Jane Austen Gets A Contemporary Twist In AJ Michaels' "Pride and Modern Prejudice"

Author: AJ Michaels

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Pages/Word Count: 246 Pages

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb: What happens when Jane Austen’s immortal characters are thrust into 21st century Pennsylvania, with an all-male twist?

Liam Bennet has always been a good judge of character, but when William Darcy is thrown into his social circle, everything spins out of control. Darcy is proud, cold, arrogant—and strangely captivating. When Liam’s brother and Darcy’s business partner start seeing each other, Liam cannot avoid this enigmatic businessman. But does he want to?

As Liam struggles to find his identity in college and acknowledge his feelings, he must deal with the fortunes of his four brothers, his gossiping mother, and the possibility of a large inheritance that could save his family from financial ruin. Emotions come to a boil when George Wickham, a world-weary musician, stumbles into town and ignites a feud with Darcy. He threatens to expose a long-hidden past, and Liam must decide for himself who William Darcy really is and what he really wants.

Review: Pride and Modern Prejudice is the 2.0 version of Jane Austen’s classic, and all I can say is that it’s a 5 star reboot!!! It’s also someone’s take on a male version. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and might have, in the past, compared some books I’ve reviewed to her work, but this one takes the cake. OMG, I loved it and have been jonesing for more.

Pride and Modern Prejudice mirrors the beloved classic. Misunderstandings and misconceptions abound, but the title female characters get gender reassignment, with Elizabeth Bennet turning into Liam, and Jane Bennet into Jamie Bennet respectively. Fitzwilliam Darcy is shortened to Will, but he’s still the mouthwatering hero that oozes sex, sophistication and pigheadedness. Charles Bingley, Jamie’s intended, is pretty much the same as in the original, a sweet man who falls madly in love with reserved Jamie, Liam’s older brother. And let’s not forget his bitch sister.

Getting back to Liam, our protagonist: He is a male version of a no nonsense Elizabeth, who’s the observer and the voice of reason. He’s opinionated and rushes to judge people. He’s almost a little bit jaded. And there’s a little hitch—Liam’s not gay but from his first sighting of Darcy, something stirs in him that he can’t quite name. Yes, he’s gay for Darcy, and I don’t think there could have been a better setup!

In the modern world, Darcy and Charles are wealthy business men who run a high tech company. Horse drawn carriages and letters are replaced by fast cars and cell phones. Liam is a struggling college student and Jamie works for Bingley. The Bennet’s are a middle class family living in the Pennsylvanian countryside that mirrors its English cousin. They are not well off, and Mrs. Bennet dreams of finding suitable (rich) spouses for her sons.

The plot is pretty much the same except with a modern twist. I’m not going to give away spoilers because the book is a fun read, and you should read it. While I was reading the book I did overlap the two versions. For me it added an extra layer of enjoyment, and I did cast all the major parts too. LOL

Pride and Modern Prejudice is loaded with superb supporting characters. The originals are all here and give an extra life to the story. Now, back to Liam and Darcy! The sexual chemistry between them was palpable. While Darcy is gay and makes the first move thinking Liam is too, Liam is straight but feels this connection to Darcy. Thinking his emotions are hate and anger but realizing that it’s lust and attraction instead. Liam comes to grips with his sexuality. Darcy, ever the gentleman, steps back and let’s Liam make his own conclusions. There is no sex in this book, which made me very disappointed. LOL. It’s only alluded to that they spent the night together. There are, however, a couple of hot kisses that will leave you hot and bothered. I guess the author wanted to stay true to the original and leave it at that. But boy, the sex between Darcy and Liam would have been Hot. Darcy, the more experienced lover, showing Liam all the ins and outs!

I love Pride and Modern Prejudice!! Get it, and don’t be prejudiced because it’s an old fashioned story. It’s worth it.

You can buy Pride and Modern Prejudice here: