NEW RELEASE
A Weekend with Mr Darcy - Victoria Connelly (2010)
Katherine Roberts and Robyn Love have both had disastrous love lives. While Katherine has had a string of bad relationships, Robyn has been stuck in an unhappy one for as long as she can remember and she doesn't know how to escape it. So when the two of them head off for a weekend at a Jane Austen conference, neither of them expects anything but lectures and Austen-related gatherings. Katherine is speaking at the conference but secretly hopes that her favourite author Lorna Warwick will be at the conference. She has little hope though, as Lorna is a very private person - not even making any public appearances to promote her books. Robyn, on the other hand, is looking to find a little bit of peace while she decides what to do about her boyfriend, Jace. However, that isn't too easy to do when Jace decides to tag along and stay at a local B&B. Little do they know that the weekend has a lot more in store for them than either could have ever expected, which all adds up to some life-changing decisions. This is filled to the brims with complex relationships that mirror some of the characters from Austen's novels. It's a sweet novel, with characters who are lovable and down to earth. However, it does seem at times as though there are too many things packed into one weekend. About halfway through the book, it seems as though a week has gone by but it's only been one day. Other than that, it's a book that is recommended whether you love Jane Austen and fantasise about your own Mr Darcy or not. (AS)
The tagline of Victoria Connelly's first title in a trilogy about Jane Austen addicts, A Weekend with Mr Darcy, has the tagline: First impressions can last a lifetime. The summary says: "Katherine Roberts is fed up with men. As a lecturer specialising in the works of Jane Austen, she knows that the ideal man only exists within the pages of Pride & Prejudice and that in real life there is no such thing. Determined to go it alone, she finds all the comfort she needs reading her guilty pleasure - regency romances from the pen of Lorna Warwick - with whom she has now struck up an intimate correspondence. Austen fanatic Robyn Love is blessed with a name full of romance but her love life is far from perfect. Stuck in a rut with a bonehead boyfriend Jace, and a job she can do with her eyes shut - her life has hit a dead end. Robyn would love to escape from it all but wouldn't know where to start. They both decide to attend the annual Jane Austen Conference at sumptuous Purley Hall, overseen by the actress and national treasure, Dame Pamela Harcourt. Robyn is hoping to escape from Jace for the weekend and indulge in her passion for all things Austen. Katherine is hoping that Lorna Warwick will be in attendance and is desperate to meet her new best friend in the flesh. But nothing goes according to plan and Robyn is aghast when Jace insists on accompanying her, whilst Katherine is disappointed to learn that Lorna won't be coming. However, an Austen weekend wouldn't be the same without a little intrigue, and Robyn and Katherine are about to get much more than they bargained for. Because where Jane Austen is concerned, romance is never very far away." The second book is called The Illustrated Darcy.