Regardless of Lizzie's foolishness, this book sucked me in as much as the first one in the series did. This story and the last were both entertaining and easy reads. The mysteries in each were easy scenarios to nut out, but the writing and the characters (yes, even foolish Lizzy) make up for the easy plots. Please don't read further if you wish to avoid spoilers.
Elizabeth Bennett prides herself on being an astute judge of character...she is supposedly the clever sister. So how is this astute young woman continually taken in by an out and out scoundrel?
She actually witnesses this handsome and charming rogue going about the business of relieving an acquaintance of his hard-earned money, but because she has no respect for the victim of the robbery, she does not seem to see the deed as a crime, committed by a man with a reputation for having perpetrated many similar acts that had garnered him much in the way of ill gotten gains. But because he is charming and flamboyant, and because he eventually has the opportunity to tell a tale of woe that drops another, not very well liked acquaintance right in it, Lizzy thinks she has found a suitable candidate to lavish all her sympathy and outraged indignation upon.
She worries when this villain decides that he will attend a masked ball, supposedly so that he can dance with her but in actuality, so that he can carry out further robberies.
Needless to say, Mr Bingley's ball becomes a shambles when a valuable piece of jewellery is found to be missing and this shambles turns into a complete disaster when several cases of virulent food poisoning is added to the mix.
The villain is actually captured but he drops a Miss Bennet in it when he names her as an accomplice...something Lizzy has been dreading, even though she did not believe up to this point, that said villain was actually the person who stole the jewellery. This is where credibility is stretched to breaking point I am afraid.
Beautiful, gentle Jane Bennet steps forward to shoulder the blame and her heart is broken when, even after being publicly exonerated, Bingley more or less publicly shuns her and then disappears to London. Poor Jane's reputation is in tatters in Meryton and the Gardiners come to the rescue and take their niece off to London hoping distance will restore equilibrium in Meryton and help mend a broken heart.
The final thing that really annoyed me about Lizzy was the fact that after being so very worried about her gallant highway man turning up at the ball, after he is arrested and taken away, not once does our fickle heroine think about his fate.
There are many little subplots that add to the enjoyment, so, despite Lizzy's foolishness, this is a nice essay read.
Lesley
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![Intrigue at the Ball ~ A Pride and Prejudice Variation: (A romantic Regency mystery for Jane Austen fans) (Dark Darcy Mysteries Book 2) by [Penelope Swan]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51YoZhipfnL._SY346_.jpg)
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Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2015
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Jay
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 23, 2016Verified Purchase
Roslyn Cohen
Excellent read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2015Verified Purchase
Karen McNabb
An intriguing tale
Reviewed in Canada on September 8, 2018Verified Purchase
