Tuesday 8 April 2014

Pirates and Prejudice by Kara Louise

I’ve got a few reads lined up that I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of reading time for so I’ve been putting off starting them, meaning I’ve not read much the last few days. So, I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on something I read last summer, Pirates and Prejudice by Kara Louise.

This was such a fun variation on Pride and Prejudice! We pick up with Darcy after his failed proposal at Hunsford. He has let himself go and is wallowing in his misery; he's rented a room near the docks so nobody of his acquaintance sees him in this state because his hair is a mess, he hasn't shaved in ages, and he spends his days boozing to forget. He is almost unrecognisable, and he gets mistaken for the pirate Lockerly. 

Luckily, due to the fact that Lockerly has a scar that Darcy doesn't, Darcy doesn't get hung as a pirate but due to his uncanny resemblance to the pirate he is asked to pose as him in hopes that the real Lockerly will be tempted out of hiding. Although disguise of every sort is his abhorrence, Darcy is persuaded to comply, dressing as Lockerly and learning some less gentlemanly lingo. He hopes that having this deception to focus on will take his mind off the lovely Miss Bennet that found him so lacking as a gentleman.

Unbeknown to him, the same Miss Elizabeth Bennet is accompanying her father to visit his sister on the Isles of Scilly. On their return trip their vessel gets into difficulties and the ladies get taken ashore to an island but when the sailors try to get the men to shore they run into the real pirates. Luckily, there is a fake Lockerly nearby who is on hand to help....

What follows involves mistaken identity, sword fighting, swashbuckling, rope swinging, pirate treasure, changed viewpoints and some lovely, lovely romance. There are no sex scenes, which will please those people who prefer to avoid them, and don’t think sex scenes would have added anything, it’s wonderfully romantic as it is.

If you are looking for something that Jane Austen herself may have written, then this probably isn't it; but if you are willing to have a bit of fun with your Austenesque variations then I'd certainly recommend this one! I thoroughly enjoyed it.


10 comments:

  1. I have recently added this to my TBR list, oh five stars great. I on the other hand have read too much and I have three assignments with my name stamped on them, Reluctantly I must try to avoid books (non academic ones) and take a break wish me luck!

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    1. Good luck Tamara! It's hard going when there are so many lovely books out there and only limited time to read them. If you get chance this one is a nice, fun read, as long as you are willing to stretch your imagination to allow Darcy to act like a pirate!

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  2. Nice review! I thought this was a fun read too! Have you read Darcy's Voyage? I loved that one too.

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    1. I haven't read Darcy's Voyage but I have a feeling I have it on my kindle. Everybody seems to love that one!

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  3. Lovely review, Ceri! I really enjoyed this one too. And you must read Darcy's Voyage, it is wonderful and one of my favorites!!:)

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    1. Hi Kelli! Another vote for Darcy's Voyage! I will have to try and bump it up my TBR. When I first read the blurb I wasn't sure how much I fancied it, the whole boat thing put me off, though I'm not sure why, but I enjoyed Pirates and Prejudice so much that I really should give DV a go :)

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  4. Woot! So glad you loved this one as much as I did! What an adventure, eh? And yes the romantic bits were just heavenly! :) Vote #3 for Darcy's Voyage, one of my all-time faves!

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    1. The romantic bits were so lovely! I thought there was some lovely emotion in it too. I don't know if you remember it, but there was one part where Darcy overhears something that he misinterprets re a rejected proposal and I let out a 'gaaaah!' before I remembered I was reading in public!

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  5. This book and Darcy's Voyage rank in my top 5 P&P variations. It's romantic, adventurous, delightful, and a great story of our favorite characters. Both "ship" stories made me smile and wish I could start the story again as I closed the book at The End.

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    1. There is no better recommendation for a book than you finished it and wanted to start it again! I will have to read Darcy's Voyage and find out for myself what everybody loves about it :)

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