"The Worst Darcy" is a contemporary romance written by Robyn Gynne.

The story follows Vivian Trent, a librarian in the pretty town of Austen, Canada, where she has lived for four years now. Single mother, she feels burdened by a pressing family, unable to accept her situation as an unmarried woman. Further stressing her out is the fact that no one in the town seems to know her, except as the ex-girlfriend of her ex-boyfriend or the mother of her son. Dejected by her inability to gain acceptance, eager to be recognized, Vivian decides to play the role of Elizabeth Bennett at the annual Jane Austen Festival, this year dedicated to "Pride and Prejudice," her favorite book by the famous author. On paper, it seems like the perfect opportunity for her to win over the locals and prove that she is thriving. Her glittering plans, however, are shattered when Austen's favorite festival hero is replaced by her tattooed metalhead brother. How is she supposed to achieve perfection with such a bad boy playing Mr. Darcy? He has never even read the book. He is brash and unkempt. And he is...blond! In short, this is a disaster waiting to happen! Brodie, on the other hand, is used to being the disappointment of the town, so when Vivian turns her nose up at him, he is not surprised. Son of a wealthy and well-known Austen family, after a past mistake, he is considered the black sheep of the town. For him, the festival could be an opportunity to finally succeed in redeeming himself in front of the villagers, to show that he is worth something. So he needs to commit himself to this show. Vivian and Brodie start working together, in a tense and hostile atmosphere, made up of provocations and teasing. However, as preparations for the festival continue, the two begin to grow closer and discover new sides to each other, leading to unexpected developments.

I loved this read! Funny, sparkling and sizzling, it entertained and amused me a lot.

I found the writing to be cheerful, bubbly and light, with efficient descriptions and brilliant dialogue. The quick and captivating pace, accompanied by the presence of short chapters, in my opinion make for a very smooth and relaxing read.

I loved the setting of Austen, a small Canadian town! I found it very pretty and quaint with its flowery avenues, large gardens, and labyrinth. And especially the annual Jane Austen Festival! As a lover of the author's works, the fact that every year there is a festival dedicated to the representation of a different book is something wonderful. Seriously, I loved this aspect, the way it is developed and interwoven with the characters' stories, creating similarities.

I really liked Vivian and Brodie, protagonists with their own first-person povs! Vivian is a single mother, pressed by a suffocating family, unable to accept the fact that she is unmarried. Librarian in the small town of Austen, where she has lived for four years, she is distressed that its residents still do not accept her as one of their own. She is tired of being known only as the ex of her ex-partner or the mother of her son. She would like to be something more, to prove herself, to turn her life around. Vivian is a precise and orderly person, fixated on rules and schedules, aiming for perfection in every action she takes. Outwardly rigid, she actually hides many frailties and other unexpected secrets. This is a well-analyzed character whose evolution I enjoyed. In particular I loved her relationship with her son Keaton, her top priority, for whom she would do anything. So did I appreciate her fantastic relationship with her ex-boyfriend and Keaton's father, with whom she has a wonderful friendship. Obviously I enjoyed her passion for reading and the works of Jane Austen. The only thing that left me unsatisfied was the lack of confrontation with her family. I would have liked some interactions between them, which there was not.

Brodie, on the other hand, is considered the black sheep of the family and the entire town. Following a bad episode in his teens, he has earned the infamous reputation as a bad boy. He is a member of a heavy metal band, owns a recording studio dedicated to this genre of music, and by now has put his head straight, trying to behave himself. However, despite his efforts, he cannot shake the bad label. He would like to be something more, he would like to prove that he is not a lowlife, and he would like to be accepted. Brodie is a brash and impudent, confident and instinctive man with a strong sarcasm. Outwardly strong and decisive, he actually hides deep insecurities. Like the fact that he never feels enough, or the sense of loneliness that grips him. I liked Brodie quite a bit and he made me freak out a lot. His gestures, his attitudes, his words, are just great! Also, he is absurdly hot! I enjoyed the relationship between him and his little niece, as well as the relationship with his bandmates. On the other hand, I would have liked more confrontation with his family, with whom relations are strained, especially with his mother.

The romance between Vivian and Brodie won me over too much! It starts out as a light enemies to lovers, then develops into a friendship and finally something more. Perhaps the transition between initial hostility and friendship seemed a bit rushed to me, but over the course of the book the two get a chance to talk, open up, and really get to know each other. They discuss, confront each other, expose their doubts and fears, things I really appreciated. The way they support each other, accepting each other, is super sweet. They, in my opinion, have explosive chemistry, with witty banter and hot scenes. The spicy is quite present in the second half of the book, with very juicy descriptive scenes!

All in all, I found it a funny, sizzling, light-hearted romance that I absolutely recommend, especially if you like Jane Austen's works (especially "Pride and Prejudice").

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

The Worst Darcy is the first book that I have read by Robyn Gynne. This book was such a pleasant surprise. While I thought it sounded like a cute read, but it so exceeded my expectations! Brodie as our Mr. Darcy is just amazing. His awful mother has made him question his ability to be loved and Vivien is just a breath of fresh air into his life. She has residual issues because of her critical family, but they aren't even close to as bad as Brodie's mom and his complicit siblings. While they do have hiccups along the way, it is a steady love story with an H and h that actually support and are there for each other. Just loved it. 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Opposites Attract
Forced Proximity
Single Mom
Small Town
Spicy

Vivian Trent has been living in Austen with her son and her BFF who is also the father of her son for about four years.
She has been trying to fit in with the people of the town, but they only remember her as Keaton’s mom or Sam’s ex. This year she wants to make an effort to get noticed because she feels invisible and overlooked by everyone and she just can’t seem to make a connection with anyone.

The town is hosting an annual Austin Festival and Viv decides to volunteer to play Lizzy and also help organize the event in the hopes of making a few friends and finally having a place to feel included, welcome and at home.

The dashing man who is to play opposite her as Mr Darcy suddenly has to leave town and the only person willing and available to play his part is his brother Brody, the local bad boy.
Viv’s dreams of presenting the best possible version of Pride & Prejudice is dashed because Brody Bishop is the complete opposite of Mr Darcy in every possible way with his long blond hair, tattoos and grungy appearance. Not what she had envisioned at all.

The book deals with some family issues like Viv’s family having trouble accepting the fact that she is an unmarried single mom while Brody’s family is unsupportive and still sees him as the juvenile delinquent he used to be. Although the story does not concentrate on the issues with Viv’s family it does emphasise the emotional scaring left behind.

The journey of their relationship is filled with joking and teasing and it constantly filled me with that warm feeling that had my heart in a puddle. I was giggling at their cute interactions and swooning at their tender moments. I highly recommend this book for people who are Jane Austen fans and spicy modern romances.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Expresso Book Tours for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was a little hesitant to request this ARC and on the first couple of chapters but I really liked this book.

Vivian is desperate to be someone more that her son's mom and her baby daddy's ex. As a librarian she see herself in the role of Elizabrth Bennet until she sees who her Mr Darcy is.

Brodie is nobodys idea of Mr Darcy as a tattooed metal band rockstar and yet that is the role he is going to play in the Austen town festival.

I liked the relationship between the two. Vivian came out of her shell and Brodie discovered who he really could be outside of the shadow of his mother and brother.

The Pride and Prejudice stuff didn't get in the was of the romance between the two. The secondary characters' brief appearance were enjoyable.

I would be open to checking out another book by this author.

This is also a streamy, descriptive book.

The book>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC.

The Worst Darcy is my first heterosexual contemporary romance novel, and I couldn’t have picked a better book to introduce me to a whole new genre.

The word I would use to describe this book is perfectly nice. Meant in the most positive way possible. The characters and story was beautiful and there was no ugly conflict between the two characters failing in love. Vivian and Brodie were two mature adults and acted like it, they acknowledged their baggage and grew as people together. I finished the book in one day because I didn’t need to step away due to the subject matter being sad or intense. So describing this book as nice is a massive compliment.

That being said, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any substance, there definitely was. The complex relationship with family that both Vivian and Brodie had was a big part of the story and their character; showing how they grew up, and made you question how they turned out to be so lovely. And let’s not mention the beautiful character of Brodie. He was such a positive male character with such self awareness, it was a delight to read.

The story flowed perfectly, all chapters or scenes contributed to the story and character development.

I couldn’t recommend this book enough.

* single mom/ reformed bad boy
* dual pov
* small town romance
* forced proximity
* spice is pretty consistent after 65%

Vivian is a single mum who wants to be known for more than being an extension of her son and ex so she volunteers to play Lizzie Bennet in the annual Jane Austen festival.

When plans change and Mr. Darcy is recast Vivian and her preconceived ideas for this year’s festival go out the window when the blond bad boy of the town with the tattoos and nipple piercings joins the cast as their Mr. Darcy.

Brodie is a reformed bad boy who is still perceived as a mess by his family and the town, so he takes his brothers spot in the reenactment reluctantly and decides he’s 100% in and will be the best damn Darcy Austen has ever seen just to prove his mother wrong.

The book goes through the major acts of p&j and the mcs role throughout the festival, while showing the relationship between Vivian and Brodie develop from friends to lovers paralleling the script. I loved seeing how their own views of themselves changed as the story progressed, you could see the shift and them truly finding themselves in the midst of falling for each other.

This book was an easy read and Brodie was the perfect Darcy imo. I loved seeing the good co parenting in this book between Sam and Viv. I did think there was going to be a bit more expansion on Viv’s family since her reluctance to dtr stemmed a lot from them but it never came. I need another book about Renee or Ethan the little epilogue wasn’t enough for me.

Be warned there is mentions of monster smut in relation to what the fmc likes to read and their members.


Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Jen De Luca meets Jane Austen and I‘m here for it! I read the blurb and immediately was hooked.

Vivian Trent is a single mom who lives in Austen, Ontario. She wants to finally be recognized as town member, so she volunteers as Lizzy Bennet in the town’s annual AustenWorld festival. She‘s prepared, she‘s fierce, she‘s determined… she‘s paired with a blond Darcy. Brodie Bishop is Austen‘s very own bad boy and he‘s Darcy. Let the festival begin.

If you love Pride and Prejudice, this may be just for you. I loved the parallels between the original they reenact and their own story. The characters are top notch. Seriously, Brodie possibly is the best male protagonist I‘ve read this year!

There are amazing swoony scenes- both regency style and contemporary.
Their chemistry was sizzling and the found family trope in this one was so cute!

Disclaimer: It really is spicy and steamy. So if you like that: go for it. If you can‘t handle spice you may want to skip this, or only read until a certain point. One thing that wasn‘t for me: Vivian‘s guilty pleasure are Monster Romances. I leave you with that information. Some of Brodie‘s relationships were not fully developed, but maybe there‘s more to come from the Bishop family?!

I loved Austen and all its residents, it reminded me of Stars Hollow and the idea of the Austen festival and reenactment of Pride and Prejudice was superb. A delightful summer read!

Sweet, spicy and an easy read!

Read for: dual POV, small town, reformed bad boy, single mum, spicy

3.5 stars
3 spice
3 fluff

“They don’t know me. Outside the band, it felt like nobody really did.”

In The Worst Darcy, we meet Brodie and Vivian, both struggling to find their place in Austen. Vivian has been living in Austen for a few years but has struggled to find connection to the town or its people. Brodie is a reformed bad boy whose family won’t let him forget his youthful misadventures.

Vivian had to work through her own misconceptions of Brodie as he challenged what her pre-conceived idea of a leading man was. I loved seeing Brodie and V’s love story grow, as they both accepted each other exactly as they were, while changing how they saw themselves.

“When are you going to let the past die? I’m not sixteen anymore”

Speaking of the past, The Worst Darcy is set against the backdrop of a retelling of Pride and Prejudice. It was such an interesting plot device and added an extra element to the story. I’ve not seen this done much in books and found it really well done in this story.

“We’re adults, V. Talk to me.”

Brodie, oh Brodie. I really appreciate a well-rounded hero who has his own life and is a good example of a grown adult. I appreciated that he pushed Vivian to talk to him and wanted to work through their problems. He wanted her in his life, and he made plans for it to happen – yes!

I was a bit disappointed that we got hints of V’s difficult relationship with her family but didn’t see many examples of this, except flashbacks. The relationship between Sam and Vivian was brilliant – it was so refreshing to see a healthy example of co-parenting.

“I could do weird,” he said in a deep, almost whispery voice.

Oh, can you do weird, Brodie. The spice was SPICY and unexpected. Vivian’s eventual acceptance of her sexuality made me want to cheer and Brodie’s complete lack of embarrassment for her kinks was refreshing. He just rolled with it and even encouraged V to find what worked for her. All encounters were consensual and healthy, with hints of kink.

“But Mrs. Bishop was no Lady Catherine. She was just a petty woman who wanted to hurt her family”
I loved the conflict and loved the way the main character resolved it. Brodie really showed his maturity and Vivian showed her backbone. I thought it was going to be more Vivian running scared, but I felt my respect for her really increase when she stood up for Brodie.

Overall, a really good read. Nothing too hard hitting but isn’t that what we love about a bit of romance!

All views are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the Advance Reading Copy!

5 Stars, 2.5 🌶
Dual POV, First Person, Small Town, Bad Boy/Single Mum, Forced Proximity.

Vivian takes on the role of Elizabeth Bennet in her small towns annual Jane Austen festival, in an attempt to win over the residents that have ignored her for the past 4 years. Instead of the festivals usual beloved hero playing Mr Darcy, this year his bad boy brother Brodie takes on the role, much to the disappointment of both Vivian, and his mother.

Both Vivian and Brody had difficult relationships with their families, and both were working towards the same goal of changing how the residents of Austen perceive them.
I absolutely loved Brodie, he was so open to everything about Vivian, including her 5 year old Son. The relationship between Vivian and her sons dad Sam was also super refreshing to read, it's not often that there is such a good relationship between co-parents in romance books.
The setting felt different to other books I've read, and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters.

Highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Very cute, easy read! (With some great spice!)

I really enjoyed the progression of the relationship between our two MCs. I also really liked that their experience with the festival, along with their growing relationship, helped them both start to change the way they saw themselves. They both were more and deserved more than they originally thought of themselves. I do think more could have been shown between the FMC and her family, especially towards the end of the book, since they were the main cause of her insecurities. It was nice to see the MMC at least repair one damaged familial relationship, though more could have been included on his side too.
I did love seeing such a strong bond and friendship between the FMC and her ex. I wish that there would have been more scenes between them and their new significant others and their son.