Compulsively Mr. Darcy by Nina Benneton (check out her writing space guest post) is a modern re-telling of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, but in this rendition, Darcy is not only proud, but he has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). He’s not the only one with control issues, though, with Bingley showing symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and Lizzy Bennet being completely spontaneous and snap in her judgements and decisions. Jane as always is responsible and caring — so much so that she’s taken over the running of a local orphanage in Vietnam, while her sister works at the local hospital treating patients with infectious diseases for free. While selfless, both Bennets have particular prejudice against those who waste their money, and Lizzy is the most vocal about the rich tourists and their egotistical ways.
“‘I’ve been doing yoga for a while. I bet I can keep my balance on that bicycle,’ Bingley said.
Behind closed eyelids, Darcy’s eyes attempted a roll. He hoped the bouncy Tigger next to him had remembered to take his daily Ritalin. He didn’t feel up to dealing with an impulsive Bingley.
‘I’ll be right back.’ Bingley leaped out of the car before anyone could stop him.” (page 3 of ARC)
Benneton’s wise-cracking and dry humor is delightful as Darcy and Bingley bumble their way through Vietnam as tag-a-longs with the Hursts who are seeking the latest rage in high society –to adopt a third-world child — and climb the social ladder. The first meeting between Lizzy and Darcy is not pleasant and some presumptions are made by Lizzy about Darcy and Bingley’s relationship. Although the original meetings and situations from Austen’s work are altered, there are brief nods to the famous writer in the dialogue between Darcy and Lizzy. The chemistry between Darcy and Lizzy heats up once the misconceptions Lizzy and Darcy have about one another are quickly dispatched, but there are other obstacles to test their whirlwind relationship, especially from family members Richard, Anne, and Catherine.
Some may find the sex scenes a little too detailed, but they certainly heat up the tension between the lovers as they come to know one another better and stumble along the way. Benneton’s Lizzy and Darcy still fail to trust and must build it from the ruins of misconception, but they are stronger for it. Benneton showcases her wit in this rendition of the Darcy and Lizzy love story, and the additional behavioral disorders of the main heroes was entertaining. More than a love story, Compulsively Mr. Darcy is about loving someone faults and all, accepting and not changing who they are, and growing together in love. Steamy, sexy, and fun, it will have readers giggling and blushing at the same time.
***As a side note, it had me wondering about how Benneton knew about the differences in tonal language between Vietnamese and English; she explained it so well, I learned something new. ***
About the Author:
Nina Benneton was a scientist on her way to save the world and win a Nobel Prize in something, anything, when a rare-bird enthusiast nut whisked her off her restless feet. A flock of beautiful children and a comfy nest kept Nina contented in domestic bliss until one day, she woke up and saw that she was too obsessed with alphabetizing her spices and searching for stray Barbie shoes.
Find her on Facebook, Website, and Austen Authors. Her book is also on GoodReads.
This is my 8th book for the 2012 New Authors Challenge.
I call this Jane Austen writing space. The family refers to this as Mama’s throne, my Jane Austen writing space in one corner of the family room. On that round table there, I keep whatever reference books I need for the novel I’m working on (three novels concurrently). Six feet to the left of my chair, a piano sits, convenient for me to Tiger-mother-supervise daily piano practice while I’m writing. To the right of my chair is a large, flat-screen TV that’s rarely on, thank goodness. Diagonal from my chair is a large sectional couch where my husband sits and practices his guitar, and where my kids read or play games (and make too much noise). My favorite and best writing time is in the morning, when I wake up at 3:30 AM to get some writing done right in this chair, and the room is quiet and empty. I get the majority of my fresh writing done until 6:00 AM, when the family wakes up. On the weekends, it’s golden because they don’t get up until 9AM or later and I can actually get 6 hours in. I go to bed two hours after the children do, at 10:00PM (after I sneak in some editing or working on writing classes’ assignments).
I call this my Virginia Woolf space. My writing office is off the master bedroom, on the other side of the house, away from the family room. Because I don’t want to isolate myself physically from my family, I’m rarely in here. When I need absolute silence to concentrate, I come here. My family is very good about respecting my time in here and only bother me if they absolutely cannot find the milk on the fridge shelf right in front of their noses, or if they can’t tell if the dishwasher is dirty or clean, or if someone is calling someone a naughty name.
I call this writing space my Blue Highways space (since William Least Heat-Moon space is too much of a mouthful). I have my daughter’s old pink Princess laptop pillow in the backseat of the van. (Not enough space for my laptop behind the steering wheel). When my kids are at ballet or soccer or swimming practice, I’m in the backseat of the van in the parking lot working on my writing. I go to performances and games, but during practice times, even if it’s only fifteen or twenty minutes in the parking lot, I steal for my writing.
Mailbox Mondays has gone on tour since Marcia at A Girl and Her Books, formerly The Printed Page passed the torch. This month’s host is the 
