Thursday, January 12, 2012

Definitely My Kind of Darcy


Definitley Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

Meet Chloe Parker. She is a 39 year-old, divorced mother of one running her own antique letterpress business in Chicago. She also eats, sleeps, and breaths anything Jane Austen related. She thinks she is going to be in a documentary/competition where everyone is dressed in regency style and answers questions about Austen.

Meet Mr. Wrightman. He is an elegible bachelor owning one of the largest estates in England. He loves history, science, and bird watching. Also, women constantly fall at his handsome feet wishing to be the object of his desire. A friend of his helps him sort through the cleavage by creating a dating show where all regency customs and attire are followed to the letter.

Chloe has no idea what she's in for until she lands on the set in the lavish English countryside. If it weren't for the prize money that would help save her business, Chloe would leave for home in a rush of disgust and disappointment. She decides to stay on the show filled with beautiful, talented 20-somethings with stubborn determination.

Chloe discovers that it is not so easy being a woman of leisure in the 1800's. She finds needlepoint, riding sidesaddle, and breathing in corsets to be much harder than she originally thought. What she wouldn't do for a hot shower!

And the men! The incredibly hot, Colin Firth-style Mr. Wrightman could sweep any girl off her feet. He's the tall, dark, and handsome man of every girl's dream. Then there's his younger nerdy brother Henry. This incredibly gentlemanly (and kinda cute) doctor gets ignored by most of the contestants, but to her frustration, Chloe ends up bumping into him constantly instead of his prize of a brother.

What starts out as a business venture ends up being so much more. Follow Chloe through the last heart-pounding episode. Will she be as cutthroat as the younger contestants? Or will she discover something more valuable than the prize money?

If you enjoyed Austenland by Shannon Hale, you'll love this book. It is a perfect mix of the modern and regency worlds. You get all the romance and atmosphere that you find in Jane Austen novels with a modern twist that you can relate to. Pick it up now!