Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre brings us back to that final moment in Pride & Prejudice - it picks up right before Lizzie and Mr. Darcy’s wedding and takes us along with them on their wedding tour. To her surprise they will not be touring the Lake District but instead will be traveling through Europe. Shortly after their nuptials, Lizzie starts seeing some changes in Mr. Darcy’s demeanor - could it possibly be that he is becoming even more aloof then he was when they first met? Her worrying increases when he will not visit the marriage bed - but she still tries to make the best of their trip and makes herself as pleasant as possible while introduced to some of his "old" friends, family and acquaintances.

Ms. Grange does a wonderful job in building tension throughout her novel. Yet through it all she makes it believable enough to where there are no discrepancies between Pride and Prejudice and her sequel. She does a fine job in weaving Mr. Darcy’s "vampiric" attributes with what we already knew about him. As the Darcys travel through Paris, to the Swiss Alps, Venice, and Italy - we are taken from splendid balls, to meeting a mysterious Count who strangely resides in a mirror-less castle, the threat of a mob lynching, to beautiful masquerade balls and eventually to being the guests of a Prince - whose actions might not be so princely. You fear for the innocent Lizzy and hope that their love can overcome Mr. Darcy’s deep, dark secret. Yet Ms. Grange does justice to the Lizzy we know and love - she continues to be the strong, opinionated young woman that stole our hearts.

I loved that the story was riddled with garlic, cross’s, mirrors - or a lack thereof, remote bats and plenty of superstitious townfolk who cross themselves when the Darcys and their acquaintances pass by. All these minor details were interspersed throughout the story and couldn’t help bringing a smile to my face.

Full of plenty of mystery, intrigue and adventure not to mention the scrumptious Mr. Darcy - a vampire! This is Austen fan-fiction at its best and required reading for any lover of Pride and Prejudice.