I love looking for sequels, prequels, retellings of the novels, since we have so little Jane Austen, and certainly plenty of questions about what the other characters were thinking, and what happened after. So, here are two for your consideration, both in a series by Sharon Lathan --

Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One

The Back Cover Blurb --
*Beginning on their wedding day, Pride and Prejudice's Darcy and Elizabeth are two people who are deeply in love with one another and are excited to begin their marriage.

Their courtship was tempestuous; misunderstandings and misgivings nearly tore them apart. But now that they've seen each other without prejudice, their trust, attraction, and delight in each other grows with every passing day. Both are inexperienced and innocent, sharing moments of shyness and boldness as they discover the kinds of intimacies that a newlywed couple shares.

As their love story unfolds, they reveal their innermost secrets and feelings, embracing each other in a marriage filled with romance, passion, humor and drama that will keep you spellbound.*

Loving Mr Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley

The Back Cover Blurb --
*Six months into his marriage to Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy is still awestruck by his beautiful wife and their unparalleled love and passion. For Darcy, each day offers more opportunities to surprise and delight his beloved bride.

Elizabeth has quickly adapted to being the Mistress of Pemberley, charming everyone she meets and handling her duties with grace and poise. Just when it seems life can't get any better. Elizabeth gets the most wonderful news.

The lovers leave the serenity of Pemberley, traveling through the sumptuous landscape of Regency England, experiencing the lavish sights, sounds, and tastes around them. With each day come new discoveries as they become further entwined, body and soul, and a most sacred bond grows ever deeper.*

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I thought I would do a review for these two together, since it seemed easier, but also too, since they pretty much go together. First of all, if you are a Jane Austen purist, you probably are not going to like these. The biggest thing that took me a while to get used to is the one aspect about these that felt like I was reading any of the other Regency Historical Romances I read -- that Darcy and Lizzie have lots of sex. See, I've always figured when finishing a reread or rewatching of Pride and Prejudice, I always figure that they had great love lives with each other, but I never really went beyond that thought because while Austen was no prude in her books, the bedroom doors where closed. So reading the sex scenes with a hero and heroine named Darcy and Lizzie, took a bit of getting used to. Oh, and also, they seem to be written more as sequels to the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice. Not my favorite version by any stretch of the imagination, I still was able to image the Darcy and Lizzie characters as my preferred choices, the 1995 BBC versions. :)

So, having gotten that out of the way. . . I really liked them. I liked seeing how their early days of marriage life went, how she got settled in the role of Mistress of Pemberley. . . we are introduced to new people; but of course, incredibly happy to see our other old friends, such as Georgiana, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Jane and Bingley, and in the second is where we see Lady Catherine and Anne.

I have to say, I liked the second one more; here, I look at it that we got down to regular life, and we see how the Darcys interact with it. Trying to explain what I mean - the first book was them getting married, being married, the honeymoon, and staying on the honeymoon. The second we things settle a bit; we see what is going on with the Bingleys, Lady Catherine's continuing reaction, definitely love seeing Anne De Bourgh'(who talks!), and Mary Bennet here too. . . just love what happens with them, but can't say why, since that would be giving away parts of the story. :) In this one, the honeymoon sure is continuing, but we also have the soon to be addition, well, addition to the family - Lizzie is pregnant, though, alas, we must wait for the next book to find out what happens there.

So, in short, I really liked these sequels, though they aren't at the top of my list; but, I definitely want to know more, so will be looking for the next one. If you're someone who likes any type of Austen paraliterature, or just Regency/historical fiction or romances, you'll want to add these to the collection.

Ah, well, so I kept forgetting to post my reads since the beginning of October. Kept meaning to do it, but well, simply kept forgetting. :) The usual changes to the site apply, icons all over the place since September, just not a whole lot as of late. So, anyway, on to the books (which isn't a *whole* lot since I went back to college in September, so anyway --

Laurens - Mastered By Love - Regency - 5
O'Reilly - Hot Under Pressure - Contemporary - 5
Laurens - The Untamed Bride - Regency - 5
Quinn - To Sir Phillip, With Love - Regency - reread - 5
Kendrich - The Playboy Sheikh's Virgin Stable Girl - Contemporary - 5
Walker - The Sicilian's Red Hot Revenge - Contemporary - 5
Bird - The Billionaire Next Door - Contemporary - 5+
Bradley - Devil in My Bed - Regency - 5
Graham - The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress - Contemporary - 4
Dawkins - More Letters From Pemberley - Regency - 5+
Stillings - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evie - Contemporary - reread - 5+
Atkins - Wedding For One - Contemporary - 5
Atkins - Tattoo For Two - Contemporary - 5
Austen - Sense and Sensibility - Regency - reread - 5+
Grange - Colonel Brandon's Diary - Regency - 5+
Austen - Persuasion - Regency - reread - 5
Kleypas - Mine Till Midnight - Victorian - reread - 5+
Dimon - Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy - Contemporary - reread - 5+
Dimon - It's Hotter in Hawaii - Contemporary - reread - 5+
Dimon - Holding Out for a Hero - Contemporary - 5+
Kleypas - Seduce Me at Sunrise - Victorian - reread - 5+
Kleypas - Tempt Me at Twilight - Victorian - 5
Grange - Mr Darcy's Vampire - Regency - 5
Mallery - Hot on Her Heels - Contemporary - 5
D'Alessandro - Touch Me - Regency - 5
Lang - The Millionaire's Misbehaving Mistress - Contemporary - 5+
Lathan - Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy - Regency - 5
Harris - Cavelli's Lost Heir - Contemporary - 5
Kendall - Take Me For a Ride - Contemporary - 5+

Until next time (with two longer reviews)! :)

Author Julie Kenner of the Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series is LIVE now here at: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=11014, so go look! :)