Unleashing Mr Darcy by Teri Wilson

Description from Goodreads

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman teetering on the verge of thirty must be in want of a husband.

Not true for Manhattanite Elizabeth Scott. Instead of planning a walk down the aisle, she’s crossing the pond with the only companion she needs; her darling dog, Bliss. Caring for a pack of show dogs in England seems the perfect distraction from the scandal that ruined her teaching career, and her reputation, in New York. What she doesn’t count on is an unstoppable attraction to billionaire dog breeder Donovan Darcy. The London tycoon’s a little bit arrogant, a whole lot sexy, and the chemistry between them is disarming. When passion is finally unleashed, might Elizabeth hope to take home more than a blue ribbon?

I gave this book four stars out of five

My thoughts:

This was an extremely fun and enjoyable romance, cram packed with humour. As the title and cover art suggests, it was based upon Jane Austen’s, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and set against the backdrop of the world of dog shows. This classic love story was given a makeover, updated, and transported to the 21^st Century.

I loved the two main characters, Elizabeth Scott, from the US, and Donovan Darcy, from the UK. It is always nice to read a story that understands that love knows no bounds and that distance can be overcome. These characters were very well developed and reminiscent of the original Elizabeth and Darcy. There was plenty of back story provided to allow us to understand the motivation and meaning behind how they acted, especially towards one another.

I liked how the two main characters showed some restraint and didn’t fall into bed, or the back of a car in a pub car park, at the earliest opportunity. It was nice to see that some respect and reserve still exists. This is not the case in far too many romances these days.

The descriptions of locations and places in England were very well crafted, and the plot moved swiftly enough to keep me always curious and eager to see what came next.

I know that some people are not fans of the reworking of classic literature, but I really enjoyed this and was very impressed with how it was accomplished. I like the fact that I had an idea of the plot in my head and that famous lines from Jane Austen’s novel were used. This made it all the more interesting and surprising when something happened that I wasn’t expecting. I think that enough of the original was used, but it was not a merely a simple retelling. Certain subplots of the original were treated differently or indeed not used at all. This kept me interested. Some of the original characters played different roles or were almost non-existent.

I thought that the misconceptions that Elizabeth had regarding Darcy and first Zara then Helena, worked well and sprang naturally from her character. I also found Elizabeth’s preconceptions and prejudices regarding the moneyed and noble fascinating.

My one complaint was the overuse of clichés about how the English behave and the way that we are. Whilst it is true that many of us are suave and debonair, putting James Bond to shame as we drive our Aston Martins up to the doors of our stately homes or castles, this is certainly not the norm. I felt that this overuse made some passages seem very tongue-in-cheek and ultimately lose some of their impact.

I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes revamped classics, interpreted in a modern way, and also those that like fun, easy to read romances. An extremely enjoyable book.

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher.