Love Unsought by Kay Bea

Love Unsought was one of my favourite books this year and it took me back to the time I stayed up until dawn to finish reading a book because I couldn’t get enough of Darcy and Elizabeth. The writing is very good and keeps the reader engaged throughout the story with the perfect balance of romance, intrigue and action. 

The story starts with a prologue that takes us back to 1808 and reveals us a side of Darcy we don’t frequently see in other books. This initial chapter is very engaging and made me want to read this book non-stop. Apart from a facet of Darcy that was charming to see, we are introduced to a character whose existence made the story even more appealing. Readers will love to hate this character and will rejoice with Elizabeth’s last interaction with her 🙂

After the prologue, the story starts right after the Hunsford proposal, and from here the differences in the plot are very small, a feature I absolutely loved. Kay Bae was able to pick up a simple, uncomplicated premise, and turn the story into a completely new and unpredictable book. I confess I sometimes get tired of reading books where either the plot is completely different and often unrealistic, or when it is so close to canon that I already know which events will transpire. In Love Unsought Kay Bae found a perfect balance and developed a story that is believable, enticing and unpredictable at the same time. 

In this book Mr. Darcy is very close to the Colonel and Anne, so when he returns to Rosings after the proposal, he tells them exactly what happened and hears their opinion on the matter. Faced with the rudeness of his proposal, Mr. Darcy is convinced by his cousins to remain at Rosings and properly court Elizabeth, from here the story will take a completely different path.  

Because of this simple change, Darcy and Elizabeth will spend a lot of time together and develop a trusting and strong relationship. I was very happy to see that the author didn’t create unrealistic insecurities or misapprehensions between the couple. It was very easy to go down that path and Kay Bae was always faithful to their love and trust in one another. I absolutely loved that fact and readers who do not like angst will be very pleased by it too. The relationship that was developed in this book and their journey into happiness was pure bliss and I have to highlight their first kiss, it was perfect! And Elizabeth’s letter? It was the cherry on top of the cake. 

I only had a couple of quibbles with this book, namely the amount of time ODC spends together at the end of the story without bringing up the elephant in the room, and Mrs. Bennet’s character who was too mean and narrow minded, but these aspects worked out perfectly in terms of romance, so it did not affect my enjoyment with the story, even because I was happy to overlook these details given the accuracy in Elizabeth and Darcy’s characters.  

On the other hand a character I really loved was  Lady Winslow. She was a believable villain who added an element to the narrative that I loved, she didn’t quite create some jealousy, but her presence, and competition of sorts, gave the book a spicy feeling I always like to see.

Something else I loved about this book was the developing relationships between the characters. Anne and Mary’s friendship was something I really enjoyed, and even if this is to be expected, their adventures in the end were not, and I liked it. I also loved to see Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet give more attention to Kitty and Mary while simultaneously becoming closer to these sisters.

Love Unsought is a page turner, it starts with the refusal, their coming to know one another better, which has all the romance readers wish for, and then their separation, and the events that will make the story going, bring all the angst I was looking for. If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend you moving it up on your TBR pile and making it your next read. 

Love Unsought is a story full of romance and intrigue that will captivate your heart and surprise you at every turn. Do not miss it!

 

You can find Love Unsought at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk