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Blog Tour: My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White (review, excerpt, giveaway)
My Own Mr. Darcy
written by Karey White
published by Karey White
find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads
Why did I pick this book: Pride & Prejudice is one of my all-time favorite books. I find it funny, exciting, leaves me giddy. It is a book that I revisit almost every year. So, when I saw that Ms. White wrote a book about someone wanting to find a Mr. Darcy, I knew I had to read it. (I also loved Ms. White’s previous book, For What It’s Worth. See my review here. It was a great read, too.) So, I signed up for the blog tour hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)
Did I enjoy this book: I really did enjoy this book. I read every free chance I had and hated to put it down. I was even kind of sad that it ended. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.
Elizabeth is a sweet girl who has her heart set on finding her perfect man—her Mr. Darcy. She dismisses guys so fast that she can’t even see what she is missing out on until her best friend/roommate forces her to not dismiss Chad. Elizabeth reluctant agrees to go on ten dates with Chad even though she knows he is not for her. When she meets Matt Dawson, Elizabeth’s dreams come true. Mr. Dawson is Elizabeth’s Mr. Darcy. I loved Elizabeth, especially when we got to see her in action doing what she was meant to do, interior decorating. I could see how she transformed the Keller’s rooms and I loved it. Elizabeth is strong and independent but slightly blinded by her fantasy.
Chad is a wonderful guy—sweet, kind, lovable, adorable. He is there for Elizabeth at all times. He was worth rooting for. Matt was a Mr. Darcy. I could see the similarity. I could see Elizabeth’s attraction. Was he arrogant? Yes. A bit cocky? Yes. Kind of ashamed? Yes. But I think he was a good guy who really did care for Elizabeth. It was an interesting love triangle.
I am still giddy/happy about this book. Throughout I had the same hopeful feeling as when I read Pride & Prejudice, will they end up together? When I finished it, I had a big smile and I may have let out a *SQUEEEEE!* at the end. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the whole thing.
Would I recommend it: I would recommend this book to any Jane Austen fan and to anyone who wants a good, clean, giddy-at-the-end book.
Will I read it again: I probably will.
About the book: After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough.
Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.
Courtney’s window became available before mine but instead of stepping up to her window, Mr. Dawson turned to the woman behind him and indicated she should go next. He was choosing my window on purpose. My heart did a clumsy somersault.
I finished with my customer and Mr. Dawson stepped forward. I unfolded the slip of paper with the pink lizard at the top and began filling his request.
“Your name is Elizabeth?” he said.
“It is.”
“Is that what people call you?”
“Some do. Some people call me Lizzie.”
“What would you prefer I call you?”
I lost track of the bills I was counting. This was a significant question and I wanted to answer it right.
What did Mr. Darcy call Elizabeth? I needed time to think. Even though I’d watched Pride and Prejudice a million times my mind was malfunctioning and I couldn’t remember if he used the more formal Elizabeth or the more casual and intimate Lizzie? I certainly couldn’t suggest he call me his pearl. We didn’t even know each other.
Since I couldn’t remember and Mr. Dawson was standing there waiting for an answer, I blurted out my best guess.
“You can call me Elizabeth.”
Great. Now he’d think I was trying to keep things more formal? I had to stop analyzing every little thing and count the money.
“Elizabeth, how long do you have for lunch?” I stopped counting again and looked at him. “Lunch, Elizabeth. I assume you take a lunch?”
“Um, yes. I do. I have an hour.”
“What time is your lunch hour?”
“I go from 12:30 to 1:30.”
“I’m planning to order sandwiches for lunch today and wondered if you’d come to the bookstore and join me.”
I gaped at him. Was he teasing me? “Sandwiches? Today? At the bookstore?” Had I really just repeated everything he’d said? He was going to think I was a moron. I was starting to think the same thing.
“Yes, I’m inviting you to lunch. Today. At the bookstore.”
“Okay, sure. That would be nice.” I finally finished counting the money and placed it in the bank bag.
“I’ll see you at 12:30,” he said.
About the author: Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.
She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.
Happy reading wherever you are and whenever you get a free chance!!!
