'Seducing Mr Darcy' by Gwyn Cready (4.5 out of 5 stars) Reviewed by Annie
Type 'Mr Darcy' into Google Blog Search and you'll be confronted with over 22,000 hits. As Bloggers, as women, we are Darcy obsessed. Plenty of the polls I've conducted on my blog have certainly ranked him as one of our favourite heroes. Is it any wonder then that there has been an influx of P & P Spin-offs?
Type 'Mr Darcy' into Google Blog Search and you'll be confronted with over 22,000 hits. As Bloggers, as women, we are Darcy obsessed. Plenty of the polls I've conducted on my blog have certainly ranked him as one of our favourite heroes. Is it any wonder then that there has been an influx of P & P Spin-offs?
One of the most recent is Gwyn Cready's second time-travel romance, Seducing Mr Darcy and it is fabulous. There is a condition to reading and enjoying it though. You can't be a stick-up-your-bum-Austen-purist. Approach this romance with a light heart, be prepared to suspend your disbelief and you'll be greatly rewarded. This is true of many of the romances I normally read anyway :-)
The most enjoyable part of this novel has to be the constant, fun way Pride and Prejudice is constantly discussed. I loved reading the hero Magnus's educated view of Austen combined with Flip's BBC Mini-series opinions. It was an excellent combination and pulled the novel from full-out sexual fantasy into a tongue-in-cheek Austen commentary. What a fun way to stimulate debate on a classic novel!
In terms of what I look for in a romance - Sex, Sex and a Happy Ending - this book didn't disappoint. The love scenes were just hot enough to be confrontational but not so explicit or long that they made you want to close the book. By the end of the book I had forgotten Darcy (almost!). Oh Magnus is such a smart, sexy guy. I love a hero with a brain! You know what they say about the quiet types...Which reminds me, I've got to find a new Scrabble partner.
Read this novel if: You've ever secretly wished Jane Austen had written another chapter of Pride and Prejudice - the wedding night. Just delightful and oh so fun!
Don't read this novel if: See stick-up-your-bum-purist description above.
The most enjoyable part of this novel has to be the constant, fun way Pride and Prejudice is constantly discussed. I loved reading the hero Magnus's educated view of Austen combined with Flip's BBC Mini-series opinions. It was an excellent combination and pulled the novel from full-out sexual fantasy into a tongue-in-cheek Austen commentary. What a fun way to stimulate debate on a classic novel!
In terms of what I look for in a romance - Sex, Sex and a Happy Ending - this book didn't disappoint. The love scenes were just hot enough to be confrontational but not so explicit or long that they made you want to close the book. By the end of the book I had forgotten Darcy (almost!). Oh Magnus is such a smart, sexy guy. I love a hero with a brain! You know what they say about the quiet types...Which reminds me, I've got to find a new Scrabble partner.
Read this novel if: You've ever secretly wished Jane Austen had written another chapter of Pride and Prejudice - the wedding night. Just delightful and oh so fun!
Don't read this novel if: See stick-up-your-bum-purist description above.
5 comments:
Wow, sounds great, adding it to my list now!
Good going getting a mention of our blog on the authors website also!
I'm not an Austen purist. I'm not an Austen fan. I'm not even Darcy obsessed.
Sorry. Sorry. Please. Don't pelt me with rotten vegetables and don't hiss at me either. I have feelings too.
I would like to says THIS book, based on Annie's description, sounds like it may be for me.
But two questions.
1. Is this time travel to the 'Days of Austen' or Austen to today?
2. Where did she get those shoes on the cover?
While I like the shoes. I really love his boots.
Sandra
Oh I loved this book too. The story is mainly set today to fuel your contemporary bias :)
If you are not an Austen purist maybe you should read it. As you know I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance but with this touch of the accident prone heroine in the past, I think you will like it.
Oooh fabulous review. Being more of a mini-series fan, (I do love the novels, but I love having the series on behind me while I'm cooking or typing or whatever, so I can enjoy the 'good parts' editions ;) ), I think I'd be a total candidate for someone who'd love this...
I'm going to Dymocks tonight - I'm totally looking it up!
Sandra-Bee, if I buy this, I'll mail-lend it to you in return for the Rachel Gibson :)
Deb - I just saw she had a blog and figured she might be glad to know it was reviewed here.
I just loved the hero, Magnus. He's the bookish type and this completely confirmed my suspicion that it's quiet types you should look out for in the bedroom ;-) For me, smart = sexy.
Plus, I completely bought into the Darcy thing.
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