The initial chapter of The Events at Branxbourne is one of the best, if not the very best, I’ve ever read! It is gripping, profound and heartbreaking… we don’t know how Elizabeth got to the point she is in this chapter, but we want to know! We want to know everything and we can’t stop reading until we do!
The events at Branxbourne take place in 1817 with an older version of Darcy and Elizabeth, who have changed due to the circumstances of live, but who remain the same in essentials. I always love to read books with older versions of these characters and Ms. William’s did not disappoint while developing them, she changed what had to be changed to be consistent with the plot, but kept true to Austen’s work giving us a story of second chances and hope for the lost love.
We don’t know exactly what happened after the Hunsford proposal because the events are only revealed later in the book, what we do know is that Elizabeth is now married to another man, Mr. Darcy remains single and they are neighbors in London which will obviously cause them to meet quite often.
When these characters reunite, they know there is no longer any hope for them, but that is not enough to erase a love as strong as theirs and they find themselves drawn to one another. With each encounter their feelings grow and even if this is an angsty book with a darker side, the reader will find many romantic moments between these characters which will become addictive. We keep hoping for the next moment to see what will happen, what they will say or even what they will not say. It is tantalizing!
The chapters shift between Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s POV which is an interesting approach because not only it intensifies the curiosity and interest towards the story but also because it allows us to get to know both characters better. It makes the book dynamic and it helps keeping the tone of it mysterious, dark and intense.
The secondary characters deserve a shout out too, namely Albert and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Not only they had an interesting story of their own, but their interactions with the main characters made this book a stout literary work. I enjoyed to see the openness and sincerity in the Colonel’s relationship with Darcy and the strange but evolutive relationship between Albert and Elizabeth. A few other characters like the flower girl are worth mentioning but my favourites were definitely these two.
The premise in this book is certainly different, but it’s not just that that grabs our attention from the beginning, it is Caitlin Williams’ writing. Her writing is exquisite, it is the kind of writing that is not taught, either authors have it or they don’t, and with a book that is this memorable and poignant Caitlin William has proven that she is an author born with an incredible talent. The writing in this book reminded me of the tone in Death of a Bachelor in The Darcy Monologues and is memorable!
With a magnetic pull that kept me emotionally invested from the first paragraph until the last one, The Events at Branxbourne is the best book I’ve read this year. It should not, and it cannot be missed. I highly recommend it to readers looking for a quality romance novel and I would give it 10 stars if I could!
You can buy The Events at Branxbourne at:
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The blog tour is almost over but there is still one extra stop at Mira’s Blog Obsessed With Mr. Darcy, don’t forget to visit it to see what she thinks of this book and for an additional entry on the giveaway.
June 2 / Austenesque Reviews / Guest Post Launch & Giveaway
June 3 / Of Pens & Pages / Book Review & Giveaway
June 4 / Babblings of a Bookworm / Book Review & Giveaway
June 5 / Just Jane 1813 / Book Review & Giveaway
June 7 / From Pemberley to Milton / Book Review & Giveaway
June 8 / Obsessed with Mr Darcy / Book Review & Giveaway
For our giveaway, Caitlin Williams is offering a $100.00 Amazon gift card as a giveaway. To enter the giveaway please click on the following Rafflecopter link.
Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once each day and by commenting daily on a blog post or review attached to this tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented.
One winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international.
Good Luck everyone!