A Certain Appeal

•Well-written, fun read!• So when I initially saw the description for this book, I anticipated something different, overall I think my biggest takeaway is that while I DID enjoy the book, I personally didn’t feel it was a romance novel. It definitely had aspects of romance but the overall tone to the book was about Bennet, her life, overcoming hurdles and growing as a person. While not a bad thing, I was under the impression the book was in fact a romance and was left disappointed by the lack thereof. All that aside, it’s a very well written story with a fantastic and whimsically charming cast of characters that surround Bennett. I was especially invested in and absolutely loved Jane and Charles’ love story. I found myself wishing throughout that they had their own book. Well written, fun read and while I did have some parts that I wish were more prevalent, it was worth the read.

This book is one of the best retellings of the classic book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King gives the classic tale a modern and risque twist by setting the book in a Burlesque theater in New York City. It’s such a fun book, with plenty of banter between Bennet and Darcy. Liz Bennet is a stage kitten at a Burlesque theater in New York City. After her design career was derailed in California, she fled to New York and met up with her friend Jane who is a singer at the theater. Liz works by day as an administrative assistant for a tech firm, and by night she picks up the strewn-off clothing of the performers at the theater. One night, a particularly handsome man, Darcy, and his friend Charles visit the theater and Liz feels a connection with Darcy from the stage. But, later she overhears him telling Charles that she is merely tolerable, and her disdain for Darcy fights with her overwhelming attraction for him. When her best friend Jane, falls hard for Darcy’s friend Charles, Liz finds herself meeting up with Darcy and her attraction gets stronger. I just loved this book, I really enjoyed learning about the burlesque scene in New York City and this re-telling was excellent. The author does an excellent job of modernizing the classic tale, and the characters of Liz and her “family” at Merryton (the burlesque venue) are a fantastic fresh take on the classic tale. The dialogue is excellent. The banter between Liz and Darcy is so well done and hilarious at times. Also, the relationship between Liz and Jane is so sweet. The pacing is also well done, I went through this book so fast, I couldn’t wait to see what the authors take on the classic tale would take. One spot of criticism is the cover. Although beautiful, I don’t think it gives even a clue as to what the story is about or even the tone of the story. I highly recommend this book especially to anyone who loves the classic tale. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.