers to take Elizabeth with them. Much of the tale from here on out is a description of the difficulties encountered in their flight across Europe among a host of other refugees to escape not only Napoleon’s forces but to also travel back to their homes in England. We read of people helping people, groups realigning their composition, the scrabbling for horses and/or wagons, and the foraging for food. There is even much consultation of maps and inquiries of the locals as to the best and safest routes. Of course, there is a romance.

The return to Longbourn is not without sorrow…and once there blame is being placed for events on certain tender shoulders. Not all at that locale is as it was when Adam/Alex and Elizabeth left and the matron of that establishment is deep into a type of “madness”. But, enough said. If you like stories which use a lot of variation from canon but still give ODC a HEA, you may find this of interest. ...more

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Apr 15, 2016 Erika rated it really liked it

Shelves: jane-austen

A lovely yet danger filled adventure to true love!!

I have read several of Melanie Schertz's P&P variations and have found several that I really like. She tends to have a lot of angst and violence (for ODC) in them, though my favorites are where there is less killing. I am not so squeamish that I can't handle it, but I sometimes feels that high angst stories is all I'm reading and need a low angst break occasionally.

Darcy's Continental Escape starts with Mr Darcy and Richard Fitzwilliam on their ...more

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May 07, 2016 Talia rated it it was amazing

My, oh my, Mr Collins was my nut-job evil-doer of choice in this one. I really liked the whole escape from Europe angle of the story which was almost normal. It was when they returned to England that the story goes into what you would expect from the author. I enjoyed it a lot, of course.

Edit: Reread this one. Loved it. One of the better Schertz books.

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May 09, 2022 Teresita rated it it was amazing

What an adventure!

Sad in some instances, intense in some parts, this story takes us on an amazing journey through some danger but also into love. And then there is a whole legal intrigue! A fast paced read.

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