"I thought you liked your coffee with cream and your literature with optimism."

Number one book of all times - hands down - re-read once a year is Pride and Prejudice. It was the very first romance novel I read. When Amazon "Recommended for Me" a modern day story version, I'm one clicking. I first read this story in May 2010. However, I was searching for a unique book to gift and picked up the story to re-read if it fit. A solid 4.5 out of 5 stars read.

Cassie Boulton is a self sufficient marine biologist. She doesn't want to be attracted to the quiet, yet irritating Calder Westing III. As the story unfolds of misunderstood glances and unsaid words, the two learn they want to have a relationship that circumstances keep trying to push them apart. The story does seem to move slowly at first. Alternating POV in mid chapter can be confusing, but once you get used to the cadence, it's way to follow later. The author does use a 'scandal' just as in P&P to keep the reader involved in the story.

If you love P&P, prefer your romance a bit more modern day (yes, they have sex), than this book is a definite read to add to your TBR. ( )

Cassie is a marine biologist from the slums of Chicago (I felt like this wasn't well-researched and just a set-up for something later in the book) who is working on the coast doing research for another paper so she can receive tenure at the college she works at. Her friend Erin, has met a man and she wants Cassie to come and check him out. There she meets Calder, a rich and powerful, politician's son who is on the coast to get away. At first they clash, have sex, realize how different they are, have more sex and then Calder's father steps in to point out how wrong they are (remember the slums of Chicago) and uses some threats against the both of them.

I was excited to read "Pemberley by the Sea" as I'm a huge Pride & Prejudice fan. And it started as if it was going to be a decent modern retelling of Elizabeth & Darcy. Cassie's assumptions about Calder and Calder's standoffish attitude were similar to Pride & Prejudice. I thought Calder's telling their story as Pride and Prejudice was unnecessary, since he was a well-respected author he could have written it as completely different characters and been more effective. I did enjoy Cassie's response. I did not enjoy Cassie's "rising up out of the slums of Chicago" without any help from anyone. And for someone who won't tell anyone about her background, going so far as not going back (yes there is more to the story but that was even more ridiculous) since she left she had a really warm relationship with her mother when she finally did go back.

Go ahead and read this if you haven't read Austen (or if you haven't liked her work you may love this). If you aren't fond of graphic sex of any kind you may wish to skip this one. ( )

Just mention Pride and Prejudice, be is sequel, re-make or something else and I want to have a go at it. This one I liked and it had me at the "ball" where they meet. She asks him to dance and he says no, and then she leaves with a sense of having been judged and found wanting. She got me there.


It is the story about marine biologist Cassie who every summer comes to the cape to study the sea life and sit in her lab. This year she has her friend Erin with her and Erin meets a nice guy, Scott and dances away with him. While Cassie meets a reserved man who doesn't seem to want to be where he is. It is dislike at once, but there is also something else there, a passion that takes hold of them, but Cassie walks away because a poor Elizabeth with secrets does not get her Mr Darcy.



There is a lot of passion between these two when they finally get together, even if it is for a short time. Then the book takes a turn and they go their separate ways, but he wants to win her back and he has already called her Elizabeth Bennet. And I went awww, a guy who re-writes P&P to put them in it! So where can I meet him. He is like Mr Darcy, all hidden feelings and never saying the things he may want too. But then there is that other side to him, that gentle and caring side that we do not get to see at first. When it comes out I get happy.


There was some negative aspects though, it felt at times like the book was finished, but then it picked up another thread. I mean I do not mind cos more to read, and that is never wrong, but the passages felt new when you thought the end was near (well not that near cos I could still see the pages.) But at least the resolved everything, and I haev to give her credit for that because I like endings where I know it all.


This was a sweet book, a nice re-telling of an old story. Some characters where in it, others not. It was her own version but you could still recognize some important things, but never so much that it felt like just another re-telling. Now it was her own story, with PP inspiration,and that worked great. What was left was a rich guy meets a nice so rich girl, and his family disapproves. And then there is Bingley and Jane.



I liked Calder, I liked Cassie, I enjoyed their love story, and sweet romance. ( )

This is a modern, loosely-retold version of Pride and Prejudice. Very loosely. Overall, this one is a mixed bag for me.

Ms. Reynolds has made Lizzy into Cassie, a brilliant marine biologist with a past and family she’s afraid will come to haunt her. Mr. Darcy is Mr. Westing, the privileged son of a Senator (think John John Kennedy) who has already essentially told his family where to go and what to do with their aspirations for him–instead he writes novels under a pseudonym that Cassie loves. They meet at a dance; he’s rude; she’s mad. The Jane and Bingley characters do their part to move the story forward. Cassie and Westing have a premature tryst that leaves them both wanting more, but her hating him for it.

I actually really like everything about this story until they leave the resorty/science town at the beginning. It feels fresh and both characters seem true to the Pride and Prejudice theme (dare I say brand these days?). I’m less enamoured with the story thereafter. It’s almost as though Ms. Reynolds has used the P&P characters to get her started on a tale she wanted to write, but that had nothing to do with P&P. The tale sort of unravels with Cassie/Lizzy very out of character, not taking risks or saying her peace for fear of discovery of past wrongs that really don’t turn out to matter much. The Darcy/Westing character is slightly more Darcy, but the latter half of the story makes him seem a little bit like a weenie. There’s a point also where there’s this whole book within a book thing going on that ends up mostly confusing.

I’m always willing to like Austen spin offs, and generally, I feel like I give them a lot of latitude to try and make something of themselves. But in this case, I feel like I want to ask Ms. Reynolds to tear off the last 2/3 of the book and keep doing what she was doing in the 1/3. Because it worked. For me though, the rest did not.

If you’re a die hard who is not married to canon or strictly canon-like behavior, you can give it a whirl. Otherwise, this is probably a pass. However, you’ll note on Ms. Reynolds web site that this is the first of four books telling stories about Woods Hole. I've already read morning Light and wait impatiently the arrival of the other two tales, hoping that the magic she created in that sea side town will flow through to those other stories. The Woods Hole setting is really magical. ( )

It's funny, I hate remakes in films but I love retellings - it's weird, but there you go. The beauty of this book is that it's not just a retelling, it's like a book within a book. To start with we have the characters Marine Biologist Cassie and rich politicians son Calder who meet through their friends who start dating one summer - there is a misunderstanding, she thinks he's arrogant and cold and they barely speak. So far, so P&P, but then the four of them go to a salt marsh and their friends leave Cassie and Calder together and, things happen (Cassie brings it on herself by going skinny dipping when she knew she was going to have problems resisting him) in what is an incredibly hot, but so well written scene that is almost cinematic in the way it's described. One problem - Cassie thinks it's a one-night stand and gives him the appropriate brush off but things start simmering under between them over the summer. They go their separate ways and only meet long enough for her to give him a piece of her mind about encouraging his friend to split with her friend (are you seeing a trend?) until she meets him again and form a friendship when he comforts her when she learns some bad news about her job.

I can't really go into detail without spoiling things, but like P&P there is an explanation to his behaviour, but this is so creative and so well done that I was almost giddy when I read it. Getting Calder (Darcy's) pov to the events that Cassie (Elizabeth) experienced that I almost wanted to reach in and hug him. It's fascinating having the same events from his perspective.

After that the similarities with p&p end and we deal with more stuff to do with the social problems the characters have to deal with and their families.

I love this book, I actually want to re-read it already but I know I don't have time for it just yet but it was that good. I loved Calder like I love most Darcy incarnations and I wanted to slap Cassie, but her backstory was so interesting that her detachment and emotional insecurity was actually understandable. The stuff with both their families is complex, but engrossing and their relationship is just great. I really, really, really recommend this if you want something to read and you like that sort of genre. It's completely worth it and I can understand why they have reissued it. ( )