Bitter Mournings: A Pride & Prejudice Variation

Review also posted on
https://myjaffobsession.blogspot.com/2022/01/bitter-mournings-pride-prejudice.html

Fitzwilliam Darcy's life contains little joy, a situation he does not expect to change.

Darcy's society marriage was not happy and ended in tragedy. A house fire killed not only his wife but also his beloved sister, Georgiana.
Her husband, Bingley and her two young children bereft by her loss.

Darcy focuses on supporting the Bingley family in their grief. Eventually in an effort to encourage Bingley back into society, they lease Netherfield in Hertfordshire.

There they meet a spinster, Miss Jane Bennet, her recently widowed mother and Jane's sister Elizabeth Matthews, a widow with two children.

Both men find their company enjoyable and relaxing. As Jane and Elizabeth are in mourning for their father, they cannot be husband hunting. Thus Darcy and Bingley feel no pressure.
The Matthews and Bingley children play happily together. Bingley benefits from Elizabeth's parenting advice.
Slowly friendships develop and gradually become more, as both couples find hope for the future.

This is a very gentle story of the slow recovery from grief.

I enjoyed the relationships between the characters. The children were a delight and changed the usual romantic dynamic.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. All views expressed are my own.