What can I say about a book like this? Not only was it giggle inducing and full of fun and even some drama, it was an easy read and left me wanting so much more on the last page! I’m honestly not sure the last time I blazed through an Austen fan-fiction novel as fast as I did with this one. I’m so happy I requested a copy from the publisher and I received no compensation for my response. Unleashing Mr. Darcy will be published on December 31 by Harlequin and EVERYONE should check it out.
So I’ll start out with my biggest concern: I was TERRIFIED this book was going to be yet another S&M/50 Shades effort, but thankfully it was not! I mean seriously, what could I think with the cover art and the title!? Looking back now the title and cover art make perfect sense and would’ve made even more sense if I would’ve re-read the back cover blurb, but oh well the dread only added to the buildup.
Needless to say it was NOT another S&M/50 Shades book, it was a fun carefree romance that just happened to be set in the dog show world. I think the line that really summed up the book (and a lot of Jane Austen) for me was
“How could affairs of the heart be so easy for some and at the same time so perplexing for others?”
I mean that’s really the crux of any romance story isn’t it? The struggle to find the balance of what you want and what you have and what the potential is keeps the story moving forward and makes you turn the pages.
I was torn with this Austenesque novel for the same reason I’ve loved others: it’s departure from the original story. You can clearly read Pride and Prejudice in every aspect of the novel, but there were major things that were missing and remotely hinted at that made me wonder if I would’ve liked it more had more of the minor characters been included. They could easily have all been there (or combined) and I just missed them, but who knows. The only other issue I had with the novel was questions about whether Wilson had actually been to England, but really that’s just being super specific and had little impact on the story and the fact that I couldn’t tell immediately means she probably had been at one point (the writing was a bit confusing and could’ve gone either way).
On terms of romance in Unleashing Mr. Darcy I thought there was the perfect amount of romance and sex (very little). I’m not sure if I’m getting better at choosing less erotic novels or if publishers are starting to realize that the thrill of the unknown is just as exciting, if not more so, than the explicit descriptions found in some novels. I’m assuming it’s the first 🙂 there was only one sex scene and it was tastefully done.
Recommendation: As an Austen fan-fiction novel this is one of the best ones I’ve read in the recent past! It was a fun fluffy read similar to What Would Jane Austen Do? while at the same time having the well written aspect of Jane Odiwe’s Willoughby’s Return.
Opening Line : “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman teetering on the verge of thirty is in want of a husband.”
Closing Line: “This time, she said yes.” (Whited out.)
Sounds like it was a perfect fit for you. I can picture you giggling while reading it.
It was SOOO Good! I couldn’t stop reading when I started so ended up reading over half of it in bed one night.
I love it when that happens.
Haha, I had the same thought as you did looking at the cover. I’m glad it turned out to be something more fun 🙂
I know! Awkward cover art for the win!