What If You Fell for Someone Other Than Mr. Darcy?
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
Elizabeth Baker has bad luck when it comes to relationships. Since she was thirteen she has been in love with Mr. Darcy and holds hims as the ideal mate to measure all other men against. After a recent relationship disaster that did not end up with the marriage proposal she was expecting, Elizabeth decides to have an extended visit with her sister, Jane, in London to help get over her broken heart. However, Elizabeth’s holiday in London takes an unexpected turn as crashes a car into a ditch and winds up unconscious after trying to drive in England for the first time. The next thing she knows she is being addressed as Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn…
It is every Pride and Prejudice fan’s dream come true isn’t? Even though Elizabeth remembers her real life and the world she came from (and realizes her presence in this fantasy world might mean she is not okay in the real world) she is fully prepared to live out her dream of being with Mr. Darcy! As an ardent fan of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth knows the “script” and knows what parts she and the other “characters” must play. But there are still many surprises in store for Elizabeth as some encounters are happening differently from the book and some characters aren’t exactly acting as she would expect them to!
I love adventures like this one where a modern-day Jane Austen fan gets to have a taste of living in Jane Austen’s world (or in this case the world of Pride and Prejudice!) I’ve read a couple stories that are similar in premise (Attempting Elizabeth, Leap of Hope, and Yours by Design series to name a few), and can never get enough! This story is unique in that it veers in an unexpected direction… Without spoiling anything I will say that Elizabeth starts to feel conflicted about her feelings for Mr. Darcy and perturbed to discover that her traitorous heart begins to feel affection for someone else! Ack!! I absolutely adored this twist and thought it was brilliant! How many times do people fantasize about something only to finally have it in front of them and realize it isn’t what they wanted after all?!? I love how Ms. Whitman has turned both Elizabeth’s understanding of Pride and Prejudice and her own universal truths on their ears!
I adored our heroine Elizabeth, she is immediately likable with her Mr. Darcy obsession, and she earned my sympathy and compassion for all the horrendous relationships she experienced! Poor girl! I completely understand her heart’s leanings and I loved, loved, loved all her scenes and special moments with this particular character. So very swoon-worthy! Their tree, riding horses, the wet-shirt, the proposal – I need my smelling salts! I loved following along on Elizabeth’s journey and especially loved how it all ended. (sorry to be vague, spoilers!) It was very gratifying and executed wonderfully! I was put in mind of The Wizard of Oz a little, perhaps there was some slight influence there!
While I loved witnessing Elizabeth’s bold way of speaking her mind, I was sometimes bothered by her modern speech and slang. Not because she used modern speech and slang, (I think that is to be expected!) But because she didn’t seem to make much of an attempt to speak less modern, and that the other characters never really questioned her strange word usage. My other small quibble is with Mr. Darcy, whose feelings and thoughts I felt needed a little more explanation. His character seemed just a little less developed than some other characters.
However, these minor quibbles didn’t diminish my pleasure in this diverting and romantic fantasy adventure! This story is an entertaining and enchanting read for readers who dream of waking up in Elizabeth Bennet’s shoes and experiencing Pride and Prejudice firsthand. I’m so excited to see what sort of adventures are in store for these characters in Ms. Whitman’s sequel – Becoming Mr. Bingley! 🙂
Oh my, waking up to find that Mr Darcy is in love with me would indeed be a dream come true! I’m not sure this Elizabeth deserves him though if she finds herself attracted to someone else? I will definitely have to check this out.
It definitely would, but that is not exactly the case for Elizabeth Baker, she wakes up at the very beginning of the story and gets the honor of hearing Mr. Darcy calling her tolerable! 😉 You might understand and like the leanings of her heart after you see the tender and sweet interactions between them. 😉
I will have trouble believing any girl would prefer someone other than Darcy. 🙂 But it does makes for an interesting plot. Thanks for the review.
I can understand that! But then again, I describe my own husband as being more like Mr. Bingley than Mr. Darcy, so who’s to say that if I met the real Mr. Darcy I’d still prefer him? 😉 My Mr. Bingley is just too good to me to compare!! 😉
This book definitely interests me! I love time travel fiction, and this one combines time travel and Mr Darcy and Elizabeth! I have put a copy in my “TBP” list (To Be Purchased).
Definitely! How many Jane Austen fan girls get to live out this fantasy?!? Awesome!
Oh what fun. I have this in my TBR pile and look forward to reading it. It is currently being featured in the Cover Wars this week, however, several pairs of high heels have slipped ahead of it. Oh well, at least the JAFF community has represented. Great review Meredith… say hello to Mr. Bingley. We appreciate all he does for you… I mean traveling, taking pictures… rubbing your tired feet. Well, maybe not that… but still we want to say hello to him.
That’s great, Jeanne! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 🙂 Thanks for letting us know, I got to vote a couple times, but too bad those high heels won. 🙁 Mr. Bingley appreciates your kind acknowledgment! 😉
Definitely sounds intriguing!! Thanks for a lovely review that piques our interest so thoroughly!! 😀
Have a lovely weekend!!
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Thank you for checking out my review, Susanne, and for your kind words! 🙂 I’m so glad my review piqued your interest in this story!
Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend too!
I love this scenario, too. It’s like a fairytale story for adults. Interesting about the competition for her affections, there. I would find the way the modern lingo was handled would be questioned somewhat, too. Overall, sounds good.
That’s such a great way to describe it, Sophia! I love it! 🙂 Definitely a great read. The language thing might not bother everyone, I might be being a little too critical about it. I believe the heroine in Lost in Austen also spoke mostly in modern lingo and didn’t receive too many questioning looks. 😉 She was even dressed modern!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, I was just about to buy a copy! 🙂
Wonderful! Happy reading! 🙂
I keep seeing the cover popping up in Goodreads, and I’m gonna have to give this a go … it sounds too fun.
Definitely! It is a very fun amusing and entertaining read! 🙂 I cannot wait to see what Samantha Whitman writes next!
I’ve got this on my Kindle waiting to be read! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it, Meredith. You always write such thoughtful, insightful reviews. This one is no exception. Looking forward to reading this soon!
Oh wonderful! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 🙂 Thank you fo such kind words, I always feel like writing reviews is so much work, lol! I wish the words flowed much more effortlessly! 😉
I read and enjoyed this book. It was an interesting twist. Thanks for sharing. Great review as always.
Thank you, my friend! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this one!
I thoroughly enjoyed “Attempting Elizabeth” so this one has me super excited! Your review, excellent as always, Meredith, has me running over to Amazon!
Thanks, Lori! It is such a fun and premise! I love thinking that it could come true! Happy reading, my friend! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I did purchase a copy; it’s waiting on my iPad now. Look forward to reading it once I’ve finished my current book. Happy Wednesday, Meredith!