I enjoyed this Jane Austen retelling though it wasn’t my favorite however it was great way to escape while reading.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review
This was decent, sweet, clean romance with a yummy hero who agrees to be Mr. Darcy for the girl he secretly loved since high school. Meg is a Ph.d doctor nerd who is hurt when her boyfriend decides to enter the Jane Erye competition with someone else. She hires Jeremy to win the competition and keep an eye on her boyfriend. She's snobby, unsure of her appeal and has the most sarcastic comebacks. She grew on me. Im just glad she finally saw the light and chose to be with the man who worshipped her for who she was.

A very enjoyable read. Plausible story and no ridiculous hysteria; my kind of romance Have already recommended this to friends and followers. .

Got this as an ARC. Pretty good contemporary romance with Jane Austen twist. That said, the ex/not-ex boyfriend situation was muddier than necessary. And what’s with contemporaries and non-existent love scenes? It’s weird when I have to rely on historicals for a good plot and the lead pair getting it on.

3.5 stars.

Hiring Mr. Darcy allows Meg, Dr. Knightly, to share with the world how she found her true love. She hired him! Not really, but it is a cute story of a Jane Austin fan with a bit of OCD. She seems a bit preoccupied with ‘belly fat,’ among other things. In order to beat her own boyfriend in a Jane Austin contest, she hires her brother’s best friend, whom she has known since high school.

All the clues are there indicating best friend, Jeremy, is in love with her. As pointed out in the book itself, she is so busy planning out her life and making her lists, Meg cannot see how much he loves her. Yes, she notices the ‘little’ things about Jeremy and how he ‘remembers’ so much about her, but she is still preoccupied with her ‘kind of cheating’ boyfriend who is in the same Jane Austin contest with a ‘starlet.’

I loved this book! It is not the normal Valerie Bowman romance, but it is still an enjoyable, contemporary romance. It was kind of slow in the beginning to set up Meg’s issues, but she truly finds what is important along the HEA journey. Stick with it – you will love it!

Ugh. I wanted to love this book. Who doesn't love a good Pride and Prejudice. But woo the main character was so awful I actually quit this book 15% in. She spent the first 3 chapters being self deprecating, fat shaming herself, being so feminist it wasn't even feminism anymore, and more. I couldn't handle it any longer and had to just give up.
I wish I could have loved this book but the MC ruined it for me.

I just couldnt get into this book. The heroine was completely unlikeable and just could not get past that.

I couldn't finish this one. It was making me irritable. So I moved on to something lighter. I may go back to this one eventually.

This was a cute and quirky story that I really enjoyed (also being a Jane Austen fan I had to try it!). I liked Jeremy right off the bat. I didn’t really like Meg at first, but then it hit me she’s not really supposed to be likable in the beginning. Once I got past that, I really enjoyed it. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

3.5 stars. This story was fun and an enjoyable read. This is the type of book I love to read while traveling, but since it is 2020 it was read at home. The reason I can't give it 4 stars is because the heroine is supposedly so smart, but acted dumb to keep the plot going. I would have rather had more complex emotions about her situation. I also didn't love how the story resolved after returning from Bath, but I'm hesitant to say exactly how as it would serve as spoilers. I was provided with a free copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

An important thing to note: I truly hope the publisher takes the opportunity in the ebook and any future printings to change the actor comparison in chapter 2 from Elliot Page’s deadname, which is used repeatedly (the book was published prior to them coming out).

Meg is very judgmental, which I get is part of the whole Pride & Prejudice thing. But unlike Darcy, Meg doesn't learn and grow beautifully and truly make up for his past mistakes. She's all judgment, all the time. When she finds out that Jeremy wants to start his own business she jumps to the possibility that he’s a convicted felon who can’t get another job. There are a few issues with this: first off, that this is somehow a judgment of him (her brother's friend?) and not our dumb system, but also...what a way to think about small businesses, I guess? There's not much here to actually endear Meg to the reader. In that vein, there's a heck of a lot of self fat shaming, which is just not something I want to read. She also continuously describes herself as OCD, but list making and color matching is not OCD—it's 2020, and we should be past using this as a descriptor when they've not been diagnosed with the serious anxiety disorder.

There's also an extremely uncomfortable debate about very basic consent and whether or not it's "sexy," and I just...regardless of whether or not you think consent is sexy, it IS necessary.

There wasn't enough to enjoy about this book to make up for its many concerning flaws.

I received a digital advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hiring Mr. Darcy was a really cute book. Even though I hated her douche of a boyfriend for most of this book. Okay, not most of the book - the entire damn time. It's like he only wanted the titel of being the boyfriend and barely showed any emotion towards her. He was a damn robot and I hated him every time his name was mentioned.

That being said, I loved Meg and Jeremy. It was cute to see them reunite together and how they had crushes too. Plus, them being Mr. Darcy and Lizzy was way too adorable for my eyes. I love Pride and Prejudice and it was interesting to see how Meg related to Mr. Darcy throughout most of the book.

Also, this whole school she works at sucks ass. Her boss especially. I didn't like how he or her boyfriend would hold her job over her head all the time. I was hoping that she was going to really leave at the end and go write her damn novel. Not sure how I feel about how it ended with her boss but I am damn happy with what went down between her and Jeremy.

I loved Jeremy and Meg became more likable when she was around him. Might read the next book in this series!

There is nothing as cut throat as Bath’s Jane Austen Festival and Games!

Ok… I may be exaggerating! But when the games come between a couple, Megan Knightly will do anything to win, even hire a new partner/ Mr. Darcy with only two weeks to get him up to snuff.

But where does someone find a man willing to playact as Mr. Darcy and is ready to drop everything and head off to Bath in two weeks time? How about your brothers’ childhood friend who has had a crush on your oblivious self forever!!!!

This was such a fun read! I loved all the prep for the games, the perfection that was Jeremy Remington (Mr. Darcy stand in). Am I a fan of a love triangle and unrequited love??? Not too much, but I knew this was a proper romance and the good guy was going to end up with the girl in the end that made some of the more cringe worthy moments tolerable… Cringe worthy moments included Meg’s boyfriend dumping her as a partner for the games, said BF never actually calling or talking with her, giving her the cold shoulder, almost gaslighting her over her insecurities, and finally treating his new partner, the beautiful Hollywood starlet he was supposed to tutor to much better treatment than he ever did for his girlfriend…

That said… the reverse Pride & Prejudice roles worked for this story and made for a fun twist! I loved seeing our heroine Meg get over her intellectual prejudices and finally open her eyes and see the boyfriend potential in Jeremy.

I’m looking forward to continuing with this series!

Hiring Mr. Darcy by Valerie Bowman released September 25th, 2020 and is available now!

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from une Third Enterprises through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#HiringMrDarcy #ValerieBowman #pinkcowlandreads

I picked this up because Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite classics. I am not too picky for those who try to make a retelling or are inspired by Jane Austen. This book may be a hit or miss for some people.

For me: it was okay. Not fantastic but not horrible.

The one thing that really stood out to me was the aspect of the demoralizing of her boyfriend to make the hero stand out more. Not that I hate that in books if it is done right. This one felt off somehow. Harrison was just a sore thumb in the book. He was the perfect definition of what you don't want in a love interest.

Which made the hero obviously look more appealing.

But the heroine is suppose to go to a Jane Austen Festival in Bath, with said boyfriend. But he chooses someone else to attend with and they don't end up going together.

This is where "Mr. Darcy" comes into play. This has a few tropes in it. "Fake" relationship and I use quotes because their not really faking it but she just needs a date to attend the festival. And the siblings best friend. What I did like is that Meg doesn't cross the line even though her boyfriend is a total bonehead.

Jeremy aka Mr. Darcy is a good guy who is everything you'd want: kind, funny, loyal gentleman, someone who can appreciate Meg for whom she really is. The banter is fun, and what really makes the other parts of the book bearable.

Fun Fact: the book has a "ugly" duckling effect happen to one of the characters.

If you're expecting something as great as the original you won't find it here but it does have it's moments.

I want to thank Netgalley and the Publisher.

I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.
Valerie Bowman is automatic read for me. I just love her fun and lighthearted writing. I have read nearly all her regency romances- which I have loved. I jumped at the chance to read her contemporary romance. I love her spin on "Pride and Prejudice." Meg Knightley is a nerdy history professor. She has her life perfectly planned with a check-list. When her boyfriend is hired by a famous and beautiful actress, her plans are derailed. They planned to attend a Jane Austin Competition in England and he decides that he will take the actress for work purposes....

Meg's brother comes to the rescue and suggests that she hire a replacement- Jeremy Remington. Although Jeremy doesn't fit any of the characteristics on her list- he steps in to fill all the requirements she has.
Meg and Jeremy were a cute and fun couple to read about and I can't wait for the second book in the series!

Meg Knightley is an interesting protagonist. She’s a planner, and she has her entire life and all her goals mapped out, and she’ll do whatever it takes to have everything run smoothly. I found that this characteristic somehow made her a relatable and an unrelatable character at the same time. Her desire for tenure and her career aspirations are completely understandable (you don’t go through that many years of schooling without some ambition). She’s been dating Harrison for three years, and she doesn’t want all that time to be thrown out. This, in my opinion, was understandable, yet also made her unlikable. She didn’t seem to genuinely love him, yet she was hoping for that ring on her finger–even when there was a good chance he was cheating on her with a movie star. The saving grace for her character was that she didn’t truly believe he would cheat, but he treated her so poorly that I honestly don’t think that should matter. She should have dropped him and found herself a handsome woodworker much sooner!

Meg is an Austen scholar with a PhD and a somewhat condescending outlook on those without a pHD, but I was surprised by how accessible the writing style was. At times, it was a little immature, which is odd because it’s first person from her perspective. Having a PhD in literature would imply that she have a more advanced writing style. That said, the nature of the book (romance) with a lighter hook makes the type of writing style expected from her type of character not mesh with the genre and its intended audience.

I loved the twist in the story, as it becomes clear that Meg is the one with issues surrounding her pride and prejudice. She can’t see herself dating a simple woodworker, and it becomes clearer and clearer as the story progresses that she isn’t Elizabeth Bennett. She’s Mr. Darcy. This characterization is well done. However, I did think on more than one occasion that Jeremy was too good for her. He’s so sweet, smart, and trying so hard to become Mr. Darcy for her. Fortunately, she starts to learn the error of her ways sooner rather than later, making for a more gradual character development, transforming her into a person worthy of the love of someone like Jeremy.

This book does require a little bit of suspension of disbelief in one aspect. Her brother’s close friend since high school is her love interest–yet she barely remembers him. That’s fine that she doesn’t remember him well from high school (kind of makes her shallow because apparently he wasn’t attractive then), but it’s revealed that she’s met him a few times since. And she only knows him as the hot guy on her brother’s instagram feed. Sorry, but if she’d met him a few times since high school, and he’s that attractive to her, shouldn’t she have remembered him? Food for thought.


This book is light and fun and sweetly romantic, and despite some of my criticisms, it is perfect for those who love modern-day romances that take inspiration from Austen’s works.

*This review will be posted on November 17 on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/ and other platforms*

I liked the idea behind this book more than the actual execution. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a terrible book, it just wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

"Pride and Prejudice" is, by far, my favorite Jane Austin book and Mr. Darcy is my favorite hero. I've not read much of the "based on" fiction that has been published but this one caught my interest. This book was a cute take-off about the annual Jane Austin Festival in Bath. I enjoyed it very much, I just didn't love it. Meg, the heroine was a rather stiff character. I loved Jeremy, but with first person narration we don't get to really know him.

Dr. Meg Knightley has is all planned out. Her life, that is. When the man she envisioned as her future husband picks a Hollywood starlet and his boss over her, well, that just wasn't in the plan. But Meg is nothing if not competitive and determined and nothing is going to stop her from competing in the Jane Austen Festival like she had been planning to do for almost a year. All she needs is a new Mr. Darcy. As a English History professor and Jane Austen fan, she is sure she can make this work and when she finds her new Mr. Darcy, she just might do it.

Jeremy Remington has a new career in custom woodworking after ditching his six figure job working for the man. When Meg offers him money to be her new Mr. Darcy, he figures he can get that new high end band saw he covets and not break the bank. And, he would get the opportunity he has waited for since high school - to get close to Meg.

For Meg the competition is about more than showing her clueless boyfriend he can't take her for granted. When Meg comes to realize that there are aspects to her personality that need changing, Jeremy is right there to help her. 3 1/2-Stars

This book follows Meg, a by the rules lady who is never without her planner. She’s got it all, the job, the boyfriend. She and her boyfriend, Harrison, are planning on going to England in a few weeks to compete in the Jane Austen Festival and Games, combining their love of Austen with their love of history. When their boss insists that Harrison instead be partners with a Hollywood starlet preparing for a part in a new Pride and Prejudice remake, her resolve starts to slip. Mae decides to hire her own “Mr. Darcy” to beat them and win it all. Enter Jeremy, her brother's best friend. He needs some cash, and thinks he can play the part. Of course, as they train for a very romantic competition, sparks fly, and love follows.

I thought this was a cute story. Super cheesy, and very cliche, but I knew what I was getting into. I did think Mae was a little bit cruel and judgmental, and her “change” was sort of abrupt, but the ending was cute and fitting of a Jane Austen inspired story. I liked the writing style, and will absolutely be checking out some other titles by Valerie.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own