If Mr. Darcy Dared tells us how the romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy could evolve if after a discussion in Oakham Mount Mr. Darcy reflected about Elizabeth’s criticisms, apologised for his rude behaviour at the Meryton Assembly, admitted his admiration for her and asked her for the first dance at the Netherfield Ball, where he kisses her in front of everyone.
Even though the Pride and Prejudice main plotlines are still present in this story, Elizabeth Ann West changed many small details, which made the book more appealing because we never knew if something would remain the same as canon, or if it would be subtly changed.
The premise is interesting, and I was initially drawn into the book, however, I didn’t feel the romance between Darcy and Elizabeth was built on love but more on lust, and that was a bit off-putting for me. Also, even though there is no anticipation of the wedding vows, they do have several encounters with sexual activities which I didn’t find romantic, on the contrary. Unfortunately these scenes, which didn’t add anything to the plot, gradually made me feel less and less involved with the story or the characters, decreasing therefore my enjoyment with it.
Another aspect that annoyed me in this book was Mr. Bennet’s obsessive and intransigent attitude. Even though an explanation towards this behavior is delivered at the end of the book, it seemed out of character, exaggerated and developped only to make the story going.
There aren’t a lot of internal obstacles towards Elizabeth and Darcy’s love in this story as they fall in love with each other early in the book, so readers who enjoy seeing this couple work their way to happiness together may enjoy this story, but I personally didn’t buy the behaviors of the main characters and there weren’t enough factors in the book that to compensate for the quibbles I had, so I cannot say I loved it.
Summing up, If Mr. Darcy Dared is an inventive book with several interesting details and a strong sexual component which may feel a bit out of character for some readers but may satisfy those who love to witness Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship grow based on lust.
Audiobook Narration:
Kitty Bennet’s Level
While Nina Price’s performance is very good in terms of cadence and character interpretation, her deeper tone of voice for male characters, especially Darcy, was a bit distracting and not overly agreeable. At times it even felt she was really struggling to be able to make these different tones of voices, and unfortunately, I cannot recommend this format to get into the story, I believe that maybe the paperback or ebook may be better options.
You can find If Mr. Darcy Dared at:
and on Audible
From Pemberley to Milton 
Sounds like a book I’d do a fair share of skimming b/c I don’t care for sexy scenes that add little to the romance development. Glad the variation premise intrigued you, though.
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