TIME FRAME: Thanksgiving Day 2013 – New Years Eve 2013
WHY I WANTED TO READ THIS NOVEL:
One of my dearest friends with impeccable taste in literature was over-the-moon-in-love with this book.
It looked like a book filled with all my most favorite things: A Darcy and Elizabeth romance, Christmas, NYC, blind dates, misadventures, matchmaking, and of course…misunderstandings!
WHAT I LOVED:
- A Modern-day Elizabeth and Darcy Original Story: While the formula is basically there and the characters have the same personalities, this story has its own original storyline, which made it full of surprises and not at all predictable! I greatly enjoyed being surrounded by familiar friends, but having no clue where things were heading.
- Christmas + NYC: NYC has got to be one of the best places in the world to be for Christmas, IMO! :) I loved visiting all the famous holiday sites such as Rockefeller Plaza, FAO Schwartz, Madison Square Garden, and Central Park! Mr. Bingley and I went to NYC last year for the Christmas season and were hoping to go this year too, but thanks to Ms. Gardiner, I feel like I really was in NYC for Christmas!
- A Band of True Friends: Loved Liz and Will’s friends in this novel! It was great to see them all participate in the matchmaking and manipulation schemes ;) I also loved the brotherhood of firefighters and seeing how they have such strong care and consideration for each other. Very moving.
- Immerse and Experience: Cat Gardiner cleverly and imaginatively gives readers many ways to connect to the story and her characters. You can follow, read, and comment on Liz’s blog, All I Want For Christmas…, listen to her themed playlist on Spotify, and view her Pinterest inspiration board. I loved seeing the blog posts with comments made by various characters from the book, what a terrific idea!
- Liz Bennet: I adored this character! She is our dear, witty, and teasing Lizzy, but she also has some baggage and scars that have to heal from her first love and serious relationship. I thought her insecurities and lasting hurt from John Lucas and conviction that she is unlucky believable and endearing (first loves and mothers can definitely do a number on you!) Loved that she made lists, got into embarrassing situations, into kick-boxing and had an awesome alter-ego named Black Widow. And I am completely envious of her wardrobe, girl’s got style and taste!
- Will Darcy: Oh my…readers be prepared with fans and chill blasts, because this Darcy is scorchingly hot! ;) Besides being a gorgeous Adonis, this Darcy is a hard-working, compassionate, and considerate man who carries his own baggage and unwarranted guilt for his parents’ death. Darcy is usually in a dark place during the holidays, but when he meets Liz, he falls for her real hard and becomes an adorable mush-pot! I loved seeing him try to continuously wear down her defenses and open her eyes to his real self. I also loved that he was a part-time firefighter, and the date he took Elizabeth on was…just oh-so-perfect!
WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:
Pfft! Are you kidding me? Not. A. Thing
WARNING: Recommended for Mature Audiences because of the use of profanity and intimate content.
CONCLUSION:
Lucky 13: Matchmaking and Misunderstandings is a most sensational and enthralling read! I’m amazed by all the many facets and dimensions Cat Gardiner gives not only her characters but her story as well. I greatly appreciated all that went into creating this fabulous story, there was so much that I loved that I didn’t even get to say it all in this review! Truly phenomenal!!
