My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have wanted to read My Own Mr. Darcy for quite some time when I was offered the chance to review it through the Free Book in Exchange for Review program. I am not a Austenite or purist of Jane Austen books so I love all of the offshoots that I have seen over the last few years. My Own Mr. Darcy was a great addition to this category. It is about Elizabeth Barrett (close I know) who falls in love with a specific version of Mr. Darcy after seeing Pride and Prejudice on the big screen as a teenager. She lives her love life strictly by what she sees in this movie and will only accept 2nd dates from men that fit the criteria of what she fell in love with in the movie. It cannot be just any Fitzwilliam Darcy. It must be the one she saw in the movie. When she is an adult and sharing an apartment with her best childhood friend years later she is still living by this rule until her best friend makes her promise to give her next date a chance by dating him more than once. The unexpected occurs just when she meets "Mr. Darcy" in the flesh and has a shot at a relationship with him.

It was great watching Elizabeth as she grows from a smart-mouthed teen who has no interest in the classic Pride and Prejudice who falls in love with not only the movie, but also, Mr. Darcy, into someone who has a chance to live her dream and do her dream job into someone who understands that sometimes what we dream is not realistic. Sometimes what we think is perfect is maybe not so perfect. I have to admit that I am not a fan of what appears to be a love triangle but Karey White wrote one that was not too painful to read. Elizabeth was smart and sweet and realizes that Chad is someone who is great and worth having in her life. It is great reading My Own Mr. Darcy as everything unfolds and you see how things turn out with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.