Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

In the world of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, there is never a dull moment. Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana, recently married, has commissioned a portrait to be painted by her cousin Anne’s husband. Anne, estranged from her mother, Aunt Catherine, is in her final months of pregnancy, but the couple visits Georgiana and her husband, only to find Anne suddenly thrust into labor far too early. Will Lady Catherine give in to pressure from her nephew, Mr. Darcy, and his wife, Elizabeth? Will Aunt Catherine forgive her daughter and make amends for the sake of the newborn child? It is a difficult decision for a very traditional woman, set in her ways of proper etiquette and class structure. But the twist isn’t in the troubling early birth that almost takes Anne’s life. It’s not in the fact that Anne gives birth to twins, barely big enough to survive. The thrill is in Elizabeth’s revelation. Because all good Austen fans know that Elizabeth will always have the last word.

Margaret Sharp has provided Austen fans with another look into the ongoing lives of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, the popular couple from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Expecting the Unexpected in Derbyshire evolves with considerable dialogue, typical of an Austen-like novel, that parades the eighteenth century issues of a class structured society. The formal language is very much in keeping with the era and with Austen’s writing as well. The author, who has written several sequels to Pride and Prejudice, continues to entertain with another Austen drama.