Twists of Fate by Joana Starnes

Joana Starnes’s previous books have set the quality bar too high so the expectations towards Twists of Fate were obviously in accordance with that, but if there is one thing Starnes never fails to present is a well written and engrossing book.

The premise of Twists of Fate is somewhat common, however, there are a few twists I particularly liked reading about, and of course, the manner in which Starnes presents the entire story is compelling, which makes the book unique in its own way.

In this forced marriage scenario Mr. Collins doesn’t take no for an answer and to avoid his more aggressive overtures, Elizabeth runs out of the house in search of her father. While she is in a hurry to get to Meryton, she falls and twists an ankle and it is at this point that she is found by Mr. Darcy, who assists her, and takes her to her Aunt Phillip’s house. This scene is observed by a maid and gossip soon spreads over Meryton.

Starnes is known as the Queen of angst, but readers should expect an almost angst free novel. That is not to say that conflict is completely absent from the story, but there aren’t many angsty moments in it, and the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth is quite mature with both sharing and talking over the many different situations they must face…well…they start doing that…eventually. What I want to say is that in this novel there is a moment of misunderstanding, but apart from that, we see the couple getting to know one another and slowly falling in love, which means that readers who love to read scenes between these two characters will be delighted! They will even face adversity as a couple completely in love and in syntony with one another.

What I loved the most in this book was the characterization of Darcy. No matter the adversity, or the setting, Joana Starnes is always able to create a Darcy who is exactly as I imagined he would be. He always reacts as I believe he should react, and he is always passionate, honorable and strong. This Darcy is swoon worthy and I absolutely loved every scene that was told from his point of view. His feelings are always raw, exiting and electrifying. His love for Elizabeth is beautiful and because his character, as well as Elizabeth’s were so well developed, their romance was the second aspect I loved the most in the book. They finish off with a solid relationship and I am sure readers will love to read the story as the characters achieve that.

Another aspect I really loved, and something I wasn’t certainly expecting, was to be privy to how the gossip spreads. Usually in this type of books we are told that rumors occur, but in this case, we see how the rumor is spreading and who is taking part in it. We follow the characters as they discuss the events and have a good laugh through it all. These humorous sections are something else that Starnes has started using in her most recent books, and a characteristic I particularly liked in the first part of Twists of Fate. She certainly knows how to make me smile 😊

Towards the end of the book, I must confess I was also pleasantly surprised by Lydia and astonishingly interested in Jane’s love life! If you think Elizabeth and Darcy are the only interesting couple in this book, be assured they are not! Jane was the one who made me read nonstop until the end!

I didn’t have any quibble with this book, but I would prefer if it was a little shorter, even if I couldn’t stop reading it from the moment I started.

Twists of Fate is another fantastic book that will not disappoint any reader. It is beautifully written, engrossing and passionate. The characters are true to themselves, and the path they take to find their happiness is thrilling. I highly recommend this book to all readers.

 

You can find Twists of Fate at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

and on Kindle Unlimited 

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