Blog Tour Book Review: Suddenly Mrs. Darcy by Jenetta James

 

Suddenly Mrs. Darcy
by Jenetta James

Genre: Romance / Austenesque / Pride & Prejudice Re-telling

Ages: 15 and up

I received an e-copy of this book as part of a blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review. A big thanks to Jakki Leatherberry for putting this tour together! Stay tuned for a guest post from Ms. James next week and be sure to check out all of the other stops on the tour, the next one being tomorrow at My Jane Austen Book Club.

Description:

Elizabeth Bennet never imagined her own parents would force her to marry a virtual stranger. But when Mrs. Bennet accuses Fitzwilliam Darcy of compromising her daughter, that is exactly the outcome. Trapped in a seemingly loveless marriage and far from home, she grows suspicious of her new husband’s heart and further, suspects he is hiding a great secret. Is there even a chance at love given the happenstance of their hasty marriage?

 
My Thoughts:

I loved the premise of this book. What if Darcy and Elizabeth were trapped into marriage the night of the Netherfield Ball? Neither knows the other very well; Elizabeth hasn't developed the worst of her prejudices yet and Darcy is...well, Darcy is very mysterious.

The story is told entirely from Elizabeth's point of view, so the reader must puzzle through Darcy's motives and actions along with the heroine, much in the same style as in P&P. It was an interesting and different route for the author to take, and one that she executed well. I enjoyed Elizabeth's gradual change in feelings as she goes from trying to make the best of a civil but passionless marriage to falling in love with a man she still doesn't quite know.

Ms. James' writing style is very sweet and straightforward. At first I thought it was a little overly simple, but it grew on me. She has a very subtle way of catching the reader's emotions that I truly appreciated once I noticed just how ensnared I was. It took me a while to notice because it was so sneaky. I like sneaky.

This was a lovely story with a unique, delicate style and just the right amount of angst to keep me happy. I'm looking forward to what Jenetta James does next.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
There is no profanity in this book.

Sexuality:
I rate it a 4.10 for multiple scenes of sexuality, none of them graphic or detailed.

Violence:
 I give it a 1.10 for a scene of peril, but no real violence.

About the Author:

Jenetta James is a lawyer, writer, mother and taker-on of too much. She grew up in Cambridge and read history at Oxford University where she was a scholar and president of the Oxford University History Society. After graduating, she took to the law and now practises full time as a barrister. Over the years she has lived in France, Hungary and Trinidad as well as her native England. Jenetta currently lives in London with her husband and children where she enjoys reading, laughing and playing with Lego. Suddenly Mrs Darcy is her first novel.

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