MR DARCY'S BITE BY MARY LYDON SIMONSEN - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY

To combine the Regency with  parallel paranormal worlds has become a steady and successful reality it seems. Mashup they are called in the fan fiction market and they appeal to both readers who even happen to ignore who Jane Austen was and what her world was like as well as Janeites fond of gothic tales. Will the mashup trend also win new fans over and bring them to read Austen novels? I really hope so.
Mary Lydon Simonsen, after publishing more traditional sequels to Pride and Prejudice like Searching for Pemberley and The Perfect Bride for Mr Darcy,  decided to have a try at writing an original paranormal novel following the trend of "Mr. Darcy, Vampyre" by Amanda Grange (35,000 copies sold!).  The result is this fresh diverting story in which the characters of Pride and Prejudice quite naturally interact with the mysterious and fascinating world of werewolves. 

"As soon as he saw the fire and candles, he froze, and Lizzy froze as well. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning the room, and her heart went into her throat. She barely managed to croak out, "Mr Darcy, it is Elizabeth". But rather than her voice reassuring him, and he told her to come into the light. "What are you doing here?" he asked in an emotionless voice that contrasted sharply with the fire in his eyes. "I'm very sorry, sir. I have made a mistake." She started t walk backwards, but before she could reach the door, he grabbed her roughly by her arm. Now she was truly frightened. "(p. 58)

Mr Darcy with a lean and hungry look ? You can bet on  that.
However, before I go further on, you must know that  I'm not a fan of paranormal, gothic, horror, mystery, ghost stories. I avoid reading them as much as I can. Moreover, I have never read a mash-up of this kind,  combining Austen characters with paranormal events and characters. Hence, you're not going to read the opinions of an expert or of a fan.

That said,  if someone picks up this novel expecting  Darcy to be a steamy, beasty  werewolf, they will be disappointed with the very sober scenes in which they will learn that Darcy is definitely able to resist his strong instincts. He is an "almost" perfect gentleman, as he "almost" always was. Darcy is here strong tempered, sexy and romantic at the same time. He must disappear every month for a couple of days for there is no denying that the full moon seems to be affecting his behaviour and  Elizabeth's love is going to be tested in ways she never dreamed ...
This time Darcy has more than family pride to protect: he is also the leader of a pack and is responsible for others of his kind.
Elizabeth has got a charming gorgeous rival in Lady Helen and this makes everything spicier: Lady Helen seems determined to get Darcy all for herself. After the initial shocking discovery about Darcy's past and present hidden nature,  Lizzy is puzzled and frightened but she will react and fight back because she doesn't want to lose the man she loves either. She will fight back with her smart wit and her ingenuity.

I especially liked Mary Lydon Simonsen's humorous style.  She is good with words and there are very amusing pages in this novel, for instance those describing Elizabeth and Darcy engaged in  their inevitable skirmishes. It is a delightful paranormal romance that will appeal to mashup fans and to those loving Austen sequels with a new take on familiar events. 

The official date for the release of Mr Darcy's Bite is October 4th. Tomorrow! You'll find it in Paperback  or Kindle edition

GIVEAWAY TIME !!! Leaving your comments to this post  + your e-mail address you can have the chance to win a copy of Mr Darcy's Bite granted by Sourcebooks to My Jane Austen Book Club  and its readers. This giveaway contest is limited to US & Canada only and ends on October 10th.