The Honorable Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation: A Meryton Mystery, Book 1

It was public knowledge that there was bad blood between Mr. Darcy and Lt. Wickham. When Lt. Wickham was murdered, the prime suspect could be none other than Fitzwilliam Darcy, that haughty man from Derbyshire. The crime occurred at exactly midnight and all Mr. Darcy had to do was tell where he was at midnight. And yet he refused. There was a very good reason for him to not reveal where he was, for you see… he was not alone.This was a fast-paced story where a LOT happened at the very end. I wish it hadn’t been rushed. I was completely blown away by the big reveals. One character I suspected but the others… OMG!!! Brilliant. The author really got me. I was so not prepared for the big reveals… notice I said reveals… plural. Yeah, this story was chuck full of them. I was stunned as one after another was exposed… only to find another within a few pages. Oh-my-goodness… this was good. I actually had to back up and reread several pages in order to digest what was happening.As our story wrapped up, there were these little things that I wanted resolved but the author chose to not go there. I wanted just a bit more… and was only given the bare bones for the resolution. I suppose, since this was book #1, then there will be other stories. It was not possible to take me where I wanted to go because they will be addressed in subsequent books. Having said that… as I look back over the story and characters, I can see a platform on which to build other stories. Excellent!!!

4.5 stars ~What have you done to me?? This is not allowed.I'm in love, again. 😍I can admit I wasn't hoping the book to be this good!! I was hoping it pull me out of my reading slump - which it did - but never to be so close to my five stars!! It was amazing!! And now I must have the rest of the series . . . whenever that happens. :PI was skeptical at first considering how close it was to the original Pride + Prejudice ( with all the characters, backstories, names, places, and love the same ), and I almost considered it perjury--which is illegal for those that didn't know. xd However, the plot is so mixed up and once I made it to chapter eight I was fine. Then I started loving it. It pulled out the fangirl in me for I had been going into the book as a full set critic. So, congratulations Jennifer Joy .. .. .. you just won me over!! ^.^The description was rather old fashioned with its similar feels and discrepancies, so I felt at home. ( now I really want to read Pride and Prejudice - which I will be doing . . . 😬 ) I loved her hinting clues and a sense of foreboding. It was mysterious and intriguing.The content consists of bloody scenes, hidden mentions of seduction, married couples, flirting, and few anger/fight areas. Not bad . . . Something I would probably hand to an eleven-year-old knowing they could read it and not get bad vibes.The romance . . . pure and clean as ever in certain areas. Others it was a lot of flirting, but I love how Jennifer Joy kept all the solid points and views, changing only what needed to be changed so it became "her's".The characters I found to be strong and basically identical to that of Jane Austen's. Elizabeth and Darcy both were very strong-willed, stubborn, crafty, pleasant but not pleasant, and extremely lovable!! =) I appreciated the references to other side characters, the difficult mystery ( which I didn't figure out . . . *huffs* ), and creative traits. Jennifer Joy really made this her own book.Overall it piqued my interest and turned my critical "this-will-be-fun-to-read-for-ranty-review" into my 😍 fangirl nature where I was begging for more. And I can honestly tell you I'm normally not wrong about my reading likes or dislikes, so I can guess if I won't like a book but read it anyways for review. This one surprised me immensely and changed my critical reading slump into a fun adventure.**NOTE** I got the book on a freebie deal. ( Awesome, or what?? I love those!! :P )

This fun “who-done-it” is a twist on a favorite classic. As major characters try to solve the mystery, this slight variation adds romance and drama. “It would be romantic to live on love until your stomach growls with hunger and the landlord demands rent.” Mayhem abounds, secrets are revealed, and traitors are in our midst. “Elizabeth had always believed herself to be an outstanding judge of character,” until she met Mr. Darcy. She is intelligent, courageous, and loyal to her family. Plenty of plot twists kept my attention, while the witty satire had me rolling. I loved the quotes from the original story. And I hope to find the missing characters in the next edition. Joy stays true to Pride and Prejudice but adds her unique stamp on several secondary characters. “It would be the height of stupidity to fall in love with a lady who is tenaciously determined to believe the worst of him.” Darcy admires a woman with a good head on her shoulders. “I would rather have a few good friends then many false ones.”

I stuck around for the HEA but was disappointed to find that it felt like a hastily scribbled footnote. I'm not a purist who isn't open to departures from canon but when a work is done under the mantle of Pride & Prejudice, I expect the D&E relationship to always remain at the fore. Such was not the case here. It was basically a nondescript murder mystery in which P&P characters' names were squeezed. Had it been P&P with a little murder squeezed in, I might have enjoyed it more. I won't be reading the rest of this series but it was not an unpleasant read, if for no other reason than Wickham drops dead at the outset.

80 per cent of the way through this book and loving it! Very well written and a great follow on to Pride and Prejudice. I shall be sorry to reach the end!

I just love the fact that these characters are so well loved that other authors love to have a go at their story. The main thing is to get the feel of the originals correct, and I was perfectly happy with the result.

I found the plot too complex and unlikely but the mix of JA characters is always the catalyst that compels the reader to carry on round the next corner to see what's there! I therefore find myself having to reluctantly recommend this as a good read!

Lots of bits of this book ring true to the original while containing plenty of surprises. I’m particularly pleased Lydia got a slight set back for a change!

A different twist to the Darcy and Lizzy story but an enjoyable romp nonetheless. Am looking forward to reading the next story.