Mr. Bennet's Dutiful Daughter

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

When Colonel Fitzwilliam's disclosures are interrupted by the bearer of distressing news from Longbourn, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is compelled to accept an offer she would have otherwise dismissed out of hand. An offer of marriage from the all-too-proud Mr. Darcy. Yet how is she to live with a husband she hardly knows and does not love? Will she continue to feel trapped in a marriage of convenience while events conspire to divide them? Or would love grow as, day by day and hour after hour, she learns to understand the man she married, before she loses his trust and his heart?

(Given the "early marriage" premise, the issue of growing affection and intimacy is central to the story. The relevant scenes are not graphic, but the novel does address mature themes.)

©2016 Joana Starnes (P)2017 Joana Starnes

P&P gets an interesting twist

Loved the narration. Enjoyed the storyline because it put both Darcy & Elizabeth in a new twist. Well done. These stories are for mind escape and fun.

Loved the story!

Engaging story, just enough angst, the chasers recognizable with Austens characters. I’ll definitely listen again

A must read or listen

I listen to many P&P variations and I must say this is so fabulous! I cried when Darcy left and loved every minute of it. Please continue to write Joana, you are so gifted. Will always look for your new books. I also love Stevie Zimmerman's readings. She is great too.

Heart-Felt Journey to Love

She marries 'the last man in the world' she would ever marry to save her family when a family tragedy looms over them all. But, is Mr. Darcy the ogre she imagined or a man she might come to respect and love? A P&P variation that begins at Hunsford and weaves its way to the lovely shades of Pemberley as told by the fabulous narrative work of Stevie Zimmerman.

Mr. Bennet's Dutiful Daughter opens when Elizabeth gets the sad news that her father is gravely ill. It is the arrogant Mr. Darcy who steps up to help guide her dismal family affairs and make her a startling offer of love with his hand in marriage. At this point, she has only her own unfavorable impressions and Wickham's lies about the man, but she has no other recourse with Mr. Collins ready to toss the family out of Longbourne as soon as her father passes away. So, with no love in her heart and a great deal of love and little humbleness in his heart, they wed.

This is not the first time I have read this plot variation for Pride and Prejudice. I've read a couple of good ones, actually. This did make me a little wary going in, but only a little because this author has proven time and again that her quality storytelling can stand the test.

From the beginning, I was vested in both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. There is a great deal of feeling wrought out of the words so that I was emotionally vested and suffering with them as they worked through a marriage of unequal affection and the difficulty of outside caprice. I actually pulled away from the story after a bit because my personal taste is not for this much emotional angst particularly the sort that is introspection. Elizabeth generates a load of churning thoughts and feelings and much of it was her own stubborn refusal to give the man a chance especially when she saw evidence that he might not be only and exactly what she thought. She leaped to the worst conclusion over his every look, manner, and verbal expression and then when he was over the line, she really charged in with the vitriolic emotions. I was not looking forward to the moment when Darcy discovered that he had opened himself up to a woman who couldn't stand him. If she would have been honest at some point well before that moment... And, boy was I right. The pain was palpable. So, I said all that not as a criticism for the story, but just that it was a bit much for me personally though I could value how well done it all is as a whole and appreciate the ending even more for what it went through to get there.

In essence, this was a beautiful story of unrequited love triumphing on one side and marriage of inconvenience becoming love on the other- an unequal affection becoming something more. I was glad the author made the changes in their relationship gradual and difficult so it was quite believable and triumphant by the end. Other than a faithful few, they had lots of outside characters causing them grief which compounded their troubles. I was really rooting them on to get past that.

On a side note, I loved Mr. Bingley in this one. He and other side characters were steady and strong and decisive in balancing out the torchy Darcy and Elizabeth.

As I said, Stevie Zimmerman was lights out fab and was a perfect match for the story. She has such a lovely flexible voice that gender, age, class, and tone were rendered perfectly. I love how I see the story coming alive.

All in all, this hard-fought emotional story tugged at my heart and left me emotionally exhausted but oh so happy for how it ended. Those who are familiar with the Pride and Prejudice story would get more out of this, but I think any historical romance fans who enjoy a pinch of spice and deep emotions in a slowburn romance should give it a go.

One of the very best in JAFF!

This book is both expertly written and narrated. The story is full of ups and downs, misunderstandings, self discovery and, ultimately, HEA.