Not Exactly Mr Darcy + Giveaway

Pride, Pemberley, and Second Chances

When history-loving Olivia Bennett’s teaching contract isn’t renewed, she is considered her family’s logical choice to care for her ailing grandmother in a tiny English village. While there, she soon finds additional work at nearby Hartbury Hall—one of England’s great houses once used as Pemberley in a filmed production of Pride and Prejudice. The head gardener there, however, proves to be anything but the gentlemanly hero of that famous book.

Little does she know that behind Liam Browne’s brusque exterior is both a family tragedy and a legacy that demands truth and honor, creating a crisis that only Liv’s vivacious determination can resolve. Along the way, she may just learn that appearances count for naught. . .and that love can be found in unexpected ways.

My Review:

I love finding a good title/cover art tie in to a book and does Miller ever deliver that with her first Silver Teapot Series! I actually got a shivery thrill when I saw that cover scene play out and when I read ‘not exactly Mr Darcy’ right on the page! Eeeeppp!!! Is it weird that I get giddy over little details like that? Probably, but it really does tie all the elements of a story together and I appreciate that level of attention to detail.

And, really, what’s not to love about a contemporary romance with an Austenish flare? Not a retelling, per say, more like Pride and Prejudice adjacent. While visiting her grandmother in England, history loving Liv becomes involved in the restoration of a heritage manor house. The exact house that just happened to be made famous in a P&P dramatization. In the process she clashes with the gruff (squealll…grumpy hero alert!) gardener she has an unfortunate encounter with on the grounds.

And that’s when the fun really begins….lots of drama too! Because, no surprise, Liam and Liv tend to clash…a lot. She’s a force of nature with an unlimited imagination and tons of marketing ideas for the property. Ideas which mean change, and change isn’t something Liam is comfortable with.

This is an almost enemies to more trope with a s-l-o-w build to friendship and a reluctant attraction that neither Liam nor Liv want to act on. So, lots of delicious romantical longing that kept me eagerly turning pages.

Tons of wonderful secondary characters encourage (and discourage) our hero and heroine in different ways, adding lots of depth to the story. Emotions run deep and issues need to be faced and worked through before Liam and Liv have a hope of achieving that storybook happily ever which makes for an exquisite reading experience.

26 thoughts on “Not Exactly Mr Darcy + Giveaway”

  1. I think of Carolyn Miller first as a Regency author , but she’s branched out so much lately.  It sounds like this is a hybrid between her Regencies and her contemporary novels.  Either way, it sounds most interesting!

    perrianne ( DOT) askew ( AT) me ( DOT) com

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  2. Hey Kav, I’ve not read any of Miller’s contemporary books! This sounds like a good one to start with as the traditional Regency is my favorite genre 🙂 TY for the opportunity to win your gently read copy.

    Blessings for a lovely Christmas!!!

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  3. You know I’m all in on cover love! It’s even better when after reading the book you can go back and see how the cover ties in so seamlessly with the story. And yes, I always go back and look for the clues to the story within the cover picture.

    NOT EXACTLY MR DARCY sounds like an amazing fun book to read. Love it when characters clash and then slowly work their way to more and more. It’s almost like a second, third and fourth chance story with one right after the other instead of separated by time span. Can’t wait for the opportunity to read Liam and Liv’s story as well as meeting their friends. Thank you so much for the amazing chance to win a copy!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  4. This is one book that is on the tippy-top of my book wishlist!! Your review sealed my desire to want to read it even more 😊

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

    P.S. I don’t know if you remember me telling you that I actually met Carolyn & her husband Josh when she did an American book signing tour and came to a bookstore that was only a couple of hours away from me (April 2019). That was so thrilling!! Her and her husband are the sweetest people I’ve ever meet ☺️

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  5. I do have some of Carolyn Miller’s books but as of yet haven’t read them. I looked her up and she has quite a lot of books I’d love to read. So count me in on this one too.

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  6. I’ve been wanting to read one of Carolyn Miller’s contemporary books and haven’t had the chance yet. This sounds like an excellent start! And I too love when those little details pop up on the page!!

    dmandres5 at gmail dot com

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  7. I haven’t read any of Carolyn Miller’s contemporary novels but enjoyed some of her regency books. I’m drawn to Not Exactly Mr. Darcy because of the cover and title. It sounds like a great book.

    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. I’ve read a few of her hockey romances but I’m not a huge sports fan so I haven’t made those series a priority which is silly of me since I have enjoyed the ones I did read. 🙂 Good luck, Patty!

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