President Darcy – Victoria Kincaid

Mr. Darcy is POTUS!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

TYPE OF AUSTENESQUE NOVEL: Modern-day Pride and Prejudice Adaptation

SETTING: Modern-day, Washington DC

MAIN CHARACTERS:

  • President Will Darcy: America’s youngest elected President to date, single and also a billionaire.
  • Elizabeth Bennet: A Red Cross staff worker who travels the world with a refugee crisis team.
  • The Bennet Family: Founders and Owners of On-a-Stick, Inc., a company that specializes in serving food “on a stick.”
  • Charles Bingley: The President’s Chief of Staff and close friend.

SYNOPSIS: President Darcy is not the best when it comes to women and dating, and so he has vowed to not date while serving as President. After all, how can he truly devote himself to policy work and legistlation if he added the complicated challenge of a romantic relationship to his life? But at a White House state dinner he has unexpectedly encounters a woman who sparks his interested like no other. Now he must decide whether to maintain his “no dating” credo or allow his attraction to this woman free reign…

WHAT I LOVED:

  • Mr. President: First of all, I absolutely love the idea of seeing Mr. Darcy as POTUS! With Mr. Darcy’s sense of duty and stalwart integrity, it makes perfect sense for him to be President. (He has my vote!) And I loved how Ms. Kincaid translated his estimable and conscientious traits to this new arena. He makes a most admirable President; I loved how he had a personal vow to never lie to the American people. But what I truly loved about President Darcy was his adorable sincerity. His desire for a relationship with Elizabeth is so earnest, so artless. It is completely endearing. And when he goes after what he wants, it isn’t just sexy, it’s Leader-of-the-Free-World-sexy!
  • Plausible: While there were some zany aspects of this story that I’m sure were added more for the comic appeal (i.e. The Bennet family and their business), I felt there was a good amount of plausibility behind the limitations and consequences of being president and having such a delicate public image. Not only do the elements of a President’s life become highly analyzed and discussed in the media, but the media attention can also delay, influence, and prohibit what they try to achieve in Congress.
  • Conflict and Challenges: While there is pride and prejudice between Darcy and Elizabeth, they have many other obstacles to overcome in this tale. I appreciated how some obstacles were cleverly updated from Jane Austen’s tale, such as President Darcy making a disparaging remark that is later shared on Twitter and President Darcy prejudging Elizabeth because of her family. And how some were unique to this premise, such as the effects of negative media attention and the inability to have privacy. With these new challenges, Ms. Kincaid kept me on my toes, I couldn’t predict how it all would end.
  • Emotionally Invested: From their very first embarrassing encounter together I fell in love with President Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Their electric chemistry, their mutual desire to not have a relationship, and their overwhelming feelings for each other had me swooning. I absolutely loved how emotionally invested I felt with these characters and how the twists and turns in their paths consumed my thoughts all day long. These reincarnations of Darcy and Lizzy are captivating, sympathetic, and ones I greatly admire.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

  • I really don’t have much to say here…my mind was more agreeably engaged!

NOTE: Due to the use of profanity, I’d recommend this story for Mature Audiences.

CONCLUSION:

Vote for Darcy!!! Brava to Victoria Kincaid for delivering a brilliant modern-day adaptation of Pride and Politics!! Okay, all jokes aside, I am extremely delighted with Ms. Kincaid’s President Darcy! Whether you are a fan of Victoria Kincaid, modern-day Pride and Prejudice adaptations, or just want to see Mr. Darcy as President, I entreat you to give this perceptive and inventive tale a try!

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31 comments

  1. Oh Meredith, thanks for such a lovely review. I haven’t managed to read this one yet but I am certainly going to soon and I’m even more determined now.
    I do like Victoria’s books and I expect to really enjoy this one. Thanks again.

  2. I have this book on my TBR list (that is growing daily) but your review makes me want to bring it to the top of the pile. I can only imagine what kind of food the Bennets could offer “On-A-Stick.” 🙂

  3. I also vote for President Darcy! LOL. I´m very curious about how the essence of P&P can find its place in the White House. It´s really a great premise and I think Mr Darcy would fit really good in the POTUS´ shoes. I also like that Mr Bingley is not only his best friend but his right hand 😉
    Thanks for the review, Meredith!

    1. Yes! 😉 It worked really well! I think Ms. Kincaid did a terrific job of blending the two. Yes, it was a great role for Mr. Bingley and I liked his character a lot as well.

  4. This book sounds so fun and I have yet to read it. Thanks for the great review. Now I’m motivated.

  5. Yep! I was really taken with the good modern parallels for this particular setting with P&P. I totally would vote for this Darcy and his good taste to be attracted to Elizabeth in spite of her loony relations.

    Enjoyed your review!

  6. When I first heard that Victoria had written a modern P&P with Darcy as President, I wondered how on earth it was going to work. Part of that may be due to my somewhat hazy understanding of how politics work over your side of the pond. Obviously, it was daft of me to be at all concerned! Not only is this (to my mind anyway) Victoria’s best work to date, but some of that haziness has cleared, too.

    Thanks for such a lovely review once again, Meredith.

    1. I agree with you about it being Victoria’s best work – I love her stories, but I can imagine this one posing some new challenges for her. And she did terrific with them! 😉 I’d probably feel the same if I were to read a book about a British Prime Minister, definitely a little hazy. 😉

  7. Wow!! 5-stars… I have this on my wish-list and am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for this excellent review.

  8. Great review, Meredith. This book is in my line of sight and your review only adds to the desire to read it sooner, rather than later. (My virtual TBR pile is teetering already, but Pride & Politics *snicker* is at the TOP!)

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