Eh. It just could have been so much more! The characters were not at all the characters created by Austen, and it was all just so contrived. Fun read, but only an eh.

This was a great pride and prejudice retelling, it had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed about the Pride and Prejudice world. It uses that time-period perfectly and the characters felt like they belonged in the world. Darcy Fitzwilliam does a great job in writing this and can’t wait for more.

Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth are the main characters of the book Tolerable: Sensual Pride and Prejudice Variation by Darcy Fitzwilliam. They initially meet at a ball where a bored Mr. Darcy is accompanying his friend Bingley, who is interested in Elizabeth's sister. Miss Elizabeth overhears Mr. Darcy expressing how uninterested he is in the ladies of that town, who to him appear to be old-fashioned. She takes revenge by openly gossiping about him. He, in turn, decides to rectify his mistake. Since his friend had to keep on seeing Elizabeth's sister, they develop a friendship that no one knew where it would lead. Pride and prejudice are also protrayed by some of the other characters that readers will find in this book.

I am impressed by the polite language used in the book, especially in the conversations, even when the characters are angry. The author has shown that a book can be interesting even with polite language. I commend that. I equally like the way different individuals in terms of social status have been put together, it has made the book fascinating.

The book is quite straight to the point but very short.

I rate this book Tolerable: Sensual Pride and Prejudice Variation Darcy Fitzwilliam 3 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this book to those readers who like short historical fiction books. I also recommend it to those who love books with a lesson or two to learn about pride and prejudice.

Tolerable: Steamy Pride and Prejudice Variation is a scant 111 pages. It gets to the point rather quickly.

As with most regency time romances, we find there is generally a group of snobs who think that they are better than others. Darcy Fitzwilliam insults Elizabeth Bennet labeling her as tolerable, totally unaware that she has overheard him. Darcy has to dance with her, finds out that there is more to Elizabeth than he had claimed.

The writing did not draw me into the story. I found it cumbersome and difficult to enjoy. I also did not find it steamy, so a bit misleading for me.

I’ll make no secret that the original P&P is my favourite novel! One of the reasons why is the significance character growth and redemption arc afforded to our main couple. This story takes nearly all of that out, as things are solved so easily - which is admittedly the perspective it aimed for.

It is cute, sans some of the original sparkle - proving that sometimes a hard situation, such as the original story, can result in an equally happy outcome as the smooth path.

I do think that the labelling of sensual was a tad misleading, as it wasn’t overly steamy… at least by my standards.

2.5 stars - mainly as it wouldn’t stack up well on its own if you didn’t have P&P knowledge, and some inconsistencies such as cantaloupes and the lack of chaperones. But it was still mostly an enjoyable and quick read.

Thanks for the free copy of the book.

2.5 stars.// Honestly, I knew exactly what kind of book this was and was looking for something short to read. This was perfect for that. I just think that it wasn't very steamy until their first kiss. I did enjoy the characterization though it was almost completely accurate to the original.

A nice solid twist on a classic. It does read a bit like P&P fanfic but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I liked the characterisations, and the pairing shift from the original.

A couple of things that were glaringly out of place - there's no way there would have been grapes and cantaloupes for sale at the market in Meryton.

3.5 stars
P&P variation that is overall faithful to the original – with some intriguing alterations. This version explores how the relationship could develop and play out if Darcy and Lizzy communicated with each other from the beginning. The story is fast-paced (and fast-tracked) and written with an easy and fun tone. And though it is shortened considerably, it still contains the most memorable and impactful characters. It is not particularly steamy though, so the title is somewhat misleading in that regard.
Thanks to Decadent Darcy Press and Net Galley for access to this quick and easy version of Pride and Prejudice that is surprisingly fun and satisfying.

3 Stars
One Liner: Timepass read

Darcy Fitzwilliam insults Elizabeth Bennet at a ball but has to dance with her. He soon finds out that she is charming and enchanting. Of course, she might be the wrong person for an aristocrat, but she is who Darcy wants.
The story comes in the third-person POV of Darcy and Lizzy.

My Thoughts:
This is like an abridged version of P&P, but with a few tweaks.
The major difference is how Lizzy and Darcy communicate well and act rational. This eliminates the need for high drama and a third-act breakup. A relief if you ask me. ;)
Of course, we still have Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham to try and make things hard for the dear couple.
Mrs. Bennet is the same, though we get to see her in full action only once. The focus is more on getting Darcy and Lizzy together for as many scenes as possible.
Now, I’m not sure why we needed the steamy up there with the title. It does have a bit of steam, but not to the point where it should be highlighted. 2 max on the scale of 5.
To summarize, Tolerable is quite tolerable and enjoyable (better than I hoped, IMO). It’s a super light time-pass read.
Thank you, NetGalley, Decadent Darcy Press, and Victoria Editing Co-op, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Did I end up in a Bridgerton version of P&P with Indian merchants and a black Bingley family? Also some other hustirical anomalies as weddings had to be announced by reading the bans for week and what about chaperones?
Not steamy?
Suggestion rename it and add a byline "in the world of Pride and Prejudice". It reads quite smootly honour it into an original.
Cannot find it on Amazon

One star deducted for the forced multicultural things.

Full speed ahead on this P&P variation. A very quick and easy read, Tolerable was well written with some interesting variations, and though short in length, addressed some issues I’ve always held with P&P - I found this an overall fun read.

Steam level is very mild and I found it came across awkwardly. Regarding that aspect, in the words of Mr Darcy himself, “tolerable, but not (handsome) enough to tempt me”. If something proclaims itself “steamy” I expect that.. I was disappointed in that regard.



Thank you to Decadent Darcy Press and NetGalley for the DRC

Tolerable: Steamy Pride and Prejudice Variation by Darcy Fitzwilliam was of course Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF) and it was the basic P&P but fast tracked. I thought it was uneventful but for a few small changes at the end. It was pleasant enough I just wanted more.
Thanks Decadent Darcy Press via NetGalley.
3.5⭐️