A Weekend with Mr Darcy

By Victoria Connelly

‘What a story!!! I loved it all …. The characters, the settings, I felt like I was just there seeing it all take place. Wonderful!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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…

A romance-filled page-turner for any Austen fanatic who’s ever dreamt of spending a weekend with Mr Darcy…

Readers are swept swept away by A Weekend with Mr Darcy:

‘What an amazing book. I could not put it down, I even found myself reading on the move.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I loved this book so much I've now bought the rest of the series. A brilliant holiday read, even if you're not a Jane Austin fan you'll love these books.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was going through a very stressful time and needed a bit of escapism. This book fit the bill! Romantic, funny and plenty of stuff about Jane Austen. It is the perfect stress buster!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘The story captivated me from the start and I couldn't put it down.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Excellent for those of us that like all things Darcy – yum!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Sep 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9780007373352

Victoria Connelly

Victoria Connelly was brought up in Norfolk and studied English literature at Worcester University before becoming a teacher in North Yorkshire. After getting married in a medieval castle and living in London for eleven years, she moved to rural Suffolk with her artist husband and ever-increasing family of animals. She has had three novels published in Germany – the first of which was made into a film. To find out more about Victoria Connelly please visit www.victoriaconnelly.com

Reviews for A Weekend with Mr Darcy

[eillinora · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

entertaining read for Janeites :)

[supera710 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a Janeite, but I do love Jane Austin and fan fiction about her novels. A Weekend With Mr Darcy is a light, easy beach read, where the girl gets her hero. I love happy endings!

[rivkabelle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review originally published on my blog AWordsWorth.blogspot.comhe majority of the novel takes place at aweekend-long conference on Jane Austen, hosted by Dame Pamela at her extensive and gorgeous home Purley Hall. The conference is an annual event, with numerous regular attendees who jump at the chance to spend an entire weekend indulging their addiction to all things Austen (including, oh happiness, a costume ball!). With this romantic backdrop, our three main characters: Warwick, Katherine and Robyn find themselves pulled into their very own Jane-worthy romances. But will all end happily ever after, or is that only for the novel world?A Weekend with Mr. Darcy is told in alternating perspective from each of the main three characters, which gives us a unique look at the way their stories develop. Especially the growing relationship between Warwick and Katherine - Warwick has a secret, a BIG secret, that we know but Katherine does not. It makes their interactions very interesting, and leads to some awkward moments. Robyn has awkward moments of her own, as her need-to-break-up-with boyfriend crashes the conference. Multiple times. Even more awkward is that Robyn stands a very real danger of falling head-over-heels for Dame Pamela's younger brother.The best way to sum up this novel is: "the course of true love ne'er did run smooth" - all the right elements are there, but because our characters are human, they make mistakes. Sometimes big ones. Their journey to self-discovery, with the gracious assistance of Dame Pamela and the support of other Jane Austen addicts, is an engaging and entertaining tale. As their self-discovery leads them to new journeys and adventures, things fall into place in a way that even dear Jane would approve of. A fun, light read with just a hint of seriousness to give it flavor. Can't wait to see what the next two installments of the trilogy will be like!

[auntangi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun, quick read...although the abrupt ending seemed a bit unnatural. It is what it is...and I liked it.

[dianaleez · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"A Weekend with Mr. Darcy" sounded promising and at $2 for the Kindle versioln, how can I complain? But although the premise is fun, the book isn't. There's too much background and Jane worship while the very thin plot just sits.

[mt256 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Weekend With Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly appealed to me because 1) the title. Who wouldn't want to spend a weekend with Mr. Darcy? 2)It's a Jane Austen variation. I'm a huge fan of all things Jane. I love reading about people who love her as much as I do.A Weekend With Mr. Darcy is set in modern day during a weekend with a bunch of Jane Austen addicts. There are two story-lines that mingle quite often. The first storyline centers around Dr. Katherine Roberts. She is unlucky in-love and has some trust issues. She's developed a pen-pal relationship/friendship with her favorite author, Lorna Warwick. However Katherine doesn't know that Lorna Warwick is really a man named Warwick Lawton. Warwick has fallen in love with Katherine's letter and decides to attend the Jane Austen weekend in order to finally meet her.The second story-line focuses on Robyn and Dan. Robyn's life is a routine of sorts. She's been with the same man since high school. Robyn doesn't love Jace and is trying to find the courage to break up with him. He follows her to Hampshire and makes a bit of a pest out of himself. Robyn's life gets even more complicated when she meets Dan. Dan is a breath of fresh air that makes Robyn begin to believe in happily ever after.This is a great book to read. I loved it from beginning to end. There are several laugh out loud moments. The characters are well developed and fun to read. The supporting characters are really great also. I loved reading both story-lines. I couldn't get enough. There is a perfect quote on the cover that fits this novel to a T. It says "The course of true love never does run smooth when Jane Austen makes the rules.." Victoria Connelly has a witty sense of humor that translates well onto paper. This book is a total win for me and if you love Jane Austen variations you should check it out. Other reasons to read this book include:1. Undressing Mr. Darcy2. Handsome men on horseback3. Bennets and BonnetsI'm so glad I read this book and I am now Victoria Connelly's newest fan.

[annimaria_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very predictable, but a nice weekend-read anyway - a kind of book you need when there's too much going on in your head.

[aryas_zehral · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book is dire. It tries to comment on Jane Austen and the tie ins to Jane Austen's novels by creating a main character who is an English Lit. Lecturer specialising in Jane Austen but her statements are trite and unoriginal. To make matters worse the three main characters- all from different socio-economic backgrounds and not all the same gender- are virtually indistinguishable. The talk the same. They think the same. It's rather irritating to still be having to work at remembering which is which when there only are three main characters. Furthermore, the book tries to be a bit meta about novels and what makes a good novel- specifically stating the importance of skill and authorial voice in novels- which only highlights the fact that this book is has neither charm nor skill on display. I regret paying for it now. Hopefully this will not set the tone for the rest of the books I read this year.