The Impoverished Orphan

A Pride & Prejudice Variation

By: Kelly Miller

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

After a virulent illness takes the lives of Elizabeth Bennet’s parents and elder sister, she is raised at the Barton family estate in Salisbury. Unlike her Barton cousins, Noah and Cassandra, Elizabeth is penniless. Furthermore, she must be shielded from her uncle, a dissolute tradesman.

Whilst Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy stays at an estate near the Barton property, he seeks possible suspects for the murder of his London neighbour. Although Darcy is attracted to Elizabeth, he cannot overlook the disadvantages in her situation. To complicate matters, his impulsive act incurs Elizabeth’s hostility, whereas Miss Cassandra Barton’s preference for him is unmistakable.

In this sweet Pride and Prejudice Regency romance with a touch of cozy mystery, Mr. Darcy uncovers a web of lies that complicates his pursuit of Elizabeth. Will he find his way into Elizabeth’s heart?

©2025 Kelly Miller (P)2026 Kelly Miller

A cozy P&P variation and wonderful audiobook

This was a fun Pride & Prejudice reimagining with a mystery twist woven in with the romance. I enjoyed the fresh take on Elizabeth’s circumstances, and the mystery element added just enough intrigue without overpowering the story.

Stevie Zimmerman’s narration was smooth, engaging, and easy to listen to, making this a pleasant audiobook experience overall.

I was provided a copy of this book by the author/publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Just as good as the Original Pride & Prejudice

I highly recommend this book! I got the opportunity to listen to the audiobook narrated by Stevie Zimmerman. Kelly did a superb job writing this variation. And Stevie did an equally amazing job narrating it. Pride and prejudice is a beloved story for me. And I am very picky with my variations that I read. This is by far the best variation I have ever read. I was drawn in from the beginning with Lizzies tragic back story which sets up her current situation perfectly. There were twists and turns and they were excellent and brought on so many emotions! I highly recommend this Pride and Prejudice to all regency romance lovers!! And for a truly immersive experience info this story get the audiobook!

Sweet Regency story

Sweet regency romance using Jane Austen’s characters. Lizzie and Darcy keeping the spirit of Austen’s original. Loved getting to see Charalotte Lucas at the end. Loved the narration and story!

Delightful Clean Pride & Prejudice Retelling

The Impoverished Orphan by Kelly Miller

Nothing is as it seems. The Impoverished Orphan is a unique, but delightful Pride and Prejudice retelling with a conniving uncle, a female main character who loves horses and who has lost much of her family, and a male main character who cares deeply and works to uncover deceit.

I really loved this retelling. There is mystery, romance, horseback riding, and all the Pride and Prejudice vibes!
Elizabeth has lost her parents and sister, Jane, so she lives with her uncle and cousin.
Mr. Darcy purchases a horse from her uncle that Elizabeth worked hard to raise from a foal. She is distraught over this.
Over the course of the story, secrets are uncovered, Elizabeth spends time with Mr. Darcy and his sister, and romance blossoms. And a mystery is solved.

I loved the fact that since this is much shorter than the original classic, there is less of an enemies-to-lovers vibe and more of a strangers to friends to lovers story.

I definitely recommend this lesser known Pride and Prejudice retelling to anyone who loves Regency romance and the classic!

The narrator does a great job!

Content Guide:
Theft (mentioned), m*rder (mentioned), mild social dr!nking, a side character is dr*nk (past), passionate kissing (somewhat described with groan), implied intimacy between married couple, m!scarriage (past, mentioned), child l0ss (past, mentioned), religious exclamation: "Good G0d"

Series: Standalone
Genre: Historical Romance; Regency; Pride & Prejudice Retelling
Romance Level: Closed-door
Publisher: Indie
Narrator: Stevie Zimmerman
POV: Dual First Person

Wonderful & loving story

Anything with Stevie Zimmerman is a must but an excellent original storyline made it twice as good!!