Grieving widow Kate Thomas has moved from her US home to Kent, England, to take a role as an in-home nurse for a lady with Alzheimer’s. Kate thinks she’s a Christian when she arrives in England, but soon realises there’s a difference between the faith she’s grown up with and Margaret’s faith.
I enjoyed seeing Kate’s journey to Christian faith, as that’s something I don’t think we see enough of in Christian fiction.
I also enjoyed seeing Kate’s faith develop as she was faced with some difficult situations and calls to forgiveness. This spiritual depth was one of the strengths of the novel. Kate is put in some difficult situations and has to call on her newfound faith to guide her.
There are shades of The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip in Not Quite Mr Darcy, although Mr Darcy doesn’t have the same level of polish. In particular, I found some of the dialogue overly formal to the point of being awkward, and not at all how people from London or Kent speak. I did enjoy reading about the location, as my grandmother was born only a few miles up the road.
Not Quite Mr Darcy is Kim Griffin’s first published novel, which she describes as women’s fiction with romance.
That fits the story well. It certainly starts as women’s fiction, as Kate arrives in England and settles into her new role. The romance was also present from early on, but I was less impressed with the romantic aspects. I am not a fan of the “other woman” plotline, particularly as it seemed like it was an issue that could have been solved with a simple conversation. (It was, but far too late in the plot for my taste.) I had the same misunderstanding as Kate (not surprising, as the whole story was told from her point of view). That meant I misjudged one of the characters, to the detriment of my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, Not Quite Mr Darcy was a solid first novel, recommended for readers looking for Christian women’s fiction which considers tough issues like infidelity and Alzheimer’s.
Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.
About Kim Griffin
Kim Griffin is a former interior designer and homeschool mom who has been leading Bible studies for over 35 years and working in Women’s Ministry for over 25. Several years ago, God led her to begin writing words of hope. She writes Christian women’s fiction with clean romance. Her desire is that her books will draw readers closer to the God who sees all of their imperfections and loves them still.
Find Kim Griffin online at:
About Not Quite Mr Darcy
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Mr. Darcy does not exist.”
Not Quite Mr. Darcy is not a P&P retelling but the story of a woman’s journey to discover what real love is.
An ocean … it’s vast and powerful. The water that fills it can bring death, or offer life. Kate Thomas moves her life across an ocean to conquer the hold of her past and find new life for her future.
Not Quite Mr. Darcy is women’s fiction with clean romance (kisses only). It tackles forgiving the seemingly unforgivable and the disillusionment many a woman has faced upon realizing that the perfect husband they’ve been raised to look for doesn’t exist. Kate, a recent widow, leaves her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Seeking distance from her past she takes a job in Kingsdown, England, working with a dementia patient in a cottage overlooking the English Channel. What she finds there is much more than she anticipated. Kate learns to find joy even in the hardest circumstances.
Zivon Marin was one of Russia’s top cryptographers until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee to England after speaking out against Lenin, Zivon is driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits. But never far from his mind is his brother, whom Zivon fears died in the train crash that separated them.
Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd with a B.A. in journalism and M.A. in English. She lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. Lindsay has held a variety of jobs, including curriculum editor for two universities, medical and business writer, and copywriter for a digital marketing agency. Now she juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with working freelance jobs, teaching college English courses online, and—of course—writing novels.
