Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson Published by Harlequin HQN on 31 December 2013
Genres: Adult, Chick-lit, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman teetering on the verge of thirty must be in want of a husband.
Not true for Manhattanite Elizabeth Scott. Instead of planning a walk down the aisle, she's crossing the pond with the only companion she needs—her darling dog, Bliss. Caring for a pack of show dogs in England seems the perfect distraction from the scandal that ruined her teaching career, and her reputation, in New York. What she doesn't count on is an unstoppable attraction to billionaire dog breeder Donovan Darcy. The London tycoon's a little bit arrogant, a whole lot sexy…and the chemistry between them is disarming. When passion is finally unleashed, might Elizabeth hope to take home more than a blue ribbon?
*I received a free ARC of Unleashing Mr. Darcy from Harlequin HQN via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
Unleashing Mr. Darcy is a sweet and humorous tale about the dashing über-British Donovan Darcy, dog-show judge extraordinaire and all-American beauty Elizabeth Scott. From New York to London, they try as hard as they can not to fall in love with each other. From different sides of the track (and the ocean) they don’t really seem to have much in common. Well, apart from the fact that they both love dogs, that is.
Elizabeth has just lost her job as a teacher in a posh private school when Unleashing Mr. Darcy starts, and at her first dog-show with her Cavalier puppy Bliss, Donovan Darcy is the judge. She finds him arrogant and quite the snob, but she can’t exactly keep herself from watching him anyway. Tall, dark, handsome with a smirk in place he is the epitome of British style. Somehow, Donovan feels the same way about this feisty beauty, even if she seems quite prickly and far too honest for his taste.
By chance, Elizabeth ends up in London after she loses her job, helping an elderly lady with her own dogs for the shows, and Donovan lives just across the street. Humorous with that dry, British wit I love so much, Unleashing Mr. Darcy kept me entertained from start to finish. Showing up kissing in the society section of the Daily Mail is not at all what Elizabeth anticipated when she moved to London, and with a jealous socialite on her heels, things may very well get pretty ugly for her.
The characters are delightful! I loved both Lizzy and Donovan. Among the cast of characters, the readers also get to know Lizzy’s sister Jenna and Donovan’s best friend Henry quite well, and of course Sue who is Lizzy’s boss in London. The friendships and romantic dalliances are masterfully done, and I was swept off my feet for the duration of Unleashing Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Darcy was handsome. Sweaty-palms, forget-how-to-breathe handsome. Apparently, his dogs weren’t the only genetic-lottery winners.
She may have had a naturally beautiful, captivating quality about her, but that sharp tongue of hers was less than wholesome. In the improbable event he ever did see her again, she’d be more likely to use that sensual mouth to hurl a string of insults at him than what he had in mind. That prospect brought with it a surge of arousal that confounded him even further.
And then there was the matter of the kissing. God, he was good at it. Too good, really. A man didn’t become an expert kisser like that without a lot of practice.
There was that endearment again. Elizabeth hated it. That wasn’t altogether true. She actually loved it. But she very much hated the way she loved it.
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Twitter: bmreviewsohmy
I so got to get my hands on this one! Sounds great and I love British men..sighs..lol 🙂
Oh, I know – the British accent alone is swoon-worthy, right? Thanks for stopping by, Stormi.
This sounds so cute! I am going to read P&P soon, and this seems like a perfect companion to it. 🙂
I’m not sure if I’d call it a companion, but it is an awesome, modern kind of re-telling anyway 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Pamela.
Oh yay, Lexxie!! I picked up this one, one day when I was in the bookstore. I can’t resist a P&P retelling, for some reason. Now I can’t wait to crack it open. Lizzy and Donovan (love that name) sound like the do the originals justice. And it sounds like a lot of fun too.
Happy Friday, my friend! I hope you have a fabulous day! How is the schedule coming? When does the fam return?? *BIG HUGS*
Yeah, this one is definitely for you, Brandee! It is really well done, and a lot of fun plus some kind of wtf moments with Donovoan…
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did! have a fantastic Friday, too! *BIG HUGS*
Who doesn’t love a good Pride & Prejudice retelling! And this sounds like a great one! I love the idea of the dog side of the story, it brings something fresh and different to the story, so your still getting something new!
Yes, having the dogs and the shows makes for a very different plot-point, and it’s a pleasure to read.
Thanks for stopping by, Amy 🙂
Hehe…. Love at the dog show, sounds interesting! Greta review Lexxie!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Yup, the dog shows make for a lot of funny scenes 😀 Thanks for stopping by, Naomi!
oh it sounds so nice, I’m sure I could love this one. When I read the title I thought it was a retelling of the Jane Austen books but it’s even better! thanks for the lovely review.
Yes, it is even better! It was a great read, Melliane 🙂 I hope you’ll enjoy it, too!
Thanks for stopping by.
I’m so on this one. I don’t read a lot of straight-up romance, but this sounds awesome! Something about those I-hate-him-j/k-I-LOVE-him stories gets me every single time 🙂
Yeah, that IS well done, and also, he has a British accent!! That’s irresistible 😀
Thanks for stopping by, Jessica.
Sweet and humorous sounds great to me