The Second Chance: A 'Pride & Prejudice' - 'Sense & Sensibility' Variation

One rainy day in December, I found myself reading in my pajamas all day author Joana Starnes’ newly released “The Falmouth Connection”. I was instantly engaged by the unexpected, surprisingly smart, and innovative handling of “Pride and Prejudice” in a very alternate universe where Elizabeth becomes an heiress to a fine fortune. Therefore, when Laurel Ann, our blogmistress, asked if I would be interested in reading Starnes “The Second Chance: A ‘Pride & Prejudice – ‘Sense & Sensibility Variation’ ” for review, how could I not jump at the chance!“The Second Chance”, Joana Starnes' second crossover novel of “Pride and Prejudice” with soupçons of “Sense and Sensibility”, commences with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy still at odds at Netherfield but from there on, the story is all new. Albeit Darcy forbids himself to court Elizabeth because of her comparatively lower station in life and his obligations and expectations of his family, he cannot but be enamored by her verve and fine eyes. Alas when Mr. Bennet falls dangerously ill, he cannot abstain from coming to her aid. Not only does he send his own physician to care for the failing Mr. Bennet but makes secret arrangements to care for Elizabeth and her family should the worst happen and the girls lose their home to the heir apparent, Mr. Collins, an odious, groveling cousin. Unbeknownst to Elizabeth that Darcy has done even more than this one kindness of his own physician, her negative opinion of him does begin to change for the better. “He did not want her gratitude! ‘What is it that you want, then?’ The answer was simple and it came to him in a moment, readily accepted as the absolute truth. He did not want her gratitude. He wanted her love. Ah, but to what purpose? That was the material point!” But when the worst falls on Longbourn, Elizabeth soon finds herself removed to a lovely manor house in Devonshire.Under the guise of an inheritance from one of Mr. Bennet’s old schoolmates, Darcy has gifted the Bennets his own Farringdon Lodge in Devonshire – and that is where we meet our “Sense and Sensibility” favorites: the Dashwoods, Mrs. Jennings, the Middletons, Edward Ferrars, and Colonel Brandon. (Do I unveil too much by appending that neither Jane nor Mary Bennet quit Hertfordshire because Fate has smiled on them at Longbourn in other ancillary plots?) Meanwhile, amidst the downs of Devonshire, romance and friendships blossom. I adored it so realizing Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Jennings were now to be fast friends bent on making good matches for all the girls. “ ‘Well, it appears that you have missed your chance, my dear,’ Mrs. Jennings said to Elizabeth one morning, nodding significantly in the direction of Colonel Brandon, who was sitting away from the rest of the party in earnest conversation with Marianne.”Whilst Elizabeth begins life anew in her Devonshire environs, Darcy, try as he must, cannot purge her from his thoughts. “She had been with him everywhere he went. She had been in the house in Berkeley Square, smiling at him from across the long mahogany table; she had walks through the halls at Pemberley at his side; leaned over his shoulder in the quiet hours at his desk in his study and cut his sleep and his peace with dreams of her, day and night!” Though he seems resolute to take comfort knowing she is safely situated at Farringdon Lodge, when he hears from Colonel Fitzwilliam another Colonel might be wooing his Elizabeth, he can only act as his heart demands…and see her for himself. But is he too late? Was the friendship they had only begun at Longbourn enough of a start? And what happens if she should discover the truth of his altruistic bequest? Through a comedy of errors, Darcy and Elizabeth miss each other on separate occasions and when they do meet again, there is much frustration (for the reader, too) and share of vexation delaying the inevitable happily ever after that we wholly expect. Nay, demand. “How was he to tell her that he loved her and ask her to trust him with her hand and heart if she would not talk to him? If she could even bear to look at him?” All the while reading “The Second Chance”, I had a niggling sensation that I had read this before. After a quick confirmation from the author via Facebook Messenger, it turns out Starnes had written it nearly ten years ago as “Steady to His Purpose”! It was a crossover favorite of mine when I discovered it at Derbyshire Writer’s Guild eight years ago and is thus once again. Note: this 2014 published version remains true to its original plot however, the structure is a bit varied and a couple new chapters have been added. “The Second Chance” is certainly more of re-imagining where “Pride and Prejudice” characters meet up with “Sense and Sensibility” set partly in Devonshire. To me, the “Sense and Sensibility” characters are only tertiary forces to driving the Darcy & Elizabeth story forward. I was not overly invested in any of those side stories but the narrative was so sound, it was of little consequence to my overall enjoyment. Though the book cover seems amateurish compared to others on the bookseller-mart these days -- and that may have been the only reason for me to have not read this when it was first released October 2014 -- I look forward to reading more from this author. Blessedly, Joana Starnes writes our beloved characters much as we always envisage though in entirely fresh scenarios. She masterfully sprinkles some of Austen’s well-known phrases throughout even reassigning dialog to other characters to deliver. But the mingling of favorites from “Pride and Prejudice” with “Sense and Sensibility”, giving them new storylines to traverse, contriving a new pairing or two, speeding up the inevitable for some whilst delaying our satisfaction for others, made “The Second Chance” an engrossing and inventive read. Like with all my favorites, not only do I have this on my e-reader but have also added it to my book room as “I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these.” It’s a must a read in 2015. Sooner than later.

A well-crafted mash-up of "Sense and Sensibility" with "Pride and Prejudice". The plot has been rehashed in a number of reviews so no need to go over it again.We get in-depth looks inside the heads of some important characters, as Darcy finally realizes he has made a dreadful mistake that threatens to undo all the good he had managed to accomplish. His cousin Col. Fitzwilliam is forced to take him to task for his arrogance, and little as he likes it, Darcy has to admit his cousin is correct.The S&S characters are adroitly interwoven into the plot, although they play mostly side roles to the action. The epilogue wraps everything up neatly.

I have to admit that combining the characters of these two classics made me wish for a playbook to refer to! Mr. Darcy passed up his first chance to court Elizabeth, feeling she was not the wife expected of him. When Mr Bennet suffers a stroke, Darcy arranges for his personal doctor to treat him. Like a buzzard circling a wounded animal, Collins arrives at Longbourn to await his inheritance, but Bingley and Darcy make sure he stays in Meryton to allow the family some breathing room. Aware that the Bennets will be homeless after Mr B's death, Darcy arranges for them to "inherit" one of his estates in Devonshire, ostensibly from a long-lost relative. Jane and Mary have a double wedding, Bingley having overridden Darcy's objections. After Mr Bennet's demise, the grieving Bennets relocate and quickly establish friendships with the Dashwoods, Colonel Brandon, et al. An interesting sidestory concerns Lucy Steele and Mr, Wickham, and the results of their dual duplicity. Of course this frees Edward Ferrars to pursue the worthy Elinor! When Darcy comes across Lizzy at Hunsford and later London, he has admitted to himself his mistake of not courting her. However, now it seems she has an understanding and a warm relationship with Colonel Brandon. Darcy can only blame himself, as he put her in Brandon's path. Sometime in the Summer, as Elizabeth tours Derbyshire with Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, she makes friends with Miss Darcy and they spend many days in each other's company. One afternoon Lizzy is perusing some drawings by a Darcy aunt and she sees a drawing of the Bennets' new estate. Georgiana explains that this is one of her brother's holdings and suddenly Lizzy realizes what Darcy has done and how this would appear as if she were a kept woman if anyone knew. She and the Gardiners leave immediately and she convinces her family to return to Longbourn. At best, Darcy's actions allowed Mr Bennet to have some peace of mind before his death. As Lizzy is staying at Netherfield, Darcy visits and Mr Bingley is forced to keep him away from Lizzy, after his thoughtless but well-intentioned actions of the false inheritance. Lizzy eventually becomes comfortable, even fond and more of Darcy, he begins a courtship in earnest and wins her heart. However, he needs to convince the Gardiners of his honorable intentions and of his deep love of Elizabeth. This story reads well, it carried me along quickly, but I cannot give it a full 5 stars in view of the excessively tangled web caused by combining the characters of two involved novels

Joana Starnes knows how to write a great story. This was no exception. Well written and very interesting. Good read. Great Jaff

I agree with previous reviewers that the sense and sensibility characters seem shovelled in. It didn’t add to the story in any way…but oh, the rest of this story was an absolute gem! I was brought to tears in a few places. Bingley finds some balls, Wickham is thankfully fairly absent as are Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine barely gets a look in too. Characterisation was for me, pretty spot on. One star removed for the Sense and Sensibility stuff but otherwise a real treat. Thankyou and keep up the hard work.

Once again, the wonderful Joana Starnes seamlessly blends the characters from two of Jane Austen's novels; first Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion in The Subsequent Proposal and now Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility in this brilliant story, The Second Chance. Starting off with the writing! I remember being very impressed with the writing in The Subsequent Proposal and it was just as brilliant, if not better, in this story! The style is just wonderful to read; it feels almost effortless as it flows so well and the language is perfect. It doesn't feel as though the author was trying too hard to fit with the era or imitate Jane Austen's style which was great, because I find when authors try too hard with it, it doesn't seem natural and flowing, but more forced. As well as flawless writing, Joana has an amazing talent for description, particularly getting into the characters heads and explaining their thoughts and feelings - she does it so powerfully! In addition to sad and intense emotions, there is also just the right amount of humour, which the author also does very well! This story begins to explore a different path much earlier in the plot than most variations I have read (which is a lot by now!) which made a nice change. We join the story at Netherfield Park where Jane is recovering from her illness, and very quickly the story takes a bit of a twist! Whilst at Netherfield, Elizabeth receives a letter, rather reminiscent of the one received at Lambton regarding Lydia's elopement, but this time it contains the news that Mr Bennet has taken ill. Given that we are much earlier in the story, Elizabeth is considerably less prejudiced against Darcy - Wickham hasn't come along yet, after all! Add to this the compassionate and caring side to Darcy which is seen for the first time when he comforts Lizzy after hearing about her father, Elizabeth's opinion of Darcy begins to improve much sooner as she realises that perhaps there's more to him than meets the eye. (And I can't tell you how happy it made me for Elizabeth, when Wickham does turn up with his 'tale of woe', to actually realise how peculiar it is for this relative stranger to suddenly blacken Darcy's character in such a way and after so slight an acquaintance! A sensible thinking, unprejudiced Elizabeth for a change!) As the plot strays away from what we know to happen, other characters stories' pan out in different ways, as is to be expected, and characters such as Kitty, Mary and Bingley come into their own! (But I don't want to give all the clever and interesting changes and twists away!) As I mentioned above, this author is really skilled at description. A lot of the beginning of the story is from Darcy's point of view and we get to see his inner turmoil and fight with this growing attraction for the unsuitable Miss Bennet! I really, really felt for him! It was interesting to see familiar scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth at Netherfield but from Darcy's point of view; what was he thinking during the walk through the Netherfield grounds when Darcy and Caroline meet Elizabeth and Louisa?  And was Darcy really as oblivious to Elizabeth's presence during that long, silent half hour in the library, shortly before she is due to return home, as he appeared to be? (Incase you were wondering, no he wasn't!) This continues through the story as he tries to deal with the choice he made to walk away from her, and then further still when he faces problems which are getting in the way when he is trying for his second chance with Elizabeth! Elizabeth also has a very interesting journey through this story. It was fascinating to read about her thoughts, again so powerfully expressed, and how she copes with her fathers illness. What was also lovely was the effect his illness has upon the whole Bennet family; naturally illness puts things in perspective and we see the Bennet sisters grow closer and even Mrs Bennet is affected in ways you would not imagine! As the story progresses and the Bennets have to adapt to a new life, the altering relationships and dynamics between the Bennet's was really nice to read about.  Darcy and Elizabeth go through a lot - this book is certainly not without its angst! There is also an on-going game of cat and mouse for a while as Darcy chases Elizabeth round the country, literally- this was frustrating but also rather amusing at times! What I thought was really clever was how the story we know between Jane and Bingley is sort of transferred to Darcy and Lizzy. It's Darcy who is persuaded (admittedly by himself!) to leave her, and then he realises what a mistake he has made and returns in the hope of a second chance, much like Bingley does with Jane! Joana very cleverly weaves in some of the conversations and the situations which we recognise from being between Jane and Bingley in the original, for example, he says "we have not met since the 26th of November, when I had the honour of dancing with you at the Netherfield Ball" when they finally meet again (and the chase is over!) Other characters we love are brilliant in this story. A favourite would be Colonel Fitzwilliam! I always love to see more to his and Darcy's relationship and it was particularly interesting in this one due to certain actions on Darcy's part and problems which arise, and this results in some rather tense and difficult conversations between the two which was new and different to read.  Another favourite is Georgiana, and her relationship with Darcy and also the Colonel.  You can see how strong a bond the three have and I always love seeing more of them! Another lovely change was that Darcy and Lizzy sort out their misunderstandings quicker and thanks to the better first impression at the beginning, come to an understanding much sooner. But is it then plain sailing for the couple? Of course not! There is still almost half the book to go which is filled with problems for the two, thanks to the likes of Lady Catherine and Mr Collins, members of Darcy's family, members of Lizzy's family and past mistakes which come back to haunt them! But they face these problems together which is lovely for a change. It also means we get to see the charming and more open Darcy for longer rather than just in the last few pages of the book! (Darcy is so very sweet and loveable in this story - so charming!) As you might have guessed, the romance and passion is this story is wonderful, while it is completely clean. Tensions build as more and more problems seem to arise but Darcy and Lizzy manage to find a few private moments and steal a few kisses - and get more and more impatient for the wedding!  (There are a few amazingly romantic and passionate meetings in the library - but I shall say no more!) I realise I haven't actually touched much on the fact that the characters from Sense and Sensibility come into this story. If you worry about the characters being brought together you really shouldn't worry! It really works amazingly well as the characters from Sense and Sensibility blend seamlessly with the Pride and Prejudice ones. It seems so natural and right - like it was meant to be! Elinor and Marianne chatting away with Elizabeth and Kitty in one corner, while Lydia and Mrs Bennet are gossiping with Mrs Jennings in the other! The image just works, doesn't it? (Well, you may question Kitty but her character undergoes an interesting change, one which I loved!) I really enjoyed having Bingley, Darcy, Brandon and Ferrars all in one room at the same time - that was fun to picture! Colonel Brandon and Colonel Fitzwilliam were old friends due their professions and having met during the war, which isn't an unreasonable idea! The best part was when all the principal characters from Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility end up round one dinner table - hilarity and brilliance ensue! It just works and the characters really suit and complement one and other! It you still don't believe me, just read it and see for yourself! (I will just put in here to fear not, for Wickham, Lydia, Lucy Steele and Robert Ferrars all make an appearance and cause trouble at one time or another! How, I will not tell.) I have mentioned it a little, but I will just say again how I loved the clever use of situations and conversations we know but between different people and in different contexts. I enjoyed and really noticed it, in this variation in particular. A favourite had to be the classic Lady Catherine confrontation, but this time Darcy is on the receiving end!  I don't want to give anything away and so all I shall comment about the ending is that you will love it! After all the problems and anguish and the journey Darcy and Elizabeth, as well as me the reader, have been on, you really feel very happy for them and so content and satisfied - more so than I usually do with the end of a book! I think the length of the story helped with this, as you really get to know them, and the story isn't rushed at any point. It ends in a perfectly satisfying way, and with a very sweet epilogue to wrap up the different characters stories very neat and tidily!Joana Starnes really has done it again. Humour, romance, tension and a wonderful mix of characters and story lines - it's got it all!  I really got into this story (can you tell?), partly down to the length - but even though it was double the length of The Subsequent Proposal I still didn't want it to end - but mostly because this was so well written and such a clever, brilliant and different story. All I can say is thank goodness it seems there is another story from this author coming out soon, and the extract we are given at the end for this new story, "The Falmouth Connection", really sounds intriguing and I can't wait!Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant and very unique. Just read it.

I feel obligated to write a review for others out there who, like me, have purchased endless reams of fan pic only to be disappointed by the language/storyline/excessive lovemaking/x-rated lovemaking etc etc!This was good. Quite good. So much so, that it has entered my top 3 along with Pamela Aidan's and Cassandra Grafton's trilogy.The storyline was very cute and I liked the overlap between the characters of both novels. I found the author had put into words, my own thoughts that Lizzy and Elinor would have been the best of friends and she stayed true to the characters. Well relatively. It was an interesting take on the idea that Lizzy would have secretly been hurt deep down by her Darcy relatives rejecting her and the idea that she put on a front to the world, when really she could take things to heart a good deal. I found a new appreciation for Mrs Bennett after this one.I enjoyed the language, the pace, the characterisations and found I had a pleasant few evenings of escapism reading this, over a cup of tea and a biscuit after a long hard day as a full time stay-at-home mum.Not everyone wants to read X-rated fanfic (I avoid at all costs) - some of us just like to relive the simplicity & wittiness of the originals, re-told perhaps with some twists and turns, or from another viewpoint. I'm quite happy leaving everything else to the imagination.Bravo to Ms Starnes & I hope to see more of this kind in the future!

I just realised I never wrote a review for this book when I first read it. I have just finished another 're read and must recommend it. Darcy is rather misguided on his solution to the Bennet's problem but at least he meant well. I do like the way Joana portrays Darcy with his realisation of his error and his attempts to remedy it. Loved it!!!

If you can tolerate P&P "what-ifs..." then this is a fairly enjoyable one. I like Joana Starnes writing style, but felt that the many characters included from Sense and Sensibility became a little confusing and were sometimes dealt with at break-neck speed. It is not one of her best books, in my opinion, but makes for perfect holiday reading, and I do not hesitate to recommend it as an agreeable way to pass the time of day.