Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star By Heather Lynn Rigaud

 WOW! What a fantastic book! There wasn’t a dull moment in this! Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star is a great modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I totally love Darcy and Elizabeth, they are both so intense. The way they get into their music to sort out their feeling is really cool. 

When members, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Charles Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam of the rock band Slurry, are in need of an opening act for their tour, they ask the all girl band, Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Bennet and Charlotte Lucas, of Long Borne Suffering, to join them and soon the sparks fly, hearts are broken, and misunderstandings happen! There are other issues in the story, one which touches on addictions.

Darcy is talented, smart and incredibly HOT! He also has control issues. Elizabeth is also smart, talented and very independent. The combination is explosive! 

Touring seems like it would be very exhausting! Rigaud does show that being a rock star can be grueling but playing their music is what they love.

I loved how they would sometimes talk to each other through their music, either because it was the only way they could express how they felt or there wasn’t time to talk but they could get a message across in a song.

Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star ROCKS! I just had to say that. :) In case you haven’t figured it out I loved this story and would definitely give it 5 out of stars!

I would also give it a mature rating for some sexual content.

This completes the modern category, #5,  from the Jane Austen Spinoffs 2012 Reading Challenge.

Available at Amazon.

Comments are always welcome!

Weathered too Young By Marcia Lynn McClure

It's been a while since I've read a Marcia Lynn McClure novel. I love the way she writes. It was so good to read Weathered too Young.

Lark needs a place to stay for the winter, she is running out of options, with no job and no money she takes a job cooking and cleaning for two bachelors, Slater and Tom Evans. Their longtime housekeeper passed away and they had been trying to cook and clean, and run their ranch by themselves. Slater doesn't want Lark there in the beginning but he quickly comes to care for her even though he might not recognize the fact. The two brothers are as different as night and day. Slater is always grumpy and Tom is good-humored and likes to tease. Slater thinks Lark is hiding something, but is she the only one? Slater seems to be hiding something too.

I love a good damsel in distress story, and Lark fits the bill! She is a strong woman, willing to work hard but she worries the brothers are going to send her away.

Slater is a handsome, cantankerous man. In his younger days, he spent ten years on the trail before returning home. With both their parents passed on, he and Tom run the ranch together. His hard life has aged him. He feels old and weathered, too old for someone like Lark, but he soon learns to read her and has a strong desire to protect her.

Set in the old west, Weathered too Young is an easy read. I love both McClure’s Contemporary Romances and her Historical Romances. My favorite contemporary romance of her’s is Love Me. I absolutely love that story!

I would give Weathered too Young 5 out of 5 stars!

Buy a copy of Weathered too Young here.

I'd love to hear from you! Please, leave a comment!

Lizzy’s Choice By Clytie Koehler

In this Pride and Prejudice variation, Elizabeth confronts Darcy on the dance floor at the Netherfield ball about Wickham. Darcy leads her out to the balcony and tells her all...including the near elopement of Wickham and Georgiana.  Later that night, Elizabeth has nightmares that she marries Mr. Collins. After the ceremony,  she is riding in the “carriage of doom” with Collins to Hunsford where Lady Catherine is waiting with a whip in hand! I found the dream, with the way Mr. Collins was looking at Elizabeth and Lady Catherine’s whip, rather creepy!

Darcy also has nightmares of Elizabeth marrying Mr. Collins. He cannot let her marry Collins!! He decides he must do something to stop the marriage. He takes a morning ride to think things through. Elizabeth also needs to clear her mind, so she decides to walk up to Mt. Oakham.  They cross paths, and after much discussion they agree on a courtship of sorts. They have plenty of issues to overcome, so they decide to keep the courtship a secret for a while. However, they do agree to confide with Mr. Bennet.

While I didn’t like the beginning of this book, I thought it got better! There is a lot going on in this story, with Lydia being seduced by Wickham and the family having to decide what to do if she “increases” to Caroline Bingley becoming mentally unstable and displaying some bizarre behavior!

I absolutely loved Jane’s talk with Darcy. Jane is very straight forward with him, and he finds out there is more to Jane than he thought, which leads to a better understanding between them.

There are a few things that I found out of place, for example, the family meetings they would have where they came up with the “Bennet Family Code of Conduct”. That seems too modern for a regency novel.

Overall, I liked it, but I felt it lacked something, deeper emotions maybe.

I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.

Buy a copy of Lizzy's Choice here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always welcome.

Jane Austen Reading Challenge

     I have taken on the Explore the Many Genres of Jane Austen Spinoffs 2012 Reading Challenge on goodreads and I thought I should make a plan about what to read. Here is my list:

1. Variation Stories ~ Captain Wentworth Home From the Sea by Mary Lydon Simonsen

2. Sequel ~ Bachtsturm Castle: A Gothic Austen Novel byEmily C. A. Snyder

3. Jane Austen as a Fictional Character ~ Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron by Stephanie Barron

4. Paranormal ~ Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons by Vera Nazarian

5. Modern Adaptation  ~ Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star by Heather Rigaud

6. Mystery ~Pride and Prescience  or The Deception at Lyme both by Carrie Bebris

7. Supporting Characters  ~ Charlotte Collins by Jennifer Becton

8. Books by Jane Austen ~ not sure which one right now... I can figure this out later.

As you can see, I have a few categories that I still haven't decided on.  What I need are some good suggestions for:

#3 Jane Austen as a Fictional Character 

#4 Paranormal

What new variations are coming out this year? 

Do you want to join me in this challenge?  You can click here.


Jan. 19, 2012
     I've just updated my list but I still would love suggestions. P&P variations are my favorite and I  feel I've read them all (I'm sure I haven't). I might have to reread one, if you know any that are coming out this year let me know! 


Jan. 28, 2012
     Okay, I added a variation that I have not read yet! My list is looking good! I'm still open for suggestions!

The Wedding Date By Christie Ridgway

     This was a fun little book I read during the Christmas holidays.  I had been watching The Wedding Date, the movie, with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney and thought I would like to read the book.  So, I got on Amazon to find it and found there are a few books with that title. This one I could get on my kindle, so I bought it. Let me make this clear, this is a different story, NOT the story from the movie.

     Trick Webster, while walking on the beach, finds a bottle with a note in it. The message is to Poseidon asking him for the perfect man, tall, blond and handsome. It is signed Emma. Far from feeling like the “perfect” man, Trick is disappointed in the “shopping list” of a perfect man. Still, he is intrigued enough to look around on the beach and see if he can find Emma.

     Emma needs a date to her ex-fiancé’s wedding, who is going to marry her boss's daughter. To save face, Emma has been telling everyone at the office she is dating the perfect man. Now she just needs to find him! Trick finds her sitting on the beach, after spending the day before looking for her.

     Both, having been hurt by love before, are not looking for love and are leery of it. As they get to know each other, can they keep this strictly business?

     Emma is so cute! I love how she thinks Trick is unemployed and in need of a job, when he is actually wealthy and doesn't need to work! And Emma drives Trick crazy! He is so attracted to her but thinks she’ll be just like his ex-fiancé and will find him not "perfect.”

     It’s a fun, quick read! I loved it. 

     I'd love to hear what you think! Please, leave a comment!

Promises by Wendi Sotis ~ Review

Hi Everyone!  Today I'm guest blogging at Indie Jane! I have reviewed the book Promises by Wendi Sotis.  She has provided two copies to be given away! So hurry over there to win! You only have until January 23. You can click here and go straight there! Thanks!

Giveaway is over.





This review was originally published on Indie Jane.

Promises is a Pride and Prejudice variation, and one that I would rank up there in my favorites!

Elizabeth and Darcy meet in London at a bookstore, she is 9 and he is 15. It turns out their fathers went to school together and were very good friends. The years go by before they meet again, when Darcy and his father stop for a brief visit to Longbourn. When Elizabeth is 16, her and Mr. Bennet go to Pemberley for a visit. It is during this time, Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love. They want to become engaged but Mr. Bennet wants them to wait until Liz turns 17. They promise to wait and Elizabeth and her father return to Longbourn. Soon after they leave, the older Mr. Darcy dies in a carriage accident. Darcy's family, who dislike the Bennets, try to keep them apart. They are a devious group and want control of Pemberley. Will Elizabeth and Darcy be able to overcome the misunderstandings and obstacles before them, to keep the promises they made to each other?

I wasn't sure how I would like this story, the idea of Elizabeth and Darcy knowing each other as children didn't really appeal to me. I mean, where's the mystery of discovery, of the chase, the mutual dislike? Since they don't see each other much, they are more like acquaintances, not playmates. The friction at the beginning of the relationship is not there, but with all the misunderstandings there is still plenty later in the story!

I did enjoy seeing Elizabeth as a little girl. She is so cute climbing trees and being curious about the world around her. Darcy was amused by her and a little surprised at times.

I like Mrs. Bennet's sense of loyalty in this story. She stands by Elizabeth, not wanting her to be hurt. She also starts seeing how silly her youngest daughters behave. Her turn around is wonderful to see! At the same time she retains her nerves and boisterous ways.

I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to anguish. The beginning of the book starts out nicely and moves right along. In the middle there is some anguish, and I had to read through it quickly because I have a hard time with that. It ends lovely, just the way I like.


Buy: Amazon

An Unpleasant Walk by C. Rafe Carlson

 

An Unpleasant Walk is a Pride and Prejudice variation that begins at Hunsford. While walking on one of her favorite paths, Elizabeth encounters Colonel Fitzwilliam. Things turn ugly when the Colonel suddenly pins her to a tree and attacks her. He tells her she will become his mistress and he will come to her later that night to make her his. Darcy finds her bruised and upset as she is making her way back to the parsonage. After learning the truth, he vows to help her. He forms a plan to get her to London without anyone finding out what happened and before the Colonel can come back to finish what he started.

I really like the idea of this story. I wasn't happy about Colonel Fitzwilliam being a scoundrel of the worst kind, but I thought I could get over it and love Darcy being a hero and saving Elizabeth. But most of the time her recovery is with the Gardiners. It seems to take her a long time to recover.

I did like how before getting to London, Darcy and Elizabeth were able to talk and clear the air about Jane and Bingley, and Mr. Wickham. Her shock in learning the truth about Wickham, and Colonel Fitzwilliam’s behavior makes her question her ability to judge people’s true character. Darcy is so patient and kind to Elizabeth with how he handles himself around her, especially right after the attack when she startles easily.

One of my favorite characters in this story is Mrs. Higham, the widow of the previous parson. Knowing the need to have a chaperone, Mr. Darcy asked Mrs. Higham to accompany them back to London. She is instrumental in explaining the situation to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and on occasion, counseling Mrs. Gardiner about Lizzy’s condition.

For me, there was just too much sadness in this story; it took too long to resolve. Elizabeth is not the strong woman who is able to reason out what happens to her and jump back quickly. It does end well and I enjoyed that. But overall it's not one that I would read again.

I purchased my own copy of the book.

     
Buy a copy of An Unpleasant Walk  here.

     

I would love to hear from you! Please, leave a comment.