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Chapter 1

With all paths to Meryton muddied from recent rains, it was impossible for anyone at Longbourn to venture into the village without risking ruining shoes or soiling frocks, so all of the Bennets were at home. While Mrs. Bennet was in her bedchamber resting, Mr. Bennet kept to his library, successfully ignoring Mary’s attempt to master a new piece on the pianoforte. In the parlor, Lydia and Kitty perused a magazine obtained from the circulating library showing the latest London fashions, and Lizzy was upstairs pinning up the hem on Jane’s new dress. It was then that Mrs. Hill came to announce that Mr. Darcy was in the parlor and wished to speak to Miss Elizabeth.
“Mr. Darcy! Here to see me?” Lizzy looked at Jane with a puzzled expression. After their awful meeting at the assembly, she was hoping the gentleman would return to London and that she would never have to be in his company again.
“Yes, miss. The gentleman asked your father if he could have a word with you, and Mr. Bennet said he had no objection.”
“What can he possibly want?” Jane asked.
“Perhaps he thinks I did not hear his insults regarding my beauty, or lack of it, and has come to tell me in person.” Both sisters giggled, and when Jane offered to go downstairs with her sister, Lizzy said that she was not afraid of him and would go into the lion’s den alone.
When Lizzy entered the parlor, she found Mr. Darcy lost in thought and staring out the window, so much so that he had not heard her come in.
“Mr. Darcy, I understand you wish to speak to me,” she said, interrupting his reverie.
“Yes, I do, and I thank you for receiving me.” He declined an offer of tea, explaining that his visit would be brief, but then said nothing. If it was to be a short visit, then why did he not begin? He obviously had a purpose in mind but was having difficulty finding the right words with which to express it.
“Miss Elizabeth, at the assembly, you overhead a remark I made in which I stated that I chose not to dance with you because you were tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me. Even if the statement had been true, it was incredibly rude to have uttered it, and I have come to apologize.”
Mr. Darcy’s confession came as a complete surprise to Lizzy, but she now understood the reason for his struggle. He was not in the habit of admitting he had erred.
“Your apology is accepted, Mr. Darcy. I appreciate that you took the trouble to come to tell me in person that I am more than tolerable,” Lizzy said, half laughing at his clumsy effort to repair any damage resulting from his comment.
Darcy winced at her response. “I can assure you that I find you to be much more than tolerable, Miss Elizabeth. You are a
very handsome woman, and I might have had an opportunity to express such a sentiment if I had sought an introduction. However, I do not have the talent of conversing easily with those whom I have never seen before. I cannot appear to be interested in their concerns as others do, and I find I have little patience for the type of discourse one hears at these dances.”
“What type of discourse is that, Mr. Darcy?”
“The usual banter about weather and roads and other such things that are of little interest to me,” and leaning forward in his chair, he continued, “Whether it be Meryton or London, I hear the same conversations. A lady will comment on the number of couples in attendance at a dance, and the gentleman will respond by mentioning the size of the ballroom. And what, pray tell, do we learn from that exchange? One party is good with measurements, and the other can count.”
Now Lizzy laughed openly. “Sir, you mistake the purpose of such an exchange. It is certainly not about the dimensions of the room or the number of couples. The parties are merely trying to sketch each other’s character so that they might discover if this is a person they would like to get to know better. If that is the case, one can hope that another conversation about some weightier matter might follow in a quieter venue.”
“But you are an intelligent woman. Do you not find the whole exercise to be tedious?”
“No, I do not, and may I add that you puzzle me. You tell me you are uncomfortable conversing with those with whom you are not acquainted, but then you complain about a lack of conversa­tion. This puts me in mind of a gentleman I met at a card party. He said that he did not like the food and then grumbled that there was not enough of it.”
“I realize that is a contradiction,” he said, crossing and uncrossing his legs, indicating his discomfort.
“It is indeed. I take it that what you really want to do is to begin in the middle. Somehow, without benefit of introductions or the casual conversation that follows, you may come to know your party well enough to discuss what? The war with France? No matter how well acquainted you are with your party, you will have little success with such a topic in a ballroom or assembly hall. Those are subjects best reserved for dinner parties where you are not trying to speak above the dancers and musicians.”
“I see,” Darcy said, nodding his head in understanding. “You are recommending that if I wish to have a substantive conversa­tion at some future date, then I must become better acquainted with my neighbors so that I might be invited to these more inti­mate venues. I must lay the foundation for weightier discussions by talking to Mr. Long about his purchase of a breeding pair of Border Leicester sheep, or I must give ear to Mrs. Long, who is unhappy with the quality of fabric being sold in the village. I am quite capable of conversing about sheep, as it is a frequent topic of discussion with my steward and tenants, but I am less sure about my ability to wax eloquent on the quality of calico and muslin.”
Lizzy smiled. It was a pleasant surprise to know that the dour Mr. Darcy had a sense of humor.
“Mrs. Long has a daughter who lives in Kensington,” Lizzy responded, “and has been complaining about the inferiority of goods in the village shops for as long as I can remember, so no one would think you rude if you did not engage her. Instead, may I suggest Sir William Lucas, a kind gentleman, who has recently been knighted at St. James’s Palace? He would be happy to share his experience with you.”

It amazes me that I can read so many different variations of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice without getting bored, and just when I think all the possibilities must have been exhausted, another one is released and I’m hit with a breath of fresh air. A Wife for Mr. Darcy is just what I’m looking for when it comes to the Austenesque — a unique twist on one of my favorite books, with humorous dialogue and entertaining characters. A novel where readers still recognize Austen’s characters, and one that respects the original even while taking the romance up a notch.

A Wife for Mr. Darcy keeps the basics of Pride and Prejudice in place, although some of the pride and some of the prejudice are erased in the very first chapter, when Mr. Darcy calls on Elizabeth Bennet at Longbourn to apologize for the rude comment he made about her at the Meryton Assembly. Right away, he is captivated by her good looks and her wit, and readers don’t have to suffer through chapter upon chapter with Elizabeth insisting that she hates the very sight of him. But with their attraction evident from the beginning, and Mr. Darcy not standing in the way of Mr. Bingley’s proposal to Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, readers might wonder how Mary Lydon Simonsen builds tension and puts an obstacle in the middle of the path to a happy ending.

Well, even if Bingley can marry whomever he chooses, a Darcy cannot, and Darcy needs to find a wife and have a son because of the entail on the family estate, Pemberley. Unfortunately for Darcy and Elizabeth, Darcy has already shown interest in a Miss Letitia Montford back in London, and everyone is expecting the two to be married. Of course, Darcy must do the right thing, even if it means marrying out of obligation instead of love.

Meanwhile, Simonsen introduces a few new characters to liven things up, including Bingley’s sister, Mrs. Crenshaw, and her obnoxious children and Lord Antony Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s cousin and a philanderer known for charming the married women of high society into bed. Lord Fitzwilliam’s interactions with Elizabeth’s aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, are hilarious, as are the moments when his brother, Colonel Fitzwilliam, shamelessly flirts with Elizabeth when Darcy cannot. Simonsen gives both Colonel Fitzwilliam and Darcy’s sister, Georgiana, bigger roles in her novel, and I especially love her portrayal of Georgiana as strong and anything but shy.

A Wife for Mr. Darcy was so engrossing that I truly feared for the happiness of Darcy and Elizabeth, and I was so wrapped up in the whole mess with Miss Montford that I didn’t even miss all the chaos associated with Lady Catherine, who did not make an appearance. Simonsen does a wonderful job making Austen’s characters her own, and the addition of her original characters make for a richer read. I can’t wait to see where she takes the Darcys, the Bingleys, and the Bennets next.











Mary Lydon Simonsen is one of my favorite Jane Austen writers ever. Aside from Jane herself, of course. She always captures the “What If?” perfectly and adds just a bit of angst and humor as well. All of that awesomeness comes together perfectly in A Wife For Mr. Darcy.

Lizzy and Darcy are just as we would expect them to be. Awesome…the best characters ever written. You know, the usual. However, in this version, Darcy apologizes to Lizzy after his terrible first impression at the Meryton Assembly. They form a friendship and, of course, an attraction. Darcy also happens to be in the midst of courting a young lady more fitting to his station. Lizzy is none too pleased. There are big differences in Simonsen’s version of Pride and Prejudice but it’s still the same story and same couple that we love so much.

I loved this book. I did have some doubts initially because I did not want to read about Darcy courting/kissing/doing anything with any woman other than Lizzy. I reasoned that it was okay as long as he did not have any romantic feelings for her. Darcy loving another woman might just be a hard limit for me. But I was pleased to find that Darcy had no romantic feelings for this woman at all but he continued with his courtship of her to preserve her reputation and his honor. I love how this addition of “the other woman” added a nice element of conflict and competition to the plot. There were also great bit of humor and wit that I have come to expect and look for in Mary Lydon Simonsen’s books and in all Jane Austen adaptations.




Mr. Darcy insults Miss Elizabeth Bennett at the Meryton Assembly and he finds himself obliged to find her and apologize. Mr. Darcy is not quite prepared for the Elizabeth that stands up to him. She is a very different type of lady. One, in which he is not used to. There is something about her that most definitely pegs his interests.
Darcy finds himself highly intrigued by Elizabeth; but there is one major problem. He is already involved in a courtship. You just don’t drop a young lady and move on to the next, especially if her father moves in the right circles. Maybe a little harmless flirting will be okay, or will it? Will Darcy get more then he bargains for?
This is a wonderful remake of the famous Jane Austen story that has touched the hearts of millions through the years. I think all of her fans will be thrilled with the results. Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth will enthrall you with their dry wit and sarcastic humor. Elizabeth will win you over with her point blank, no nonsense attitude. You will follow Darcy as he loses his heart to one he should not have. You know how society dictates that he marry into his own class. This is a must read for all the Jane Austen fans out there or if you just enjoy great historical fiction. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
I wish to thank Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated in anyway except for the privilege of reading the book.




Yes I am back with another variation and this one is actually one of the best ones I have read. I really fell for this story and perhaps it was because things worked out so well.


This is a bit different in the aspect that Mr Darcy is looking for a bride and has settled on a fine young lady with noble blood. He is courting her now and then, since he is not that taken by her. It is just a duty but a duty that must be fulfilled. Until the day he meets Elizabeth. Here the book begins with him coming over to say that he is sorry for that famous comment who she was not pretty enough. So instead they flirt and become friendly and by doing that many other things do not happen. But the big cloud over their happiness is that he knows he must let her go since he is an honourable man and he will not let down the woman he is courting.


Yes I know! Horrible! Mr Darcy, noooo! He should not court another woman *sobs* but he is also so incredibly nice so he can’t let her down when her hopes are up and all of London know they will wed. I have to respect him for that. I could not wait to see what happened and how he got out of this mess. Lizzy did of course find out too and got a bit mad after they met again, as was her right. I shall not tell you how it works out but come on, this is a PP variation so of course Lizzy and Darcy will get married, be happily ever after and get lots of cute babies in that awesome mansion.


The rest then, Bingley and Jane were sweet as always. Lydia has her story and I will not tell you that end. Mr Collins is an idiot as always, Georgiana has a bigger role and is really nice and wants only happiness for her brother. We also meet Colonel Fitzwilliam’s brother who is a real scoundrel, but a loving one.


Conclusion:
This is the Pride and Prejudice variation to read. It was sweet and wonderful, just like a nice desert that you just savour. And it will bring a smile to your face.


I will never get tired of Mr. Darcy what-ifs. No matter how many I read, I am always delighted to get my hands on another one. A Wife for Mr. Darcy is an an original and lovely retelling where Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love very quickly, but Darcy’s sense of honor keeps them apart.


Because Darcy and Elizabeth do not have all of the misunderstandings of the original Pride and Prejudice, they are more united than ever before. It was very interesting to read a story where they were not fighting against each other, but rather against circumstances. I loved this portrayal of Darcy. He loves Elizabeth but is practically engaged to Miss Montford, a pleasant but bland young woman. He will not hurt her by abandoning her, so how is he to get out of this predicament?


This a lovely romance. Sweet and simple, it focuses on Darcy’s determination to be with the woman he loves, no matter how impossible it seems. I read it through in one sitting and I am pretty sure I was grinning the whole time. The waltz...sigh, I loved that scene. Any scene that has Darcy dancing is sure to make me smile, but that one in particular was beautiful. And the love letters, a little steamy at times, were so sweet.


The minor characters were fun and varying. I especially liked the Gardiners. They were just so cute and obviously in love even after many years of marriage. That is what a real marriage should look like and precisely how I imagine Darcy and Elizabeth behaving in their middle years. The Crenshaw children and the Fitzwilliam brothers were also highly entertaining, and I found myself liking Miss Letitia Montford more than I expected to.


I would highly recommend this book to lovers of romance, Jane Austen and good characters.


As much as I love Regency romances sometimes the rules are beyond me. An extra dance at a ball, a visit or two to a drawing room, and suddenly you’re nonverbally committed to someone to the point where marriage contracts are being drafted up on the side for the day when the proposal comes. Yikes! Poor Darcy.

Letitia Montford is the young lady in question. She’s everything Darcy believes he wants in a wife. She possesses all the qualities of a perfect Regency Miss, but she has all the character, depth, and personality of a painted table. Pretty to look at and not much else. She does not engage him that way our Elizabeth does.

Favorite Quote: “I am here so that I might tell you how much I love you – unconditionally, with no restraints, and with all my heart.”

Recommended: If you love Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Variations, or Regency romance you’re gonna devour A Wife for Mr. Darcy! I did. It’s one of the best books out in 2011.