The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy

Wow, excessive use of the f-bomb, and I'm personally not shy about the word. The sex starts on page 102 (foreplay, a bit earlier), and then rest of the book is either graphically described sex or Elizabeth being really immature. Anyone looking for an Austen fix isn't looking for either of those things. When I saw "a modern P&P" on the cover, I expected some character growth along the lines of the original. There is none of that here - Elizabeth just needs to differentiate between professional Darcy and personal Darcy and that's pretty much all you've got for the characters coming to know themselves. There's no Wickham to drive the plot along in the various very important ways he does in the original. Truthfully, I don't see how this book has anything to do with P&P other than naming all the characters the same name. But did I mention there was a lot of graphically described sex? Frankly, that's not plot, and it's just boring, I had to start skimming. All of that being said, there are worse Austen fan fiction books out there, so I can't quite give it one star.

I couldn't get through the first chapter because of the language in the book. I am no shrinking violet, but I think this book is written for pure shock value. Jane Austen would roll over in her grave. Pemberley by the Sea by Abigail Adams and Drive and Determination by Kara Louise are WONDERFUL P&P modern versions. I cannot decide to donate it to Goodwill or recycle it. I hate the thought that someone might get stuck with it.

This book is smokin hot. HOT. If all judges were like Judge Darcy, I'd start law school tomorrow. If you love a more explicitly amorous Darcy and Lizzy, this is the book for you. The love and heartache and angst that P&P addicts love is all there too, interspersed with some jealousy and a whole lot of passion. Did I mention it's hot? I like to think the original Darcy and Elizabeth had this same kind of passion behind closed doors.

The first time His Honor, Judge Darcy sees Lizzy, he is intrigued by her playful, carefree behavior. When she appears in his courtroom he assumes she's a defendant, when she's actually a new lawyer now presenting cases before him. He's become disgruntled and bored with his career and the last thing he wants to do is break in a new lawyer, and Lizzy takes the brunt of his aggravation. As he witnesses more of her work he begins to really respect her; when he runs into her outside of work a few times (usually in the company of Charley and Jane), he realizes how fascinated he is. Lizzy's attraction takes a little longer to overcome her irritation but after an amusing first meeting with Georgiana, she begins to see him in a different light.

There's no "Elizabeth isn't good enough for me" attitude in this variation. It's more like "getting involved with Elizabeth will ruin my career." But, of course, he is increasingly tempted.

They are thrown together at an international law conference, joined by Jane and Bingley, and make a deal to throw caution to the wind and stop fighting their attraction. For two weeks, what happens in England, stays in England. But almost immediately they each begin to doubt their ability to return to a working relationship. It's more than just lust, although that is plentiful; Darcy feels invigorated and truly happy for the first time in a long time. They each struggle with their increasing feelings for the other, and their return to "real life" is difficult. Throw in a meddling Caroline and a flirty Richard Fitzwilliam and conflicts and misunderstandings inevitably arise. We also get a new character in Lizzy's best friend Louis Hurst, who is hilarious and loveable and an almost perfect match for her.

Ultimately they must decide if their relationship is worth giving up the careers they've worked so hard for. They can't be together, but they can't be apart. What will they do?

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett are once again united in the new sequel, The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy, a contemporary love story based on Jane Austen's unforgettable Pride and Prejudice. In this sequel, the wealthy Darcy is a notable judge who has become bored with his profession when he meets the attractive attorney, Elizabeth.

When I heard about this book, I could hardly wait to read it, but from the very beginning, I was surprised when the historically charming Mr. Darcy, one of my favorite gentleman heroes in literature, started dropping the rather crude and vulgar F-bomb. Even though this is a modern-day novel, I felt this one element was completely out of character, and was taken too far. Overall, though, the book was an interesting adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

I couldn't pass the trip to England....waaayyy to much...Just tell me one thing writer...Can you imagine my dear Elizabeth, first trip to a different country and spend the 2 weeks, or what ever it was, locked in a room and going to bars instead of museums? Sorry couldn't finish the book...I'm not a purist, but this was way over the top. I collect Jane Austen sequels and fan fiction..this is one that is going right to half price books store...not sure I even want someone else to buy it tho...

A dreadful book and a complete waste of time. The premise is so promising but the characters and the situations are illogical, legally incorrect, and the characters do not behave consistently with their personalities. It is not "played out in the courtroom" which is just as well because the author sure does not know about the law and legal and judical ethics. Highly improbable, silly and downright distasteful.

I purchased this book in 2008 and enjoyed the modern version of P&P, although I could have done without the overly frequent use of the "F" word. At a later point I noticed that it had a different cover, but just thought that it had been updated to be more eye-catching, as the original was rather dull. I didn't notice that it had a new publisher, which was probably the reason for the new cover.

In any case, I liked the version that I had read well enough that I ordered it for my Kindle, not realizing that with the new publisher the story had been heavily changed. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT!!! It should have been noted in the description that this was a new version of the story that is quite different from the original. I feel like I was deceived in my purchase of the Kindle version.

I think that the author, publisher and Amazon are all at fault for this. I think Amazon needs to find a way to screen some of these situations where a book is re-published like this. I have now experienced this situation where the title didn't change but the book did. The more common scenario is where the title changes with a new publisher, but the book is identical to one previously published. You can end up with the same book under two titles.

If you are an Austen die-hard as I am, DO NOT read this book. It was horrible!! This author took our beloved P&P books and made them contemporary caricatures. It was awful to read! She has Elizabeth and Darcy falling right into bed with each other, than she has Darcy behaving like a dithering idiot, instead of the noble man from Jane Austen's novel! The final straw for me was that she had Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love quite quickly in the book, which we know is not the case at all! Its like the author only used the names of Jane Austen's book and that's it! If want some Elizabeth and Darcy, stick with the classic!

Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy Englishman, is one of the youngest judges appointed in the county of Meryton, California. Yet four years into his term finds him overworked, restless, and dissatisfied. Elizabeth Bennet, the newest attorney to join Gardiner & Associates, is ready to make a name for herself in the legal world. After her first trial with Judge Darcy presiding, Elizabeth comes to the conclusion that with his supercilious, aloof, and formidable behavior Judge Darcy is the last man in the world she could be prevailed upon to work with! After spending some time with Elizabeth, Darcy finds he is tempted to pursue a romantic relationship with her, yet he knows it would be an ethical violation that would cost both of them their jobs.

Elizabeth decides to take a much-needed reprieve from work and join her sister, Jane, and her sister's boyfriend, Charley, on their vacation to England. When Elizabeth discovers that their host and Charley's best friend is none other than Judge Darcy, she learns that first impressions aren't always accurate and that this vacation is one she will never forget...

This debut novel by Sara Angelini is a modern retelling of "Pride and Prejudice" with quite a few surprising twists: Jane and Charley Bingley are surgeons, Louisa Hurst appears in the form of Elizabeth's gay best friend, Lou Hurst, and Darcy and Caroline are casually sleeping together! Ms. Angelini did a fantastic job of modernizing and adapting the characters of "Pride and Prejudice" to the 21st Century and the legal world. Darcy was a perfectly haughty and judicious judge, I could easily see Elizabeth Bennet as a persuasive and persevering defense attorney, and I laughed out loud at the hysterical hippie version of Mrs. Bennet! My only wish was that more time was focused on other minor characters like the other Bennet sisters or Lady Catherine de Bourgh; I would have enjoyed seeing them portrayed and cleverly modernized as well.

I loved reading this excellent modern interpretation by Sara Angelini. She established a creative and unique premise for our beloved "Pride and Prejudice" characters. In addition, Ms. Angelini, who is also an attorney, provides a well-research and accurate portrayal of the legal and judicial system. However, with all these twists in the novel, the reader will find that it does not follow the "Pride and Prejudice" plot sequence exclusively and that there are quite a few other differences. In addition, I would recommend this book for mature audiences because of the profanity and very steamy intimate scenes included.

"The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy" was a delightfully romantic and passionate journey of Darcy and Lizzy. I loved the sensuous and tender love they had for each other. In addition, I took pleasure in their moments of angst and tension as much as their moments of intimacy and affection. If you are open-minded and love to read modern "Pride and Prejudice" adaptions, than this is a book you should not miss. It is the perfect blend of romance, passion, and laughter!

Austenesque Reviews

Firstly, let me just say that I enjoyed this book for what it truly was: a quick, mindless read. It didn't take a lot of thought to breeze through it, and I actually laughed a few times. But to advertise this as a modern-take on Pride & Prejudice is just downright silly.

There was no reason whatsoever for the author to bother using P&P as a basis for her story. You could easily change the names of Darcy and Elizabeth to Jason and Amy or Thomas and Beth, and I'll bet you would never have seen any connection to P&P. The author essentially took the names from P&P (not even the characters' personalities, really, just the names), took the basic love/hate relationship aspects of the plot, and wrote her own novel. I truly have no idea why the author didn't just write her own novel with her own unique characters. It seemed lazy to use P&P as a basis, and I'm saying this as a devoted fan of all things JA/P&P, including modern remakes. This would have been a MUCH more enjoyable story had it been an original novel without placing the characters in the restrictions of beloved characters like Darcy and Elizabeth. I saw nothing about these two that resembled Darcy or Elizabeth. Jane was just about the biggest diversion from Jane in P&P. Caroline's catty-ness was heightened to a very high degree, making her very flimsy in terms of her characterization. Honestly, most of the characters were pretty flimsy with little to no development. It's a shameful way to "modernize" Jane Austen's characters.

Also troubling was the stereotypical token gay guy in the novel. Every gay stereotype you could think of was used for Lou Hurst. Sure, he's a fun character but you really get absolutely nothing else about him besides his token flamboyant characterization and, oh yeah, Lou giving Elizabeth tips on how to please Darcy. Give me a break. The lowest moment of the entire novel was when Lou comes over to have a slumber party with a pouting Elizabeth where they braided each other's hair and sang into hairbrushes. I'm not kidding. Just because a male character is gay does NOT mean that he is automatically considered "just one of the girlfriends" who enjoys typical tween antics. A gay man does not equal female. Disgusting stereotype.

I also don't understand how the author was able to provide a 5-star review... for her own novel, even if she was just providing some background info on it. Makes the rest of these 5-star reviews seem super shady in their reliability.

Overall, I would probably suggest taking a pass on this one. There are SO many other P&P remakes/sequels/modernizations that are infinitely better than this one, that actually use elements of the original P&P in unique and interesting ways. This one fails to do that in every possible way.