“The Darcy Secret” by Kelly Miller

What if the most eligible bachelor Mr Darcy isn’t a prize catch everyone considers him to be? If the mothers of the ton, who are determined to marry off their daughters, found out about the dark Darcy family secret, they would breathe out relieved that Mr Darcy has chosen a lady from the countryside without any wealth and connections.

Mr Darcy himself finds out about this dark secret at the most inconvenient time imaginable. What his late father had decided to keep from him, threatens to ruin Mr Darcy’s life forever.

“The Darcy Secret” by Kelly Miller is a real treat for Jane Austen fans. Although I do believe that the original “Pride and Prejudice” is perfect in every way, I’ve always wanted more interactions and dialogue between Lizzy and Darcy. And that is what Ms Miller generously provides in her elegant Austenesque variations. Keeping her stories true to the Regency era norms and societal limitations, the author adds a bit of spice and edge to the plot to make the books interesting for modern readers.

In “The Darcy Secret” we get to see more of Georgiana Darcy. Moreover, it is unclear until almost the end of the book if she is who we’ve been used to believe she was. There are some dark secrets lurking in the past of this innocent and shy girl, who was always in the shadow of her elder brother. I liked this plotline since it kept me musing about Miss Darcy’s true character. Besides, by portraying Georgiana’s struggles with adjusting her behaviour to meet the expectations of others, the author has raised important questions about the influence of that era’s rules’ rigidity on an individual.

“The Darcy Secret” offers everything that we love about Austenesque romance variations. It is beautifully written, full of lovely Lizzy and Darcy scenes, and on top of that, it tickles the readers’ nerves with unexpected mysteries and shocking revelations.