Doubt Not Cousin A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Barry S Richman
#4 The Bennet Sisters Variations
Historical Fiction
Publisher: Barry S Richman
Published: 2.10.26
Pages: 465
Rating: 5 stars
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Sellers: Amazon
ADD TO: Goodreads
GoodReads Synopsis:
This authorised edition republishes Doubt Not, Cousin in its original form under the author’s rights. Only the formatting has been updated.
Darkness, in many forms, must be conquered
to emerge into the light and embrace one’s happily-ever-after.
Fitzwilliam Darcy. Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.
Two cousins, closer than brothers.
One finds love despite his inner demons; the other resists love because of them.
Elizabeth Bennet. Kitty Bennet.
Two sisters, strengthened by adversity.
One willingly yields to love; the other pridefully misinterprets it.
An epic saga steeped in intrigue and gift-wrapped in romance, Doubt Not, Cousin chronicles the trials and tribulations of three extraordinary families during England’s Regency era.
… But who is the girl with the violet eyes?
Sophia Rose's Review:
A spidery web of insidious greed, ruthless acts, and schemes that might take years, but justice and retribution eventually come in this darker, grittier Pride and Prejudice variation that was more historical saga.
Barry Richman debuted Doubt Not, Cousin in 2023 and I read it when it came out. I have revisited this tale to refresh my memory in anticipation of reading its companion tale, Before the Storm, and, okay, let’s be honest, I wanted to revisit this first effort once again because I loved it.
I find myself at a loss to summarize it because its just so big with a large cast of primary characters and moving parts as several plot threads are introduced and eventually intertwine. I suppose I can start with the heart of the story as made clear in the title.
Two cousins.
Doubt Not, Cousin begins in the past and introduces an older generation while they are young and just getting married and starting families. A family tragedy shakes up many of them and leaves them with a disappearance and a mystery. Whether protagonist or antagonist, several characters’ voices tell the story.
Fitzwilliam, the unique cousin with a neurodivergent personality and a physical distinction of his sense of feel not working- injuries can happen without his awareness. He has always wanted to be a cavalryman and insists on a life of training for this.
Until his cousin accepted him as he was and they became the greatest kindred friends. Darcy was a thinker who went through personal loss that kept him from engaging with others and growing a hard shell of protection in which he allowed no one beyond save his cousin Richard.
They grew up standing back-to-back and in adulthood and facing life and love it is the same.
Meanwhile, the saga marches on for that older generation who start to get answers to the past secrets and their younger generations are introduced to one another to entertaining results.
This is one of those P&P variations that will make little difference whether one is a deep fan of Austen’s story and knows it well or one has little knowledge of the classic tale because it is its own original piece that just so happens to be set in the P&P world.
The perspective, writing style, thematic elements, historical background are all very different from most variations. Brotherhood, family, romance, and suspense are equal genre elements. Loved the introduction, rising action, several climax moments, and denouement that kept me captivated cover to cover.
If you love historical family sagas centered around mystery and romance, do yourself a solid and snag Doubt Not, Cousin. Meanwhile, I’m off to read Before the Storm to get this wonderful tale from Colonel Fitzwilliam’s perspective.
Author Bio:
Barry S. Richman combines his background in the armed forces and expertise with a passion for Pride and Prejudice retellings.
After two decades of exploring countless stories from the JAFF universe, his wife challenged him to try writing one. During a trip to Istanbul, Barry wrote four pages that wove his real-world experiences into alternate-universe stories inspired by Jane Austen’s characters. He continued from there. He published his first novel, Doubt Not, Cousin, in 2023, followed by The Scarred Duchess in 2024. Follow The Drum continues his military-influenced alternate universe populated by characters familiar and new.
Barry and his “Jane Bennet” divide their time between Los Angeles and a seaside town in
Southwestern Turkey.
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose
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