Review: The Man who Loved Pride and Prejudice - Abigail Reynolds

The Man Who loved Pride and Prejudice by Abigail Reynolds

Genre: Contempory romance
Pages: 448
Published: May 2010 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (previously published as Pemberley by the Sea)

Pride and Prejudice is the quintessential women's novel but many men love it, too When marine biologist Cassie Boulton and Calder Westing III, a modern-day Mr. Darcy, share one passionate night by the sea, Cassie thinks she may have found her happy ending. But with devastating secrets from the past and Calder's family determined to keep them apart, Calder tells her about his feelings the only way she'll let him by rewriting her favorite book, featuring the two of them as Darcy and Elizabeth.

Just  mention Pride and Prejudice, be is sequel, re-make or something else and I want to have a go at it. This one I liked and it had me at the "ball" where they meet. She asks him to dance and he says no, and then she leaves with a sense of having been judged and found wanting. She got me there.

It is the story about marine biologist Cassie who every summer comes to the cape to study the sea life and sit in her lab. This year she has her friend Erin with her and Erin meets a nice guy, Scott and dances away with him. While Cassie meets a reserved man who doesn't seem to want to be where he is. It is dislike at once, but there is also something else there, a passion that takes hold of them, but Cassie walks away because a poor Elizabeth with secrets does not get her Mr Darcy.

There is a lot of passion between these two when they finally get together, even if it is for a short time. Then the book takes a turn and they go their separate ways, but he wants to win her back and he has already called her Elizabeth Bennet. And I went awww, a guy who re-writes P&P to put them in it! So where can I meet him. He is like Mr Darcy, all hidden feelings and never saying the things he may want too. But then there is that other side to him, that gentle and caring side that we do not get to see at first. When it comes out I get happy.

There was some negative aspects though, it felt at times like the book was finished, but then it picked up another thread. I mean I do not mind cos more to read, and that is never wrong, but the passages felt new when you thought the end was near (well not that near cos I could still see the pages.) But at least the resolved everything, and I haev to give her credit for that because I like endings where I know it all.

This was a sweet book, a nice re-telling of an old story. Some characters where in it, others not. It was her own version but you could still recognize some important things, but never so much that it felt like just another re-telling. Now it was her own story, with PP inspiration,and  that worked great. What was left was a rich guy meets a nice so rich girl, and his family disapproves. And then there is Bingley and Jane.

I liked Calder, I liked Cassie, I enjoyed their love story, and sweet romance.

One thing left me thinking though, how much Abigail Reynolds knows about marine biology? Cos she was not afraid to go in to that lab and explain things. And to choose a subject like that, perhaps she has studied it.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner. I really like this one, it is so sweet and the couple looks happy.

Reason for reading: From the publisher.

Final thoughts: Sweet story, 3