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.
Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.
Jenny Glazebrook is an Australian author of inspirational Christian fiction for young adults. She and her husband Rob have four children and live in the country town of Gundagai with their many pets.