In modern day novel loosely based on Pride & Prejudice, there’s plenty of hot sex. Would Jane Austen approve?

“Elizabeth and Darcy are different in each one of my books,” says Pemberley by the Sea author Abigail Reynolds. “I like to take small parts of the original characters and develop them for each book.”

   In the book Abigail Reynolds presents a great premise, combining the modern world with the classic characters of Pride and Prejudice. Marine biologist Cassie Boulton, at Woods Hole to study salt marshes, goes to a dance with her friend Erin. Calder Westing III, the arrogant heir of a famous political dynasty, isn’t at the dance for romance. He just thereto get the keys to his friend Scott’s place. Scott is Cassie’s summer romance. When Calder turns Cassie down for a dance, sparks fly.

   “Publication of the books has been a shock to some of my friends, as very few even knew I was writing,” says Reynolds. “I’ve always had creative hobbies like quilting, beading, and stenciling, so I figured writing was just the latest in line. I had no idea it would become such an important part of my life and my identity. I wrote my first book when I was twelve and a magnificent opus I co-authored with a friend when I was fifteen. It took twenty-five years for me to try again, in 2001.”

   Reynolds book has many explicit sex scenes. “I don’t think people at work have ever looked at me quite the same way since they read Pemberley by the Sea,” says Reynolds. Her book is a very loose interpretation of Pride and Prejudice. Her writing is engaging, yet has flaws.  Most characters are well defined. Some characters are unnecessary and take away from the story. Reynolds doesn’t always complete the subplots, leaving loose ends. The base plot is good, an engaging read.

   Pemberley by the Sea is a book within a book. In the story, Calder is an author. Chapter thirteen presents part of his book Pride and Presumption, a modern day Pride and Prejudice. It tells Calder’s side of the story. The his-and-her dual story is clever. However, it describes too much story we already know from Cassie’s side when it could have gone deeper into Calder’s feelings. Whether Austen fans will appreciate the hot sex scenes or find it distracting will depend on the reader’s tastes.

   Abigail Reynolds lives in Madison, Wisconsin. She was born and raised in upstate New York, near Saratoga Springs. She’s written five books that are Pemberley variations. Reynolds often visits Cape Cod to engage in one of her early loves, marine biology.  Reynolds has written two modern novels set in Woods Hole. The next in this series is Morning Light.

Pemberley by the Sea by Abigail Reynolds

Paperback: 432 pages, Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (October 1, 2008), Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1402213564