The Worst Darcy by Robyn Gynne
3.5/5 stars

Expectation: Debutante who is supposed to be with some droll yet handsome man falls for man with tattoos who sweeps her off her feet and surprises her. YA amount of spice
Reality: Adorable librarian falls for town problem-child-turned-successful-musician in a Jane Austen themed festival. It's giving enemies-to-lovers, *niche* kinks (read it and you'll see exactly what I mean), and SPICE. Definitely much more and definitely different than I was expecting.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect but was pleasantly surprised to see the Pride and Prejudice themes woven both explicitly and implicitly throughout the book. It was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but I ended up enjoying seeing the two characters evolve and watching their stories weave together.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC to review!

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Review (same as above) will be posted on Instagram @ALiteralLove

A quirky, fun, spicy book for Austen lovers.

Opposites attract, single mom, small town, (oddly enough) monster romance, and more.

Was it cheesy? Yes. But it was pretty enjoyable.

For fans of Austenland.

Cast to play Mr. Darcy in the town's annual Jane Austen festival, Brodie Bishop is as far from the famous Darcy as can be, with his tattoos, nipple piercings, and leather-clad bad boy persona.

Tightly wound Vivian Trent is determined to make this the best festival ever, but her first impression of her co-star has her seeing disaster written all over it. Are their first impressions accurate, or is it Darcy and Lizzie all over again?

This sexy Pride & Prejudice retelling will make you swoon. Four stars!

----

Notes:
Cheese's real name listed as Patrick in ch. 2 but Clark in ch. 14.

The character playing Bingley is listed as Neil in ch. 8 but as Patrick in ch. 12 (hosting, dancing with Renée as Jane)

Trigger Warnings: None
Spice: 3

The Worst Darcy is a very fun romance book for you to devour and fall in love with.
There's a fun cast of characters who you will absolutely fall in love with besides our main couple.
The story takes place in Austen, Ontario where they have Austenworld, annual Jane Austen Festival

Vivian: FMC who's a single mom and weekday librarian who plays Elizabeth in this year play, Pride and Prejudice
Brodie: MMC who plays in a metal band, produces music, and got roped in to playing Darcy this year.

Vivian coparents with her ex, Sam and his fiancé, Raj. They have a really lovely relationship throughout and it's really nice to see all three of them together. I would have loved to see a little bit more of them together though. But Sam's unwavering support of Vivian throughout was very lovely.

Brodie has a more complicated relationship with his family. I hate his mother. I'm just going to say it. She's an absolute horrible person. There were many times I wished to reach through the book and tell her off.

It was very nice how Vivian and Brodie came together. I really felt like it was realistic and enjoyable. You could see and feel them falling in love with one another. This was a retelling and reimagining of Pride and Prejudice but in the best way.

If you're in the mood for a good romance story or retelling/reimagining, this is the book for you.

One last thought: Vivian's audiobook taste: 10/10

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗰𝘆 🪷
(ARC)

"By the end of the day, there would be no question that that Darcy was head over heels for Lizzy and no question that I was head over heels for Vivian Trent."

Description:
Vivian Trent is desperate. Her family doesn't approve of her life as a single mom and the small town of Austen still won't accept her as one of their own four years later. Playing Elizabeth Bennet at the annual Jane Austen Festival is the perfect way to win over the locals and prove that she's thriving. But when Austen's favourite festival hero is replaced by his tattooed, metalhead brother, how is she supposed to achieve perfection with such a bad boy playing Mr. Darcy? He's never read the book. He's brash and unpolished. He's... blond?!

Review:
This book is meant for the Jane Austen girls and the ones who adore pride and prejudice. The book is just pure fun and the banter is my most favorite part of this book. The characters were so lovable even though vivian was a bit hard to get at times but every character was written in an amazing way. The netherfield ball scene was my favorite when Brodie and Vivian were dancing together.

✨the hand flex✨

I love the forced proximity even though the book moves very fast but there's a hint of slow burn and then the right amount of spice as well.
I read this arc on netgalley and I would definitely recommend it! The book comes out on August 15th!!

tropes:
- small town romance
- bad boy x single mom
- bit of enemies to lovers
- mmc falls first
- dual pov

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this!

Brodie and Vivian were so good together. This grown up story of relationships, family, found family, and support was a great read. Brodie, Vivian's unexpected Darcy was indeed, as Sam says, a smoke show. If you're into found family, opposites attract, and forced proximity, this is for you! I also really appreciated that the primary conflict didn't come in the form of a third act breakup. So many times, it feels as though a book has conflict that entails a third act breakup or no conflict. Robyn Gynne wrote excellent conflict into this story in the form of shitty family and relatives. The protagonists though hold one another up when the other is weak and are super protective of one another. I loved it.

So excited for more from this new author!

Unfortunately, this was a disappointment on so many levels.
I hated Vivian with a passion the moment she opened her mouth in front of Brodie.
She was a condescending superficial stuck-up bitch, who immediately hated Brodie just because he was blonde instead of the dark-haired Darcy she was expecting. She says she wants to participate more in the town's Jane Austen Festival so that people would stop remembering her as "Sam's ex" and "(whatever the baby's called)'s mom," and yet basically insults immediately someone she's never met, judging him just like everyone else in that town had done for all his life, including his mother.

I imagine she wanted to be remembered fondly only by the pearl-clutching, Prada-wearing moms and the marmalade-making grannies, and this didn't apply to someone with a different look that had barely said a word to her before being chewed on.
Even if she got more bearable the more the book went on, she was still quick to judge him and open her big fat mouth to sprout her superficial opinions of him.
If I were Brodie, after having to bear all that nonsense from his own mother, I would've steered clear from her since she was way too similar to her.
She gained a few points in the end when she stuck up for him, but by that point, I was so irritated and bored of her that it didn't matter.

Then we have their mothers that are unworthy to be called that, so cruel and disgusting that I don't see the reason to put two in one single book. At least Vivian's appears only in the beginning, and we never see her again.

The baby (whose name I still can't remember, and this should say it all) was basically used as a prop. We only see him in very few scenes, and I couldn't tell you anything about him, just that he liked dinosaurs.

Brodie was the only good thing in this book and the only reason I'm giving it two stars. He was so misunderstood by everyone, especially his own horrible family. He constantly tried so hard to make everyone see the good, the worthy in him, and they were still blind to it.
I felt sorry for him the entire time.

I could go on, saying that the town's festival went so below my expectations that I don't even see the point in making it a big plot point of the book, but it would just be another rant of disappointment.

I don't get how a book with such a good premise would be so boring, with a spice so bland you can barely call it that.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pride and the Prejudice has been my comfort read since I was young. This book took all the feelings Jane Austen brought out and mixed it with a modern day situation.
This was a one sit read for me. I just couldn’t stop. The character development was spectacular and the story was engaging. The only thing I didn’t agree with is that Colin Firth will always be my Darcy.
This was a 5 star read for me, I will be looking out for other books by Robyn Gynne. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance.

This was so cute! It was a great modern twist on Pride and Prejudice that has a great heroine and hero. It was a quick read which made the story progress almost too quickly. The chemistry between Brodie and Vivian was palpable and kept me hooked!

The Worst Darcy has a fascinating premise for a romance novel: librarian and single mother Vivian is determined to make a name for herself in her new town by being the perfect Lizzie Bennet at this year's Jane Austen festival. The town of Austen hosts the festival every year, and this year's is Pride and Prejudice-themed, which is perfect for Vivian because it's her favorite book. But when the town's bad boy, metal musician Brodie Bishop replaces his golden boy brother Ethan as Darcy, she's concerned that all her hopes and planning will be for nothing.

I loved watching the relationship develop between Brodie and Vivian, and he makes for a great romantic lead. I also thought it dealt really well with Vivian's relationship with her son, Keaton, and her son's father. I appreciated that it played off of themes of Pride and Prejudice without actually trying too hard to be an adaptation of it and allowed Vivian and Brodie to have their own love story rather than copying Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's.

There's a lot of (well-written!) smut from about halfway through the novel, and -- a few mentions of Vivian's penchant for reading monster porn aside -- it definitely added to the novel. Overall, it's not a life-changing read, but it's a very enjoyable romance, especially for fans of Jane Austen, who will appreciate all the details of the festival.

Thank you Robyn Gynne and NetGalley for this ARC copy of The Worst Darcy - in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

5 BRIGHT AND SHINING STARTS for this spicy romance.

What a beautiful blend of eras - my favorite classic regency era novel... with a twist of something modern and spicy.

Read if you love:

- Pride and Prejudice
- Opposites Attract
- Small Town Romance
- Single Parent Trope
- He Falls First
- Caveman Alpha hero
- HILARIOUS dialect
- Found Family
- Slow Burn
- Incredibly hot smutty scenes
- LGBT+ friendly side characters

I have SO MANY THOUGHTS to bear with me as I get them down... warning there will definitely be spoilers ahead... you have been warned.

The parallels between the main characters of Robyn's story... compared to the classic Pride and Prejudice is so incredibly fun. With their ridiculous families, prideful nature, and sexual tension - I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN! The in control librarian mother... collides with the rockstar bad boy.

I loved this version of Darcy - the rebellious, tattoo'd, great with children, caveman like (blonde). And the uptight librarian mother, who was desperate to fit in - created an Elizabeth that was truly what the town needed. As they inevitable fall in love over the course of the story - paired perfectly with the classic adventures, I found myself swooning.

The author does a really great job touching on some sensitive topics that make our main characters incredibly relatable.
-Motherhood troubles
-Emotional abuse from family members
-Social stigmas of single mothers

Some scenes that I LOVED:

*** When Brodie visits the library after Vivian requests he ACTUALLY read Pride and Prejudice. He struggles with sitting and reading books with crammed print... so she suggests trying an audiobook.... and lets him sample her latest Monster Romance on accident... during a spicy scene!! It is HILARIOUS.

*** When her son asks Brodie why he dresses the way he does (rockstar vibes), and his response is; "I just wear this stuff to scare off the bad guys... Somebody's gotta protect your mom when you're not around." *SWOON*

*** When the quartet is late and Brodie busts out his talented self.... um yeah that did it for me too hahah

*** All the scenes of his jealousy and caveman behavior - trust me on this... if you like that sort of thing you will LOVE seeing Brodie in action!

*** When they act out the Lady Katherine scene and she makes her stand - I teared up. Find out why for yourself!

3.5 stars. as a pride and prejudice fan, this was such a cute read with lots of nice moments for any jane austen enjoyers. i loved brodie and i thought he was super sweet and cared a lot about V, however I do feel like there was an element of intsta-love which i'm not a huge fan of. I also thought that the third-act break-up felt a bit forced, i don't think they really needed to break up at all, however everything was resolved quickly with some good communication which I loved. I would've loved more Sam and Keaton moments as they were so sweet. overall, a fun and cute small-town read with some rly good smut scenes asw. thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this one!

It was a cute, spicy read! With Pride and Prejudice looming in the background the entire book it truly couldn’t get any better! Brodie was a super enjoyable character and I’m glad Vivian became the likeable MC she was meant to be! The dual POV was also a great addition and made the book a heck of a lot more fun! Fun read!!

This is a solid 3.5 ⭐️.
Opposites attract? ✔️
Goth hottie with a heart of gold? ✔️
Scenes that made me cackle? ✔️
Smut? ✔️ and 🌶🌶🌶
Lots of references to Pride and Prejudice and Matthew Macfayden? ✔️✔️✔️

For the most part, I really loved the chemistry between Brodie (🥵) and Vivian. I definitely had some issues with their subpar problem solving skills and external locus of control (knew I'd use that psych degree someday), but this was a fun, fluffy read that I truly enjoyed. Their relationship felt organic and true, and I enjoyed falling with them! Here's to hoping that Medusa gets her comeuppance in the near future.

Thank you for the ARC!

I love this book so much!!! Brodie and Vivian, ughh, I want what they have. I’m may not be into monster smut like Vivian but I do enjoy the spice here and there and this book had the perfect amount of it! I’m glad Brodie got the chance to prove himself and Vivian as well. I was scared a bit towards the middle that they would end up in a misunderstanding but everything worked out. I really enjoyed the other characters as well. Love supportive ex’s.

This book was great lighthearted fun. The premise is a Jane Austen festival which was something new and I quite enjoyed reading about it. Although there were some spicy scenes it wasn't overly prominent and there was a lot of plot there. Our FMC is also a single mom and I really liked how that wasn't all she was and how the book follows her while she figures out more about herself as a standalone person.

For anyone who liked Jen De Luca books this is a perfect romance book!

I enjoyed the plot but I needed things to go faster. It was to slow paced for me but it was a great book.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc. An absolute must read for anyone who is a fan of pride and prejudice. Bad boy meets librarian in this modern twist of the classic. The characters were loveable and relatable and delicious. The writing was witty, sweet, a little fluffy and just the right about of spicy. You’ll love this book to the very end!

good read that had me waiting to see what would happen. Enjoyed this story. Found me a new author to read. entertaining book.

A modern-day Darcy and Elizabeth story exactly when I needed it! So cute and such a sweet romance!

THOUGHTS:
- The hero isn't dark-haired, but we'll forgive Gynne because Brodie's character sounds flaming hot! Decently tall, longer, thick blonde hair and fully tatted? Lord have mercy! *fans self* 😂😂
- I love the opposites attract themes in The Worst Darcy! I think that really was the case with Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy so I loved that the author brought out those original story themes!!
*I've never been to an Austen festival, and as soon as I was finished reading, I immediately had to look up what was in my area. There are surprisingly more than I thought there would be including one in the city I live in! I will def be supporting this soon.

NOTES:
- 🌶️🌶️/5 - More than I was expecting, but not overly smutty!
- LGBTQ+ themes
- Single-parent romance
- Short read

<i>**Thank you Robyn Gynne & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤</i>