Sandy M’s review of Loving Mr. Darcy (The Darcy Saga, Book 2) by Sharon Lathan
Historical Romance released by Sourcebooks 1 Sep 09

This second book in Ms. Lathan’s series takes us through the second half of Darcy and Lizzy’s honeymoon, and it’s a joy reading how in love they are, how romantic Darcy is, and their carnality for one another is only strengthening with every whisper, touch, and kiss. It’s actually quite nice to read this type of romance, hero and heroine together, having fun, taking care of hearth and home and anything else required of them – together. Yes, there’s little tiffs but they last no longer than a page or two at the most, then love prevails once again. There’s also humor and a frightening, scary moment or two, but, overall, this series is a man and a woman who live, work, and love together.

The ante is upped a few chips in this part of the story when Elizabeth realizes she’s pregnant and Darcy, of course, is beside himself with happiness at the prospect. And Darcy, being the unusually unusual English gentleman he is, determines to be involved as much as possible in his child’s life, even while in the womb. He even goes so far as to plan to be in the room with Lizzy when the time comes. First he sleeps every night with his wife, kisses her and holds her hand in public, makes love to his pregnant wife often, and now he wants to be in the delivery room, so to speak? Unheard of! No well-bred Englishman would do such things! That’s what makes reading Darcy so much fun.

Some of my favorite scenes are when he’s talking to their child, sometimes to the point of such emotion he can’t hold the tears back. You get to see those moments from both his and Lizzy’s points of view, which make them all the sweeter. I also love watching Darcy, just as Lizzy does, going from the ecstatic boy no one but Elizabeth knows to the upright, controlled Master of Pemberley, brooking no argument when he issues orders or demands or is protecting his wife and child when called for.

Darcy is the one who has changed the most in this series, starting out as a man reticent to socialize, letting only those close to him see inside, known for never joking and smiling, let alone laughing, to a man his friends and family knew he could be all along, if only he’d try. It takes the love of his life for him to expend the effort to now love, smile, and laugh wholeheartedly, which, he finds, is really no effort at all. It’s wonderful seeing the change happen page by page.

Elizabeth is his rock. As young as she is, she’s the one who keeps him grounded, who calls him back when his control slips, who arouses him to the point of no return (though he does that for her also). Lizzy has come into her own in this book. She has to face several challenges when Darcy isn’t around to throw the Master of Pemberley persona at whoever deigns to confront his wife, and she handles everything beautifully, just as the Mistress of the house should. She’s always been an elegant young woman who knows her own mind, but she takes that a step further as she grows into Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy when dealing with family, servants, and society alike.

A lot of this book is spent with Darcy and Lizzy taking care of family and duty in London, constantly surrounded by people and problems, but when they return home they take a slow, leisurely journey through Derbyshire where Darcy shows Elizabeth the rich history of his home, their love of bygone times and people bringing them closer together. Ms. Lathan does a very nice job of getting their mutual interest across while not bogging down the storyline nor boring the reader with historical facts. This part of the book is as lush as the English countryside the traipse through.

Secondary characters are still aplenty, all interesting and full of depth. I enjoyed the blooming romance between Mary, Lizzy’s sister, and a local barrister, all the while thinking it would be even more interesting if Georgiana, Darcy’s sister, is enmeshed in romance later in the series; his reactions alone would be filled with emotion across and off the charts, giving readers a devil of a fun time.

This is a wonderful continuation of the Darcys’ story, and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in January, The Darcys at Year’s End.

Grade: A-

Summary:
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Darcy and Lizzy venture away from Pemberley to journey through England, finding friends, relatives, fun, love, and an even deeper and more sacred bond along the way.
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Having embarked on the greatest adventure of all, marriage and the start of a new life together, now the Darcys take the reader on a journey through a time of prosperity, enjoyment, and security. They experience all the adventures of travel, with friends
and relatives providing both companionship and complications, and with fun as their focus.
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The sights and sounds, tastes and flavors of Regency England come alive. Through it all, Darcy and Lizzy continue to build a marriage filled with romance, sensuality, and the beauty of a deep, abiding love.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: