Agony and Hope

By: L.L. Diamond

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

“I have endured the deepest agony, only to be shown a hope so bright I cannot but yearn for it.”

Fitzwilliam Darcy is mourning the love he lost - a love that was never allowed to bloom. What will become of him when Georgiana is wed, and he is left by himself? He cannot give away a heart not his own. Must he remain in this mournful existence, anticipating the nights to come, where in his dreams, he can finally be with Elizabeth, a spectre of his once living, breathing beloved. When a surprise visitor brings unexpected news, his hope is breathed back to life. Will he finally obtain his deepest desires? Will Fitzwilliam Darcy be able to leave behind the agony of the past and hope for the future he once thought impossible?

Due to circumstances beyond her control, Elizabeth Bennet’s family is irrevocably altered. Her father is dead, Lydia is missing, and her mother and remaining sisters are to be relegated to a life of poverty. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s behaviour at Pemberley indicates he still loves her, but too much has happened. She can never hope for him to once again make the offer of his hand. Elizabeth’s sole option is to abandon the life she once led and start anew. But what happens when her path once again crosses with the love she thought lost to her? Will Elizabeth choose to protect him with the one option available to her or will she put aside the agony of the past and choose hope?

©2021 L.L. Diamond (P)2021 L.L. Diamond

Great Job on a Great Story

Stevie Zimmerman is one of my favorite narrators and she is at the top of her game here.

Agony and Hope

January 21, 2022 - Audiobook Review
Another excellent performance by Stevie Zimmerman, a favourite JAFF narrator.. I felt she really brought out the emotion of Darcy’s toughest moments

June 10, 2021 - ARC and Goodreads/Amazon Book Review
L.L. (Leslie) Diamond is one of those very talented authors whose opening paragraphs will always grab and pull you immediately into the story. Agony and Hope doesn’t disappoint in this regard as it opens with a brilliant scene featuring a determined (à la bad ass) Darcy standing up to Lord Fitzwilliam’s demand that he marry. The Earl threatens and Darcy parries with a threat of his own. One cannot help loving a Darcy who isn’t afraid to stand up to his family’s demands. Darcy has decided he will never marry if he cannot have Elizabeth.

He could never love any but her, thus he could never marry. His heart was no longer his to give. She possessed that fragile organ that still beat so faithfully in his chest and she always would.—quote from book

In this telling, after Darcy and Elizabeth were reunited at Pemberley, Darcy never followed the Gardiners to London after Elizabeth received Jane’s letters. What resulted had grave consequences. Elizabeth and Jane are gone for two years now, and as Georgiana marries, Darcy will find himself consigned to a lonely life with only memories and his dreams of Elizabeth.

”The sooner he found sleep, the sooner he could dream of a happier life—a life with Elizabeth by his side.”—quote from book

Alas, to achieve a must-have happy ending, can Elizabeth truly be lost forever? Can the agony he has experienced with her loss be replaced by the hope that blooms in his heart when he learns she is near? As a very ill and fevered Elizabeth is brought into his care and protection, his love for her only grows and he is determined to help in her recovery and finally make her his wife. Will she be well and have him or, because of her deep love for him be determined to spare him from the shame Lydia brought to her family? Elizabeth will learn a very necessary lesson when she finally realizes that what we think is good for another as only seen from our own perspective is not always the wisest course and can have consequences to the feelings of others. Lady Catherine is one who points this out to her.

“My sister and I have no desire to be burdens upon them.” “Hmm,” said the lady. Elizabeth waited. Lady Catherine would not withhold her opinion and would at some time speak regardless of what Elizabeth said or did. “What of their grief? Do you believe the ease you have created in their life justifies their suffering?”—quote from book

This brilliantly-written variation will have your heart breaking for Darcy as he deals with the daily agony of not having Elizabeth as his own, and have you unsurprisingly frustrated with Elizabeth’s stubbornness. She is likeable, however, because she too is facing her own inner agony, knowing she deeply loves Darcy but feels she can never have him. You cannot but experience your own agony and hope as you read through the pages of this story.

“Can you not understand that I love you, that I want none but you?” He took her face by the cheeks and drew her eyes up to his. “I have endured the deepest agony, only to be shown a hope so bright I cannot but yearn for it.”—quote from book

The reader is also treated with tinges of humour— for example, a Colonel Fitzwilliam who hides from his mother behind the drapes and a Darcy struggling not to laugh out loud. The book also presents us with a still bold and brassy, but very likeable Lady Catherine. I loved her sincere (and separate) conversations with Darcy and Elizabeth. Georgiana’s mature portrayal and conversation with Elizabeth is also memorable. Mary Bennet is friends with Georgiana.

Beautifully written with an exceptional Darcy portrayal, I am happy to highly recommend this book. I plan to purchase the published version to add to my Kindle library. This will also be added to my re-read stack. Loved it!

I received an ARC of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review. A published version was also purchased for my Kindle library.

Wonderful

I really enjoyed this story. It started with some angst. But as all great Jaff ODC have their HEA. Great Jaff

wonderful

what a great Variation. the depth of the characters and just the exploration of " what if". stevie Zimmermann is the best as always

Wonderful

Story is captivating and Stevie's narration is magnificent. Highly recommended readER for any JAFF.

Wow!

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Though I consider myself a stickler to P&P canon, I enjoyed the vast differences in this variation than others. Lady Catherine character changed so much, I was pleasantly surprised. I blasted through this in a day and will listen to it again soon!

Beautiful, simply Beautiful!

L. L.Diamond and Stevie Zimmerman are a winning team and this one proves that yet again!

Without a spoiler, there is a bit of a shocker in the beginning and the first few chapters are a little on the high angst side, but L. L. Diamond does that well.

Give the story to Stevie Zimmerman and you have a solid 5 Star + review.

Darcy’s heartbroken

Darcy’s heartbroken at hearing of the death of Elizabeth and her sister Jane. As life goes on he must deal with the marriage of his little sister and find a way through life without the love.
A knock at the door one night changes everything he believes.
This story was amazing but hearing it come to life made it so much better.
The narrator has a way of making all the characters come to life, I could picture them and that makes why audiobooks so enjoyable.

Meh.

I was expecting more...the storyline was not the best. The story ended so quickly. I was so lost at the conclusion.

Not very exciting

Jane and Elizabeth pretend to be dead so they won't be a burden on their family. That is stupid. They caused so many people a tremendous amount of pain when they could have been independent without making their loved ones think they were dead. The two women lived in squalor and lice trying to just keep alive by washing and mending other people's clothes. When Elizabeth became extremely ill and need a doctor and drugs, Jane goes to Darcy for assistance. He is totally gobsmacked to find out Elizabeth is alive and spends his time getting her well and then trying to get her to accept his money, food and protection. She resists his help because she is so proud (yet she says she loves him). i think Elizabeth is dumber than dirt.