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The Sweetest Ruin: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Kindle Edition

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

When William Darcy suffers a sudden health crisis, he immediately realizes two things: his sister will continue to nag him about his nonexistent social life, and he won’t stand for it. How can he possibly escape Georgiana’s good intentions or the watchful gaze of Aunt Catherine, his assigned babysitter? Cue a midnight getaway to the tackiest place he can think of. Lounge singers, booze, and women of loose moral fiber—Las Vegas, here he comes!

Elizabeth Bennet lives a quiet life as a UNLV student and a popular cocktail waitress in one of the nicer casinos in town. Though content to see her best friend, Thad, in a blissfully happy relationship, she has no desire to complicate her own life with what will undoubtedly result in a broken heart. Then she serves a drink to a devastatingly handsome Englishman, and all bets, as they say, are off.

This is a modern what-if of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. It is intended for an adult audience.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B079343H8C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Meryton Press (January 16, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 16, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 149 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

About the author

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Amy George
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Amy George is a middle-aged woman who drives an impractical car for somebody who claims to be a responsible adult and refuses to listen to its radio at a reasonable volume, especially when the Beastie Boys or the Violent Femmes are playing. She lives in a small Midwestern town where the county fair is still one of the biggest social events of the season and everything is fried. Her household consists of a dog, a man, a hermit, and stubborn soap scum.

At her day job, she listens to an obscene amount of true crime podcasts, her favorite of which is "My Favorite Murder." (SSDGM, Murderinos.) It took a long time for her to convince the man she lives with that she wasn't planning anything nefarious.

She has been writing since she was a child and ran the Hyacinth Gardens, a popular but defunct JAFF site.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
152 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoyed the book and found it worth reading. They described the romance as charming and sexy, with cute characters. The book was described as a contemporary variation with well-written writing.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

7 customers mention "Enjoyment"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoyed the book. They found it enjoyable, sweet, and worth reading. The characters were described as cute and interesting.

"...All in all, I enjoyed this book. I wish it hadn't been advertised as a P&P variation, becuz it very much isn't...." Read more

"...It's a sexy, interesting romance with strong characters, and it's refreshingly void of the usual, overused villains and plotlines...." Read more

"This was a charming, romantic story that I enjoyed thoroughly...." Read more

"...But it’s certainly worth the read and I’d do it again." Read more

6 customers mention "Romance"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book. They find the characters sweet and the sex scenes engaging. The story is described as charming, original, and well-written.

"...But it's a cute story and a quick read. If you can suspend your belief for how quickly these two fall for one another, I think it well worth the read." Read more

"...It's a sexy, interesting romance with strong characters, and it's refreshingly void of the usual, overused villains and plotlines...." Read more

"...'s poorly edited (or unedited), it was a pleasure to read this low-angst story that had no errors, as far as I detected. Keep writing, please!" Read more

"...Also, they were really sweet as a couple and made me smile. Writing was smooth and flowing, grammar was impeccable, etc...." Read more

3 customers mention "Contemporary variation"3 positive0 negative

Customers like the contemporary version of the book.

"I absolutely enjoyed this lovely modern variation inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Amy George...." Read more

"I thoroughly enjoyed this funny, romantic, angst-free and bawdy, modern variation...." Read more

"A Lovely Contemporary Variation!..." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality good. They say the novella is well-written, original, and romantic. It's a quick read.

"...But it's a cute story and a quick read. If you can suspend your belief for how quickly these two fall for one another, I think it well worth the read." Read more

"This novella was well-written, original, and sexily romantic. Impulsively, D&E fall into a marriage that finds them to be happily well-suited...." Read more

"...Also, they were really sweet as a couple and made me smile. Writing was smooth and flowing, grammar was impeccable, etc...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2021
    3.5 rounded up. Had someone handed this to me with zero preamble (and the main characters names been different) I would never have thought "Wow, this reminds me of Pride & Prejudice!" It seems silly to piggyback off of that great classic without using any of it's trademark themes. That being said, I did enjoy this book.

    None of these characters resemble their original counterparts in any way, shape, or form other than, perhaps Richard Fitzwilliam and maybe Bingley, but he doesn't get any page time until the very end so it's hard to say. Georgiana is a high strung, controlling b**** who hates E before she even meets her, Jane (who is not E's sister but a gold-digging harpy who is married t Charles Bingley) is much worse. Caroline Bingley is sweet and supportive of D&E, even Aunt Cate (LCdB) almost immediately adores E and welcomes her with open arms. All of E's family is dead. It's almost like all the ancillary characters were the total opposite of how Jane Austen wrote them.

    William Darcy is a British workaholic businessman who has a massive anxiety attack. He is prescribed a month of relaxation away from work and his family is determined to ensure he takes it. In an attempt to stick it to his family, he decides to take the vacations they have long been pressuring him to take but goes to the most tacky place he can think of--Las Vegas. There, he meets Elizabeth Bennet, a beautiful cocktail waitress/student in the high rollers lounge, and, despite her rule about not cavorting with the clientele, they wake up in bed together the next morning with a marriage license hanging in the bathroom.

    This is where I had the most trouble with this book. Other than a brief moment of E wondering what on earth she was thinking, neither really freak out over this. D suddenly believes everything happens for a reason (where this attitude was when his heart nearly exploded is beyond me) and wants to give this marriage a go with this woman he only met last night. E suggests an annulment but is very quickly persuaded to also just wait and see what happens. Within two days, they're madly in love and saying those ever important three little words to one another.

    However, I thought these two were very cute together. I loved E's friends who, after threatening D within an inch of his life not to hurt their friend, are supportive and entertaining. I enjoyed the story and read it straight through in one sitting.

    There were a few inconsistencies, but it's kind of nitpicky. It's mentioned that E has only flown twice, once was when she flew back home for her sister's funeral. Yet, during her speech later on, she says her sister died just before E graduated high school...so why would she be flying home? At one point, D&E are laying in bed talking, but then it said he got up from the table. As far as I could tell, the book never said where E's mother is, at least I don't recall. It talked about her struggles after her husband and daughter's deaths, but never what actually happened to her. I think the implication is that she's dead, also, and D makes a mention of E being all alone and it's mentioned several times that her friends are her family, but I kept waiting to read where her mother was but never did. I was really annoyed that D defended E against all his family but when Jane said some truly heinous things about her, he said absolutely nothing and Thad was the one to defend her.

    All in all, I enjoyed this book. I wish it hadn't been advertised as a P&P variation, becuz it very much isn't. But it's a cute story and a quick read. If you can suspend your belief for how quickly these two fall for one another, I think it well worth the read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2020
    This book has very little in common with Pride and Prejudice other than some character names. However, it's a very enjoyable, well-written original fiction story, so I'm glad I read it anyway, and I definitely recommend it. It's a sexy, interesting romance with strong characters, and it's refreshingly void of the usual, overused villains and plotlines. If you like mature P&P stories, you'll like this book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2021
    This book is to P&P is like a bologna sandwich is to a croque monsieur. The characters in this are nothing like the canon, and I think I would have enjoyed this if it’d just been marketed as a romance novella and not a P&P variation, no matter the author’s inspiration.

    Instead, I struggled to get to the end, precisely because the characters were, at their core, so different from their origins. The secondary characters who were added for this story and not part of the Austenverse were the enjoyable ones and the reason I hung on until the end.

    Also, the author thanked her editor; however, I found the editing errors to be distracting. But I am glad the author found her useful.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2024
    I absolutely enjoyed this lovely modern variation inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Amy George. My only complaint is I would love a sequel to check in with these marvelous people.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2023
    This novella was well-written, original, and sexily romantic. Impulsively, D&E fall into a marriage that finds them to be happily well-suited. I do think that the story would have benefitted from extending the account of their life in London to a greater degree, but that's my preference. After reading a lot of JAFF that's poorly edited (or unedited), it was a pleasure to read this low-angst story that had no errors, as far as I detected. Keep writing, please!
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2019
    This was a charming, romantic story that I enjoyed thoroughly. There were several points at which I laughed aloud -- such as when Elizabeth jokingly told Darcy that she had been raised in a brothel -- and they kept the banter going. Also, they were really sweet as a couple and made me smile. Writing was smooth and flowing, grammar was impeccable, etc.

    I deducted a star primarily because I can't see two strangers getting married on a drunk whim and then essentially deciding "oh well, I guess we'll give this a try." Maybe if they had been friends, or even acquaintances, first, but they had "known" each other for only a few hours before getting hitched. Normal people freak out when that happens, at least a little bit, lolz. Once you suspend your disbelief, however, it's not difficult to just go with it.

    Also, I felt like some details could have been fleshed out a bit. For instance, we know that Elizabeth's (only) sister and father have died, but what about her mother? I guess we assume that they're estranged, but we don't know for sure. There were other smaller instances, but that was the main one. Didn't really affect the plot overall, but I felt like it was overlooked.

    I really enjoyed this and recommend heartily.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2020
    There’s nothing I love more than interaction between Elizabeth and Darcy. And that’s what this whole book is. I hate that the name Jane is used for the nemesis of the story but nonetheless, I really enjoy the Elizabeth & William’s growing relationship. I love happy endings but I love happy middles too!

Top reviews from other countries

  • alex wilkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars loved it!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2022
    Just a lovely story. A bit of a twist on a couple of characters but Darcey and Lizzie stay pretty much who they are, just in a modern setting.
  • Carole in Canada
    4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, endearing and with a large helping of hot and sexy!
    Reviewed in Canada on June 11, 2022
    Occasionally, I like to read modern P&P variations. It not only provides a change in scenery, but it also allows an author to shake things up a bit. In 'The Sweetest Ruin', it is not Mr. Darcy nor Elizabeth Bennet who have 'pride and prejudice'.

    "...with you in my arms, I'll find my way home much easier than before." (quote from the book)

    I found this novella funny, endearing and with a large helping of hot and sexy. I enjoyed the banter between Elizabeth and Darcy. There were some definite surprises regarding roles of certain characters but as this is such quick read, I will let you find out yourself. The book description gives a good idea of the premise and the cover art mirrors what is within.
  • Glynis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2018
    I got this book yesterday and had to read it straight away. I loved it so much. I really enjoy when Darcy and Elizabeth get together at the beginning. I'm not going to tell the storyline as I don't like spoilers but if you are a fan of ODC and enjoy stories which have passionate episodes you will love this.
  • CFra
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good premise but not P&P
    Reviewed in Canada on March 22, 2024
    I liked the flow of writing and the amount of dialogue in this story. I also think that the plot was very interesting, specifically as it’s a shorter book. E&D get drunkenly married in Vegas and then navigate living in her world and then in his. That’s a good premise.

    The characters do not resemble their P&P personalities at all, though. For me, that’s crucial, even if the plot is completely different. Elizabeth was at times unsure, not communicative, unable to fight her battles without her friends’s help, gossipy, etc. Darcy was very communicative/smooth, not paid enough attention to Elizabeth, disregarded her concerns, was patronizing, etc.

    There were many side characters that had the names of people in the book but also did not behave at all like their original personalities (with a modern twist). Like, Georgiana being so rude? Jane, even if not Elizabeth’s sister, being a b***? Caroline being lovely?

    There was a very condescending tone throughout the book towards Elizabeth too. Even her best friend Thad didn’t treat her like an adult sometimes and Darcy was even worst.

    So yeah, not my favourite.
  • Marie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not much P&P, but good anyway
    Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2019
    This book is highlighted as a Pride and Prejudice variation, but the only similarities I perceived was a rich man and his society and a poor middle class girl, a student. Not all the characters from the original are in this book, and some of them seem like others. Jane Bingley isn’t Elizabeth’s sister, and “Carrie” Bingley is nice. Elizabeth has no Bennet family left, but has close friends.

    I thought the story was great though and well written. I did like the portrayal of my favorite all-time couple. If you don’t mind mature content, low angst and non-canon stories (which I do), this is a good one I recommend. And bless me, thankfully no Lydia or Wickham, or Collins!

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