The Darcys: The Ruling Passion

Fan Fiction by Linda Berdoll

Bodice ripper: yes. More Pride and Prejudice: YES PLEASE!

This novel is third in a series that continues the story of Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy, one of my favorite literary couples of all time.  The series also includes Darcy and Elizabeth: Days and Nights at Pemberley and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues. Jane Austen would turn over in her grave at these books, though. It's often been commented that Austen's great romances end at the wedding day because she never married, so she couldn't write about the marriage itself. I think that's junk--she wrote about plenty of marriages, some merely convenient, some loving, some so irritating you love to hate them. But she certainly didn't write about passion or hot hot lovin'; Austen was too decorous for that. Linda Berdoll has no such qualms. These books are as steamy as a sauna. They're definitely a guilty pleasure for me, much like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

One funny anecdote about these books is that they were first given to me by my mother-in-law. I try not to remind my husband of that while I'm reading the books, including some little bits aloud to him. I don't think she knew they were so bawdy when she gave the first two to me, just that they were about Pride and Prejudice which she knows I love. Thank you, Pat.

My admiration for the books is obvious, for the love and the characters and letting me continue to live in Elizabeth's sassy head (I named my daughter partly for this Elizabeth and partly for my sister Elizabeth, that's how much I love her). The plot is also engaging and slightly mysterious. There's a twist you'll totally see coming if you've read the other books. My one complaint is that the timeline takes some convoluted turns--at one point I said aloud, "Wait, he's dead!" Berdoll keeps the plot hopping by jumping back and forth between not only London and Pemberley (the country estate) but between the end of the last novel and recent events in the new one. It's a little confusing, in my opinion. It's actually something she did in the previous books, but my friend Jiorgia and I agree she does so more in this recent installment. She also seems to focus on the politics of the day more in this book, but I guess that makes sense given that one of the characters is a secretary to a Lord.

One last disclaimer: there is also some heartbreak about children in this book, which you might expect due to the lack of medical knowledge at the time (bloodletting? really?). But I wasn't ready for it and it pretty well slew me. If you're tenderhearted about babies right now, read with caution. But also know that great passion and devotion is often built as much by shared sorrow as by love. I think many of us have experienced that.