Monday, November 4, 2013

Blog Tour: Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey, Review



Attempting Elizabeth
by Jessica Grey 
Now Available!!!
Attempting Elizabeth on Goodreads here.
Synopsis:
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.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B & N

My Thoughts:
Great, fresh contemporary retelling!

I really enjoyed Attempting Elizabeth, it was nice reading from Kelsey's point of view because I think she and I are in very similar positions in life, so she was a relatable character to me. Plus, my best friend is VERY similar to Tori, in her persistence to set me up haha. This was a fast read for me and it made for a great escape (it was a nice reprieve from all the heavy angst-ridden titles I've been reading lately).

One of my favourite parts of Attempting Elizabeth was the way Jessica twisted events around for Kelsey and Mark's first meeting so that Kelsey was the arrogant one, caught bad-mouthing him (it was perfect!) The progression of the relationship between these two was a bit slower than I would have liked, but I enjoyed the challenges they both posed for each other.

Mark is a fantastic leading man. I loved his confidence and easy nature. Plus who doesn't love a man with an accent? Am I right? haha :) I think the only thing that irked me about him (and this is going to sound so superficial) was that he isn't very tall, now I know this is realistic and awful for me to point out, but I must say I think tall men are sexy! haha

Overall Attempting Elizabeth is a great contemporary new adult title that is loosely based on one of Austen's classics and I would definitely recommend you give this one a shot!

Happy Reading!!!
About the Author:
Jessica 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.
Connect with Jessica: 

Special thanks to Jessica and Xpresso Books Tours for allowing me to participate in this tour!

2 comments:

  1. I've been hearing a lot about this Mark fella! :) Glad you liked it, Hayley! Great review!

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  2. Thanks for the great review! I am glad you enjoyed Attempting Elizabeth (and Mark)!

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