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Kelsey Edmundson is a geek and proud of it. She makes no secret of her love for TV, movies, and--most especially--books. After a bad breakup, she retreats into her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, wishing she had some of the wit and spirit of Elizabeth Bennett.
One night at a party, Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.
After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?
As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.
Welcome to my stop on the Attempting Elizabeth blog tour!
Confession #1: I have never read Pride and Prejudice. I've started it a half-dozen times, but I've never really understood the hype.
Confession #2: I love--LOVE--Australian accents.
Confession #3: I'm a sucker for time travel/historical fiction romance.
Jessica Gray's Attempting Elizabeth is a quick, fun read that meets two of my guilty pleasures; I didn't care that it referenced a book that I hadn't read.
Kelsey is a girl after my own heart: she is a total nerd who prefers to stay home and read a good book than to hit the bars until all hours of the night. She's endearingly awkward around Mark, and I couldn't get enough of their accidental run-ins; I would have loved to read more of these conversations.
I've often wondered what it would be like to enter the world of one my favorite books. I would totally be friends with Eleanor & Park. I know I'd end up a tribute in The Hunger Games. And be placed in Hufflepuff at Hogwarts.
So I loved reading about Kelsey's experience within Pride and Prejudice, her own favorite book.
How cool would it be to wake up with your favorite characters? (So cool!) How crazy would you think yourself? (So crazy!) Is it surprising that Kelsey thinks that she's gone insane? (So not surprising!)
The transitions between the real world and the book world were done well; even though the audience didn't have all of the information about how it was happening, it made sense within the story itself.
If you're looking to snuggle up with a book, give this one a shot.
About the AuthorJessica Grey is an author, fairytale believer, baseball lover, and recovering Star Wars fangirl. A life-long Californian, she now lives in Montana with her husband and two children, where she spends her time writing, perfecting the fine art of preschooler-wrangling, and drinking way too much caffeine.
