The Darcy Secret: A Pride & Prejudice Variation Review

 

Author: Kelly Miller

Cover Artist: Janet Taylor

Audiobook: $17.46

Paperback: $10.95

ebook: $4.99 (free on Kindle Unlimited)

Release Date: May 26, 2023

 

Kelly Miller’s novel The Darcy Secret begins where Pride And Prejudice ends, with Darcy proposing marriage to Elizabeth Bennet at the Longbourn family estate. After Fitzwilliam Darcy leaves Elizabeth Bennett’s company, he realizes she never told him she loves him. Does she return his affections? Or did Elizabeth agree to marry him out of gratitude? After all, he saved her family’s reputation by arranging her sister Lydia’s marriage to George Wickham.

 

After Elizabeth assures Darcy of her love, past indiscretions return to haunt him. A chance meeting with Lady Marchand in Vauxhall Gardens reminds Elizabeth that societal expectations of acceptable conduct differ between men and women. She wonders how many former lovers might return to sway his affections. Can Elizabeth be assured of his steadfastness? Or might Darcy follow the conventions of the age and take lovers when his infatuation fades?

 

While battling the doubts and fears that afflict any engaged couple, Darcy’s family questions Elizabeth’s motives. Lady Catherine might have declared Elizabeth’s unsuitability, yet a far more agreeable relative questions Elizabeth's motives. After all, their courtship—if one can use that term—occurred after the Gardeners brought Elizabeth to his impressive Pemberley estate.

 

Darcy’s sister Georgiana is reluctant to accept Elizabeth. But Elizabeth soon wins her over, and after Elizabeth and Darcy marry, the two women regard each other as sisters. Zounds! The Gardeners receive a disturbing report about Georgiana from a former teacher. Her aunt and uncle send Elizabeth the letter that implicates Georgiana in another student’s death. While the couple ponders Georgiana's involvement, the report awakens an earlier concern. A final letter from Darcy’s late father claimed a streak of madness afflicted women in his family. Did Georgiana kill her schoolmate? And if madness runs through their family, what evils might their children perpetrate upon an unsuspecting world?

 

Kelly Miller’s novel The Darcy Secret: A Pride & Prejudice Variation tackles alcoholism and drug use in Regency England, the perils of ignoring the class structure, attitudes toward sport, and the rise of modern psychiatry. While faithful to the characters and spirit of Jane Austen’s beloved classic, events force Elizabeth and Darcy to investigate a tragic event. Having listened to the audiobook version, I confess that Scott Fleming's female voices initially made me titter with laughter. Yet I felt his deep voice lent gravity and authenticity to Kelly Miller's family drama during my second listen.

 

As I bid goodbye to The Darcy Secret: A Pride & Prejudice Variation, I ponder one final mystery. Elizabeth declares that Collies are the most beautiful breed, but Cocker Spaniels are the cutest puppies. A question plagues me. What kind of dog does Kelly Miller own?

 

Zounds! Why does this bother me? Might a streak of madness run through my family tree?

 

The Darcy Secret: A Pride & Prejudice Variation is available at Amazon.com

Discover the latest news on Kelly Miller's books at Meryton Press. 

Thanks to author Kelly Miller for providing her audiobook for review.