Kindle Price: $5.99

Save $9.08 (60%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

D.L. Carter
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Ruined Forever Kindle Edition

by D. L. Carter (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 920 ratings
See all formats and editions
Mr. Collins is rightly angered when Elizabeth Bennett refuses his honorable offer of marriage.
Sadly that is the last emotion he experiences.
Which gives the gossips of Meryton a delightful piece of news to gossip over - Miss Elizabeth Bennett has pushed her cousin, her father's heir, down the stairs to his death!
Elizabeth Bennett, Murderess? Oh, shocking, shameful scandal. Someone must speak for her before she is ruined forever.
Fortunately, a new arrival in the neighborhood - a Mr. Darcy - read law at Cambridge and is willing to be of use to Miss Elizabeth.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    421 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    May 24, 2017
  5. File size
    2198 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Review

D. L. Carter writes sprightly tales of magic and manners setin a Regency Period that (almost!) might have been. She writes with a light touch and anauthentic period voice. Kudos!
--Rosemary Edghill, author of Turkish Delight, Two of aKind, Fleeting Fancy, and The Ill-Bred Bride

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B072PSMSZ3
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (May 24, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 24, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2198 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 421 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 920 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
D.L. Carter

D.L. Carter

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

D.L. (Dee Leana) Carter was decanted from her incubation pod in the outback of Australia many decades ago. This terrifying event was closely followed by shrieks of "there, there it goes. Hit it with a brick!"

These valiant attempts to correct the existence of D.L. were, unfortunately, unsuccessful and she now resides in New Jersey, US., in a box with her toys, two human beings and a variable number of cats writing humorous romances in the regency, elvish and paranormal universes. If she appears distracted when you speak to her please wave coffee under nose.

www.facebook.com/pages/D-L-Carter/410572495645067

if you want to chat - please drop by and joing Facebook group "Reasonable Intelligent Heroines"

www.funwithghoulsandgoblins.com

http://funwithghoulsandgoblins.blogspot.com

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
920 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Trueheart
5.0 out of 5 stars A treat
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I am somewhat embarrassed to say that I liked this book better than Pride and Prejudice. Now I need to go back and read P and P again, just to be sure. I know that it is the gold standard by which all Recency novels are measured. I loved how this author fleshed out the characters. Their traits, good and bad, are magnified and they become more interesting.
I enjoy the genre of spin-offs of Pride and Prejudice and I believe this one is the best I have read. The author seems to have a firm understanding of the language and customs of the time, unlike some of the other writers in this genre. I wondered if the editor changed after the first half of the book, though. There were more mistakes in the second half that went uncorrected than in the first half of the book (those being a pet peeve of mine in some Regency novels). All in all I would highly recommend Ruined Forever. It gave us strong characters, an interesting plot, and an occasional chuckle.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
snow
4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly surprised
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2019
Verified Purchase
This was pretty good. For a moment there I saw no way out for our dear heroine. The end was a little weird to me so I didn’t give it 5 stars. But getting to the end was a fantastic ride. I couldn’t put it down. it is 3:56 am I had to see how this was going to finish. And if u read this book you’ll be up too 😉
Helpful
 Report
Danielle N. Hart
3.0 out of 5 stars Not As Great As Hoped, But Readable
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
Okay. So I really wanted to like this one. It's hard not to want to like a book that promises to turn Mr. Collins into a corpse.

It just didn't work as well as hoped. Initially I thought the author had a decent grasp on the characters, but that faded on me. The book is also uneven - there's parts that are really good, but you have to slog through parts that aren't so good. If you can get it fairly cheap, then it's a pretty satisfying read, if only to see what crazy thing happens next.

That being said, I have read a lot worse in the Pride and Prejudice spinoff/knockoff/variation line. I think the thing that hurt this book the most was that a lot of romance-novel cliches were dragged in. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Regency as much as the next person, but Jane Austen was not writing a Regency.

There's also great pieces of language, such as this line: "Nay, were your patroness Lady Catherine to know me, I am persuaded she would find me in every respect ill-qualified for the situation."

The author also handled the issue of gossip in a small society well, and I loved this line: "She made no direct accusations but it was entirely unnecessary. Her audience were all experienced and skilled gossips. They knew how to knit nonsense together to make interesting stories."

Bringing Colonel Fitzwilliam's family (he is, you know, a younger son of the Earl of Matlock) into the book was nicely done.

SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS

The author did raise an interesting idea - what if the Mr. Collins who answered the letter was NOT actually Mr. Collins? I would actually have liked to see this one explored, but it was not to be - instead the author came up with some weird foot deformity that runs in the family.

The whole part where Darcy basically channeled Perry Mason just didn't work for me. There was also a deal with the breaking of the entail (giving Lizzy another great motive to get rid of Mr. Collins) but it didn't quite ring true either. It could have been workable, but by that point I was already eye-rolling hard. I may not have been receptive at that point.

Reading the book, one wonders why Mrs. Bennet or Lydia weren't murdered. These two characters went way over the top into even more annoying than they are in the 1995 miniseries. The courses of action also just didn't ring right.

The subplot with Lady Catherine also went way over the top past funny and into downright sad and overdone. I admit to having a soft spot for Anne, but I didn't find this one believable. I did enjoy Lady Catherine versus Caroline Bingley, however.

SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Fabulous Mrs B
5.0 out of 5 stars different Jaff
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
This was a darker type of Jaff story. Elizabeth is accused of murdering mr Collins. Mr Darcy defends her due to have taken a course to become a magistrate. A lot of happenings before ODC are HEA. Bad Wickham too. Great Jaff.
Helpful
 Report
K. Pease
4.0 out of 5 stars I was impressed with so many aspects
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
It is amazing how an author can write a sweet love in the midst of such cruelties as was done here and meanness of other Bennet sisters excepting Jane. I wish that I had enjoyed the story more as it was so well plotted, but there is only so much meanness I want to read in a JAFF novel. From one character, perhaps three, but from eight or nine it was from so many directions to manage. I was impressed with so many aspects outside of the cruelties certainly gained four stars from me! I am glad I read it and I look forward to reading another from this author.
Helpful
 Report
myyorkies1994
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this P&P Variation
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed that this was a full-length novel. It took the time to develop the characters and scenes with full descriptions, but not too much. I liked that many of the story's villains got their comeuppance in the end, especially Mr. Collins. Wickham and Lady Catherine, all loathsome creatures. Unfortunately, Lydia gets off, once again. It was great to see that cousin Anne gets out from under her dreadful mother's influence, and has some time to enjoy a bit of life. The author has created a wonderful P&P variation that I highly recommend.
Helpful
 Report
blueeyes
4.0 out of 5 stars Collins' Corpse Causes Conflicts
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
Mr. Collins falls to his death and Elizabeth is blamed, changing the course of the story. Darcy and Bingley both step up to be the men they should be--much sooner than in the original.

Not really spoilers, but if you're like me, you'd prefer to find out the rest as you read.....I hated the way the town reacted with the gossip and shunning, but that may be realistic. What I didn't find realistic was the way many of the Bennets reacted. That was horrible, and many would say unforgivable--or at least unforgettable, once forgiveness is given. Will I read this again? More than likely!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Lisa M
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
Reviewed in Canada on June 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
I loved every page of this book and was hard pressed to put it down to sleep. Great build-up in the beginning, action and a happy ending! Highly recommended
One person found this helpful
 Report
readoholic
5.0 out of 5 stars Un délice
Reviewed in France on November 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
Drôle et bien écrit, comme d’habitude pour cet auteur . Pas facile d’être la énième réécriture, pari réussi avec brio.
Report
Linda
5.0 out of 5 stars A great story
Reviewed in Australia on August 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
I am a great fan of Pride and Prejudice and was not sure about reading a story related to those characters.
However I loved the story. I loved the way the main parts of the story were kept intact but with such an unusual twist.
I shall certainly read more by this author.
Report
Susannah
5.0 out of 5 stars What a fantastic read. You cannot help but get swept up ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
What a fantastic read. You cannot help but get swept up in Lizzy Bennett's despair, and be on the edge of your seat unable to see a happy ending. The authors advancement of our familiar cast of characters felt completely in keeping with Austen's originals. Bought and devoured within 24 hours - one of those "Just one more chapter" that leave you exhausted in the morning.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Wundervolle Geschichte!
Reviewed in Germany on December 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
Ich habe dieses Buch aufgrund der Leseprobe gekauft und war erstaunt, wie sich die Geschichte weiterentwickelt hat. Das große Thema ist die Zerbrechlichkeit des Rufes einer Person, insbesondere der Reputation einer jungen Frau. Nach Mr. Collins' Tod hat Elizabeth sehr unter dem Klatsch und Tratsch ihrer Nachbarn zu leiden, was wiederum dazu führt, dass Darcy sich anders als im Original verhält. Es tauchen auch alle anderen wichtigen Figuren auf, plus ein paar interessante Eigenkreationen. Die Irrungen und Wirrungen sind sehr unterhaltsam, manchmal auch tragisch, und haben mich das Buch in nur 2 Tagen auslesen lassen. Von mir ganz klare 5 Sterne! :-)
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report