The Never Ending Story of Elizabeth and Darcy

Romance fiction is considered one of the most popular and bestselling categories in fiction books. Perhaps the most famous couple ever to be written about and without question the relationship we all endeavour to achieve although never hardly do, is that of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

I speculate even Jane Austen herself couldn't have imagined the effect these two characters would have to this day and that they would linger in people’s hearts and minds for always. One book, one story was never ever going to assuage our hunger for them.

Thankfully, a number of authors agreed with the sentiment and set about to compose what are generally referred to as “what if …?” stories. By way of example, what if Mr Bennet had passed away and Elizabeth had accepted Darcy’s first marriage offer as a way to secure her future and that of her family. Would the relationship have been as passionate? Would Elizabeth be able to put her emotions aside and marry Darcy anyway?

There are many books written which usually stick to the essence of the classic story “Pride and Prejudice”. The stories are rewritten in such a way as to keep all readers of romantic fiction novels enthralled by the lives of Elizabeth and Darcy and although some of the situations are changed the characters remain exactly the same.

There are numerous romantic fiction authors nowadays that keep us enchanted by this relationship and despite veering slightly from the original story, Darcy and Elizabeth always end up together and passionate about one another. Let's face it, it would be dreadful to find them getting divorced or maybe worse, finding and marrying somebody else!

Some such authors are Linda Berdoll, Abigail Reynolds and Kara Louise, nevertheless the list of writers who have taken to retelling perhaps the most romantic fiction story ever produced is growing on a daily basis.

It truly is a shame that Austen did not create a sequel to Pride and Prejudice herself thus allowing us to find out what happened next through her own eyes, however there's been a whole load of them since. Considering the increasing popularity of “Fifty Shades of Grey”, erotic fiction has needless to say caught up with the Darcy’s in “Fifty Shades of Mr Darcy”.

Darcy and Elizabeth have an incredibly loving marriage in many of these romantic fiction books however with slight variations in the storyline and the invention of many new and special characters into the Darcy’s world, together with most of the old ones, these particular books are incredibly imaginative and tremendously compelling page turners. It is impossible to become bored with the many diverse storylines, events and characters which combine nicely to generate a completely new version of a classic story.

One of these romance fiction novels, Mr Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise, was to become my first exploration into the world of The Darcy's, though if you desire rather more passion then you can’t fail to enjoy Mr Darcy Takes a Wife. This is a wild and passionate story penned by Linda Berdoll that can't help but compel you to read the continuation of the Darcy saga in Darcy & Elizabeth, Nights and Days at Pemberley.

I have now read a variety of these books of fiction, which I am calling “Darcy books" and am completely hooked on this pairing and recognize the value of the fine storytelling or perhaps I should say the retelling by such writers. Some of these novels disclose a more intense and lustful side to Darcy and Elizabeth whilst others maintain a more genteel romantic relationship. Even so, they have all thus far been entirely unputdownable.

As far as this author is concerned, many other books on Elizabeth and Darcy have to be penned as theirs is undeniably a story everlasting.


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