Single Parent
Forced Proximity
Boy Falls First

This book is for the Jane Austen girlies, the monster smut girlies, and the best-of-both-worlds girlies.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it had the right mixture of sweet, spicy and angsty. I really liked how we got to see the build up of dislike to friends to lovers. I also especially liked how obsessed Brodie was with Vivian.

I'd recommend this book if you like romcoms that have a bit of spice and a bit of tension!

I wanted to like this, I really truly did. It read like a Gilmore girls fan fic. Please don’t get me wrong, I love Jane Austen and I love Gilmore girls. It was just so hard to get into the writing and the characters.

A reformed bad boy and a single mom with forced proximity? SIGN ME UP!

Vivian has been living in Austen for a couple of years with her son. Since she has complicated relationship with her own family, she decided to stay near her ex (father of her child and also her best friend) in Austen. She's ready to call this town her home, now that she has set her roots by buying a house. But there's one thing that has always bothered her. She's always been overlooked by the people of Austen. She's either Sam's ex or Keaton's mom.

With the annual Jane Austen festival looming around, Vivian is determined to play the role of Elizabeth and hopefully leave an impact on the audience.

But then she finds out who will be playing as Mr. Darcy.

Brodie, the bad boy in leather. The tattooed metalhead who drives a loud car. He's never serious. Worst of all, he's... blond. He's never even read the book, for the love of God!

Vivian's hope shatters. But Brodie has his own agenda. He's sick of being seen as a "fuck up" in contrast to his pristine family. Now he's determined to prove everyone wrong.

While they are polar opposites, they share one similarity. They want to be seen and appreciated for who they are rather than who they were or could be.

I really enjoyed reading this book!! There were so many cute, laugh-out-loud moments. I loved their bickering and teasing. And it was so much spicier than I was expecting omg. Their journey from strangers to friends to lovers was so heartwarming. Brodie was swoonworthy. I loved the ending bc Brodie's mom finally got the shut up call. I hated her so much. Overall, this was a great rom-com with opposites attract, single mom, small town & forced proximity. The whole "Jane Austen Festival" concept was new to me and was very well executed. I would highly recommend this book to Jane Austen fans who also enjoy contemporary romance.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adore this book! It is really well written and the emotions expressed really pulled at my heart strings. Vivian goes through a lot in the beginning of the book with her family and the situation with Sam but she is a strong woman and it shows! I always love reading a book with a woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t let set backs drag her behind! Keep it up with these amazing books! I love it!!

Reviewed as an ARC from netgalley -
Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books so I was so excited when I got approved for this review from netgalley.

Right off the bat I liked our Female main character, Vivian. Her honest emotional insight made her endearing within the first chapter.

When the book starts, she’s just moved to town and is trying to put down roots and establish herself. I had a bit of a difficult time following why exactly she decided to volunteer for the town festival and why Brodie was willing to do it at all. It was explained, but the motivations didn’t really feel strong enough to compel the characters to do it. As the novel progressed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it just wasn’t believable.

As the book progressed, I did warm to it and ultimately ended up enjoying it, I just feel like the premise could have been better executed. I would definitely pick up an offering from this author in the future.

Spice Rating: 2/5

This book put me through a wave of emotions. At first I was in love with the book, then my feelings got confused, then I fell in love with it again and ultimately, the book fell flat for my expectations. The premise of the book is so good, but some of the execution just lacked.

There were many times where I noticed that the way Brodie would describe some things didn’t match up to his personality. Throughout the book I caught words and sentences that didn’t flow with the book. I have read many many books with smut and the problem I found with this one was that some of the smut parts were cringey to read. The content itself wasn’t the issue, but the way that it was written was cringey. Through all this I still found myself really enjoying many parts and loved the banter between Brodie and V.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me an ARC of The Worst Darcy. I read this in exchange for my honest review.

- The worst Darcy -


I’m a big fan of anything pride & prejudice/ Jane Austen related so this was right up my alley! This story was so fun and had such lovable characters. The storyline was really fun also! I loveeeeeeee seeing a man in a book be good with kids!!! One of my favorite scenes was when Brodie and Vivian were dancing together at the netherfield ball 🥹. I read this arc on NetGalley and definitely recommend it!🫶🏼 It publishes August 15th 💗


💙Small town romance
💙Bad boy x single mom
💙Dual pov
💙light enemies to lovers
💙He falls first

A sweet and funny, Pride and Prejudice filled, slow-burn… Wit, spice, and swoons.

WHAT I LOVED:
Brodie wasn’t your stereotypical rom-com hero bad boy. I was totally Team Jess (Gilmore Girls), but really appreciated that Brodie wasn’t this aloof, too cool for school, who also had a secret love for classic literature. He was hot, in a band, and had his own interests that were swoony on their own.
After they got over the “teacher’s pet vs. bad boy” misconceptions, they were playful and adorable together. They loved making each other smile.
The family conflicts that both MCs dealt with never overwhelmed the story. It was always about Brodie and Vivian, and they healed each other's wounds and insecurities, rather than tying that part of the conflict up with a bow at the end.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Down girl,” he drawled, sprawling into the driver’s seat. “Gonna poke someone’s eyes out with that homework boner.”
“Mr. Darcy is a gentleman.” Brodie clicked his tongue and shook his head at me, dark eyes dancing. “Even gentleman go to Bone Town.”
She huffed a sigh, which I felt caress over my chin. My fingers flexed over her back. Handgasm. Damnit.
“I’d had such a tight grip on my control for so long, the relief in giving some of it up hit me with the force of a dam breaking.”
“It was like my body was a rolling terrain and he had a map. He knew what he was doing, his hands caressing over me with instinctual ease.”

What better way to get noticed in town than to play Elizabth Bennet in the annual Jane Austen festival? Vivian is thrilled to get the part of Elizabeth, and Ethan Bishop, the town’s golden boy, will be Mr. Darcy, until he isn’t. Ethan is relocating for a job and Brodie, his brother, will fill in.

Vivian is a single mother who moved to the small Canadian town of Austen to be near Sam, the father of her son Keaton, and away from her judgmental family. Outside of being Keaton’s mom and Sam’s ex, no one in town seems to know her after living there for years and being the town librarian. Getting the role of Elizabth Bennet will be a chance to feel more confident in her place in town. But with Brodie as Mr. Darcy?

Brodie’s reputation has followed him from high school, where he got into some trouble and dropped out. It doesn’t matter that he is now a successful, accomplished musician. Plus, his tattoos and nipple rings don’t add to his reputation.
I loved Brodie from the beginning, he was smart, sensitive, talented and just plain nice. The town just won’t look past his bad boy image. It doesn’t help that his mother is actually vicious when it comes to Brodie. And while Vivian starts out mistrustful of Brodie she starts to see past his reputation and looks to see the gem he is. It took a while to warm up to her.

I liked the dual POV, as it gave so much insight to their feelings and thoughts. I also enjoyed the slow build up, as they got to know each other and the romance bloomed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me an ARC of The Worst Darcy. This is my honest review.

Vivian Trent has lived in charming Austen for a few years, but feels like the town only sees her as the librarian or the mom to her young son. However, Vivian has a plan to become memorable. Step one: purchase her very first house and plant roots for her and her son Keaton. Step two: Land the leading role of Elizabeth Bennett at this year’s Jane Austen Festival. She will undoubtedly be paired with Ethan Bishop, the festival’s leading hero for years and everything will be perfect.

Except Ethan will be relinquishing his role as the brooding Mr. Darcy, asking his brother Brodie to take his place. Brodie with his shaggy blonde hair, tattoos, and loud car is the exact opposite of Mr. Darcy. Brodie is used to being a disappointment to the town so when things do not start well between he and Vivian, he isn’t surprised. However, as the festival goes on, the performances begin to go off-script and the sparks between Viv and Brodie leave them both questioning if they are simply embracing their characters or if this is the start of something more.

This single mom, bad boy romance is a phenomenal book filled with plenty of spice, memorable (albeit more contemporary) Pride and Prejudice scenes, a hero who falls first, two lost souls overcoming familial trauma, found family, and an adorable, dinosaur-obsessed little boy. Vivian and Brodie will make you laugh for them, feel for them, and ultimately fall in love with them! I loved the opposites attract element of this book and how seamlessly Viv and Brodie complimented each other. Where Brodie struggled to see past the disappointment his family saw, Vivian saw the man who always showed up and gave 100%, despite the negativity in his life. It was refreshing to see her initial perception of him rapidly change as the pages flew by.

This book is perfect for Austen fans or anyone who loves a spicy contemporary romance that has much more under its beautiful cover and I sincerely hope Robyn Gynne brings us back to Austen very soon!
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*Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

While this cover is stunning, I really wish it depicted Brodie in his costume, altered to suit his style a bit more. I also felt the dialogue in the beginning felt just a bit younger and more immature than their actual age and I really wish we would have gotten more scenes of Viv, Brodie, and Keaton together. Thank you so much for allowing me to review this book. My review has been posted on Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and BookBub. I will be posting my review to Instagram (@thepageproj3ct) and TikTok on Sunday, August 13.

This book was just pure fun for any fangirl or lover of Pride and Prejudice. It had a fun Austenland sort of vibe, where the main characters, Vivan and Brodie, are cast as Lizzy Bennett and Mr. Darcy in their town's Austen festival. It is fun to think of how to create this sort of LARP-ing of a beloved book, and it's a series of events that I personally would love to make happen in the real world. While they start as the classic enemies to lovers, things quickly heat up as their romance blooms before them. But they each have a reputation they are trying to shed, and that's easier said than done. This book was really fun, and I enjoyed it the whole way through. I did think the ending was a little rushed, but overall, it went the way I was hoping it would go. I also think that there should have been more time for character development of the side characters, but it felt a little Austen-y in that way. I will be recommending this in the future, and overall, it's feeds my Pride and Prejudice/dark romance loving soul! Thank you for the early copy!

This book was such a rollercoaster for me - it went from a 4 star book to a 5 star book down to a 3 star book. I am such a sucker for anything Pride and Prejudice, and I honestly felt like this book didn't do it enough justice. Just being set in a place called Austen, and having a festival about Pride & Prejudice does not equate to relating the books to one another.

Our FMC was hot and cold - she honestly drove me a little crazy. It felt like she couldn't make up her mind as to whether or not she wanted to be with Brodie, and he deserved better. Both Brodie's family and Vivian's family were awful, but we only hear about Vivian's family once. It would have been nice to have some resolution with BOTH families, but especially Brodie's as his family played a much larger part in the story. The third act drama was a bit much, especially considering it wasn't the big "break-up" scene.

This story starts off super cute and sweet - and then out of nowhere, once Brodie and Vivian have agreed they like each other, it felt like we read more about their sexual encounters than anything else. I also am unsure of the obsession with monster romance books...they're great, but that isn't what this book was.

Honestly, I had my hopes set high for this one and maybe they were a little too high.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to plaster this book everywhere. It’s amazing! It has all of my favorite tropes, dual POV, small town, bad boy/good girl, single mom, forced proximity- ALL THE GOOD STUFF. I also enjoyed how the coparenting was represented as, it was very refreshing.

To be honest I didn’t have big expectations. I try to only ask for arcs of authors I already know because in the past it happened to me that I asked for books I didn’t t end up liking and reading them was more of a chore than a pleasure but then I saw this one and I will forever be on the quest of reading anything even remotely based on P&P so I asked for it and I GOT IT! And I’m so glad I did!!

This book got a grip on me from the first chapter, it’s so fresh and cute and then BOOM!! SPICE!! And I’m a sucker for cute but spicy. I giggled like a teenager a lot but then the spice hit me like a freight train and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT! There’s a lot of Pride and Prejudice retellings doing the rounds but this one is more of its own story with a P&P background and it was a great idea.
Brodie is my kind of men, let’s face it, but his vulnerability made me want to hug him so bad. My poor baby feeling he’s not worthy I’ll fight anyone who dares hurt him. And Viv? Totally represented by her! One can be a quiet bookworm but have a hidden spicy personality.
So yes, I struck gold with this book, came for the title, stayed for the story.

I requested this book simply because I love anything Pride & Prejudice. This book did not disappoint! Although the plot line is not a direct retelling of Jane Austen's novel, it was so adorable to see how parallels between the two were included!

This story was easy to read, made me laugh out loud, and instantly had me falling in love with Vivian & Brodie as individuals. The slow burn and growing friendship aspects kept me interested and wanting to read more.

Vivian is a single mom who is struggling to find her place in the world. Brodie is a metal head who has family issues he can't seem to find an escape from. Neither one was looking for love when they fell into the roles of Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy in the towns annual festival. Not only did their relationship flourish, but together they were able to overcome their family baggage and personal insecurities they had each been holding onto.

I was able to finish this book in less than one day because it flowed nicely from beginning to end. I loved the character development throughout the story and how the author included such a healthy co-parenting relationship!

*This book includes spicy scenes. It also mentions monster smut when talking about the FMC's reading preferences. Be prepared for those parts.

Overall I thought this book was worth the read and would highly recommend it others!

Thank you Xpresso Book Tours & NetGalley for allowing me to recieve an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I never thought I would be into nipple rings, this book changed that. Vivian and Brodie are fantastic! Their story is great and funny and sweet and sexy. Vivian and Sam’s relationship is so great - best friends even after becoming exes is refreshing and I love the way they co-parent. Keaton is adorable!
I highly recommend reading this for some sweet romance, steamy scenes, and great laughs.

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

Tell me how you make a story with METALHEAD MR. DARCY boring? HOW?!?!?!

This book makes me wonder if I need a special shelf on Goodreads for books about the timely theme of expectations and pressure... about making it look like you've got your stuff together. About being imperfect, and making up your own description of 'normal,' whatever that may be. About the world being unkind and demanding, and how to stay upright with all that implicates. Not to mention toxic family dynamics, all too real.

And I was tickled that, without this being emphasized, this book was inclusive. I feel like adding an exclamation mark to that: diversity! Yay! And not just that, but funny and heartwarming as well.

I'm hoping The Worst Darcy to be the first in a series. All we need next time is a character being a chronic or disabled :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

The Worst Darcy is my first book by Robyn Gynne, but I'm definitely a fan though! This was such a sweet but steamy read, and I loved everything about it!

Anything Pride and Prejudice related I’m here for it! This story is not a retelling but a love letter to the amazing story, the characters and the author herself. It’s also a book about the power of love, understanding and acceptance which after all is what Darcy and Lizzy were looking for!

Brodie and Vivian couldn’t be more opposite! She’s a quiet librarian who loves order where Brodie is a musician who thrives on chaos. When they are thrown together the meeting goes horribly wrong but they need each other to show everyone just how wrong they are!

I love how both of them through their pride and prejudices broke down each others walls! They were both out to show everyone that they are more and in doing so gained the understanding of the other. I love how easily these two got along when they let everything else go.

I loved the whole concept of the story and I seriously need to find a small town that re-enacts Jane Austen novels because that is where I belong!!