Me and Mr. Darcy »

Dreams come true in this hilarious, feel-good fairy tale about life, love, and dating literature’s most eligible bachelor!

After a string of disastrous dates, Emily Albright decides she’s had it with modern-day love and would much rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and spend her time with Mr. Darcy, the dashing, honorable, and passionate hero of Jane Austen’s classic. So when her best friend suggests a wild week of margaritas and men in Mexico with the girls, Emily abruptly flees to England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. Far from inspiring romance, the company aboard the bus consists of a gaggle of little old ladies and one single man, Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date.

The last thing Emily expects to find on her excursion is a broodingly handsome man striding across a field, his damp shirt clinging to his chest. But that’s exactly what happens when she comes face-to-face with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. Suddenly, every woman’s fantasy becomes one woman’s reality. . . .

Praise for Me and Mr. Darcy:

“…Unexpectedly charming. . . Me and Mr. Darcy offers a Pride and Prejudice - appropriate surprise. . . it turns out to be one of the wittier of this summer's offerings, not to mention sharp and sad in its observations about what spinsterhood, identity and aging look like for women in 2007.” — Salon

“[Me and Mr. Darcy] takes the reader on an extended daydream with an appropriately pleasant ending. “ — The Indianapolis Star

“Alexandra Potter’s clever comedy, an affectionate celebration of books and readers — and bookstores — might lead you to start browsing those travel websites yourself.”
— The Times- Picayune

“Pure candy for the imagination. . . Ms. Potter has worked literary magic with the creation of Me and Mr. Darcy.” — CoffeeTimeRomance.com

“…Refreshing…” — Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

U.K. author Potter makes her U.S. debut with Emily Albright, 29, a New York bookstore manager, who half-seriously blames Jane Austen's Fitzwilliam Darcy for her abysmal dating life: Darcy sets the bar too high. As Christmas approaches, Emily, to avoid a holiday with co-worker Stella, signs up for a tour of Darcy territory, lighting out, amusingly, with a gaggle of gray-haired Darcy maniacs. As the tour group weaves in and out of Darcy locales, Emily butts heads with Spike Hargreaves, a handsome young journalist interviewing the group. Soon, the jet-lagged, drink-laden Emily finds herself-presto!-time traveling and meeting Mr. Darcy himself, complete with frock coat. As her acquaintance with Darcy deepens, Emily, to her great surprise, finds herself thinking about Spike. Despite the plot's predictability, Potter's chick lit take on Darcy has a refreshing not-trying-to-equal-the-master feel. (July)