A Remedy Against Sin: A Pride and Prejudice Variation in Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2016

Jul 23, 2016 Sheila Majczan rated it really liked it

4.5 stars

Several other reviews warn about the explicit sex scenes in the first chapter. And while that didn’t disturb me, (in fact they were not as graphic as I imagined) I was disappointed in how the story wound down in the latter parts.

After the loving in that initial scene is over Darcy queries Elizabeth as to whether or not he should stay. No. So when we get to a point in the story in which Elizabeth makes the determination that she does indeed want to spend the night with Darcy there is no 4.5 stars

Several other reviews warn about the explicit sex scenes in the first chapter. And while that didn’t disturb me, (in fact they were not as graphic as I imagined) I was disappointed in how the story wound down in the latter parts.

After the loving in that initial scene is over Darcy queries Elizabeth as to whether or not he should stay. No. So when we get to a point in the story in which Elizabeth makes the determination that she does indeed want to spend the night with Darcy there is no follow through as to how they each felt about this. There is no pillow talk in the morning. It just seems to be a given in the story and I kept waiting for those “ah” moments.

The same goes for their thought process in coming to the definite point at which they each know that they love the other. Darcy is just about there to start with but you know how Elizabeth has to view and come to understand his treatment and his role with others around him. This was a large part in the development of this story. But we don’t get that “I was in the middle of it before I realized I had begun” conversation. It was more…“la, la, la, la, life goes on”.

Georgiana’s experience with Wickham was not clear for a long part of this tale, but that may be the intent. He makes a snarky remark to Darcy when the elopement is foiled about no man wanting spoiled goods so it seems to be a hint that he did more than persuade her to elope.

Georgiana’s emotions in this tale are on a roller-coaster ride. Of course, we have to remember that she is a teenager with all the emotions that hormones produce in those years. She smiles and giggles but then looks at the floor and leaves the room. Then there are the crying bouts. And she refuses to trust Elizabeth’s words that she loves her and that she can share anything with her. Darcy keeps the secret about what happened as he promised to do. I did enjoy Elizabeth’s reasoning in twisting Georgiana’s arm to go to the book seller’s and then to Gunter’s for a treat. And the little scene in the latter one plays out so differently depending on whose version you hear: Richards’, Georgiana’s or even Lady Thomasina Sudbury’s final one…interesting.

Colonel Fitzwilliam is 8 years older than Darcy in this variation so they have not shared any childhood adventures. Plus the colonel is painted as more a man of the world than Darcy. He even opines that the role of a kept woman should have been a consideration if Elizabeth so tempted Darcy, due to her lower social status. This is not a colonel I like. Plus his older brother, Cass, (nicknamed for the fact he lost so much playing Cassino) is obnoxious and usually drinking too heavily. The Fitzwilliam family is not supportive of the marriage, to say the least.

It was gratifying to read of Elizabeth learning the ropes in her role as Mistress of the household both at Darcy House and at Pemberley: the way she viewed the servants and what she thought of how they should be treated. This was the Elizabeth I have come to know and love…one who knows the names and even their families and intuits their needs.

I will read this story again as there are many facets I want to consider more in depth but as I was anxious to read the rest of the story I didn’t linger and turn back pages in this first read. Well done - I look forward to reading more by this author. ...more

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Jan 28, 2018 Mary rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018

Dear Reader,

What might happen if Darcy's and Lizzy's behaviour,in an effort to shock the other, went too far and ended in a forced marriage?

Being responsible for said behaviour does nothing to lessen the huge level of misunderstandings and miscommunications that blight the early weeks and months of their married life.

Initial determined efforts are inevitably misconstrued,leaving both parties unfulfilled when they meet as strangers in daylight hours.

Yet the opposite is true when they meet as b ...more

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Oct 29, 2017 Christina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, historical-fiction, austenesque, regency-romance, historical-romance

Enjoyed from the first page. Morland has excellent command of plot, her characters, and the English language. Well done.

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Aug 29, 2016 Tamra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jane-austen-fan-fiction

Warning: If you don't like vivid descriptions of bedroom scenes, skip the first chapter and read on. You don't want to miss this great story and the adult rated scenes aren't repeated. What an enjoyable story! ...more

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Aug 14, 2016 Claudine DiMuzio / Just Jane 1813 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: just-jane-1813-pride-prejudice-va

Are the reckless behaviors of a wealthy gentleman more easily remedied than ones by a poorer man?

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

“In every life story, including our own, decisions are made in haste that determine the course of eternity.” Liz Curtis Higgs

It’s a joyful find indeed when another talented debut author steps into the JAFF community and quickly captures the attention of JAFF readers. As I perused Amazon and read several of the early reviews for this book, I became curious to take my own glimp Are the reckless behaviors of a wealthy gentleman more easily remedied than ones by a poorer man?

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

“In every life story, including our own, decisions are made in haste that determine the course of eternity.” Liz Curtis Higgs

It’s a joyful find indeed when another talented debut author steps into the JAFF community and quickly captures the attention of JAFF readers. As I perused Amazon and read several of the early reviews for this book, I became curious to take my own glimpse into this story and I came away wishing I could keep turning those virtual pages on my Kindle because this is a story I wanted to continue reading for a few more hours.

What begins with a very intense and very mature adult scene in the first chapter, eventually settles into a character-driven story that describes the events that took place between Darcy and Elizabeth during the Netherfield ball, which has led them to enter into a hastily arranged marriage. Since both of them have contributed to the scandal that unfolded at Netherfield, which I just loved because typically in these scenarios it’s the gentleman who only lacks restraint, there’s little room for blame once they both start to examine their own motives for their reckless behaviors.

Once they are married and return to London as husband and wife, a new life awaits both of them. Darcy’s family is eager, but certainly not happy, to meet his new country bumpkin of a wife and we soon learn that Ms. Morland has sketched a very different relationship between Colonel Fitzwilliam and Darcy. Gone is the carefree, playful banter that is often associated in JAFF with their relationship! I loved this grittier and more formal strain between these cousins, with Colonel Fitzwilliam acting as a more severe and sterner version of himself, as he expresses his disappointment and distaste for Darcy’s thoughtless and careless behavior towards Elizabeth in Hertfordshire. Their relationship throughout the story evolves in an interesting manner and I found that I really enjoyed seeing Colonel Fitzwilliam as a more formal and distant cousin, who eventually carries out for himself what he claims he must do in Austen’s own story.

Once Elizabeth’s verbal swordplay involves a well-known member of the ton, it’s apparent that the difficulties that the Darcys will face regarding their marriage will extend beyond Darcy’s own inner circle of family and friends. A decision is made for the couple to leave London with Georgiana and head to Pemberley for the holidays, where their life eventually settles into a more regular routine. The comfort they find in their roles as master and mistress of Pemberley allow them to develop some more confidence in their own relationship, and yet, there’s still a tendency for both of them to keep each other at an arm’s length away in regards to their more intimate emotions, such as love and trust. Misunderstandings continue to occur between them, while at the same time, unspoken words seem to hang on the edge of their tongues, like an apprehensive diver leaning forward to make that all-important thrust into the water; both appear unwilling to risk being rejected by the other one and are unable to take that all-too-important leap into the unchartered waters of trust and love.

Georgiana plays a major role in this story and her character is also a bit less playful and innocent as she typically is in many JAFF stories. As her character serves as a bridge of friendship and understanding between Darcy and Elizabeth, she also struggles with her own feelings of shame and indecency associated with her prior actions with Wickham. Georgiana’s actions in the story, as well as her maids’ actions, kept me intrigued throughout the story and Ms. Morland ties in this storyline in a unique and believable manner. I don’t need the Wickham/Georgiana/Lydia storyline to enjoy a “Pride and Prejudice” variation, but this one was well done and allowed the characters to reflect and grow in ways that were vital to this story.

This is one of my favorite kinds of JAFF stories; insightful into the characters’ natures and motives, heavily character-driven, and filled with tenderly crafted passion between Darcy and Elizabeth. Ms. Morland’s dialogues are quite true to each characters’ personalities from canon and also served to move the story at a steady, yet gradual and even pace. I loved the parts of Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s characters that Ms. Morland created for her story that were original and which felt right in place with their characters. Not only did they help to knit together their relationship, they also served to flesh out these characters into three-dimensional characters who embodied the complexities and the nuances we loved about them in Austen’s story.

While I am posting a 5-star review for this book, there were a few quibbles I had with the story. I don’t need to know how everything pans out for the rest of Darcy and Elizabeth’s lives, but I did feel certain things were left unsaid between them that I wanted to hear them resolve with each other. I also had some mixed feelings about the way the Darcy/Bingley/Jane/Elizabeth storyline was resolved too, as I wanted more closure with this storyline. However, I truly enjoyed and loved the story, as well as Ms. Morland’s writing style, too much to allow me to give this book less than a 5-star review from me. It’s one that I highly recommend for JAFF readers who enjoy a gradually developed, character-driven love story!

I would like to offer my Just Jane 1813 readers a chance to win an ebook of “A Remedy Against Sin.” Please leave a comment on this blog by midnight ET on August 6th. The winner of the ebook will be announced on this blog on August 7, 2016.

Thank you to Ms. Morland for writing such a tender and beautiful love story. I certainly look forward to reading more JAFF stories from you!
...more

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Oct 04, 2016 Eliza Baum rated it it was amazing

Shelves: austen-and-austenesque, library-kindle-unlimited, austenesque-challenge-2016, austenesque-challenge-2017

Re-read 10/10/17

This was pleasant the second time through, too. All my comments from my original read stand--though the Colonel Fitzwilliam thing did bug me a little more...probably because I've also been rereading one where he's particularly awesome.

Original read 10/3/16

This book kept me up far too late last night, because I couldn't stand to leave it unfinished. I do like a good forced marriage scenario, but this one was different from any I'd read before, because Elizabeth and Darcy are just ...more

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Jul 22, 2016 Carol Perrin rated it it was amazing

A Remedy Against Sin: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

The story begins at Netherfield when Elizabeth visited to take care of Jane. Darcy is in constant turmoil fighting his feelings for Elizabeth. The night of the Netherfield Ball during the dance which Elizabeth refused to do, she turns her ankle. Struggling to limp across the dance floor towards the sitting room, Darcy gets tired of her resisting his aid, scoops her up and carries her to the darken room. After her comments about his disdain of A Remedy Against Sin: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

The story begins at Netherfield when Elizabeth visited to take care of Jane. Darcy is in constant turmoil fighting his feelings for Elizabeth. The night of the Netherfield Ball during the dance which Elizabeth refused to do, she turns her ankle. Struggling to limp across the dance floor towards the sitting room, Darcy gets tired of her resisting his aid, scoops her up and carries her to the darken room. After her comments about his disdain of people lower than himself and being proud, Darcy sits her on the table. Asking her "Why" she thinks he doesn't like her. When she states that he finds her tolerable but not handsome to tempt him, Darcy steps up to the table, places this hands palm down on either side of her hips, and asks her again, "Why." Unfortunately he leans in to close and cannot resist her luscious lips and kisses her gently, but her reaction surprises him and the kiss deepens. Well who should see and catch them - Mrs. Bennet naturally. Her nerves combined with her big mouth causes quite a scene. Darcy comes the next day to ask Mr. Bennet for Elizabeth's hand in marriage. Elizabeth realizes that she really has no choice for her to refuse without hurting her sisters' futures. Darcy's London relations, “The Right Honorable Countess of Matlock, the Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and the Honorable Miss de Bourgh.” The two Matlock woman mocked her, Lady Catherine insulted her, and Anne befriended her. When Lady Catherine was making her last hateful remarks, in walked Darcy. Almost throwing out his relatives, Darcy announced their removal to Pemberley the next morning. Later, Richard Fitzwilliam and his older brother, Lord Frederick Fitzwilliam arrived. Darcy was never close to either of his cousins and became irritated with their coarse rude remarks about Elizabeth's behavior towards Lady Thomasina while at Gunter's. Visitors Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst visit to Darcy House was like at Netherfield, but while Caroline attempted to put Elizabeth down, Louisa improved her connections with Elizabeth. Upon leaving, Elizabeth tells Caroline that she is no longer welcomed at Darcy House and Pemberley, but invites Louisa to visit at any time. Elizabeth and Georgiana become friends as well as confidants, but she realizes that Georgiana is still not ready to reveal all. Wickham is as usual his arrogant self as he absconded from Brighton with Lydia, who is as dumb as he is wicked. Mrs. Younge reappears causing Darcy to threaten calling the magistrate for blackmail and theft. Darcy who has been in love with Elizabeth since arriving at Netherfield to care for her sister, finally hears Elizabeth tell him that she loves him, too. Both finding passion in their love life, joy of running Pemberley, and mutual respect and esteem for one another, finally find the happiness they both needed that enriched their lives. Elizabeth was happy that Darcy lost his control that night at the Netherfield Ball. ...more

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Aug 11, 2016 Laura rated it really liked it

This book well written and enjoyable. The best part of this book was definitely the dialogue between Darcy and Elizabeth as they learn about each other. Long story short, Darcy's desire causes a compromising situation between he and Elizabeth and they marry because he of course loves her and she does not want to ruin the lives of her sisters. From the moment of the comprising situation, though they don't know each other well and Elizabeth does not esteem Darcy due to our usual reasons (Darcy's h ...more

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