Customer Reviews

Seducing Mr. Darcy

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I decided to read this book after seeing that it is the 2009 RITA award winner of Best Paranormal Romance. "Pride and Prejudice" is my favorite book so I was a biased reader almost daring Cready to offend me. Not only was I not offended by Cready's imaginative use of Mr. Darcy, I was pleased to discover that Cready must love Darcy as much as the rest of us.

This book has all the elements I expect to find in a really good romance novel--believable dialogue, interesting characters fleshed out beyond sterotypes, tightly wound plotting. But it has some nice surprises too-- wicked humor, clever conflict and situations, juxtaposition of Regency and contemporary romance, and, most importantly, an atypical hero and heroine that seem both real and likable.

The only reason that I did not give five stars was because my "willing suspension of disbelief" was stretched a bit during the metaphysical aspects of the plot. But this is paranormal romance so I can forgive Cready's bold jump given that "Seducing Mr. Darcy" does everything else exactly right.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. You will find it a welcome respite from everything you have read lately.

The cover is definitely a bodice ripper of the highest caliber and so is the story. That said, it is deliciously angsty and Darcy is all you desire him to be. The book is about a divorced woman,Philippa (Flip,) who hasn't had any action since her husband left her over two years prior, and (okay here is where you must take a fantastical leap of faith -- just go with it!) gets this therapeutic massage that sopposedly transports your imagination into your favorite book. Yet, instead of transporting Flip into her current racy bodice ripping romance novel, she finds herself in Regency England in the company of Mr. Darcy pre-Pride & Prejudice. After waking from her massage (and an explicit encounter with Mr. Darcy in a Grecian folly) she finds later in spotting a 1st edition P&P on display at her university library, that certain important passages are changed -- like the proposal turned argument at Hunsford with Elizabeth and Darcy is about her, Philippa! So she must discover a way to correct the chain of events she has unwittingly altered. I am terribly loyal to Darcy and Elizabeth, together... but I liked this character, Philippa, so much, I sheepishly must admit, I kind of liked Darcy with her... very much... Surely, this isn't some great literary work of Jane Austen (just look at the cover) but I believe you will enjoy it. If the cover embarrasses you too much to read in company, well fold it back and tell those that have their sensibilites easily affected to kindly, "Avert your eyes." Ha! It's remarkably well-written -- and it showed Darcy prior to meeting Elizabeth in Hertfordshire and how he might have behaved amongst his peers. He is just a man afterall. A smokin' hot man! And in not wanting to give too much of the story away, the Darcy-like man & Austen expert, Magnus, who helps Philippa right this wrong, well, I think he is a keeper, too; he "almost" eclipses Mr. Darcy. Enjoy!

This was an enjoyable read. The Premise was fun and different, getting a massage and being transported into a book and "changing" the story. But things go very wrong and when Allison awakes, she finds that the actual book is being re-written based on her experiences.

Naturally she has to try and rectify this along with the unwanted help from a current day professor of literature. Fun ensures.

I can't say that I'm now a devoted reader of Gwyn Cready, her writing style is still a little unpolished and her plot lines could be tighter. For example little knowledge is given to the person giving the massage and we just take it on faith that its there to make the story work instead of woven into the story. Still, very innovative and I will definitely check out her next book.

Hysterically funny if ludicrous romantic farce, a bit like a mix of the "Thursday Next" series with the TV programme "Lost in Austen"

A large part of me cannot believe that I am giving this book four stars and seriously considered awarding the fifth. But however nonsensical the book may be, since I devoured it as fast as I could, laughed out loud at least half a dozen times while reading it - and not a little chuckle either but a full-throated roar - and went out and bought several of the author's other books as soon as I had finished it, I can hardly pretend that I didn't immensely enjoy it.

The heroine, Flip Allison, is a recently divorced ornithologist whose handsome but worthless ex-husband, also an ornithologist and now a professional rival, had a fondness for pretty students. She is more fond of trashy modern romances than classics like "Pride and Prejudice" but takes part in a reading of Jane Austen's novel with her friends.

At about the same time, Flip is introduced to an unusual hypnotist and masseur, Madam K, who has a special treatment in which you "Imagine yourself in your favourite book" and tries the treatment out.

Unfortunately, instead of imagining herself in one book, her mind conjures a mix of "Pride and Prejudice" and a rather more trashy novel, and the character she becomes has a scandalous affair with Fitzwilliam Darcy which Miss Austen would never have allowed one of her characters. Even more unfortunately, Madam K's treatment isn't just something which happens in her client's heads.

The first clue that something has gone seriously wrong is when Flip finds that a specimen of a creature extinct in the 21st century USA which she put into her reticule during her dream visit to Regency England has appeared for real in her handbag when she wakes in her own time. The next is when copies of "Pride and Prejudice" start to change ...

To rescue the situation, Flip has to enlist the aid of a handsome but stuffy English visiting professor of literature: and meanwhile the schemes of her ex-husband and his latest student girlfriend are about to make matters even worse ...

Some very entertaining humour in the book, parts of which are quite clever - I particularly appreciated the scenes from the viewpoint of one of the university library staff who is baffled by some very strange goings on in the library - though elements of the humour in the book are seriously lowbrow.

One content warning. Anyone who is likely to be seriously offended by some mild references to spanking should give this book a miss. When Magnus, the handsome professor of literature, first sees the heroine with some of her friends, they have had slightly too much to drink and are not on their best behaviour, so much so that he wishes he could turn all of them, particularly Flip, over his knee.

On first reading this passage the reader may assume that this is simply a way of emphasising that our heroine and her friends have made a bad first impression. However it soom becomes clear that this was not just a passing thought: one of the ongoing will-they-won't-they sub-plots in the book is whether Magnus is going to end up making love to Flip, spanking her bottom soundly, or both. I'm not going to spoil the story by saying whether this actually happens, but if you think a man who would even seriously consider putting a woman over his knee must be such an evil sexist that he could not possibly be a suitable hero, you probably shouldn't read this book.

Highbrow fans of Miss Austen may find aspects of this book at best silly and at worst irritating, though they will at first sympathise with Magnus - well, with his reasons for being annoyed with Flip and her friends, anyway.

If you do enjoy this book and particularly the humour involved in trying to protect great works of literature from being messed up, and have not already read Jasper Foord's "Thursday Next" series, I strongly recommend you try "The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next Series #1) by Jasper Fforde" which is the first in that series.

"Seducing Mr Darcy" is obviously not intended to be taken seriously, but if you like "Lost in Austen" or any other story in which characters from classic literature come alive, or if you enjoy a silly romantic farce, you might find this very entertaining.

I am a huge P&P fan & it was fun to see more on my favorite characters, but I almost hated to see them all be so silly as was depicted in this book. I am glad I read it, but I`m not sure I would recommend it to anyone else. But if you keep in mind it`s just a farce & not intended to be thought provoking, you might enjoy it.

What if you could enter the pages of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and actually live the moments? Philippa "Flip" Allison is about to find out... until it goes dreadfully wrong and she starts changing one of the greatest stories of all time!

Flip can't believe the arrogance of Magnus Knightley. Just because he's a visiting Jane Austen scholar doesn't mean he has the only "right" interpretation. After all, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is one heck of a love story! Of course, Flip doesn't expect that her trip to the masseuse will change everything about the classic Austen novel and it's going to take Magnus and Flip working together if things have a chance of going back to normal. Will the attraction sparking between these two very different people stand a chance in the face of such a monumental literary disaster?

I didn't expect to like SEDUCING MR. DARCY. I haven't read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE since I was in sixth grade and was a little worried that my very distant memory of the tale would be insufficient to truly appreciate Gwyn Cready's story. Boy, was I ever wrong!

Gwyn Cready weaves together a scorching hot romance with a lot of insight into the continued appeal of Jane Austen's literary classic. Magnus and Flip each see something very different in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and both love the story for their own reasons. This is perhaps one of the greatest universal truths about reading any sort of book and Gwyn Cready's incorporation of it into her tale is superb.

Magnus and Flip are seemingly complete opposites. Flip is quite earthy at times, whereas Magnus is far more uptight. The resulting class leads to some very steamy moments, particularly as the story of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE begins rewriting itself into a book in which sex is the major focus. Some of the scenes in SEDUCING MR. DARCY are nothing short of hysterical (especially some involving Flip's ex-husband, Jed).

SEDUCING MR. DARCY is a definite hit. It's hard not to be captivated by the intriguing twists to a very well known classic whether one is fan of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE or not. SEDUCING MR. DARCY is just fun!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This is a fun romp through Austen's world as love-starved ornithologist Flip Allison goes to get a massage and finds herself a participant in one of Regency England's most beloved novels. She finds she's actually having a fine time getting to know Mr. Darcy (Caroline Bingley not so much) until she returns and realizes she has changed the novel. Now she must go back in and try to fix things before she's hunted down by Austen fans, all the while juggling a loathsome ex-husband, trying to win a prestigious fellowship, getting ready for her book club and avoiding the arrogant Magnus Knightley, visiting Austen scholar. This can't end well, can it?

The action takes place in Pittsburgh, and I do mean action. There are several explicit sex scenes as well as some implausible actions by characters both modern and literary, and one or two biological impossibilities described, but otherwise I enjoyed this fun novel, though I think 374 pages was a bit much.

I bought this book as it was a RITA Winner. As I have not read Pride and Prejudice, I felt disconnected as that book was central to the storytelling. I managed a few chuckles but not enough to recommend this book to non-P&P readers.

This book is really more of a 3.5 than a 4 but I gave it the benefit of the doubt for the fun factor. If you're a diehard and more serious fan of pride and predjudice in the very chaste kind of a sense, then this is not for you. Alas, I myself, after having read such a dreamy classic, couldn't help but wonder what the reality of a wedding night or actually being married to Bingley or Darcy was like. In that sense, Gwyn Cready shows us the pure lascivious guy factor of men, but perhaps she overdid it. I think we needed baby steps to get us from our beloved classic to full on dirty talk, aggressive sex.

Phillipa "Flip" Allison is an orinthologist who's stress levels are off the charts with deadlines for papers and the discovery that her cheating ex husband has applied, and is more qualified, for a chance to participate on a bird expedition. Magnus Knightley is a seemingly prudish, but gorgeous english literature scholar who takes the classics very seriously so when sitting at a cafe, he overhears Flip and her girlfriends talking about their next book club selection, Pride and Predjudice, he can't help but eavesdrop. Unfortunately, he doesn't like what he hears, when the girls drag it down a level to sexual depravity, and immediately takes a disliking to them. While Flip is running her errands, she decides to get a massage, where you can fall into a dream of your favorite novel. With P&P on the brain, Flip finds herself a new character in the novel and embarks on a very steamy sexual tryst with Mr Darcy. When she comes back from her massage, she finds that the actual book has changed, that her character is now in the book, and that she (her new character and tryst) is the reason for tearing Elizabeth and Mr Darcy apart.

Panicked, Flip desperately tries to set things right and finds that she needs the help of Magnus to accomplish this. After seeing that his copy of P&P has also changed, Magnus becomes a believer and helps Flip, meanwhile there is a growing attraction between the two. Due to her actions in P&P world, she also draws the attention of her ex when she brings back from her "dream" an extinct passenger pigeon that could potentially set the world on fire. Thus ensues some crazy antics throughout the story, weaving in and out, more crazy antics in the P&P novel.

Overall, the book is very light, fast paced and comical. Quite frankly the romance between Magnus and Flip is excellent, however the plot device to bring them together is a little shaky. If you take it for what it is, as opposed to thinking this is the debasement of a classic, you'll enjoy it.

Ornithologist Flip Allison has a great deal of things going on in her life. She's up for a fellowship against her ex-husband Jed, she's re-reading Pride and Prejudice for her book club and she's just embarrassed herself in front of an absolutely gorgeous visiting scholar who just happens to be an expert on Jane
Austen.

To help calm her nerves she decides to take advantage of an ad she saw and get a nice relaxing massage from Madame K, who promises Flip can relax and get lost in her favorite book. Who knew that innocent phrase would lead her into a passionate scene with Darcy (before he met Lizzy) in the Temple of Apollo to help him become a rake and her the scandal of everyone's favorite historical novel.

Brit Magnus Knightley is appalled when he hears Flip and her friends making crude jokes at the café. What's even worse is a few hours later when Flip shows up at his office, demanding to see the very rare second edition of Pride and Prejudice. He refuses to help her, though, thinking she's off her rocker.

When he notices changes in his own edition he knows just where to turn: Flip. When he goes with her to Madame K's, and finds himself in the pages of his favorite novel right alongside Flip, he knows two things for sure. One, they have to set things right somehow and two; he wants Flip in his life, in Darcy's world, and in his own.

Seducing Mr. Darcy is a madcap adventure from page one. Parts of this book had me laughing out loud at the antics of Flip, Magnus and her friends, and at the changes that occur in Pride and Prejudice. Flip is the perfect heroine, strong and not afraid to go after what she wants. Magnus is a dominant hero that made my toes tingle in pleasure. I can assure you, I'll never play Scrabble again without thinking of him.

This tale is a little silly in spots, and I looked at it as a caper tale, laughing at the antics of the characters. It is definitely a fun story that has found a place on my keeper shelf.


Amelia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed