Only One Choice

A Pride and Prejudice Variation (The Gentleman Mr Darcy)

De: Julie Cooper

Narrado por: Elizabeth Grace

For the sake of a most beloved sister, and for their father’s dying wish, Elizabeth would make herself submit...

When her dying father demands one daughter marry the heir to Longbourn and the other wed a wealthy elderly widower, Elizabeth makes the hardest choice of her life. She becomes the wife of sixty-year-old Mr. Ashwood—a marriage in name only that leaves her more a daughter than a bride.

Four years later, Elizabeth is a widow at twenty, impoverished and estranged from the sister she once adored. Living in a crumbling dower cottage, surviving on pride and stubbornness alone, she has only one dream left: to save enough money to escape to Venice and forge a life that is finally, truly her own.

Then she meets Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. Wealthy, brooding, and bound by secrets as heavy as her own, Mr Darcy awakens feelings Elizabeth never knew she could possess. For the first time in her life, she experiences the intoxicating promise of real love but how can she risk her hard-won independence when every moment with him puts her fragile future in jeopardy?

But Darcy too carries the weight of a promise made to a dying father—one that forbids him from pursuing any woman until he's ready to marry, lest he wound his fragile cousin Anne, who believes herself destined to be his bride. As Anne de Bourgh's obsession spirals into something far more sinister, the lovers must face a threat that could destroy not only their future together—but Elizabeth herself. As Elizabeth and Darcy fight against the forces determined to keep them apart—meddling family, financial ruin, and a dangerous obsession that threatens everything—they must decide: Will they surrender to duty and expectation once more, or risk everything for the love neither dared believe possible?

©2025 Julie Cooper (P)2026 Quills & Quartos Publishing

The romance is the highlight.

Elizabeth Grace gives a wonderful performance—always.

The premise of this book was unusual and rather sobering, pulling me right into the story. The prologue begins when Elizabeth is just sixteen and makes a sacrifice—somewhat hesitantly—for Jane and to fulfil her father’s dying wish to have his eldest daughters cared for after his demise. Her sister gets to stay at Longbourn, but Elizabeth does not and agrees to marry their elderly neighbour, Mr. Henry Ashwood, master of the great house at Stoke. In the first chapter, we meet Elizabeth four years later as a widow who has known duty and disappointment, and is living with the consequences of a poorly structured marriage settlement. She is now independent, yes—but in strained and very reduced circumstances. She is more seasoned, yet still innocent. She has not lost herself, but life has clearly sharpened her understanding of people and their motives.

There’s a crossover flavour introduced here with the new heir to Stoke, John ‘Ashwood’, and his wife, Fanny. Their treatment of Elizabeth is reminiscent of John and Fanny Dashwood’s treatment of Mrs. Henry Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility.

Darcy’s entrance into Elizabeth’s life was well timed, not long after her mourning ends for Mr. Ashwood. I very much enjoyed this version of him—particularly his directness when speaking with Elizabeth. There was something refreshing in how plainly he addressed matters once his feelings took hold. Watching his admiration build and seeing him come to value the woman that experience and hardship had shaped was deeply satisfying. Their developing attachment carried some genuinely tender moments. The emotional beats felt believable, especially given how Elizabeth guards the small independence and future plans she has made for herself.

If I had one very minor hesitation, it would be the Anne de Bourgh subplot. I understand why it was there, but I was far more invested in Elizabeth and Darcy and wanted the focus to remain on them. That said, Anne’s portion was still well done, and I’m probably being way too picky.

Julie Cooper truly knows how to write romantic moments. They, plus the premise itself and the touches of humour she never leaves out, were the highlights of this book for me. Sarah Bentley makes a brief cameo too. IYKYK.

Highly recommend.

Darcy falls for a young widow

4 1/2 stars rounded up

I got the audiobook to go with the e-book which was wonderfully narrated by Elizabeth Grace. I think the audiobook made the book even better. Julie Cooper has brought us another fantastic story.

In this variation, sickness, and death are running through Longbourn. Mr Bennet is desperate to see at least his two eldest daughters safely wed before he dies. It is up to Jane and 16 yr old Elizabeth, who they will choose of the two options. The choice is Mr. Collins or the elderly neighbor, Mr. Ashwood.

For those readers who do not like to have Darcy or Elizabeth wed before each other, give this one a chance. When they meet for the first time, Bingley becomes infatuated with Mrs. Collins and Darcy starts to imagine his life with Elizabeth. They do have a few bumps to deal with each other in addition to several around them.

Darcy and Elizabeth end up having deep and meaningful conversations that lead them to an abiding love.

For those concerned about infidelity (Bingley’s fascination with Jane) or premarital relations, there are no concerns for that in this story. That is not to say that after marriage, there are not some loving sweet scenes between a married couple.

This is another one that I can easily read/listen to again.