Definitely Not Mr. Darcy
by Karen Doornebos

There’s no place for pride in this Austen misadventure.

Chloe Parker was born two centuries too late. A thirty-nine-year-old divorced mother, she runs her own antique letterpress business, is a lifelong member of the Jane Austen Society, and gushes over everything Regency. But her business is failing, threatening her daughter’s future. What’s a lady to do?

Why, audition for a Jane Austen-inspired TV show set in England, of course.

What Chloe thinks is a documentary turns out to be a reality dating show set in 1812. Eight women are competing to snare Mr. Wrightman, the heir to a gorgeous estate, along with a $100,000 prize. So Chloe tosses her bonnet into the ring, hoping to transform from stressed-out Midwest mom to genteel American heiress and win the money. With no cell phones, indoor plumbing, or deodorant to be found, she must tighten her corset and flash some ankle to beat out women younger, more cutthroat, and less clumsy than herself. But the witty and dashing Mr. Wrightman proves to be a prize worth winning, even if it means the gloves are off...

Other Books by Karen Doornebos

Undressing Mr. Darcy

Karen Doornebos' Bio

Photo by Pete Stenberg

Once an award-winning copywriter for brands such as Diet Coke and Johnnie Walker, I switched to tea with my debut novel, Definitely Not Mr. Darcy. I graduated with honors in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lived and worked in London. That inspired the book, but the reality of life in a Chicago suburb with my husband, my son, daughter, and various pets provided the opportunity to write it.

I’m sampling candy cane martinis and wassail for my next book, Christmas on the Rocks.