A Heart's Secret

A Pride and Prejudice Variation (In Want of a Wife)

De: Ali Scott

Narrado por: Naomi Rose-Mock

Mr FD of Derbyshire has been paying a great deal of attention to a certain Miss B. Has one of England’s wealthiest bachelors finally been ensnared?

FITZWILLIAM DARCY HAS A SECRET, one that haunts him at every turn. Against his better judgement, he accepts an invitation to a house party in Hertfordshire where he encounters the beautiful Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn, whose lively spirits prove a welcome distraction from his sorrowful past. Yet his peace is disturbed by threats to his family and to his good name. Elizabeth is unexpectedly implicated, but should he suspect Elizabeth…or protect her?

AFTER THEIR FIRST MEETING at the assembly in Meryton, Elizabeth Bennet is convinced there can be no ruder man than Mr Darcy. But a series of encounters at Netherfield Park forces her to reconsider her opinion of him, and she soon learns that Mr Darcy is a man with hidden depths.

WHEN THE MYSTERIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT of their engagement is published in a London newspaper, she has no choice but to place her trust in him. They strike a deal, and suddenly Elizabeth is drawn into a web of deceit. Who is behind the malicious gossip column? What pain lies in Mr Darcy’s past? And what secret lies deep within her own heart?

A Heart's Secret is a forced engagement, wounded hero variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The content is clean and the angst level is moderate.

©2025 Ali Scott (P)2025 Quills & Quartos Publishing

Enjoy

I wish Darcy would have been vulnerable enough to admit he wated to marry Elizabeth. Her journey to love would have been much easier. My favorite part of the story was watching them solve the mystery together. I enjoyed that there was a mystery along with the romance. The culprit was pretty obvious but there was more to just that. The cousin's death was sad and the awful characters were indeed awful! But I enjoyed the story anyway.

Scandal newspaper report & what will happen

4 1/2 stars rounded up
This story opens with Darcy dealing with a tragic situation and is intertwined through the end of the story. Almost from the get-go canon is changed as new characters are added. We try and figure out who these people are and how it will or will not affect our favorite characters. Darcy is receiving mysterious notes and he’s trying to solve the mystery of who knows this information and then his name, more specifically, his initials are showing up in the London scandal sheets. his initials are being linked to someone where he is currently residing, in the Meryton area.

Unfortunately, the gossip takes a nasty turn when it links Darcy and Elizabeth together in a secret engagement but then also hint at inappropriate conduct. Thankfully, Darcy is an honorable man and he along with Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth come up with a plan. The remaining of the story takes place in London intertwined with many of Darcy‘s family members. Some good & some not so good.

The mystery continues as they try and figure out who is against them. I love that during this time both Darcy and Elizabeth realize that they can and do care for each other.

For the audiobook: if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’ll know that I love audiobooks. This is a new to me narrator and I think this was her first P & P narrated book. There were a few vocal things that did catch me off guard as I listened, but if she continues, I’m sure she’ll get better as many of the other phenomenal narrators have done.

A gossip-fueled engagement

As with Ali Scott's previous P&P variations, A Heart’s Secret, features sound writing and an intriguing plot. This one begins with a duel and Darcy’s guilt over a young man’s death, then moves to Meryton and the arrival of the Netherfield party. There's also a stranger in the town who turns his eyes upon Elizabeth. When gossip hits the London papers, tying Darcy and Elizabeth with whispers of courtship, it forces them into an engagement to save her reputation, and Darcy is quick to agree, wanting to protect her. They plan to end it eventually, but ongoing events will force them to stay together.

I liked seeing Elizabeth warm to Darcy as he digs into the rumors’ source, even bringing her to London to stay with his troubled cousin, Cecilia; and except for her, I didn't much care for the secondary characters in this story—nasty people. But the written story held me with its craft and pace, and I did enjoy it very much.

This new-to-me narrator is good, but I found some sentences were a bit mumbled and rushed making them unclear at times, and her tone often lacked emotion. If these things were improved upon, I would give her a second chance.

Totally enjoyable

This clever Pride and Prejudice variation is a fast-paced, tension-filled listen that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story brings new depth to the beloved characters, especially Mr. Darcy, whose haunting secret adds a compelling layer of mystery. Elizabeth’s journey—from mistrust to reluctant ally—is well crafted, and the romantic suspense builds beautifully. The narrator was terrific—her tone, pacing, and delivery were spot on, enhancing the emotional tension and keeping me fully engaged. A wonderfully done retelling with just the right mix of angst, intrigue, and romance. Highly recommend for Austen fans!