The second in Sharon Lathan s Darcy Saga (Mr. &, Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy) fails on two levels. Readers new to Darcy and Elizabeth will be bored reading page after page about two paragons—he is a gracious and expert billiards player, she is an excellent manager of the household—while they go about their life, with the occasional dustup with Lady Catherine, all while awaiting the birth of their first child. Meanwhile, Austen lovers may well be insulted to read un-Austenesque conversations, scenes and goings-on. Either way, the brilliance of Austen is notably absent. Too often the day-in-the-life focus seems small, as do the couple s PG-13–level lusty thoughts and behaviors. Yes, it s romantic that in a break of Regency tradition they sleep in the same bed and make love often, but it s a lot of nothing after their 15th bout, as is suffering through Darcy hiding his erections from a jovial, knowing father-in-law-to-be. Austen s characters deserve far better than this.
