Really loved some aspects of this book.

Made me laugh, made me blush. (For the record, this may not be the best book to listen to while ferrying the kids about in the car.) In the end, I had to change it for something more prudish.

5 people found this helpful

Very Good Story. Shaky Narration.

I really liked this one. I like the premise. This one is an "Elizabeth as a social equal" variation, and it's particularly well thought out. In this story, Elizabeth is not only an equal, but is arguably superior to Darcy in rank and consequence. Her elevation in rank is the consequence of her being the widow of an earl when the story begins. Elizabeth's husband was killed in a dastardly plot full of political intrigue and familial greed, and a mystery surrounding his murder provides the conflict and angst in the second half of the plot.

The whole thing is well-written and original. A good editor could've removed several superfluous chapters that drag out the angst long beyond any suspense on the part of the reader, but the biggest complaint I had was the narrator. I've heard Ms. Rose narrate other books and enjoyed her performance, but this one was a struggle. She mispronounces SO MANY words and she does it so frequently that you can't escape from its distraction. She also reads the entire book, which is not a short one, VERY slowly and very haltingly. Worse, the performance often stops abruptly in the middle of sentences. This happens throughout the story, and the pauses are occasionally so long or so awkwardly placed that it changes the meaning of what was written.

Aside from the issues with the narration, it's worth getting for the story. Bump the speed up a little. It helps.

3 people found this helpful

Romantic, great narration, so much angst!

I loved the fact we got to see ODC fall in love and the love was so strong. I feel weird about Lizzy or Darcy having loved someone before, but it was ok in the end. So much angst though. At one point I switched to reading/skimming some chapters because of that.
I love the narration. I don't know why anyone has a problem with it. One of my favorite P&P variation narrators.

2 people found this helpful

I wish I could exchange this one

I did enjoy the basis of the storyline, and it could have been really great, but it was just so needlessly long with chapter after chapter of crying and heartache. The angst just dragged on with little to lighten the mood. I missed my lighthearted Lizzie.

As mentioned by many others, the narrator made this book even harder to listen to. She actually has a very nice reading voice, but constantly just placed long pauses throughout all her character readings.

In summary, If you like gut-wrenching heartbreak that never seems to end, this book is likely for you. But if you like a little more joy mixed in with the angst, I’d spend your credit elsewhere.

2 people found this helpful

Great story! Audio was Just Ok

I loved the book and it even brought me to tears. I give the story 5 Stars. I did not care for the Audiobook as much. Didn’t care for the Darcy voice or the pace but did like the voices for Elizabeth and other ladies. If I like a book I’ll get the audio and I did finish this one but did have to speed it up to 1.5x to listen.

2 people found this helpful

Great story but mediocre narrator

I read this story while it was being written on a Jane Austen fanfic website. I am a great fan of the author and loved the story. As with other favorite JAFF stories I really like, I purchased the audiobook so I could listen to it in the car or in bed at night and enjoy it again.

The story is very good. Unique for JAFF with great twists played against canon. But....the narrator really bothered me. Her pronunciation of words was off-putting, and she pronounced Georgiana Darcy's name differently back and forth through the story. I especially didn't like the voice she used for Darcy. It was too posh and effeminate. Mr. Darcy is first and foremost a man who is solid and straightforward. Giving him that slight accent really took away from the story for me. I will not purchase another book narrated by this narrator, but if you want a well written P&P story, Ms. D'Orazio is a really good writer.

2 people found this helpful

Best Pride & Prejudice Variation EVER

10 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!
I think I’ve read every variation possible from the humblest of Pride and Prejudice Variation’s, to a Vampire version, to a modern presidential take, to a few saucy adult version, to many many repeat versions that have very little variation at all and mostly help me sleep. This has been by far the best variation with a wonderful yet tragic romantic addition yet still focusing on our love for Elizabeth and Darcy ! A+++

1 person found this helpful

Amazing

Loved this story and all the twists and turns as well as the humor. The narration was wonderful and loved the different pitches she used for all the emotions of the characters.

Story great, narration not good

This would have gotten a solid 5 from me but for the narration. It was choppy and there are so many glaring mispronunciations that aggravation forced me to yell out corrections. However the author is excellent. She also wrote my favorite of all P&P variations, which is Willful Misunderstanding.

In Best Part of Love, there are some tear jerking scenes but action moves quickly and the angst is not overwhelming. I thought that Elizabeth's prior marriage would be a turn off, but it was not. Elizabeth is a widow when she meets Darcy. He begins as a jerk, but becomes one of the most engaging and lovable of all Darcys (except the one from Jane Austen's original Pride and Prejudice). I highly recommend this book with the caveat that you must be prepared for bad narration and anger inducing mispronunciations.

Emotions

Such excellent writing I cried and worried about the characters. Couldn’t wait for the resolution. When all seemed hopeless they never gave up.