Unwrapping Mr. Darcy in Austen Variations

Dec 22, 2018 Sheila Majczan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I read this as a WIP but didn't at that time, of course, post a review...the dates of the first read through are a guess.

I loved the Mr. Darcy in this variation even though we had to have his infamous insult in the very beginning. Talk about sticking his foot in his mouth. If he had just paused for even a second he could have taken in that Miss Elizabeth Bennet was there with his best friend and employee, Charles Bingley when Charles said he wanted to introduce her. She had been hired as part of ...more

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Oct 31, 2018 Elin Eriksen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sweet, thrilling, favourite, well-written, modern, 2020-jaff, hilarious, romantic, christmas

Unputdownable!

I absolutely loved this modern variation of Pride and Prejudice!
Fast-paced, romantic, intriguing characters, captivating and hilarious, well-written banter. A must-read.

Mr Bingley had coerced Mr Darcy into hiring his sister-in-law Elizabeth as an attorney. Darcy thought that finding Mr Hurts replacement could have waited and was very vocal in expressing it.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth overheard him and her dislike was instant.
Darcy, on the other hand, took a week or two to realise his ...more

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Nov 18, 2019 Anna added it · review of another edition

Shelves: austenesque

A modern-day Pride and Prejudice-inspired Christmas story? Check. Cute cover? Yes! So of course I had to add Unwrapping Mr. Darcy to my list of Christmas reads for this year, and I wasn't disappointed! L.L. Diamond's novel is funny, sweet, sexy, and a complete page-turner.
Elizabeth Bennet takes a job as a lawyer at Darcy Holdings. She is excited about the job, until she overhears her boss, William Darcy, being a complete jerk on her first day. Her sister's boyfriend, Charlie Bingley, convinces h A modern-day Pride and Prejudice-inspired Christmas story? Check. Cute cover? Yes! So of course I had to add Unwrapping Mr. Darcy to my list of Christmas reads for this year, and I wasn't disappointed! L.L. Diamond's novel is funny, sweet, sexy, and a complete page-turner.
Elizabeth Bennet takes a job as a lawyer at Darcy Holdings. She is excited about the job, until she overhears her boss, William Darcy, being a complete jerk on her first day. Her sister's boyfriend, Charlie Bingley, convinces her to stay. It's not long before William realizes his mistake, but he doesn't know how to apologize.

A simple "I'm sorry" isn't good enough for William, and he takes his job as Elizabeth's Secret Santa up so many notches that Elizabeth begins to wonder whether she has a stalker. One gift at the office party doesn't say "I'm sorry and am mad about you" as well as 25 thoughtfully planned gifts in an Advent calendar fashion. Meanwhile, he tries to convince her that he's not the person he seemed on her first day at the office, but Elizabeth can hardly stand to be in the same room with him. Is that because he intimidates her, or is it because of her attraction to him?

In true Pride and Prejudice fashion, Unwrapping Mr. Darcy is filled with misunderstandings, awkward interactions, and heated conversations. Elizabeth's personal assistant, Charlotte, provides plenty of comic relief, and Elizabeth's cat, Grunt, provides plenty of mischief. I liked that Diamond gave some complexity to William's character, but there were times that I thought Elizabeth went a little overboard in her reactions toward him (like running out of the room instead of talking to him, even if she didn't necessarily want to), but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I especially enjoyed William's take on Secret Santa; that he truly listened to her and got to know her, that he put so much thought into each gift, and that he gave her the gifts not to impress her but to bring her joy warmed my heart.

Unwrapping Mr. Darcy is a lighthearted romance, with just a touch of angst, and is a delightful escapist read for the busy holiday season. It was the perfect way for me to spend a chilly day, curled up in my chair with a cup of coffee, a hot Mr. Darcy, and a troublemaking cat for some laughs.

Review originally posted on Diary of an Eccentric ...more

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Jul 18, 2021 Faustine rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: not-finished, jaff

I tried once again to read a book by this author but once again I found it too wordy. DNF 40% after skipping many pages.
I’d just say that I read other books set in an office that were much better (for example, the Hating Game, the Stop over etc), and I don’t like this childish Christmas atmosphere that makes the characters behaviour cheesy.

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Sep 30, 2024 Nina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
This story falls short of what I expect from this author, which has written some really great variations. I have read two other modern versions which I really liked.
For me there was to much focus on the advent calender and not enough interaction between Elizabeth and Darcy. It is not until the very end, where we get some really great moments between them.
If you are looking for modern versions, I would recommend you start with "Catching Lizzy" and "That perfect someone" ...more

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