Thursday 19 September 2013

Book Review - My Own Mr Darcy

Title: My Own Mr Darcy
Author: Karey White
Publisher: Orange Door Press
Release Date: 14 July 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1490537269
ASIN: B00DY6QP3I

Synopsis
After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough. Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place. 

My Review
I fell in love with Pride and Prejudice a few months ago when I got obsessed with the youtube series 'The Lizzie Bennett Diaries' after watching those I went back and re-read the book and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. So when I heard Kathy talking about this book and organizing a tour I was excited to sign up, especially because she was so excited about it too.
Elizabeth has obsessed about finding her perfect Darcy ever since being dragged to see Pride and Prejudice in the cinema by her mother. The idea has taken over her life and now in her 20's she has a history of failed dates and no prospect of love. Her best friend tells her that she has to give the next guy who asks her out a chance, and she does. Enter Chad, sweet, caring and a really nice guy. Clearly her friend was right, giving him a fair chance could be the best thing Lizzie ever does, until her 'dream man' walks into the bank where she works one day, she catches his eye and is immediately blown away, he looks and acts just like Darcy, this is her dreams come true.
Thus starts the problems, does she follow her years of dreams or go for a new one. 
I don't read many romances and I can say this one is 100% clean which is a bonus. But I found Elizabeth frustrating, to me it was so obvious what she should do and although she often comments that she doesn't want to string anyone along as it's not fair on him, she still does and I felt so sorry for him. In the moments when she is just being herself, and not obsessing over Darcy, I actually really liked her. She has a degree in Interior design and when she is working on a project she really comes to life and I liked her so much more as a character. But the constant indecision about what she wanted did irritate me a bit. 
As for Matt, the author did very well painting his similarities to Darcy, he was like a modern mirror image. But whereas you grow to love Darcy, I didn't grow to love Matt, in fact I wanted to tell him to go away and get his priorities right. 
The book is well written and the characters reflect very well on Austen's work and White has given them their own unique personalities and twists, but there was just a bit too much indecision for me. And it was very predictable, I knew who she would end up with pretty much straight off, but maybe that's normal in romances, as I said I don't tend to read them.
It was an enjoyable read and I did want to see it through, mostly for Chad. It's well written and flows well. Just not something I would usually pick. BUt if you want a nice light romance then this is worth picking up.

My Rating
  
 

No comments: