Dreaming of Mr. Darcy Book Review

Dreaming of Mr. Darcy
Victoria Connelly

Rating (out of 5): 3.5

Genre: Romance

Release Date: January 1, 2012

Series: Austen Addicts

Series Number:2

Profanity: mild

Violence: none

Sexual Content: Very Mild  

Age Recommendation: 16+

Author Website: http://victoriaconnelly.com/





Summary:

Fledging illustrator and Darcy fanatic Kay Ashton settles in the seaside town of Lyme to finish her book, The Illustrated Darcy, when a film company arrives to make a new adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Kay is soon falling for the handsome bad boy actor playing Captain Wentworth, but it's the quiet screenwriter Adam Craig who has more in common with her beloved Mr. Darcy. Though still healing from a broken heart, Adam finds himself unexpectedly in love with Kay. But it will take more than good intentions to convince her that her real happy ending is with him.


Review:

 Dreaming of Mr. Darcy is a sweet story set in the beautiful backdrop of Jane Austin's Lyme. It focuses on Kay and Adam  but also delves into the lives of the other characters, mainly Gemma and her love interest. I enjoyed reading this book and liked it's sweetness.

I loved the idea of a film being shot in Lyme, it made way for lots of good story to happen. And the fact that the writer, Adam was from the area helped as well because readers were introduced to his wonderful Gran. The setting, and how it affected the characters was one of my favorite parts about the book. I also loved Kay's bed and breakfast. I've always liked the idea of them and it was a great part of the story. The romance however felt a little strained. It felt like Victoria Connelly was trying to do too much with each character romantically and the only place she really hit the mark for me was with Oli's romantic line. It felt like the other two romantic focuses, Kay and Gemma took too long to develop and ended up being love at first sight leaving me shocked out of the story. 

I liked the entire cast of characters and really found myself drawn to Gemma and Adam. Their shy personalities resonate with the way I often feel and I liked seeing them change through the book. Oli was another character that caught my interest with his carefree attitude that hid more than he was willing to say. I really liked Kay in the stories opening, she made for an interesting character but after she moved and fell head over heels for Oli she began to loose her charm. It almost felt like the author wrote two different characters with the same name, the Kay from before Oli shows up and the Kay after he does. All her spunk and spontaneity fell away to be replaced by a pile of romantic mush. 

 Overall I give Dreaming of Mr. Darcy a 3.5 rating, it was sweet but that's about all it was. I recommend it as a good beach read or something to take with you on a long flight. Anyone who wants a snugly romance should take a look at this book. 

~Dawn