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The Rainbow Promise: After Rainy Days

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For more than ten years, "Rainy Days" has been one of the most widely read and best loved of the Pride and Prejudice variations. Many readers have asked for a sequel, and finally, ten years later, here it is: "The Rainbow Promise". The story continues Elizabeth and Darcy’s passionate journey from a humble cottage to the glamour of a London Season before reaching its destination at the incomparable Pemberley. The road is filled with love, passion, angst, humour, twists—and more love.
The book contains scenes for mature audience only.

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2016

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Lory Lilian

41 books194 followers

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5 stars
142 (35%)
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138 (34%)
3 stars
97 (24%)
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15 (3%)
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9 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Les.
2,911 reviews1 follower
November 20, 2016
This is a sequel to Rainy Days - A book I didn't particularly enjoy.

This begins the day of Darcy & Lizzy's wedding and shows us, repeatedly, how much they love each other. While it spares us the graphic descriptions of some books it really gets tedious. On the other hand there are some really excellent subplots and lots of chances for Lizzy to rise at every attempt to intimidate her.

The book is very well written and spares us the bipolar Lizzy of the prequel. Again Lady Matlock is the best part of the book.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews49 followers
Want to read
November 17, 2018
💝 FREE on Amazon today (11/17/2018)!

Blurb:
For more than ten years, "Rainy Days" has been one of the most widely read and best loved of the Pride and Prejudice variations. Many readers have asked for a sequel, and finally, ten years later, here it is: "The Rainbow Promise". The story continues Elizabeth and Darcy’s passionate journey from a humble cottage to the glamour of a London Season before reaching its destination at the incomparable Pemberley. The road is filled with love, passion, angst, humour, twists—and more love.
Profile Image for Sheila Majczan.
2,515 reviews182 followers
June 1, 2016
First of all, this is a sequel and knowing that I usually read variations of P&P; sequels don't get a lot of attention from me. However, the first book in this series, Rainy Days, was a 5 star hit for me and I have read 4 other books by this author, some 4 stars and some 5 stars. So I wanted to read more from her.

Secondly, while this is a very lovely story of the early months of Fitzwilliam's and Elizabeth's marriage it had little of the angst which I so love. In my opinion it was an attentive and sweet look at this couple's entrance into society in London and the ripples from that. Society, knowing of Elizabeth's background but also honoring the status of not only her husband but also her aunt, Lady Matlock, is looking very closely at not only how Elizabeth dresses and behaves but also paying heed to who invites her to their balls and dinners, which events they attend, i.e., the theater, and how they also entertain and whom they visit in return. Caroline gets her digs in – will that woman never learn? But you may like how she is handled and by whom…not just Elizabeth’s very subtle retorts.

Yes, there are a lot of love scenes. I found that they are not graphic to the extreme but well handled. But know that they are there and as we would expect in newlyweds they are not only contained to their bedroom. There is additionally attention paid to anniversaries, i.e., weekly and monthly.

Young Becky is written as very precocious. Her language and perceptions of what is going on around here seems to be that of one older than four years old. But she does gain third place in Darcy’s heart.

But speaking of love/sex scenes, this tale makes a point of addressing the accepted immoral behavior of many sons and husbands in the ton whose wives are more political or financial arrangements than objects of adoration. And, as we have read in other novels, this behavior is not always perpetrated upon the class of ladies who may or may not have selected to trade in being prostitutes, mistresses or even adulteresses. Here Lady Matlock gains my applause. And as Elizabeth shows in a quiet and discreet manner her care of all around her, not just her peers, Darcy and others learn the worth of a human being and how it should be done.

Richard and his brother, Robert, as well as Robert's wife, Beatrice, have significant roles here and young Georgiana is learning much by observation and with having a new sister. Most of the action is in London but we do retire to the country and as families gather tolerance of each other's extended families plays a part. Yes, we again witness Mrs. Bennet in action as well as Lady Catherine. You may smile as Lady C. brings upon her own self some uncomfortable effects.

There is an epilogue, which I always like being available.

If you like sequels and you cannot bear tension or angst in your stores plus you love up close and personal accounting of young lovers’ interaction, this is the tale for you. Well done. I did enjoy it.
Profile Image for Suzan Lauder.
Author 13 books78 followers
December 20, 2022
This one was hard to read because although it had some strong bright spots, overall it was slow, overloaded with narrative and sex.

My reviews are technical, so I'll be focusing on the elements that niggle a reader and cause them to drop a star, yet are rarely mentioned by most reviewers.

The plot was rather non-existent. Instead, we got a series of vignettes about D&E over the time that followed their marriage. Even so, the story had a clear ending with an epilogue for those who like them.

Flow was forward and at a steady, rather slow pace. The balance of dialogue and narrative was heavy on the narrative so that in places, the story dragged to the point of being boring. The author needed to up the pace with more action.

Point of view was mixed, with head-hopping. It was probably intended to be third person omniscient, but it came across as third person multiple at times. In two locations, the author had a character "see" themselves blush. This is one of those things that can't happen unless the writing is pure omniscient, yet the scene had not been written in that style.

The author utilized filter words, which is a way to tell the protagonist's emotions rather than show them.

Language was beautiful in places and pedantic in others. The former was almost poetic and worth a re-read. The latter was found in those long narrative sections. Nine non-Regency words and one non-Regency expression were used, and three Americanisms were detected. This is a normal rate for a JAFF book.

Punctuation was good for the most part, with two missing closing quotes and a missing apostrophe.

Canon deviations included using the girl Becky as the youngest; however, this was clearly intentional and worked well as one of the more entertaining parts of the book.

Regency errors included five and ten course meals. Since a course includes somewhere around 8-12 hearty dishes not including the dessert course, there never tends to be more than two courses served. Another was calling a waistcoat a vest. Though not precisely wrong, it's not common nomenclature. Lady Matlock would never be called Lady Ellen. That would be an earl's daughter's name. Also, her Ladyship is incorrect--you do not capitalize the L.

Referring to people's lives as a "story" within in dialogue is not quite right. You wouldn't say such a thing.

Much of the dialogue was excellent. It included banter and a child's strange yet amusing perspective, among others. More of Lilian's dialogue would have helped to create more interest in the book.

The characterization was good, including for the new characters. You really felt you knew some of them.

With all the narrative, one would expect more scene-setting, and it was there, showing the beauty of the story. This would be the parts I mentioned earlier that I loved in the narrative. However, it was almost all visual.

The romance is complete since this is a book about a married couple. Even so, the author does a lovely job of showing the solidification of their relationship throughout the book. The main problem is the sex scenes--there are too many with detail (not detail like erotica, but still they are rather specific scenes). I love me a steamy scene, but this was like beating the reader on the head with the fact that the couple was super hot for each other. At a sensible point, the author should have known to deviate past the detail and show without telling every movement every single time. This has been done, but not early enough and not often enough. Instead, the sex becomes as boring as those long sections of narrative mentioned earlier.

The cover is a play on the previous book, Rainy Days, which had a plain rose. It's different enough to stand out and attract interest among readers. I personally think it's corny, but I also think I'd be in the minority. I believe most readers would love it and it would attract them enough to buy the book because of it.

For an overview, the story is just ordinary, and bogged down by long tracts of text and too-frequent sex. It has its moments in excellent prose and dialogue and some sparkling wit, but not enough to redeem it. In all honesty, I can't really recommend this book without a revamp.

Disclaimer: I'm a JAFF author, and some might claim this review is a conflict of interest. However, I was a reader first, and my reviews are honest and impartial. I write them for both the author and the reader.
Profile Image for Debbie.
1,592 reviews59 followers
June 14, 2016
While I enjoyed this and I'm glad I read it, it doesn't match the quality of either the plot or character development of Rainy Days - An Alternative Journey from Pride and Prejudice to Passion and Love. It continues with similar strengths and weaknesses. There's a lot of lovely romance, which is its main appeal.

Unlike the first book in this series, none of the obstacles that Darcy and Elizabeth face seem all that serious and get swept away with minimal fuss. Near the end, there's another big confrontation scene with Lady Catherine, which Elizabeth handles easily. Most of the drama involves Maud, a pretty young woman with a mysterious past that Darcy and Elizabeth save from freezing to death when they discover her in a London park.

Most of the rest involves Elizabeth's conquest of the ton with Lady Matlock's assistance, Anne de Bourgh's happy separation from her mother, and Becky Gardiner's excellence at giving compliments. Darcy and Elizabeth, generally, are annoyingly perfect. They constantly nuzzle, touch, exchange heated glances, raised eyebrows, and over-dramatic declarations of love. Although well written, it becomes repetitious. The many explicit bedroom (and other room) scenes do not further the plot and, if not completely edited out, should discreetly fade with details left to the reader's imagination.

Anyone who really loved Rainy Days as I did will appreciate this sequel, but don't read it expecting it to becomes as much of a favorite as its predecessor.
Profile Image for Hailee.
211 reviews126 followers
August 13, 2016
I have yet to read a Lory Lilain Pride and Prejudice variation that didn't enjoy and when I saw that a sequal to Rainy Days had been release I had to read it and I am very glad I did. There are a lot fewer after marriage novels than there are variations on how they get together but of the after marriage stories I have read this ranks as one of my favourites.

It may not appeal to people who like their novels to have a lot of adversity and angst for the couple to overcome. The adversity that appears is easily overcome due to the strength of their relationship. But I confess that that is one of the reasons I enjoyed this so much. I think adversity should come while they try to come together but after marriage I enjoy reading about how happy they are.

I enjoyed all the other characters in the novel, but especially little Becky and I also appreciated how supportive Lady Matlock was to Elizabeth. All the canon characters stayed true to the original but they still managed to grow as characters.

A lot of fun.
Profile Image for Talia.
945 reviews4 followers
March 29, 2020
I saw a lot of negative critiques about this one but I luckily didn't care. One of the negative aspects, supposedly, was that there are a lot of sex scenes. Well, what did you expect from the author? She writes them in her other books and Darcy and Elizabeth just got married. When else are they supposed to have it? If they didn't have lots of sex, people would be complaining that the characters were frigid. I will end this here as I loved it and seem to be a bit cranky after reviewing a big let down book, HP and the CC. I will review again in future.

Reread: Loved it. I hope more people liked it than the first time I read it. (not as cranky today!)
Profile Image for Susan.
6,354 reviews60 followers
April 12, 2018
This Pride and Prejudice story is a sequel to Rainy Days, which I enjoyed. This story follows the marriage of the Darcys and their interactions with their families and the ton.
I admit to skipping the many bedroom scenes - really of no interest and doesn't move the story along, unfortunately apart from a couple of minor instances not a lot really happens.
Profile Image for Meredith (Austenesque Reviews).
985 reviews328 followers
November 6, 2016
The Sequel Fans Asked For!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

(Note: Potential readers should be made aware that although this is a standalone novel, more pleasure and understanding may be derived from reading Rainy Days prior to this work.)

TYPE OF AUSTENESQUE NOVEL: A sequel to Lory’s Pride and Prejudice variation, Rainy Days

TIME FRAME: The day after the Darcys’ wedding through their first 4 months of marriage (+ epilogue)

SYNOPSIS:

The newly married Mr. and Mrs. Darcy currently reside in town in anticipation of the Season. While Elizabeth may want to escape to the beautiful environs of Pemberley, she can’t. It is important for her to be accepted as Mrs. Darcy, and in order for that to happen she must dress impeccably, be seen at society events, and attend her first ball at Almack’s. Lucky for Lizzy she has the fervent love of her devoted husband, the guidance of Lady Matlock, and the support of many of her closest relations as she makes her debut.

WHAT I LOVED:

- It’s Sentimental: This sequel was written at the bequest of many readers who fell in love with Ms. Lilian’s beautifully romantic variation, Rainy Days. And as such, there were many nods to the tender moments readers fell in love with in Rainy Days. I loved seeing Darcy and Elizabeth embrace their love-story and look back fondly at the pivotal experiences that brought them together. What Darcy did with the cottage was just so wonderful and romantic. I love that they cherished their time together there.

- I Want to be Elizabeth Darcy When I Grow Up: There is so much to admire in Ms. Lilian’s Elizabeth Darcy – she shows unmeasured kindness and selflessness as she takes in and cares for a perfect stranger, immense courage as she faces those who would try to belittle or insult her, and unwavering devotion for her beloved husband. This sequel illustrates some of the challenges Elizabeth faces as Mrs. Darcy and it was so wonderful to see her handle them with such grace and confidence.

- The Accepted Behavior of Married Men: Darcy and Elizabeth encounter a maid left to fend for herself in an unfortunate-but-not-too-surprising situation and it makes Elizabeth realize the common practices of many married men of her day. I really appreciated the realism and moral debate of this plot-line. I liked how it sparked a variety of reactions and beliefs. And I especially liked how one character in particular stood up for her beliefs and took certain members of her family to task! Her actions were indeed very praiseworthy.

- Rainy Day Favorites: One of the things I was most excited about in reading this sequel was seeing some more of Lady Ellen Matlock and Becky Gardiner! Becky’s unabashed honesty remains a delight and Lady Ellen continues to exemplify an admirable matriarch – something we don’t see a lot of in Pride and Prejudice related stories. I was so glad to see much page time devoted to these characters and to see that they fostered a sweet relationship with each other. I can only imagine how thrilling and heartwarming it must be for Darcy and Elizabeth to have some of their most beloved family members interact and form attachments with each other!

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

- Practically Perfect: While I loved reading about Darcy and Elizabeth as a happily married couple, I sometimes missed seeing a little more drama or conflict in parts of this story. Elizabeth acquits herself marvelously well in her new roles as wife and mistress – with nary a fault, and the Darcy’s pass through their first couple months of marriage with little conflict or misunderstanding. Their relationship was pretty close to a picture of perfection, but perhaps that is what the author envisioned.

WARNING: I’d recommend this story for Mature Audiences due to several romantic and intimate scenes

CONCLUSION:

With The Rainbow Promise Lory Lilian delivers an exquisitely romantic happily-ever-after for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. If you are an ardent fan of Rainy Days, this thoughtful sequel will satisfy your desire to see more of these lovable and charming characters and their inspiring love story.
Profile Image for Donna.
48 reviews10 followers
June 24, 2016
This was an enjoyable and sweet read, that was deeply romantic. One needs to read Rainy Days first. There is an interesting story within a story about Maud. This brings out the caring nature of Elizabeth and Darcy too. Characters are not quite as well developed as in Rainy Days, but it is still a wonderful book with lots of tender love scenes. I am never one much for the superficial world of the Ton so I was glad when Lizzy, Darcy, and Georgiana finally left London for Pemberly. The situation with Maud really shows up the callousness of many upper class men in the ton and women too. There's only minor conflict of matters easily dealt with like Darcy's fear of what pregnancy can do to a woman's health. Anyway despite any typos as I got an earlier version of this, I enjoyed this too much to rate it other than 5 star. Rainy Days is even better, as there's nothing more romantic than being stuck in the rain in a cottage with Mr. Darcy, which resulted in romantic attachment and passionate love developing between Lizzy and Darcy much faster than it did in canon. I truly loved both books. The nice thing about this author is that she wrote Rainy Days 10 years ago and did not set out to write 2 books, but the popularity of the early book led to this seœuel. The Rainbow Promise did work though you have to read the whole book to catch on to it. I truly felt like I was living an idyllic life with Darcy and Lizzy.
176 reviews5 followers
June 6, 2016
I always love to write a review after Sheila because she says it all. I agree that Rainy Days was a 5 star book for me. This was a 4 star sequel. This story has little angst. It begins as Elizabeth and Darcy begin their marriage. The love scenes are nicely done and not over the top. They come across a woman named Maud in the park while on a walk in the park on a cold winter day. Maud has a secret. Lady Matlock is a very strong character in this tale. The Colonel is Robert in this story and he has a brother named Thomas and sister-in-law Beatrice. I would have liked to see more nasty Beatrice and Thomas. The Gardniers and their children are in this story and Becky is loveable as ever. Love, love the set down to Lady Catherine it made me smile. The epilogue brings the story to a nice, beautiful ending.
Profile Image for Madenna U.
2,016 reviews1 follower
October 21, 2023
The sequel was a perfect continuation of the first. As a result, those who loved the first should be very happy. I enjoyed revisiting the characters again. Elizabeth working to fit in, Caroline being cruel, social injustice, acknowledging that what society values is not always for the best, and some steamy moments are the major plot lines for this sequel. The book seemed written like soap opera episodes.
Profile Image for Charlene.
471 reviews
Read
July 4, 2016
A rainbow

I love Lory Lillian and I did go back and reread "Rainy Days" before I began this book.

We start out just where we left off in Rainy Days, with all the same lovable characters. Got to just love little cousin Becky! And Lady Matlock is a rock and does figure prominently in this story. Our favorite couple while in London and out for a stroll discover a young lady on a bench half frozen and almost dead. They quickly get her to Darcy House and proceed to nurse her back to health. She is a bit of a mystery as she will not tell them how she ended in dire straights and this is where the story takes off. The story takes us down the road to servant and master and the consequences. As the story unfolds it hits quite close to home. Wonderful continuation though Rainy Days is still number one for this reader!
Profile Image for Elin Eriksen.
Author 19 books149 followers
January 26, 2018
Enjoyed it, but not as much as "Rainy days".
I love the stories that happens after HEA, always curious of what happened to them after they are married. This novel is about their first 6 mnd and how Elizabeth is accepted by the ton. Not a lot of action but sweet, romantic and passionate, no angst.
I prefer a little angst like Sharon Lathan "The Darcy saga " or Linda Berdoll " Darcy and Elizabeth " but this is a sweet story when you are in the mood for something light and airy.
I probably would only put 3 stars on this if I hadn't loved the first book "Rainy days ".
Profile Image for Teresita.
1,014 reviews10 followers
September 28, 2016
A really great follow up

This story left me a feeling of content and warmth. A lovely narrative of their growth and development as a couple.
Profile Image for LChristineW.
435 reviews
March 24, 2020
I enjoyed this follow up (which for me was next day since I just read these), however, the "Maud" issue was a bit much. By the end, I still love Darcy and Elizabeth, Jane and Charles; grew to love Anne and was happy to see the Colonel settle down. I know it was a different time but I was happy to see Aunt Catherine finally put in her place as I have wanted Elizabeth to do multiple times in other stories. It was a nice, short, epilogue that let us know all is well.
Profile Image for Tracey.
764 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2019
4stars

I really enjoyed this one but rainy days is still my favourite.
I loved the continuation of Elizabeth and Darcy's married life but I missed the romance of the chase.
I did enjoy it though and my addiction to these books had only grown. Well worth a read of you like Jane Austen variations.
Profile Image for James S.
1,348 reviews
June 4, 2018
Nit picking

Loved the story. Since I’m reviewing this so late I thought I might nit pick a bit

I wish we had seen some thawing between Viscount Fitzwilliam’s family and everyone else.

I wish we had found out the story between Lady Ellen and Wickham.

I wish we had some details on how Georgiana and Kitty faired with the ton.

1,378 reviews4 followers
March 7, 2020
Amazingly done

Of you loved Rainy Days you will love this. It starts at the end of previous book and continues through the first year of marriage. In this book, Darcy and Elizabeth open their home, hearts, and love to make others around so much better. Greatly appreciated, well written, and highly recommended.
Profile Image for Christina.
Author 12 books322 followers
December 13, 2016

Author Lory Lilian aka Queen of Hot Mush does it again. The long awaited sequel to a Jane Austen fan fiction favorite--at last! Loved this. Tugs at the heart strings and finally ended, leaving me with a happy heart
1,021 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2018
Slow paced, sweet book

This book was like a diary of Darcy and Elizabeth. There wasn't overly much going on. Lots of talk about how happy they were with each other. But when Lizzy told Caroline off? Priceless!
Profile Image for Jean Stillman.
943 reviews10 followers
August 23, 2018
Since the first book, Rainy Days, Lory Lillian waited ten years to bring the sequel in The Rainbow Promise. It was worth the wait. Loved it!
5 reviews
March 10, 2017
A great read

Loved the first book and the second book is just as good. Will read both books again. Hope the author will write another.
Profile Image for Victoria.
61 reviews1 follower
March 25, 2022
It was a nice sequel to Rainy Days. It was even sweeter than the first book and as easy to read. There are a few inconsistencies like the date of Ane Darcy's death. In the first book, Georgiana is a baby when her mother died and in this one, she apparently was five. Elizabeth is much more constant and her emotions are not all over the place like in the first book. I recommend for all Jane Austen lovers.
Profile Image for Rachel.
624 reviews
October 3, 2016
The super mushy sequel to Rainy Days, this book is a decent romance with some erotic scenes and little conflict. It's ideal for a fluffy read, but I found myself growingbweary of the sloppy romance -it was a bit over the top at times. Minor characters are a strength here as they are fleshed out well.
Despite the issues, i did enjoy this book.
34 reviews2 followers
June 28, 2016
Rainy Days to The Rainbow Promise

Having enjoyed Rainy Days several years ago, I was very excited to see a sequel. Rainbow Promise did not disappoint. A wonderful read of Darcy and Elizabeth's life as they marry, love each other and bring family together.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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