Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart Winner

I thought the picture was funny =)

Anywho, the winner of my ARC copy of MR. DARCY BROKE MY HEART is...

Melanie from
Melanie's Musings

Congrats!! I've emailed you already and you have until Thursday, February 25th to email me back. Thanks so much to those that entered. =)

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart [ARC Review] & GIVEAWAY

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart

Beth Pattillo

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: February 2010

Publisher: GuidepostsBooks

Pages: 272

Author Site: http://www.bethpattillo.com/

My Rating: 3.75/5

Source: Received for review from publisher

Synopsis [from goodreads.com]:

Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister's behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn't looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil -- a nice if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice -- in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy -- leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author's own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead.

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn't logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places.

Review:

I'm sure I've said this before, but I'm one of those people who have yet to pick up a book by Jane Austen. And again, I'm not too sure as to why I haven't. I suppose the language of the book scares me away... But anywho, going into this book with Sense and Sensibilites and Sea Monsters [check out my review] being the only Austen-ish book under my belt (in addition to a movie here and there), I have to say my review is probably a little skewed...

With that said... I enjoyed MR. DARCY BROKE MY HEART. I believe if I had read Pride and Prejudice before-hand my opinion of the book would have either been entirely different or more strengthened. Basically I think you'll either really like the book or you won't. In the book, the main character Claire stumbles upon a early version of Pride and Prejudice called First Impressions. Although First Impressions is entirely fictional, it would have been really nice to have the original story in my brain to compare it to. Although, the author does a good job explaining or pointing out the differences as she writes, which I appreciated very much.

As for Claire herself, she was an interesting character. She wasn't an extraordinary character, yet I found her personality very enjoyable. As the story progresses, Claire's life is laid out for the reader to discover bit by bit. This summer symposium at Oxford is an event that forever changes Claire's life and her outlook on life. She discovers what love truly is as she meets a handsome Darcy-like gentleman in Oxford while juggling her current boyfriend who she's been comfortably invovled with for quite some time. She re-evaluates her relationship with her family, especially her sister, and how her personality and lifestyle came to form around others rather than herself. I found MR. DARCY BROKE MY HEART to be a fresh and entertaining read that involved real emotion without the story dragging on and on.

I definitely recommend fans of Jane Austen to give this a try to see if it's your cup o' tea. I think people who have never really read Jane Austen will enjoy it like I did as well.

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

One person will win my gently read ARC copy of Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by simply commenting below with an email address... (no email address = no entry)

Extra Entries:

+2 for following/subscribing the blog.
+2 for following on twitter. (provide your twitter @name)
+1 share this! -sidebar, blog post, twitter, facebook (links required, each link = +1)

Giveaway ends Febrauary 22nd and the winner will be announced February 23rd. US Entries only.

Good luck!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Day 407 - It's Monday

It's Monday! What are you reading this week?, hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog, is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.



Books Gobbled Last Week:
Dhampir :: Barb and J.C. Hendee (4.5/5 stars)
Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart :: Beth Patillo (3.75/5 stars)


Gobbling Down This Week:
Thief of Lives :: Barb and J.C. Hendee



**Sidenotes/FYI**
-Spring semester has started and I transferred to a 4-year University. My classes are harder than I expected and I'm just not happy about that at all. I'll try to keep up with my reading and blogging but I can't afford to let my grades fall...especially since I took out stupid loans for it. *sigh*

Day 399 - Book Arrivals

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From Contests/Giveaways & Misc.:

Post Secret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God :: Frank Warren

(Received for Christmas, thanks Mel)

The PostSecret phenomenon lives on! Frank Warren, “the most trusted stranger in America,” offers the fifth book in his New York Times bestselling series. PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God—born from Warren’s collaboration with the American Visionary Art Museum’s “All Faiths Beautiful” exhibition—is another provocative collection of never-before seen, artistically created postcards from around the world revealing the shocking, soulful or laugh-out-loud funny thoughts and feelings we all share about life’s most profound questions. The original PostSecret was selected by the Los Angeles Times as a Favorite Book of the Year. The postsecret.com website has won numerous Weblog “Bloggie” Awards—including Weblog of the Year and Best American Weblog—a Webby and a People’s Voice Award and receives more than six million visitors a month, proof positive that we live in a PostSecret world!

Immortal: Love Stories With Bite :: P.C. Cast

(Thanks Abigail from All Things Urban Fantasy)

In Immortal: Love Stories With Bite, edited by New York Times bestselling author of the House of Night series P.C. Cast, seven of today’s most popular YA vampire and contemporary fantasy authors offer new short stories that prove when you’re immortal, true love really is forever.

The Calling :: David Mack

(Thanks Cinnamon)

HEAR THE CALLING. No one would guess by looking at Tom Nash that he's extraordinary, and that's just fine with him. A tall, broad-shouldered jack-of-all-trades from Sawyer, Pennsylvania, Tom has a knack for fixing things. He also hides a secret talent: he hears people's prayers. Stranger still, he answers them. Maybe it's because he's a handyman, but Tom feels compelled to fix people's problems. Which is all well and good — until the soul-shattering plea of a terrified girl sends him on the darkest journey of his life…

SEEK THE TRUTH. Heeding the call and leaving his home for New York City, Tom discovers a secret world beyond the range of mortal perception — a world of angels and demons and those who serve them. With the guidance of a knowing stranger named Erin, Tom learns that he himself is one of The Called, born with a divine purpose and a daunting task: to help the powers of Heaven in the war against the agents of Hell, an army of fallen angels known as the Scorned. Thrust into an epic battle of the sacred and the profane, Tom Nash must find the girl who prayed for his help — because her fate will determine whether humanity deserves to be saved, or damned for all eternity…

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart :: Beth Patillo

(Received for review)

Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister's behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austenloving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn't looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil, a niceif a bit negligentsports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudicein which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author's own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn't logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places.

Dino Vicelli: Private Eye :: Lori Wiener

(Received for review)

This story transports the reader to an alternate-reality version of New York City, in which talking dogs interact regularly with humans. The hero, Dino Vicelli, is a private investigator who just happens to be a sharply dressed Italian greyhound with a great fondness for cigars. He takes on what initially appears to be a routine missing person case but soon finds himself in the midst of a sinister plot that involves kidnapping, murder, and bizarre scientific experiments aimed at controlling the world. As he investigates this strange case, Dino repeatedly encounters mortal danger, while also finding romance with a beautiful blonde Afghan dog.
With its unusual twists on the traditional detective story genre, this book blends elements of humor, suspense, and fantasy into a truly unique and entertaining tale.