Jan Hahn's Books

In her latest and much anticipated Pride and Prejudice variation, author Jan Hahn has boldly and daringly done the unthinkable…she has engaged Elizabeth Bennet to George Wickham! And she’s not just engaged – but secretly engaged! *gasp* Can you believe it? What on earth is Elizabeth thinking!?! 😉

I must admit I didn’t find Elizabeth’s behavior all that unfathomable. This is partly because Jan Hahn did an excellent job creating a believable sequence of events that gradually lead Lizzy into such a predicament. Lizzy doesn’t immediately accept Wickham’s proposals or request for secrecy, but she does eventually consent due to her compassion for Wickham and her inexperience with men (master manipulators like Wickham are definitely beyond her ken!). I think Elizabeth’s sympathetic nature, sense of justice (Lizzy champions the wronged!) and her belief that she may one day have a love match like her aunt and uncle (who she just discovered weren’t in love when they wed) also steer Lizzy on this unlikely path. Keeping secrets from her sister and engaging in a deception is definitely not a part of Lizzy’s character…but women everywhere often make mistakes for the men in their lives.

Read the rest of the review at The Secret Betrothal – Jan Hahn – Austenesque Reviews.

I loved this story! The Secret Betrothal is a wonderful retelling of Pride and Prejudice that takes us down a path different from the original. I love it when an author takes my two favorite characters and puts them in some new situations, just as Jan Hahn has done in this one.

What if, Elizabeth was so angry and hurt by Mr. Darcy’s “tolerable” remark and haughty behavior that she goes against her better judgement and accepts a man under conditions that she usually wouldn’t do? She lets her judgement of the man cloud her sensibilities, and she blindly accepts Mr. Wickham’s tales. And what if, knowing Mr. Darcy as well as he does, Mr. Wickham realizes there may be another way to seek his revenge…by taking away something that Mr. Darcy really wants. Elizabeth.

There is so much I enjoyed about this story! We all know Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth will have their happily ever after, but the fun is getting there! I loved watching Elizabeth learn what an honorable man Mr. Darcy truly is, and what a rogue Mr. Wickham is. In the end, I found myself wondering if Mr. Wickham could actually regret his past behavior, and if Elizabeth really could have made him a better man.

Read the rest at So little time…: The Secret Betrothal by Jan Hahn.