August 1, 2009
Paranormal/Historical Romance
320 pages, paperback
Sourcebooks Landmark
I knew nothing about Mr. Darcy, Vampyre when I received the book besides the fact that it has a really cool cover and title, which suggests Mr. Darcy is in for some fun things. I could hardly wait to see what type of vampire Mr. Darcy would be.
As I eagerly started the book, we find Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth on their wedding day – happy and a whole lifetime together to look forward to. During the post wedding ceremony celebrations, Elizabeth notices dark shadows cross Darcy’s face and his mood swings from elated to somber in an instant. Elizabeth wonders if maybe he is regretting the marriage as a dread falls over them. However, he reassures her he most definitely loves her and a wary Elizabeth and him depart for their honeymoon.
They stop at an Inn on the way to Paris on their wedding night. As Elizabeth writes a letter to her sister Jane, waiting for Darcy to show up in her bedroom, she falls asleep and he never comes. This becomes a daily occurrence – weeks go by and Darcy never comes to Elizabeth’s room at night. Elizabeth becomes quite frustrated and one night decides it is time for her to do the seducing. She goes to his room, but he is not there. She notices his bedroom window is open and as she goes to close it, there is a bat outside. When she returns to her bedroom, Darcy is in there, with her window open. Aha! A clue! Unfortunately for Lizzie, he gives her a peck on the cheek and leaves.
From here, the story is pretty much the same. Elizabeth is worried Darcy regrets the marriage and many times there are hints that Darcy may not be entirely human. They travel to Paris, to the Alps and then to Italy. Along the way friends slip and mention things that Darcy did hundreds of years ago or relations live in gothic styled houses and wear outdated clothing. At first it was fun to try to figure out the rules of this world and who was a vampire and who was in on the secret. After awhile I would have liked to see the plot move forward. I do have to say, Amanda Grange writes the description of the scenery beautiful and leaves out no details when describing the different places Elizabeth and Darcy stay.
We see a very brief glimpse of the villain in the second half of the book and he doesn’t make a strong appearance until very near the end. I think this book would have benefited from more suspense. Based on the title, the reader knows Darcy is a vampire, even though it is not truly confirmed until the end of the book. If the villain was introduced earlier in the story, it would have added another layer of tension that would have enhanced the story.
The ending rebounded a bit. Finally Elizabeth showed some spunk, reminiscent of her character in Pride and Prejudice. Darcy shows his true vampire side, something I would have loved to see more throughout the book. The action and pace pick up and the ending was a bit of a surprise.
Rating: 2 Stars
For more about Amanda Grange, visit her site HERE.
Interesting review, though I avoid all "takes" of popular works of literature like the plague. P&P was the beginning and the end. I don't want to read someone else's idea of what happens after they're married. Nothing personal, just prefer to stick with the original :)
Sounds like fun. I would love to read this one. My beloved Darcy a vampire?! How can one resist that
Good review but it doesn't really sound like my kinda read since I lean towards wanting more action and suspense. Thanks for the review.
Great review. I'm not sure if I'm going to like it because I get bored pretty quickly if there's no action or suspense. But I'm gonna read it anyway just for the sake of the darling Mr. Darcy! (:
Thanks for the review, you probably saved me a read. I like a lot of suspense.
Good review. I've been wanting this one but now am afraid I'll spend most of the book "skimming" to the interesting parts (which is what I'm doing with the book I'm reading now!)
Great review – although I am not sure I will be grabbing it any time soon. From the plot alone, it sounds like something I might read… but not with P&P characters. I am fine with fanfiction – and that is so what this is – but some classics, I feel, should remain untouched.
How lucky you already got this book! Although from your review, it sounds like a bit of a drag. I hate it when books get repetitive and the characters can't figure out what's going on. Since the title is Mr Darcy, Vampyre, I was imagining that it would feature more about Darcy being a vampire all through the story.
I kind of wonder why using Darcy and Elizabeth for this book was necessary–marketing? It sounds like the author could have just as easily made up characters from the time period and the story would have been the same.
Excellent review but confirms my feeling that I'll give this one a miss. Thanks for being honest in your review! Just not my tastes!
Stacy – I know where you are coming from:) There is nothing like the original:)
Blodeuedd – I just wish we could have seen him as a vamp more!!
Donna – Yes, not so much action. Of course, P&P wasn't action either:)
Hilda – I would love to hear your thoughts!
FG – if you are looking for suspense, I would say it is not quite there.
Patti – Hmm…what book are you reading now? :)
Kay – yes, that seems to be a majority opinion
Heidenkind – I think of anyone in literary history, Darcy was a good choice:) But…I just wish the vampire parts were in there more.
Alaine – Thanks for stopping by:)
Great honest review hon!!! I do love the cover… but I agree with you with the drawn out parts. We know the characters to be smart… so why does it take so long to figure things out. But, then does it make for good marketing?? One has to ask!
But none of the less.. great review!!
Intersting to make the infamous Mr. Darcy a vampyre… I have to ask WWJAD (what would Jane Austin Do)with this kind of story. Sounds better than Clueless :)
Great review!
Must admit I was intrigued by the title and cover but maybe the content doesn't quite live up to the packaging.