I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars

Jane Austin Fans are going to love this tribute book! Undressing Mr. Darcy is a modern day story about how one woman finds herself face to face with a modern Mr. Darcy, and drenched in the life and times of Jane Austin.

I cannot say enough good about this book! It was a fabulous read! It’s the story of a PR specialist that is so hooked to the social media world that she forgot to experience real life, let alone love. This is when Darcy walks in her life and her world changes.

But as we often find in the best stories, not all is what it seems. And such is the case with Mr. Darcy; sometimes your prince charming is disguised in swashbucklers and pirate boots. Vanessa soon finds herself with two men vying for her attention, not to mention she begins to discover why her Aunt spent some many years trying to convince her to give Jane Austin’s writing a chance. Once Vanessa catches the Jane Austin bug she actually surprises herself and enjoys what she learns and reads. Something which ends up changing and inspiring her to change some things in her life.

Undressing Mr. Darcy is a wonderful read, one that was sent to me non-digital and was definitely an unexpected pleasure to read. When I picked up this book I was expecting a romance centered around Mr. Darcy, this book is far more than and as a delight to read.
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"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad."

Vanessa Roberts, Chicago PR maven and known Austen non-enthusiast is tasked by her aging aunt Ella to do what any Austen non-enthusiast might find unthinkable -plan for and host Darcy-esque Julian Chancellor's book tour and visit to the Jane Austen Society of North America, of which Aunt Ella is a founding member. When Julian, who is promoting his book My Year as Mr. Darcy in the hopes of garnering funds and support for the refurbishment of his ancestral home in Chawton, arrives it's all business for Vanessa...or is it? Top Julian and Vanessa's escalating chemistry with her aunt's late-in-life illness, a suitor from another time and genre, Vanessa's somewhat delayed discovery of Austen's appeal, and a journey across the pond and back, and you've got the set-up for what could be yet another great flirtation with Jane Austen.

In 2011, Karen Doornebos debuted on the literary scene with her sweet and none-too-raunchy Definitely Not Mr. Darcy which, in case anyone has missed my numerous mentions of it, I loved. I loved the way that Doornebos took on the romance novel without making it completely gratuitous. I loved how fresh the plot felt, even in the light of comparison with Shannon Hale's Austenland, Laurie Brown's What Would Jane Austen Do? and even Channel 4's "Regency House Party." As a sort-of follow-up to Definitely Not... (the two main characters show up in this one) it's hard to resist the urge to compare the two.

As you might guess from this title, Doornebos has stepped up the raunchy end of things with Undressing Mr. Darcy. Once again, there are two very attractive men vying for the affections of our new main character, and both seem to have their ducks in a row. Really, things couldn't be going greater for Vanessa, a woman whose childhood was difficult and whose adulthood has been mostly work, almost no play, and entirely rooted in a fear of commitment. All told, there are some great allusions to Austen's works in this book including, but not limited to, a sincere effort to draft Vanessa as a sort of Catherine/Marianne hybrid.

Julian Chancellor seems to be the answer to a question that Vanessa has been too-long afraid to ask herself. But where Definitely Not... succeeded, Undressing has unfortunately failed. The former maintained the strong narrative and the stronger protagonist. Chloe fell for the guy, but she didn't let the guy change who she was. Vanessa, unfortunately, is not as strong. Not only does she let Julian change her (don't worry, it's not forever) but, in the author giving in to the genre and giving us these raunchy gratuitous sex scenes (which have their place and time, but this wasn't really it), she has sacrificed the characterizations that we could have had.

As a result, many of the characters and plot points are somewhat juvenile and, frankly, shoddy. Sherry, as Vanessa's new friend, has zero development. Lexi's grind to a halt is too black and white, too easy. We're cheated out of so much. Julian's actions are explained away, but not truly explained. For a good portion of the book you think his backstory might be going in a completely different direction, and I'm fairly sure that this was unintentional. The worst of it, though, was the simple, basic, and unfair transformation of Vanessa from a non-enthusiast to an Janeite.

Yes, she's let the man get to her. That's plain and simple. Sure, she picks up the books and starts watching the movies. Great. All is as it should be. But then she starts wearing pink. And then she starts wearing floral skirts. And then she devolves from the savvy PR workaholic we know into an insipid swearing-on-Sanditon boy-crazy idiot. It would be enough for her to believe herself in love with the man. It would be enough for her to be Austen-hungry. It's a completely different thing to be equating a love of Austen with stupidity, which is what has happened here.

I know this is unintentional. I know that Karen Doornebos has a love for Jane Austen that few could match. That's the really frustrating part of this - I wanted it to be so much better. It could be so much better, because Doornebos' first book was so much better. Definitely Not Mr. Darcy is among my favorite books that I love to savor over and over. But I'm afraid its younger brother just isn't going to make the cut. I'm going to chalk this up to sophomore slump and look forward with anticipation to Doornebos' next effort.

www.theliterarygothamite.com ( )

Everyone has talked or gave hype about the book, but I guess I just couldn’t get into it. I am over 30% into the book, and I still can’t find myself to keep going. Maybe it wasn’t my time for this book, and I can try it again later.
One reason could be, I didn’t read Jane Austen novel “Pride and Prejudice” novel, so maybe next time I will start there with reading the book, and the “Definitely Not Mr. Darcy” (first book by Karen Doornebos).
However, the writing style is great! I just couldn’t get hooked into the storyline, but I am not saying you can’t.

Jane Austen and social media. How on earth could those two disparate topics come together in a novel? More importantly, how could they come together to be anything you'd want to read? But Karen Doornebos has managed to merge the two beautifully in this fun and modern homage to Austen, her enduring appeal, and the way we live our lives now in her charming new romantic fiction, Undressing Mr. Darcy.

Vanessa Roberts is a PR guru who owns her own boutique business. She is constantly connected to all social media, immersed in her phone and computer, posting and tweeting and maintaining an online presence for her clients. She is good at her job and she believes in the power of the internet, often citing how many relationships start online whenever she contemplates her online dating profile. The most important person in Vanessa's life is her Aunt Ella, who stepped in to raise her when she was 13. For her Austen-loving Janeite aunt, who is beginning to show signs of Alzheimer's, Vanessa agrees to represent Julian Chancellor, an Englishman who is raising funds to restore his ancestral home by promoting his book, My Year As Mr. Darcy. The sinfully gorgeous Julian has come to Chicago to do a Regency striptease (only down to his drawers) discussing historical clothing at the JASNA Annual General Meeting.

Julian stays in character at almost all times, challenging Vanessa on her dependence on the impersonal internet, even while it is one of the things that will most quickly raise him the money he needs for the extensive repairs to his historical home. Vanessa sends out teasing suggestive tweets, keeping Julian in the public eye during his stay in the states. But she, who has never paid much attention to anything Jane Austen related, seeing it almost as a rival for her aunt's affection rather than something worthy of interest, starts to succumb to the magic of Austen's Regency world. And she certainly succumbs to the magic of Julian.

The Chicago event happens to overlap with a Comic Con, being held in the same hotel convention center. So gowned and frock coated people mingle freely with Wonder Woman and Trekkies. And it is at this strange commingling of events that Vanessa meets Chase MacClane, dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. Apparently she went to high school with Chase, not that she remembers, and he is the trusted assistant of her Aunt's boyfriend, making them almost family. As obsessed as Vanessa's becoming with her own Mr. Darcy, she cannot help but notice that Chase is good looking and kind and perfect in his own right.

Throughout the immersion in Jane Austen world, including more festivals and even a trip to a convention in Bath, England, Vanessa learns about love and relationship. Along the way she also makes a new friend in an ardent Janeite, she forgives an old friend, and she comes to understand the importance of very real personal connection rather than just a superficial cyber connection. This novel is fun and humorous, a gentle romance (with some steamy sex), even as it points out one of the perils of our very online driven modern lives. Vanessa is eventually seduced by the pull of real life and the beauty of the people who love and care for you in person, understanding that while her job is important, she sometimes needs to disconnect from the internet and revel in the real world. Doornebos has created appealing characters who need a little bit of the old fashioned in their lives. And although there cannot be a romance without some conflict, the interactions between Julian and Vanessa and Chase are interesting and revealing. While the ending itself feels a little rushed, it couldn't have finished any other way than it did. Janeites will thoroughly enjoy this modern delight of a novel but so will anyone who appreciates a sweet romance, anyone who finds it just a little bit overwhelming the way we live so completely on our computers and phones and tablets these days, and anyone who wants a little chuckle inducing innuendo in her reading. ( )