Taking place during the Regency Period of English history, the war with Napoleon is being fiercely fought. The sides are fairly matched for troops, and war mages. War, as always, takes a toll but England is determined to win. Suddenly, Napoleon is winning more and more battles – it seems he has a secret weapon. Somehow, the French have found and can control dragons. If England can't quickly come up with a way to overcome the dragons they will lose the war and their country.

The English government has a plan and several powerful mages have been recruited to carry the plan out. However, there's a bit of a problem. While there are many mages with the power and the skills necessary to succeed, there isn't the person chosen who must maintain the required spell for the duration of infiltration--failure is not an option. (We all know failure is always an option but in this case that leads to devastating results.) /P>

Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley is a landed mage and he has been training in secret with his friend and fellow mage, Charles Bingley at his leased estate of Netherfield. Darcy is improving but not enough to be sure he could succeed and if he fails there will be no second changes.

Elizabeth Bennet has exceptional skill working with the magic available to her via her connection to Longbourn's land. Land that has been in a family for years is a source of magic for those living there--usually the estate owners and their family. Normally, the most powerful user is the master and the heir. Elizabeth is neither, yet she is very powerful. Darcy learns of her power when she inadvertently interacts with one of his spells. Knowing married couples often can share their power with their spouse, Darcy is determined they will marry.

Elizabeth is determined she will not marry him, a person she doesn't know or even like, refusing consistently until she learns the truth of the status of the war effort. To save her homeland and the people she cares for she agrees.

Darcy and Elizabeth must learn to work together. Problems are bound to happen as Darcy uses her as a tool to help him succeed. She, on the other hand, is giving up her family and her connection to the land she's lived on all her life, and there is no guarantee that she'll ever feel a connection to the land at Pemberley. Elizabeth is giving up her hope for a marriage based on love for one of cold convenience.

Their struggles are not just the personal ones of any couple trying to learn to live together. The estate is large, the pressure to perfect the spell he will use is a daily struggle. Elizabeth is determined to fit in and become a part of this estate when no one seems to be willing to accept her. Her determination to help, matched with his determination to ignore her suggestions, doesn't help.

The magical system is amazingly comprehensive and coherent. It is based on many myths and stories that most readers of fantasy have some familiarity due to folk tales, fairy tales, and legends. The world works. The societal issues of the time period also play a part--mostly causing undue stress and misunderstandings.

All in all, I totally enjoyed the story. I'm a fan of the works of Jane Austen and of the authors who manage to tell a convincing and entertaining story using the characters Austen created. I was not disappointed--there's angst, tears, surprising discoveries, and dragons. What more could you ask for?

Take a chance, you might be surprised and find a new subgenre to explore.