Review of Definitely Not Mr Darcy by Karen Doorneboos

Definitely Not Mr. Darcy

Karen Doorneboos

There's no place for pride in this Austen misadventure.
Chloe Parker was born two centuries too late. A thirty-nine-year- old divorced mother, she runs her own antique letterpress business, is a lifelong member of the Jane Austen Society, and gushes over everything Regency. But her business is failing, threatening her daughter's future. What's a lady to do?
Why, audition for a Jane Austen-inspired TV show set in England, of course.
What Chloe thinks is a documentary turns out to be a reality dating show set in 1812. Eight women are competing to snare Mr. Wrightman, the heir to a gorgeous estate, along with a $100,000 prize. So Chloe tosses her bonnet into the ring, hoping to transform from stressed-out Midwest mom to genteel American heiress and win the money. With no cell phones, indoor plumbing, or deodorant to be found, she must tighten her corset and flash some ankle to beat out women younger, more cutthroat, and less clumsy than herself. But the witty and dashing Mr. Wrightman proves to be a prize worth winning, even if it means the gloves are off...

*sigh*
I have  a weakness for certain things in this life and anything that makes me think of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is one of them

Those that know me KNOW that Colin is the only Mr. Darcy for me
and if a male character in a book is even slightly like him I fall and I fall hard.

Our story starts out with a broke, divorced mom. Her hobbies are all things past, preferably Regency England. She is a huge fan of Jane Austen and devoured the novels. She belongs to the Jane Austen Society; she goes to tea parties; she owns her own failing business that makes hand-crafted, hand-printed invitations.

She feels lost in this modern world. For her, it is too fast-paced. Men disappoint her when she falls into a trap common to many other women: she is looking for a fairy-tale Prince Charming to swoop in and save her.

She is encouraged by friends and family to join a television show that she thinks is going to be just about living life as though it was 1812 in England; it turns out to be a reality dating show called,  How to Date Mr. Darcy

She has to give up everything in her modern life in order to compete on the show. The hardest part for me would be giving up being with my kid for several weeks, but this woman does not throw a fit till they try to take away her cell phone (for me, strike one).

I love a female character I can relate to, and this protagonist isn't one of those.

This one claims to know and be capable of surviving in the past. She talks a good game, saying she knows all of the societal rules, etc., and would be able to handle everything very well. In reality, she only seems to know the rules that are laid out in the very polite stories written by Jane Austen. Jane did not speak of things like baths, or showers, or toilets, or the smell, or how one dealt with things like their period, or the hierarchy of who gets to use the bath water next, or... you get where I'm going, right?

SHE'S CLUELESS.

yes that is a Regency shower no it is not in the book

For me, this part of the book was irritating. I did not like that a character who made such great claims did not seem to KNOW things outside of Austen. One cannot claim to be an expert (a word that irks me) and not know that Regency women dampened their gowns so the material clung to them--this should not have been a shock. Nor should using a chamber pot, or the diet of the time period, or the bathing situation.

While those things irritated me, ALL IN ALL I really did enjoy this book. Watching her go from starry-eyed romantic to facing reality was a bit hard, but she needed it. It helped her be a better character, more rounded. Once she was able to get over the rose-colored glasses view of things, she was able to appreciate her own world and the experience did give her a good kick in the ass to not just lay down and accept failure.

I like the theme--the 'grass is always greener approach'-- it worked really well here. I liked the side characters, and I liked the twists in the story.

The story line of this reality show involves two brothers: the elder brother who will inherit everything,and the younger brother who will inherit nothing. At first, I was all for both of the men she has to choose between.

Sebastian is handsome; dark,brooding, and quiet, you get to know him a bit of a flirt. Then there is
Henry, the younger brother. He looks stunning, a bit on the nerdy side, is a doctor, and is the penniless brother.

There are other contestants, of course, and the whole thing is just a powder keg of a mess waiting to explode.
And it does.
Many times.

Watching the mess happen is so much fun!

There were many things in the book that bothered me; I tweeted about them and I made my notes, but there was also a lot that made it a worthwhile and fun read.

So, if you can overlook a few annoying things and let the writer take you on her journey you might love this one. I'm giving it 3 stars if Amazon and Goodreads had half stars this book would get 3 1/2 I liked this one it was a fun read and I do think many people would enjoy it as well.

The end made me wonder if it was really over. I wanted more.

 best quote in this book:

"Curvy women were all the rage in the Regency era."

I am a woman out of time ! 

Review of Definitely Not Mr Darcy by Karen Doorneboos

Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen—or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It’s all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Austenland Official Authors page 

A while ago, a buddy of mine was combing through goodreads looking at books and she came across this one. She sent me the rec just based on the main character in the story's obsession with Colin Firth.

I love having an excuse to put up pics of Mr Firth

As readers may know, I have a little bit of thing for Mr Firth. I read the dedication to this book (Sue put dedication here Sue forgot so T did) and after seeing this, I KNEW I had to read the book. 


For Colin Firth
You're a really great guy, but I'm married, so I think we should just be friends


If for nothing else just to laugh with this witty woman who has no problem making fun of something many people take far too seriously.


This blog post also gives me an excuse to put up very pretty pictures of Mr Firth and not feel too guilty about it.


So, now you know why I read the book. Let's say that for choosing a story based on a dedication, I was pleasantly surprised!


The story is about Jane, a 30-something woman who is confused about relationships with men. Her ideal man is Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr Darcy in the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. As you may know, he is a brooding, shy fella. A gentleman who thinks a great deal of himself, and his position.


The character, Jane, fell in love with him and compares every man to this ideal.


No real man can compare to a fictional character. Not only is Jane comparing men to an unattainable perfect guy in her mind, but she is also very intense when it comes to relationships.


She runs tests on guys from the moment she meets them trying them out for husband material before she even knows much about them

so much more than a wet shirt

I know, I know. She does not sound very likable. I look at her as someone who is VERY confused about how things work in the here and now.


Jane is offered a chance at a vacation to Austenland, where she can live as people did during Jane Austen's time. What she finds is a cheesy reproduction with paid actors and other vacationers who are pretending to be people from the past.


I thought the banter in this was cute, and the story line and discoveries the main character makes about herself are good and believable.


Jane finds herself in a world that is fake. She tries to throw herself into it, but fails in so many ways. There is romance but the author leaves you questioning it until the very end. You wonder is it real, because the men are hired actors just playing a role, or did one of them really fall for her?


The good news is, she finds joy in her real life and comes to accept herself, and well, grows a set! LOL!
I think this a great rainy afternoon, I'm looking for something to read, that is not a huge challenge, but will entertain me kind of a book.


Other news on this is, it is being made into a movie!!! You know how I love those! LOL! There is also a sequel to this book coming out called Midnight in Austenland. 

Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

Real men wear skirts

HOW did a German a Brit and a midwestern American start talking about kilts??


It all began one day in skype Tanja Hannah and I were well talking about guys that led to talking about Harry Potter movies that led to talking about the guy who played Oliver Wood


you know


Sean Biggerstaff (that name sends me into giggles cause I wanna know if it is TRUE or only wishful thinking...)

Hannah found this pic of him and Tanja and I ohhhh'd and AHHHH'd over it which led us to talking about men in kilts

Real men wear skirts