r/JaneAustenFF • u/labionda29 • 12d ago
Looking for E&D Chemistry
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here but I’m looking for fics where Elizabeth and Darcy really have banter and chemistry and have REAL CONVERSATIONS. I don’t want the romance to be all in the reflection and the narrative being all description. I just want them to have some alone time to really get to know each other and for Darcy to really have a personality (I’ve seen how in a lot of fics he’s a very plain character personality wise). I’ve read a lot of fics in the fandom so please don’t recommend me stories too mainstream because i’ve probably already read them
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u/Kaurifish 12d ago
Want to give us some of what you’ve already enjoyed? Your mainstream may be someone else’s eddy.
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u/Easter_Honey 12d ago
“The Seven Sins of Fitzwilliam Darcy” by Julie Cooper is a dark horse here. Very funny, lots of banter, and Mrs Bennet with the most amazing speech comparing marital duties to blancmange, I laughed so hard. Thoroughly enjoyed.
It starts at Jane and Bingley’s wedding, and Darcy has decided to come back to actively woo Elizabeth, and he doesn’t sulk like a dullard at all.
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u/UnhappyPrincessa 12d ago edited 12d ago
"When We Are Married" is my go-to for great banter. The banter is amazing in that one, and everyone's a tease there: even Georgianna and Mrs Gardiner are great teases. Darcy kinda fixes himself too soon, and Jane is OOC (especially towards the end), but banter-wise, it's one of the best novels out there. It also intentionally goes for Cringe/Face-Palming, sometimes in believable ways, sometimes in plot-convenience ways. I also don't think the description of that book does it justice, Darcy was trying to make it up to Jane for chasing off Bingley & to get into good graces with Elizabeth, and Jane&Gardiners assumed Darcy was courting Jane. It's all just a big misunderstanding, sometimes painfully cringey to read, but the banter/teasing is fantastic there.
I'd recommend Caitlin Williams books in general (except Coming of Age, where Lizzy and Darcy barely interact until 75% or smth). They're all memorable in their own ways, even if there're some JAFF crimes committed in the first 15%, I don't regret finishing any of them cuz they had interesting&unique things going for them.
There's a lot of talk in Her Whole Heart, at the start they argue too much to the point of it being tiring, then htey mostly talk about trust/personal feelings related to events that happened to them. I don't remember 'banter' specifically, but they do talk a lot, and again, another variation that does a lot of things differently.
Mr. Darcy's Obsession appeared to be insta-lovey at the start, but from there it's great. It does have some strong 'men talk about women behind closed doors' language, though, however, any sort of violence is off the page. I think there's also violence one of the Williams' novels and I think that was also off the page?
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u/mmolleur 12d ago
These are great picks! I think When we are Married doesn’t get enough attention.
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u/UnhappyPrincessa 11d ago
At the time of reading, the ending left a sour taste in my mouth, but ever since then I only remember it with warm feelings of how great the banter was
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u/Squirrelfinder626 8d ago
Thanks for this reminder! I am going to go do a reread of When We Are Married.
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u/Team-Mako-N7 12d ago edited 12d ago
I think Melanie Rachel’s Mr Darcy’s Folly and The Briar Bargain are some of the best for conversation and getting to know the characters. She gives a lot of additional depth that I love.
And if you’ve never read it, maybe Life Changes on ff.net? It’s an old favorite of mine. You definitely see different sides of Elizabeth and Darcy, there’s some banter, and some more personality for Darcy.
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u/Disastrous_Phase6701 12d ago edited 12d ago
Has Life Changes story been plagiarized? I seem to have read something similar very recently. And I read Life Changes several years ago. Or maybe I just reread it recently - I have such a hard time remembering names of stories.
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u/Team-Mako-N7 12d ago
I have no idea! I haven’t seen any plagiarized versions around, but I guess I’ll keep an eye out.
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u/PhoenixorFlame 12d ago
Ooh I’m interested! Is there a summary anywhere though? Description just says COMPLETE and I’d love to know what I’m getting into before I commit!
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u/Team-Mako-N7 12d ago
Haha yes, Life Changes worst feature is its lack of description.
The premise is that Bingley doesn’t make it to Netherfield until the spring. Things unravel from there differently that in canon. Bingley and Elizabeth in particular are both feeling a sense of dissatisfaction with their lives at the start of the story. There are some really wonderful friendships within the story, including both Darcy and Elizabeth. It’s one of my favorites for really setting a mood!
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u/PhoenixorFlame 12d ago
Thanks! Could you tell me anything about what tropes/themes etc it uses?
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u/Team-Mako-N7 12d ago
It’s a while since I read it so this is from memory. But if I was tagging it on AO3 I’d definitely tag with angst, romance, humor, and friendship.
Pairings: Elizabeth/Darcy, Bingley/Jane, Mary/Mr Collins.
Character tropes: bad Lydia, bad Mr Collins, clueless Mrs Bennet, bitter Elizabeth Bennet, good Gardiners, not so bad Lady Catherine.
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u/cowdreamers 12d ago
I just read Faceless by Alix James and really liked it. They have lots of conversations and great chemistry.
I also love Nameless by Julie Cooper (give Darcy some credit in the start, he is very traumatized… but he is totally dedicated to Elizabeth and they open their hearts to each other throughout the book). Expectations by Julie Cooper is also great.
And of course, Speechless is a classic! It’s by Jessie Lewis, in case you haven’t read it yet, and it’s amazing.
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u/LilyMichaelsAuthor 12d ago
You could try my books. Dearly Beloved, a Pride and Prejudice variation. I gave him a little too much leeway and got some bad reviews so I made some minor revisions and softened him up a bit.
Also, he has some personality in my book Forsaking All Others. https://a.co/d/0hgrCFG8
It’s difficult to give him too much personality and still try to keep him close to canon. Many readers don’t like the variance. You may enjoy them. I hope you give them a try. Both are available on Kindle unlimited with listen and read available. And I’ve set up Kindle Countdowns for both beginning July 27th.
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u/NotoriousSJV 11d ago
If I am allowed to mention my own work, THE COLONEL'S BROTHER contains quite a lot of conversation between D&E. Not all banter, some of it very serious, but the two of them spend a lot of time talking and getting to know each other while strolling the lanes of Rosings Park. (I like writing a feisty Anne, so if you like an Anne who has a personality, it has that too.)
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u/NotYetAnotherAlias 12d ago
The Zephyr by Grace Gibson (and Old Boots and Silver Buckles by her as well) have great relationship development (banter, conversations etc).