Guest review by Kimberly Denny-Ryder of Reflections of a Book Addict
What do you get when you cross Pride and Prejudice with werewolves? You get a dark and adventurous tale that follows Lizzy and Darcy as they grapple with a definite twist that has arisen in their relationship. This time, Mary Lydon Simonsen takes us on a journey where we follow our beloved couple as they encounter something that Jane could never have imagined when she originally put pen to paper.
Elizabeth Bennet is distraught. Fitzwilliam Darcy has been courting her for months and there is still no marriage proposal. Her mother, father, and even sister Jane keep pressuring her about what’s taking so long. Ready to give up on ever receiving a proposal, Darcy shows up begging Elizabeth to travel to Pemberley with him so that he can reveal a secret to her. If she doesn’t run away from him upon hearing this secret, then he’ll have a question for her. Nervous about what his secret is, Elizabeth agrees to the trip and makes the trek to Pemberley with him. Her first night at Pemberley, Darcy reveals that years earlier he was bitten by a werewolf and that for two days every month he turns into one himself. Elizabeth is shocked and cannot fathom all that she’s being told, yet promises to wait for him to return from his transformation before making a decision about their relationship. What will Elizabeth do when she sees Darcy in his wolf form? Will she stand by his side and marry him, or will she cut ties and end their relationship?
Having read Mr. Darcy Vampyre, by Amanda Grange and come away with a less than stellar opinion, I was super nervous at reading another Pride and Prejudice fan fiction novel that infused some type of supernatural beings within the plot. Fortunately, Simonsen has made this idea work with Mr. Darcy’s Bite, which seriously impressed me. Unlike another popular vampire work, Twilight, where werewolves appear because of vampires, Simonsen provides an actual realistic explanation for it. The novel is written with fabulous Gothic undertones, creating a dark and spooky reading atmosphere that grips you from cover to cover. The ending was my favorite part! So much so, that I immediately emailed Mary and asked her to write a sequel!
I really enjoyed the changes that Simonsen made to Darcy’s character. Shortly after his transformation we get to see a more playful Darcy that speaks his mind and teases Elizabeth about the things he can “sense” as a werewolf. In turn we see a different Elizabeth that isn’t so proud, and is willing to listen to the advice of those around her. Specifically, the advice of Darcy’s cousin Anne de Bourgh and his little sister Georgiana who are given larger parts, allowing the reader a new opportunity to get to know them!
For those of you who are nervous about dipping your toes into the paranormal fan fiction world, may I highly suggest that you start your journey with Mr. Darcy’s Bite? Not only does it top my JAFF list, but it’s pretty high up on my paranormal reading list as well. You won’t be disappointed!
5 out of 5 Regency Stars
Mr. Darcy’s Bite, by Mary Lydon Simonsen
Sourcebooks (2011)
Trade paperback (336) pages
ISBN: 978-1402250774
© 2007 – 2011 Kimberley Denny-Ryder, Austenprose
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Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
What a great review. Yay, for Mary!
This is the one story that Mary has written that I haven’t read yet. I am not into the paranormal myself when it comes to JA fanfiction. I have heard nothing but good things about ‘Mr. Darcy’s Bite’ and have recently after reading some of Vera Nazarian’s work changed my mind on paranormal and mash-ups.
As Mary is one of my favorite authors and does not disappoint in her writing of variations on Jane Austen I will be looking forward to reading this novel.
Hi Trez. Thanks for stopping by. You are one of my biggest supporters, and it is always appreciated. :)
Kimberly, Thank you so much. If you could see me, you would see that I’m doing backflips–not bad for someone who just turned 60. This was great. Made my day!!!
Thanks for the review. I love the paranormal so I will definitely read this one.
Thank you, Sherry. Thanks for stopping by. :)
I will be starting this book soon and can’t wait! Glad to see you really enjoyed it.
High praise, Laurel Anne. I’m going to give this one a try. You make it sound really intriguing1
Congratulations, Mary!
Thanks, Anna and Monica. I appreciate you stopping by.
I devoured this book (pun intended)! I’m not the biggest fan of paranormal stories, but I love Mary’s writing so I bought this book straight away. I literally was up all night reading it. I simply could not put it down. I enjoyed seeing Darcy and Elizabeth in a new and extremely unique situation. I’m with you, Kimberley. The ending was wonderful and I too had the word sequel jump into my brain.
Fantastic job, as always, Mary! I can’t wait to read more of your works in the future.
Dara, Thank you so much. So glad you enjoyed it. I’m very proud of the ending.
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I too am not crazy about the papanormal stories written with Austen’s characters, but I had to give Mr Darcy’s Bite a try because I absolutly love everything else written by Mary Simonsen. I am glad I did, I really enjoyed the story, it wasn’t crazy or far fetched. I highly recommend it to all. Another great story Mary!
oooooh now i am really looking fwd to my copy!! Great review!
Intriguing review – this really makes me want to snap this book up!
I love everything that Mary writes! I have only read an anthology of paranormal Austin stories and was hesitant about reading it. It was excellant so, after reading this review, I will take my next adventure with Mary Simonsen.
Sandy, Christina, Laura and Maggie. Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it. Thank you for stopping by for a visit.
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