Inventing Mr. Darcy

by Susanna Craig

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2026

About the author

Almost as soon as she could hold a pencil, Susanna Craig began writing stories. Today, she pens award-winning Regency-era romance novels that blend history and heart with a dash of heat. An English professor, wife, and mom, she’s currently finding her happily ever after in Kentucky while holding onto her Midwestern roots. Find her online at http://www.susannacraig.com.

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me.

Only Elle after the 'GLITCH' can remember Jane Austen work.It was a unususal plot,and it did confused me a little bit at the beginning,but after a while I did get into the story.Elle and Fisher romance was a modern Pride and Prejudice,and while I didn't read Jane Austin book I liked this tension filled read.Elle might have her own Mr.Darcy closer then she think.A enjoyable and quick read with HEA.

Thank you Joffe Books for arc,my review is honest and my own.

[Rachel Nahabedian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: Loved it

🩷Pride & Prejudice Retelling
🧳Enemies to Lovers
🩷Grumpy x Sunshine
🧳Forced Proximity
🩷Academic Romance
🧳Alternate Reality

Listen, if you've been here a while, you know that I love Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice. You know I'm a slut for any/all retellings or "inspired by" stories. You'd know that the way to get me to binge 240 pages in 24 hours is to put Pride & Prejudice, a grumpy man, an enemies-to-lovers romance, and the horrifying concept of a world WITHOUT Jane Austen in front of me. My ADHD ass was sat and focused!

This book had my interested from the get-go without trying too hard, but what I wasn’t expecting was for it to take that love of Austen and throw a little sci-fi chaos into the mix.

Elle is a literature PhD student who on year 5 of finishing her 4-year degree and trying to figure out what the hell she’s supposed to do with her life after this. Then there’s Fisher: gorgeous, grumpy, irritating, and absolutely not the person she wants to be stuck with during a blackout. So, of course, naturally, they end up trapped together during a "geomagnetic storm," share a VERY memorable kiss, and then wake up to discover that Jane Austen has somehow been erased from existence.

I’m sorry…WHAT?!

Elle is now apparently the only person on Earth who remembers P&P (among her other works), which means no Austen, no Darcy, no Elizabeth Bennet, no rom-coms, no Hallmark Channel, and honestly? I would need a fainting couch to parish on post haste.

So obviously she has to figure out how to fix this catastrophic literary situation, and unfortunately for her, the person she needs to help her is...Fisher.

The parallels between Elle and Fisher and Elizabeth and Darcy were so much fun and adorably cute, especially watching Fisher’s grumpy exterior slowly crack to reveal the thoughtful, caring man that we all know and love underneath. Their banter, chemistry, and complete inability to stay away from each other had me smiling the entire time. I also loved that this wasn’t just a P&P retelling. It felt more like a love letter to Austen. To her books, to romance in general, and to the way stories can completely shape who we are as a people and a society (which felt a little on the nose right now considering the whole "purity BS" we're seeing, but that's a whole other topic for another day).

There’s romance, humor, science, literary chaos, a villain that karma takes care of, and a HEA that absolutely will make you swoon.

And honestly, a world without Jane Austen?

No, thank you. Put it back immediately. haha

Thank you to NetGalley, Susanna, and Joffe Books/Severn House for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[SH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inventing Mr Darcy was an absolutely delightful, romantic read and one of my favourites from this author. I particularly enjoy books that weave Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice into their stories, so this premise immediately appealed to me. The idea of a world where Jane Austen has somehow been erased from existence, leaving Elle Bradshaw as the only person who remembers Pride and Prejudice, was such a fun concept.
Elle is a literature PhD student on the verge of finishing her studies, but instead of worrying about what comes next, she finds herself distracted by Fisher Davis, the gorgeous and decidedly grumpy tech geek who seems to delight in irritating her. When a geomagnetic storm traps them together during a blackout, an unexpected kiss is only the beginning of their problems. The storm has somehow wiped Jane Austen from existence, and Elle must navigate a world that is both familiar and completely wrong while turning to the one man she never expected to need.
The combination of romance, humour, science fiction, and literary references worked so well. I especially enjoyed the clever parallels between Elle and Fisher and Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Their enemies-to-lovers relationship was full of witty banter and chemistry, and I loved watching Fisher's grumpy exterior slowly give way to the thoughtful and caring man underneath. Elle was a fantastic heroine, and her love of literature and determination to restore what had been lost made her an engaging character to follow, while Fisher was the perfect counterpart to her.
What I loved most was the way the story celebrates the importance of books and the lasting impact they can have on our lives. The Jane Austen references were woven into the story beautifully without making it feel like simply another retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
This was such a fun, romantic, and imaginative read, and I found it very hard to put down.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a confession to make before reviewing Inventing Mr. Darcy: I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice or seen any of the adaptations. I know of Mr. Darcy, of course, but the obsession, the references, the swooning? Completely lost on me. So I went into this one essentially blind and I think that made my experience even more fun.

This was such an easy book to fall into. The writing immediately pulled me in, and before long I was completely along for the ride. It’s lighthearted, clever, romantic, and has that wonderfully cozy quality that makes you want to curl up and keep reading.

I especially loved the playful concept and how much fun the story has with romance itself. Even without having all the Austen knowledge or understanding the significance behind every possible reference, I never felt like I was missing what made the story enjoyable. I could simply appreciate the characters, the chemistry, the humor, and all the romantic chaos.

It was exactly the kind of quick read I needed; charming and entertaining that didn't ask too much of me but still kept me invested.

Maybe I still don't fully understand why everyone has been obsessed with Mr. Darcy for all these years, but Inventing Mr. Darcy certainly gave me a very entertaining introduction.

A cozy, fun, wonderfully bookish romance that left me smiling.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Elia Winters · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/4⭐️’s

Inventing Mr. Darcy was a fun and quick read! I really enjoyed the premise of the story and it instantly pulled me in. I have to say that in the beginning when Jane Austen was wiped from the world and Elle was the only one who remembered her and her work, it made me STRESSED! What is a life without romances, strong female characters, and yes, even Hallmark, There was so much tension and I was cheering Elle on the entire time to bring romance, love and the strength of women and asking for what they want from the world. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Elle and Fisher, their first interactions were funny but you could feel the tension that soon transformed into more. I did not love how Elle kind of let Cassie be a different person without trying to push her to want better for herself. It all worked out but it was hard for me to see at times. The ending left me feeling like maybe it should have been different (no spoilers!) but it was also a satisfying end to the story, I love Pride and Predjudice and this was a great book to celebrate my love for it! I am so happy I live in a world where Jane Austin exists!!

*Thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books, and Susanna Craig for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grad student Elle Bradshaw is on the cusp of completing her literature PhD. And while life beyond college is terrifying, spending her evening fixing a database malfunction with gorgeous yet grumpy tech geek Fisher Davis is worse. When a fluke geomagnetic storm leaves them trapped together during a blackout, the fiery kiss that follows is unexpected—and explosive. But catastrophically, the storm also wiped Jane Austen from existence! Now, Elle’s the only person to remember Pride and Prejudice and, it seems, romance itself. As Elle navigates a world so familiar, yet not her own, she realizes she might just need to put her pride to one side and ask Fisher for help. Could the guy who was once her enemy turn out to be her very own Mr. Darcy.
A world without Austen, what a nightmare for Elle. A well written romcom which I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved both Elle & Fisher their chemistry sizzled & that kiss in the dark – WOW. The pages flew by as I was drawn in from the start & left smiling at the end. There was of course a villain who got their comeuppance. We needed the HEA & for romance to rise again
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

[Ulli Zaiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining romance. It features Elle, a young woman working on her PhD in literature and a very big Jane Austen fan. Through some "glitch" she somehow deletes the works of Jane Austen and nobody but her remembers her work and the world as we know it is very much changed. To be honest I had some trouble with that piece of the story but after a while I overcame it and focused on Elle's personal romance with Fisher. I loved their relationship and how it unfolded and couldn't wait for them to have their HEA. I also enjoyed all the references to "Pride and Prejudice" very much and I loved that Elle's roommate Cassie came to her senses in the end.
All in all a very entertaining book, perfect for fans of Jane Austen or just romance in general.

I received an ARC via netgalley.com and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chasity Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inventing Mr Darcy was such a great read! I've never read Pride and Prejudice or seen the movie, but… they are now on my to be watch list 😊 This take on the story was such a fun, fast pace, easy read that kept me enjoying from start to finish and not allowing me to put the book down.

Following Elle and Fisher’s adventures into a ‘messy’ relationship and how their love grows was such a great love story. The current day courtship was perfect.

My favorite part was how each character still had the same initials as the original story so it was beyond easy to follow who was who.

The writing style of Susanna Craig was flawless and I can't wait to read more in the future

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley - All reviews of this book are my own

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story with an unusual take on Pride and Prejudice in that one day the novel has totally disappeared not only from the heroine’s computer but also from the database of the Grantham College liberal arts campus, which she has responsibility for.

This database suddenly loses all records of female novelists, novels and romances, and especially Jane Austen and her works.

In this new parallel universe, there are no love stories and after initially being apprehensive that she has lost her mind, Elle Bradshaw tries to discover what has happened and who has done what…

She is also desperate to find any trace of Jane Austen and her novels and looks for any mention of her or her characters.

Hence the title of this book…

[Maddelyn]

Elle is an English grad student. One day, as she's uploading material to a database she works for, there's a solar flare and everything goes blank. The next day she wakes up to find that the world has changed. She's the only one who remembers Jane Austen. No more rom coms. No more Hallmark Channel. As she tries to figure out what's going on, she starts getting involved with Fisher, a math grad student who she went on one bad date with. Of course, in true Jane Austen fashion there's also the villainous Geoff who is only interested in helping himself. Overall, a fun tribute to Jane Austen and a fun romance.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Jeanette]

I really liked the premise of this book and thought it was right up my alley but sadly, I just could not connect with the story. I'm not sure if it was the formatting or the style of writing, but I found myself skimming much of what I read. I sadly had to DNF the book. I am sure there is an audience who will enjoy this book, especially if they're fans of Jane Austen or Pride and Prejudice. This one just wasn't for me.
_____________________________________________
Thanks to Susanna Craig, Joffe Books and NetGalley for the ARC! I received an advance copy of the book and am leaving an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed the writing and this was a quick easy read. Admittedly, I've never read Pride and Prejudice or seen the movie eeeek. I knew the *gist* but I'm certain there were more than a few references that went over my head. Even so, I found this to be easily digestible. As a lover of the romance genre, I loved that it showed just how much a story like Austen's has and will continue to impact society.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jasmine Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing me with an advance copy for an honest opinion. I have not read Susana Craig's work, but now I want to after reading this book. She loves to add twists to these books, and they are my favorite. Elle and Fisher are a genuine enemies-to-lovers story because it shows that this can happen while they were trapped in the blackout. This storm was also consequential because Jane Austen was wiped from existence, so Elle is the only one who remembers the whole thing. I cannot wait to read more of Susana Craig's books.

[Lindsey Domokur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun quirky read but there were some plot points I didn't understand and the premise was hard for me to follow along with. I did like the parallels with Pride and Prejudice and could see the characters that some were meant to be, but I didn't really feel the enemies to lovers tension I was expecting to feel.

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for any person that, like me, grew up in love with the story of Pride and prejudice. For those who know the importance of the hope of a happy ending and who dream of finding their own Darcy.

The story immerses the main character Elle into a world without Austen; a world without romance novels. It is an easy read, with so many links to the work of Austen: very cleverly written.

Read it in a day! Highly recommended for those that love Austen (and all the remakes and versions since) just like me.