Sandy M’s review of My Dearest Mr. Darcy (Darcy Saga, Book 3) by Sharon Lathan
Historical Fiction published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Jan 10

The extraordinary love and romance of Darcy and Lizzy continues in this third book of Ms. Lathan’s Darcy Saga, and this time we experience their passionate love affair up close and personal, spending more time with this wonderful couple on their own instead of surrounded by family and friends, though we still get a good dose of the intriguing Darcy and Bennet families.

The best part of this series for me is the way Darcy is becoming more and more outgoing because of his wife and his love for her. Lizzy is a natural when it comes to wit and socializing, her intelligence shining, and people gravitate to her just to be part of what she has to offer. Though Darcy is reticent about mixing in crowds of any kind, he is learning little by little how to let go and revel in the small enjoyments in life. I thoroughly enjoyed his scavenger hunt for Lizzy on her birthday, totally endearing and romantic. Darcy is definitely growing into himself.

A trip to the ocean turns out to be relaxing and also quite romantic for the Darcys. They spend a week doing nothing but lazing about the shore, making friends, swimming, taking fun side trips, and, of course, making love whenever the mood strikes. Ms. Lathan has done an extremely terrific job in her research, as is shown by not only the wealth of historical information in this book but also shown by the little nuggets of detail that make Darcy and Lizzy’s trip that much more interesting. There are other lesser trips too, but this particular one is a main part of the story and my favorite.

Of course, there is much concerning Lizzy’s pregnancy throughout the book, and once again it’s Darcy who pulls at the heartstrings. Like Lizzy, I fell more in love with the man every time he speaks to his son as he caresses Lizzy’s rounded belly, every time he rubs her back when he knows she hurts after a long day, every time he tells his wife how much he loves her for giving him such a precious gift.

And when the big day arrives bringing Baby Darcy into the world, Darcy again is right there for Lizzy, doing anything and everything necessary for her and their son during a very long labor. Another favorite part of the story for me is the aftermath of the baby’s birth, Lizzy and Darcy counting fingers and toes, not able to take their eyes off of him, Darcy cooing in that voice we all use when holding an infant, Lizzy nervous about leaving her son even for the length of dinnertime, and a whole host of other similarly delightful tidbits.

Darcy and Elizabeth’s families are well represented at different points in the book, with Darcy’s Uncle George being the main draw for me. He is one of those larger-than-life characters you can’t help but like. The scenes between him and Darcy are extra special, as are those when he delivers the baby. I hope he’s a character that will continue to pop in and out throughout the rest of the series.

As terrific as the historical aspect of this series is, as fun as it is having Darcy family and friends together for whatever reason, as intriguing as the mishaps, little tiffs, and other circumstances throughout are, it’s the love, the romance between these two characters that outshines it all, and Ms. Lathan has kept that front and center and kept it true to these characters who are loved the world over. Darcy and Lizzy are the epitome of that love and romance as Ms. Lathan first envisioned them and has now written them in her interpretation of their life together. I doubt anyone could have done it much better. Not even Jane Austen herself.

Grade: A

Summary:

Darcy is more deeply in love with his wife than ever. As the golden summer draws to a close and the Darcys look ahead to the end of their first year of marriage, Mr. Darcy could never have imagined his love could grow even deeper with the passage of time.

Lizzy is full of surprises. She is unpredictable and lively, pulling Darcy out of his stern and serious demeanor with her teasing and temptation. Looking ahead and planning for celebrations and life events large and small, Lizzy can still catch Darcy unawares when he least expects it.

But surprising events force the Darcys to weather absence and illness, and to discover whether they can find a way to build a bond of everlasting love and desire.

The romance and bewitchment is never-ending…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: