#63: Darcy's Temptation

Jeffers, Regina: Darcy's Temptation. Berkeley: Ulysses Press, 2009. Print. 515 pages.

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SETTING: Majority at the Darcy's country estate, Pemberley, in the county of Derbyshire, but also in London, Bath, and other areas.  
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SUMMARY: Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy have been in a blissfully happy state since marrying three months ago.  They are expecting their first child and have settled comfortably into Pemberley as husband and wife.  Their lives could not be more perfect, especially after their rocky courtship, but an evening outing turns everything upside down, breaking their happy home apart, seemingly beyond repair.

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FAVORITE QUOTE: "'Great loves never die, my Katherine.'  He stroked the back of her head.  'Your sister and Mr. Darcy have a great love.'  He lifted her chin to look deeply in Kitty's eyes.  'Some day we will write the story of our own great love.'" - Chapter 9, page 170.

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This is the second book I checked out from the library, obviously picked because I love the novel it was inspired by: Pride and Prejudice :)  I usually make a fair attempt at not giving spoilers for the books I write about, but this one cannot be helped, mostly because I want to mention specific parts of the plot line that I liked and disliked.  So... SPOILER ALERT!  I won't give away the ending, just a few minor plot details. 
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Things I liked about this book:

1. Pride and Prejudice inspired!  Any such books, even if written poorly, are fun for me to read.  The story line for this novel was entertaining, but a little overdone.  It was written in Jane Austen's style, and I enjoyed that.  However, there is a lot of mention of Elizabeth and Darcy's desire for each other, and that is very much not in the style of Austen.  And I purposely write "desire for each other" because, funny enough, the author never explicitly mentions sex.  She definitely alludes to it using 19th-century British literature language, and this made these scenes even more entertaining to read because of the knowledge that it would be incredibly improper to write about this topic if this story were actually written in the 19th-century, even if it was in the appropriate language style.
2. Elizabeth and Darcy's love.  Still just as precious even when written by a different author, and this author did a great job preserving their love in her sequel.
3. The storyline.  It wasn't the best, but it was good enough that I was hooked after about 100 pages and couldn't put the book down for the last 400.  I was desperate to know how the story ended and whether or not everything ended up okay, especially between Elizabeth and Darcy.
4. Elizabeth shoots Mr. Wickham!  Such a hateful and selfish man.  I was glad Elizabeth kicked him and Lydia out of Pemberley.
5. Kitty as a supporting character.  The other Bennet sisters do not take on much of a role in the story, but I'm glad that out of all of them, it was Kitty who had a part.  Kitty and Jane are tied for my second favorite Bennet sister, and that Kitty has a happy ending was nice to read.  I also liked that the author chose to make her character more in line with Elizabeth's than with Lydia's, and showed the reader the step-by-step change in her personality.
6. Elizabeth's and Darcy's characters.  The author maintained the same traits they are known and loved for, but expanded on them in a way I really enjoyed.

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Things I didn't like about this book:

1. The predictability of the story line.  I don't mean the specifics; moreso when the ups and downs were going to occur.  It was really obvious when something bad was going to happen, and then when and how that would resolve.
2. The beginning was boring.  I almost put this book down because the first 50 or so pages were so blah.  But since it is a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, I kept going.  I'm glad I did because I ended up getting really into the story, mostly because I needed to know how it ended.
3. Elizabeth and Darcy name their twins Ella and Lucas.  There was an explanation for this, but I didn't think the names fit very well.
4. Ms. Donnelly's character.  She's a hypochondriac and a stupid woman.  She's central to the drama in the book, but her character was poorly written.  I thought that part, being the climax of the novel, should have had a stronger character at its center.

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Overall it was a stupid storyline, but I enjoyed it.  This book isn't going to become a classic, but it was a fun read and I am glad I found it at the library.  I enjoyed it more than Death Comes to Pemberley, which I read earlier this year, because I was more hooked to this story line.  If this story went in a different direction than it did, things would have been very tragic.  There was more to lose in this book than there was in Death Comes to Pemberley, which is why I enjoyed reading it more.
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Recommend?  Yes, but definitely read the classic if you haven't yet.