Confession time…I have a soft spot for Pride and Prejudice re-imaginings. I have read a lot of them. Some are good, some are terrible, and some are worthy of being their own story. Haunting Mr. Darcy by KaraLynne Macrory is one of the latter.

 

The paranormal aspect of this story caught my interest because it’s so different from so many P&P retellings. I wondered how the author would do it while keeping the characters true to Austen’s original Darcy and Elizabeth. I’m happy to say, she succeeded in  so many ways!

The story starts after Darcy and Elizabeth have met and Darcy has returned to London. If you don’t know the basics of P&P then you are reading the wrong blog today! This book is inspired by one of the greatest books of all time, people! If you haven’t read it…well, just go and read it so we can be friends. Even if you don’t like it we can be friends, but it is a book every female should read at some point in their life! Okay, rant over…I’m calming down.

Haunting Mr. Darcy starts with Elizabeth still disliking Darcy and him trying to forget her. When she gets into a carriage accident somehow her spirit is stuck with Darcy (at least within a certain distance of him and no one can see or hear her but him). First they both think they are going crazy. My favorite part of the book is Darcy trying to ignore ‘ghost’ Elizabeth while she attempts to draw his attention and embarrass him in front of his family and friends. Of course, being stuck with him day in and out, Elizabeth starts to realize just the type of man Darcy really is and begins to fall for him. Once Darcy is convinced Elizabeth is real, they attempt to reunited her spirit and body, but that isn’t as easy as it seems.

I loved so much about this book. The dialogue was fantastic and not too cheesy. The relationship was real, they got frustrated with each other and suffered misunderstandings. There was a great development in the depth of feeling between Darcy and Elizabeth. All the characters were really true to Austen’s original. I liked that the problem wasn’t simply solved. Mostly, I loved how the author made me feel for the characters and want their happy ending. If you are a fan of P&P fan-fiction then this one is for you. If you loved the original but have never read a ‘what if’ version then this would be a great one to start on. I cannot say enough good about Macrory’s work! Happy, happy reading with this one!