Outstanding Love Story!!
If you are the type of reader who is intrigued by historical/romance literature, you will enjoy this story very much. Furthermore, if you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice and especially the 2005 movie version based on Jane Austen's book, you will love this tale. Ms. Lathan's newest sequel to her first successful novel, "Two Shall Become One," brings you along on Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy's eventful "Journeys Beyond Pemberley." At the conclusion of the first novel, the Darcy's are overjoyed with the news that they will be expecting their first child. In this continuing saga, this story describes their journey as they leave Pemberley to visit family and friends in Longbourn and London where they share their joy. Along the way, we meet many new interesting and endearing characters who help round out the Darcy's circle of dear friends and family. As the story enfolds, we travel with them to many different areas of Derby and Derbyshire as Darcy proudly shows Lizzy the district where he grew up and the many old structures, churches, and other historical sites they encounter in each town. It is evident and impressive the amount of research that Ms. Lathan compiled for this story, as depicted in the descriptions of the different old structures and the history behind them. While reading about this facet of the story, it is though you are there admiring and discovering these fascinating sites at the same time that Lizzy does.
I would also like to say that I strongly disagree with the above editorial review from Publisher's Weekly on several counts. This IS a love story about two people who are deeply in love for the first time in their lives and who are also newlyweds, who were both chaste before they married. Yes, they are affectionate, loving, have an active sexual life (as is normal for newlyweds) and there is some angst written when they are separated from each other. However, isn't this truely the way of life for a young couple, newly married, who are discovering each other in every way in the first year of marriage? Is it impossible to believe that they want to spend as much time together as possible and is it not only natural, nay, necessary for a newly wedded couple to have this period to bond? I believe it is, and I think I can speak from experience being married to a wonderful man for many years, I firmly believe this is true. But this story does not always revolve around their intimate life, as I earlier described their many excursions outside Pemberley. We also get several glimpses of the lives of other family members and their backstories, and the day to day responsibilities of Darcy, as well as Lizzy as she continues to grow in her role of Mistress of Pemberley. I believe that Ms. Lathan's writing and especially the dialogue between the two main characters and other key subjects is witty, intelligent, and delightful. I cannot recommend this story enough. After watching the 2005 version of this movie, I searched for a continuation of this enchanting tale. I have read other sequels, but I wasn't satisfied with any of them until I found this story, and I cannot wait for more of Sharon Lathan's continuation of it in future works!
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