These Three Remain

November 13, 2006
The storied romance of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet (they of Pride and Prejudice
) reaches its conclusion in the strongest entry in an already impressive trilogy. While visiting his aunt's estate, Fitzwilliam continues alternately courting his beloved Elizabeth and trying to crimp his longing for her. ("Although the sunlight did marvelous things with her hair, chestnut curls and velvety brown eyes were not in fashion," he notes.) He finally musters his courage and, in an arrogant, bumbling way, proposes marriage. He returns to London in defeat, but realizes, after some time and distance, that her rejection has provided him with "the opportunity to become a better man." Months later, a fortuitous meeting with Elizabeth offers them the chance to renew their friendship and for Fitzwilliam to prove he has changed for the better. But just as Fitzwilliam is making headway, George Wickham, his smarmy nemesis, appears and threatens to undo everything. As ever, Aidan keeps her narrative taut and her characters conflicted. Fans of the series won't be disappointed; the uninitiated will be hooked.

December 15, 2006
The third in Aidan's originally self-published Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy (following " An Assembly Such" " as This" , 2006 and " Duty and Desire" , 2006) begins when Darcy pays his yearly visit to his aunt, Lady Catherine, and discovers that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is staying with the Collinses nearby. After his disastrous proposal of marriage, he returns to London and attends a soiree where he is almost drugged, and . . . well, most readers will be glad to get through the book's long middle section and back to Austen territory. Things pick up again with Darcy's chance encounter with Elizabeth at Pemberley, and the narration of Darcy's efforts to clean up the mess created by Willoughby's elopement with the youngest Bennet sister is thoroughly engrossing. Although acquaintance with " Pride and Prejudice" is not essential to the enjoyment of any title in the series, Austen fans will be delightfully entertained by Aidan's witty spin on familiar characters and events. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)