Last updated on January 31, 2020
The Events at Branxbourne
by Caitlin Williams
Genres: Classical Rewrite, Historical Fiction, Romance
Release Date: May 30, 2018
Pages: 232
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Rating: ★★★★★
“Whatever else happens, and we may expect dark days ahead, never doubt that in this moment, beneath this perfect blue sky, on this warm September day, you are loved as no other woman has ever been loved before. You are loved for all that you are, for all you once were, and for all that you will come to be.”
– Fitzwilliam Darcy
Lady Lambert, or Elizabeth Bennet as she was once known, appears to have made the perfect match. Having refused Mr. Darcy’s proposal of marriage at Hunsford, she is now married to a viscount. While everything seems well, beneath her fine clothes beats a heart filled with regrets. Dark secrets lurk in every corner of her elegant London townhouse, and while she might have at her disposal many excellent and numerous carriages, they all seem to take her places she does not truly want to go.
Into her now desolate existence comes Mr. Darcy again—a changed man, a better man, the very best of men, and still very much in love with her. Is it all impossible? She ought to resist him, yet she cannot stay away. Theirs is a dangerous, scandalous love that proves impossible to resist.
In an age when women are owned by their husbands, can a wife escape a husband she has come to loathe, and when there is blood on her hands, how will Elizabeth explain herself?
Review
The Events at Branxbourne (TEaB) was a very somber book, though excellently written. It includes some very serious topics, including mental health and abuse, not at all what I would expect in a Pride and Prejudice rewrite. But, despite that, it is a story of hope and healing as well.
I imagine, if examined too closely, there are many dreadful “ideas” and “lessons” to take away from TEaB. However, at face value, I read it as a fantastic story of overcoming the worst kind of adversity without completely losing yourself.
TEaB is definitely worth a read, but I highly suggest having something fun and lighthearted on hand to read afterwards.
About the Author
Caitlin Williams lives in Kent, England, with her family.
She fell in love with all things Regency as a teenager, but particularly admires the work of Jane Austen and the way she masterfully combines humour and romance, while weaving them through such wonderful stories and characters.
Her debut novel, Ardently, was written as a hobby, usually with her laptop balanced on the kitchen worktop, typing with one hand, a glass of wine in the other, while she also attempted to cook dinner and keep her children from killing each other.
She has since written the award-wining The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet and When We Are Married. Her latest novel is The Events at Branxbourne. They are all Austenesque novels set in the Pride and Prejudice universe.
Author links: Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
This review is based on an eBook I borrowed from Amazon on February 5, 2019 as part of the Kindle Unlimited program.
