Customer Reviews

Assumed Engagement

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After reading the raving reviews, I was excited to give this a try. I'm a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice and can practically repeat the movies from watching them so much. However, 'Assumed Engagement' was good, but nothing spectacular.

This book continues from when Darcy leaves Rosings after Elizabeth harshly turns down his marriage proposal. Upon returning home, Darcy's carriage got caught in a storm and was overturned, rendering Darcy into a prolonged coma. Georgiana enlisted the aid of Elizabeth, thinking that she was engaged to her brother. It continues on with the P&P story with a slightly different outcome than the original story but with the same happy ending.

I have to admit, this story is very original and believable if events did turned out the way it did. The story started off wonderfully. But after Darcy woke up, it just was okay. Nothing really to keep my attention. Kara Louise was adept at adding some one liners from the original story to give it some added authenticity. The characters were charming and Austen-like. What I thought was irrelevant was the deaf school and certain quotes. I have nothing against either item but it felt like it didn't really fit in with the P&P/Austen world. Also, I felt it was too much from Darcy's point of view than Elizabeth's. Darcy seemed a little too emotional and Elizabeth's was slightly confusing by being mature in some chapters and then childish in another. Other than that, she created an imaginative world where Darcy, with the help from his young sister, becomes the new man with a different perspective of how he learned to be a less arrogant. The Bennet family is still the same but seem a little bit more tame, this time around.

Overall, a good read, but I wouldn't have bought the book.

I have just finished this particular installment and I really found that I enjoyed it. It did not have any love scenes (which I admit I really enjoy) I found that the characters were well done and I had to pick up the sequal and read it right away. It is a fast read. It is not as indepth in the amount of affection between Elizabeth and Darcy but it is a nice story.

This is an annoyingly inconsistent book. I very much enjoyed one of the author's other books, Something Like Regret, and got this one with high expectations. I'm sorry to say, I was very disappointed.

While the premise of the story is interesting and promising, and the writing style is competent, the execution is severely flawed to the point of being unpleasant.

The first problem is that the personality of Jane Austen's characters has altered. These "new" characters might not be a problem if you were inventing them from scratch or presenting them to a public who doesn't already "know" them. But this isn't the case. Jane Austen fans will accept some tinkering, but leave Lizzy and Darcy fundamentally similar, at least. It's one thing to tinker with the plot, but don't significantly alter the characters.

Lizzy lacks her usual maturity and sparkle; Col. Fitzwilliam is almost obnoxious; Georgiana ranges from timid to decisive and back with perplexing speed; Charlotte is more assertive than Austen intended; and Darcy behaves like a man who has suffered a blow to the head (which he has although, supposedly, it didn't harm him). Lady Catherine, at least, is true to form. (As are Jane, Charles, Mr. Collins, and Caroline Bingley).

The introduction of 21st century social consciousness is totally out of place, and smacks of sloppy research. This just wasn't one of the Regency period's best qualities, but it was what it was and you can't revise it retroactively. Having Darcy host a wedding reception at Pemberley for the gardener's son (who he has never laid eyes on) is irrational. Maybe, the sponsoring of a school for the deaf is believable (noblese oblige, after all), but not socializing with the help and all their friends and relatives. There was a very strong division between upstairs and downstairs, and Darcy is upstairs to the core.

The therapy regimen that Georgiana implemented to modify Darcy's personality is another example of getting ahead of the times. That Darcy should actually obey and go along with the treatment his little sister prescribes is a bit hard to swallow. The concept of self-improvement is timeless and Darcy's wish to change is believable, but the book's methods are questionable. And, it's a bit silly to have Darcy carrying around a security hankie for so long.

So, basically, the IDEA for re-plotting the way that Elizabeth and Darcy's story reached its happy conclusion was interesting, original, and generally well thought out. But the changes and compromises the author chose to make in order to bend the original to fit the new plot lines were a bit heavy-handed, at best.

I really enjoyed this P & P variation - the characters stay true to form, the story line is different but believable, very satisfying. Everything I've read from Kara Louise has been great. Highly recommend!

The book generally followed the plot line of P and P, but the author's plot took an alternate path that seemed plausible. What I like in a P and P variation is that the characters remain fairly faithful to Jane's origianl story. I think Kara accomplished that and I would recommend the book to anyone who likes a good 19th century romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Louise's book "Assumed Engagement". It is an easy and lighthearted read. It evokes reader emotions which classifies it in my own opinion as a good book. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Louise's books. She keeps to Jane Austen's character descriptions and the story unfolds in a logical and believable manner.

*possible spoilers*
This is my third Kara book and I am just loving them.

This book takes on a whole new feeling because Darcy is asleep for a large portion of it. I really like how Kara brought Georgianna in on this book and gave her much more of a personality. She is such a joy to read and the sequel (which I've also just finished) explores Georgianna even more. I really like how you get to see the relationship between Georgianna and Darcy. And the whole... will Darcy better himself to be good enough in the eyes of Lizzy is awesome.

Thank you Kara! Keep them coming!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It began just after Elizabeth refused Darcy at Hunsford. On his way home from Rosings, there is a terrible accident that renders Darcy unconscious. Stemming from a misunderstanding, Elizabeth is summoned to Pemberley. What ensues completely changes the course of this beloved story. The author wove into the story quite a bit of chemistry between our two most beloved characters without the need to be explicit, which I appreciated. Any lover of P&P will find this a most delightful read.

While I did like Assumed, I really enjoyed "Something like regret" more. In Assumed, there was just to much focus on the smell and flowers and her hankercheif.

I have spent time over the last 2 days reading "Assumed Engagement" and "Assumed Obligation" and enjoyed them both. I like this authors writing style and appreciate that she keeps the stories clean enough for me to allow my daughter to read them. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book and I enjoyed this adaptation. I liked the way Georgiana helped Darcy change some of his attitudes and behaviors too. I look forward to reading more books by this author.