Being the huge Pride and Prejudice fan that I am, I’d signed up for this book from the Early Reviewers list on LibraryThing pretty much before my brain actually consciously recognized what it was. And I was really excited when I was actually chosen to receive it.
It’s not a bad read, though Darcy’s not in character, or at least what I perceive to be his character. That was a little disconcerting at first, but I was able to overlook it once I got used to it. I really enjoyed his relationship with Georgiana, and the depth of feeling in the episodes with Wickham resonated. I also liked his reasoning for separating Bingley from Jane.
I was not a huge fan of Byron. While I enjoyed most of the other historical details in the book (which were well researched, and added a good flavor), Byron was superfluous, and honestly, seemed out of character to be a friend of Darcy’s.
I also wish there was just a bit more Lizzy. By the end, when he was thoroughly in love with her, the story worked, but he seemed to fall in love with her awfully fast, and with little detail. I suppose it could be something he just couldn’t commit to paper, but it did seem a bit odd to me.
I definitely enjoyed the book, and would certainly consider a reread, which is a first for any of the P&P sequels I’ve read.