I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz Also by this author: The Ring and the Crown
Published by St. Martin's Press on October 17th 2017
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary Women, Holidays
Pages: 224
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe from New York Times bestselling author, Melissa de la Cruz, is a sweet, sexy and hilarious gender-swapping, genre-satisfying re-telling, set in contemporary America and featuring one snooty Miss Darcy.
Darcy Fitzwilliam is 29, beautiful, successful, and brilliant. She dates hedge funders and basketball stars and is never without her three cellphones—one for work, one for play, and one to throw at her assistant (just kidding). Darcy’s never fallen in love, never has time for anyone else’s drama, and never goes home for Christmas if she can help it. But when her mother falls ill, she comes home to Pemberley, Ohio, to spend the season with her family.
Her parents throw their annual Christmas bash, where she meets one Luke Bennet, the smart, sardonic slacker son of their neighbor. Luke is 32-years-old and has never left home. He’s a carpenter and makes beautiful furniture, and is content with his simple life. He comes from a family of five brothers, each one less ambitious than the other. When Darcy and Luke fall into bed after too many eggnogs, Darcy thinks it’s just another one night stand. But why can’t she stop thinking of Luke? What is it about him? And can she fall in love, or will her pride and his prejudice against big-city girls stand in their way?
Pride And Prejudice And Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz by all rights should probably be my favorite Christmas themed romance of the year. It has this gorgeous cover. The origin story is one that I know and love, only with Darcy and Elizabeth gender swapped. This book just fell kind of really short of my expectations.
This Christmas themed version of Pride And Prejudice really follows Darcy Fitzwilliam, a hedge fund manager as she comes home to Pemberley, Ohio following her mother’s heart attack. Darcy currently lives in NYC and has not really been home in years. Back home she butts heads with her next door neighbor, Luke Bennett. Luke is a carpenter and not exactly the same level of wealthy as Darcy. Still, there’s kind of a spark between the two. Meanwhile, Darcy tries to hook up her friend Bingley with Luke’s brother Jim which goes a whole lot better than Darcy’s current situation. Oh, and also Darcy’s on again and off again boyfriend Carl gives her an ultimatum. However, she can’t stop thinking about Luke.
Overall, there’s a reason why this book does not have the highest ratings right now. I will say that I went in optimistic and tried not to let that color my view. Unfortunately, this book was just not great. Pride And Prejudice And Mistletoe just really lacked that essence that the Austen original has. I never felt this crackle or tension between Darcy and Luke. There were not any great moments of banter or witty conversation. Probably the highlight of this whole book is the side romance between Jim and Bingley. And like, I felt like Darcy’s character was really softened and it just, wasn’t what I had expected. I probably would have liked it way more if it was its own thing without Pride And Prejudice in the name.
On A Scale Of One To Buddy The Elf, How Much Christmas Spirit Does This Book Have?
Pride And Prejudice And Mistletoe does indeed contain multiple scenes with mistletoe and kissing. There’s ice skating. There’s caroling. Also, there’s a big Christmas party. And presents! So, actually there are a ton of Christmas-y moments in this book which are slightly redeeming. So, even though it didn’t have the Austen feel I wanted at least it delivered on the mistletoe.
Other reviews of Pride And Prejudice And Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz:
- The Candid Cover – “will definitely put you in the holiday spirit“
- To Read Or Not To Read – “a fun novel that will keep you warm through the holidays“
- Reed’s Reads And Reviews – “It’s great, it’s entertaining, and it’s fun“
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Ah, it can be so disappointing when titles just do not live up to expectations. I’d seen this one around, and had also been attracted by the cover and fun synopsis/concept. What a shame… Your objective review is much appreciated April.