Mr. Darcy Forever by Victoria Connelly

Sisters are forever...

Sarah and Mia Castle are closer than best friends and share just about everything, including a deep and abiding love for all things relating to Jane Austen. Their annual trip to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath is a highlight of their lives—until the year they discover that no matter how close two sisters may be, it's impossible to share one man between them. Even if he does seem like their own perfect Mr. Darcy, if one wins him, won' t both of them lose?

-From the Publisher

In Mr. Darcy Forever, Sara and Mia Castle are very like Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Knowing this about themselves, the sisters are able to use Austen’s characters to help them through some difficult times. It is on their annual trip to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath that they realize the healing powers of Bath.

Planning a staycation this summer? Whether you are a Janeite, travel enthusiast, or romantic, Victoria Connelly offers a stress-free, cost-free, delightful getaway. Through her trilogy, Connelly takes readers to Hampshire in A Weekend with Mr. Darcy, Lyme Regis in Dreaming of Mr. Darcy and Bath in Mr. Darcy Forever. Jane Austen Addicts Trilogy is the perfect summer read, allowing readers to escape reality and voyage to the beautiful sights of England and experience flirty romance first hand.

In the pages of Connelly’s novel, you will visit the Royal Crescent, Pump Room, Pultney Bridge, the Circus, and spend a week in Devon at Barton Cottage. It was here I could see the myriad of colors the scenery offered: pink and red campions, bluebells and lush green fields. I watched women in Regency dresses, adorned with bonnets and reticules, and men in tight breeches promenade through the Royal Crescent. It was as if I was a passerby, observing the elegantly dressed people and seeing firsthand the beautiful stonework and history of Bath. It’s these breathtaking sights that make each book memorable.

Similar to the other two books in the trilogy, in Mr. Darcy Forever, we are given two romances for the price of one! Sisters, Sara and Mia Castle, normally attend the Jane Austen Festival in Bath together each year. However, after a falling out, the two have not spoken nor attended the festival for three years. Throughout the story, the reader is taken back in time to Sara and Mia’s holiday at Barton Cottage and slowly given the sordid details behind their row. The transitions between present day Bath and the Barton Cottage flashbacks flow smoothly. I could not put down the book because I had to know what kind of guy could come between these best friends.

Coming face to face with their pain, each sister finds the healing power in talking about the past three years. Having opened up about their private struggles, there is an immediate bond formed between each sister and her new beau. Could these guys be the Mr. Darcys Sarah and Mia have been searching for? While their relationships do move rather fast, it did not bother me because they connected on such an emotional level already. And hey, any guy willing to enter a Mr. Darcy wet t-shirt competition must be a keeper, right?

I loved how many characters from A Weekend with Mr. Darcy and Dreaming of Mr. Darcy make cameos. It was like bumping into old friends. This was such fun trilogy; I cannot believe it is over. I really enjoyed my sojourns to Hampshire, Lyme Regis and Bath.

Those who find yourselves as sad as I am that the trilogy is over, put away your hankies, for Ms. Connelly is planning a novella sequel for Kindle called Christmas with Mr. Darcy, which will unite the main characters from each trilogy as they attend a special conference at Purley Hall in Hampshire.

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (26 Oct 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402251386
ISBN-13: 978-1402251382

Jakki Leatherberry, former high-school language arts teacher and lover of all things Austen, lives in Georgia where she and her husband moved after graduating from a liberal arts college in Ohio. One of her greatest pleasures is reading and analyzing literature. When she is not chasing around her two children (soon to be three in February), Jakki can be found under a quilt, cup of coffee in hand, reading. She also submits her reviews to Goodreads, Amazon and her blog, Leatherbound Reviews.

On Leatherbound Reviews, in addition to reading reviews, readers can also watch vlogs, where Jakki reads an excerpt from the book reviewed, providing readers with a little teaser of what they may find inside the novel. This September, Jakki will be partnering with Austenesque Reviews for the second annual Austenesque Extravaganza! A month long celebration of Jane Austen (with loads of giveaways!)

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