Pride, Prejudice, & Turkish Delight

Austen in Turkey #1

by K.C. McCormick Çiftçi

Pride and prejudice or attraction and arrogance?

Having led a safe (admittedly boring) life until now, Eliza Britt wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity to work in Antalya, Turkey. With the Mediterranean calling, she was excited to help lead the university’s English department and to finally have a little adventure in her life.

On arrival Eliza soon realizes that her new posting won’t be all cerulean waters and exploring a new culture. Instead she’s faced with Deniz Aydem. Forced to work together, Eliza isn’t sure she will be able to ignore his arrogance or the unexpected attraction she feels for him.

Eliza and Deniz differ in every way. She’s American, he’s Turkish. She embraces her sense of humor, whereas Deniz has a serious disposition. But regardless of all their differences, something is simmering beneath the surface of their interactions. Whether it’s love or just an intense dislike for each other remains to be seen.

Grab your copy now to be swept up into this multicultural comedy set against the backdrop of Turkey. The author grabs your attention from the first page and holds it throughout with bouts of laughter, heart-warming interactions and a frustrating dance of attraction. You won’t be disappointed!

Genres: Romance, Ebooks, Contemporary, Retellings

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2022

About the author

KC McCormick Çiftçi is an English teacher turned romance writer. She is from Michigan, but spent the majority of her twenties living and working abroad, collecting the experiences that inform the stories she tells. She enjoys telling multicultural and international love stories through sweet romance, romantic comedy, and women’s fiction. She lives in Turkey with her husband and a herd of cats.

Reviews

[Denise Hensley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really hoping that something exciting would happen and it just never came. Based on how enticing the description of the plot and setting were I actually feel misled because I disliked the MC Eliza Britt since she had zero redemption, was not a good friend / person, and didn’t solve any of her own problems.

This book is supposed to have influences of “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen (I.e. hasty judgements, superficial goodness v. true goodness, etc) and I did see that but it was not done well. The situations were also not just small misunderstandings but truly big issues with potential irrepairable repercussions and they all just work out (lol).

[Martina Commisso · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh this was fine.

Couldn't get over the fact that the MCs name was literally Eliza Britt. Yikes.

It was going alright until Eliza decided to be an ass to everyone around her.

I'm also not over this interaction:

"Eliza, please let me explain," Deniz said. "I don't know what Cem told you, but it can't be the whole story if you're reacting this way."
"Can't it? Isn't it possible that I'm smart enough to know that there are two sides to every story... And that no matter what your side is, the results speak for themselves?"

🙃🙃🙃 She doesn't even listen to his side?? That entire statement is ridiculous.


Also Larry was literally the worst human imaginable and yet he somehow was forgiven and learned from his actions but we as readers never actually saw that character growth? Idk I honestly was so tired of him.

[Jordan Cruz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this... It was doing okay but the point where you get the infinite messes that the "Darcy" character fixes it just fumbled so hard. I felt like it did an okay job building some of the relationships (Eliza/Chrystal for our Charlotte and Eliza/Jack for our Jane) but everything else was super two dimensional and not great. I didn't get pride and prejudice so much as I got unthinking pushover and the guy she happens to be in the room with sometimes. The circumstances to get us to a base for the story were.. okay? The offset into our Charlotte/Collins, Jane/Bingsley, and Lydia/Wickham situations felt unfounded and forced, and Eliza's response was surprisingly outrageous for her character and the moment it was set off. Plus all these bad things happened and she effectively let them be.. the solutions were hardly there and explanations for things contrived.

I need to stop reading pride and prejudice recreations and just reread the classic when I'm missing it.

[ANol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel on the fence about this one. it took a bit for me to get into it and then I really enjoyed it, but then not sure about the ending. I loved the setting (having been born in Turkey) but felt there was possibly too much going on with so many characters. I really wanted to love it, but had to persevere to finish the book, so I'm stuck on the fence.

[Chantelle Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars (Kindle). As a big Austen fan, I think I had high expectations for this adaptation...that unfortunately weren't met. While descriptions of Turkey - its food, geography, culture - was touched upon, I feel like it should have taken a greater place in the storyline than it did.

[anu · Rating 1 out of 5]

couldn't finish, it was so long and... pointless?

[Viki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride, Prejudice & Turkish Delight was a beautiful, romantic, funny read that had me almost instantly rooting for the main characters, loving them, wanting to throttle them and just giving me all the feels. I absolutely adored the beautiful writing and the setting in sunny Turkey gave me all the summer lovin' vibes I could want when reading a romantic comedy and the characters where just so lovable. Truly highly recommend this heartwarming story, it'll make you laugh, tear up a little and you'll end up with a Goofy grin on your face in the end ❤️

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended: yep!
for a cute story with parallels to a classic lit story, for an adventure story, for a story about taking risks and finding yourself, for lots of teaching pedagogy and moments that teachers will fully resonate with, for career and friendship and romance decisions

Thoughts:
The title alone makes it clear that this is meant to be a bit of a parallel to pride and prejudice, but it definitely can stand on its own. There are certainly parallels to Austin's story, but they are more like little fun bonuses if you know what to look for. For anyone not interested or not familiar with pride and prejudice, this will still be a fun read.

As a former teacher, I enjoyed the realism with which the profession was portrayed. There are so many struggles faced, and I would say that the struggles of from the admin side are not usually the perspective we see. It's clear for teachers how administration can make daily life harder, but rarely is there a story where the admin making life harder is the protagonist. I appreciated the sensitive insight here and the learning that the main character does in regards of her career and how her decisions affected her teams and teachers and ultimately her students.

There was a lot more discussion about pedagogy and teaching philosophy than I expected however, and I think for people who are not interested in it it might get to be a bit much. Sometimes it felt like I was reading transcripts from my college classes on The subjects, which while I enjoyed, didn't seem as approachable to non-teachers.

And of course, I love that the story is set in Turkey! The setting truly mattered, and we got to be vicarious tourists. There's a lot of exploration of places and food, sure, but there's also a lot of investigation into the culture and expectations they have. I loved seeing in several kinds of ways how the culture of Turkey and the culture of those who had moved there from other places were meshing and at times clashing. There was a lot of sensitivity in the times when they didn't blend well.

There's some romance, but it's a bit of a distant romance that is a slow-burn for sure. The other relationships in the story are what take more precedence for the majority of the story. Primarily, this is a story about identity and taking risks, more than a cut-and-dry romance. The biggest romance was the main character falling in love with Turkey, and I really enjoyed being along for the ride.

Overall I quite enjoyed this story, and I would definitely recommend it. I'm really excited to see that this appears to be the first in a series, and I'll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for the next ones!

Thank you to the author and StoryGraph for a free copy. This is my honest review!

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointing

I wanted to like it. I love Jane Austen, and it seemed like an interesting retelling of the story. But as I began, “Eliza” was immediately portrayed as beyond “proud.” She was condescending and arrogant. And then, on page 21, she started with the American bashing. As if Americans are the only people on the planet who don’t know something about places on the opposite side of the world. As someone who’s lived in Europe for 13 years, I can tell you they are not. I’ve had people as if it’s true that all Americans get McDonald’s breakfasts delivered to their doors every morning.
It’s a cheap and easy attempt to show you’re not like those “other Americans.” Don’t do that. Don’t denigrate and trivialize your entire country in a attempt to show how much more sophisticated and cultured you are. I just cannot with this pandering.

[Sarah Jacobs · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I loved:
💚Jane Austen parallels
💚Travel and info about a city I knew nothing about
💚Food! I googled several dishes and saved recipes.

What I disliked:
🔻Characters were flat
🔻 Dialogue felt fake
🔻 Plot was half baked

The main conflict could have been solved with a 2 minute conversation. The characters were grown adults who seemingly applied no logic whatsoever to the hiring process at the school. I also hated that Deniz and Eliza had very few actual conversations in the book. It made the ending feel unrealistic.

It was a cute story with a good setting, but it felt like a first draft. Would be interested to see what could happen to this story in the hands of a good editor.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who ever went on a young adult adventure to a foreign country and had a romantic experience with a local will follow this rom-com-tale with glee. The misunderstandings, the false starts, the struggles to form relationships (me or the culture? who is being a jerk? me? them? both of us? neither of us?) are all here in KC’s first foray into the genre. With a keen ear for dialogue, interesting plot twists and the constant feel of the Turkish seaside sun, I felt like I’d been there and happy for the happy ending!

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un po' deludente questa versione turca di Pride and Prejudice, forse perché l'autrice ha solo origini turche, ma è in realtà americana e, anche se accusa Larry (l'equivalente di Lydia nel libro) di essere il solito chiassoso americano che si sente il padrone del mondo ovunque vada, in realtà lo è anche lei. Innanzitutto, non riesco a capire quali particolari requisiti abbia Eliza Britt per andare a riorganizzare la Mediterrean School of Languages ad Antalya quando è semplicemente un'insegnante di inglese per stranieri - laureata da poco, per giunta - che conosce appena poche parole di turco. Non ho capito in che senso passare alla scuola di Mr. Collins sarebbe stata una promozione per lei, e comunque cosa ha fatto di tanto speciale alla Med School (Longbourn) da meritare una promozione, che già svolge un ruolo al di sopra delle sue possibilità? E infatti si vede che non ha alcuna capacità logistica, visto che pretende che gli insegnanti le dedichino - senza essere pagati - il sabato mattina per frequentare i suoi "meravigliosi" (nonché obbligatori) corsi di aggiornamento (cosa che avrebbe dovuto fare lei prima di farsi lanciare dal Dr. Bennet - il suo ex consulente universitario - in questa mission impossible).
Jane è sostituita da John, un giovane con cui Eliza fa subito amicizia, e che si innamora di un giovane turco che insegna all'Antalya Technical Institute, una scuola che talvolta collabora con la Med School, Barış (Bingley), grande amico di Deniz Aydem (Darcy), il vicedirettore dell'Antalya Technical Institute che, in un primo momento, è scettico - e a ragione, secondo me - circa le capacità di Eliza. Nel frattempo Eliza conosce Cem, una giovane guida turistica che non si è riuscita a laureare in lingue a sua detta a causa di Deniz che, invidioso di lui, lo ha messo in cattiva luce con i professori e lo ha fatto cacciare via dall'università. Si scoprirà poi che Cem è un malefico hacker che tentava di superare gli esami imbrogliando e ricattando gli insegnanti. Quando poi riesce a proporre il suo curriculum alla Med School hackerando la casella email del Dr. Bennet, la direttrice, Dr. Çelik, si lascerà incantare dalle lauree false che Cem ha presentato per sé e per Larry (che a sua volta non è mai giunto alla laurea, pur essendo l'assistente del Dr. Bennet negli Stati Uniti), mettendo in cattiva luce la povera Eliza, che rischia di essere licenziata su due piedi. Sarà poi Deniz/Darcy ad aiutarla a smascherare l'imbroglione.
Alla fine, anche se la trasposizione di i>Orgoglio e pregiudizio nella Turchia attuale è davvero molto originale, ho trovato la storia troppo incentrata sul lavoro di Eliza e poco sul sentimento tra lei e Deniz, che, alla fine, non ha molto modo di sbocciare. Forse accadrà nel secondo romanzo della serie, Sense, Sensibility, and the Mediterrean Sea che, pur essendo ambientato addirittura a Istanbul (una delle mie città del cuore), al momento non mi alletta più di tanto. Vedremo più avanti.

[Rebeca SC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not what I was expecting

El título y el rol de los personajes tratan de ser un homenaje a Jane Austen y pensé que sería perfecto ya que amo a Jane y tengo una debilidad por las telenovelas turcas, pero lastimosamente no lo fue. Dicho esto aquí va mi reseña:

La protagonista se llama Eliza Britt y no siento que tenga mucho parecido con Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth era sarcástica y muy valiente y decidida para su época. Eliza no se puede describir con estas palabras.
El protagonista masculino, Deniz, se parece a Darcy en "lo atractivo" y en que de cierta manera termina ayudando a Eliza, pero lo hace de una manera menos significativa de lo que hizo Mr. Darcy por Elizabeth. Entiendo que en parte es porque se sitúa en la época actual pero aun así pudo haber sido manejado de otra forma.

La primera mitad del libro, se vuelve un poco aburrida porque literalmente no pasa nada. Caso contrario al original Pride and Prejudice que desde el primer capítulo te atrapa. El clímax principal en el original es el lío de Lydia con Mr. Whickam y en este libro Lydia viene siendo un sujeto llamado Larry que no tenía nada que hacer en la historia. Literalmente el conflicto aparece de la nada.

Por otro lado, quería leer una historia de amor en donde el aspecto cultural influyera en la relación. Eliza es una estadounidense que se va a vivir a Turquía. Deniz es un turco, que como es profesor de inglés, convenientemente no hay barrera del lenguaje, pero estoy segura que los aspectos culturales deben ser muy diferentes como para almenos causar algun tipo de conflicto en las relaciones de amistad, dating etc, pero aquí parece no haber nada de eso. Parece que lo único diferente que tienen es el tipo de comida que comen. Tampoco se menciona nada del aspecto religioso, siendo que se sabe que Turquía, aunque es un país laico, la mayoría de la gente se asume como musulmana.


Habiendo leído ya tantos libros de romance con alta carga de spice, también resulta refrescante leer una historia con tintes más "inocentes" pero no me convence lo suficiente como para reconocer a Jane Austen en esta historia, aún sin parecerse mucho a la obra de Jane, este libro pudo habernos dado mucho más y no fue así. De todos modos, no es malo y es ligero como para pasar el rato.

[Jen (thatmamabooknook) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance

As one may guess from the name, Pride, Prejudice, & Turkish Delight is a modern day retelling of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, and it is set in Turkey. Eliza Britt is our main character (i.e. our Elizabeth Bennett) and she has been given a unique work opportunity to move to Turkey (from the US) and lead an English teaching program. While there, she meets Deniz (Mr. Darcy) and despises him initially, especially after learning some horrible information about him, but there is an underlying attraction there as well. Following Jane Austen's novel pretty well, the book hits all the major plot points with a modern day spin on them.

This one was unfortunately not my favorite. I thought the modern day spin on Pride & Prejudice was done creatively, but I found the characters to be lacking depth and somewhat boring. They also seemed inconsistent--certain behaviors seemed out of character even without a Jane Austen lens. The main character was especially hard to get attached to, so I wasn't rooting for her and Deniz. I did love the descriptions of Turkey and the food and other aspects of the culture though. This is my first book set here and I want to read others now!

[Madelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this because I am dating a Turkish man from Antalya. First of all, the American bashing as an attempt to be “woke” was degrading. Furthermore, the writing itself was awful. I feel like I was reading something written by a 14 year old on watt pad. It was very immature writing and the character of Eliza was as Immature as the day is long. In an attempt to make her seem like a quirky type a got a good head on her shoulders kind of character she just made her Seem awful. Also it was just very cheesy the way it was written again it sounded like a fanfic written on Wattpad. I really wanted to like this because I have been to Türkiye and it’s a beautiful country and I wish more people knew about it but this book is not the right way to do it while it did give a positive nod to Turkish culture and introduced you to some foods in customs that are normal, this Book did not hit it to Mark. I’m so disappointed my boyfriend was so excited that I found a love story with an American girl and a Turkish man for me to read this summer.

[Elise Stevenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes reimaginings of a classic story add a new perspective to what you already knew. Sometimes, though, the reach is too far and disappointing. I feel like I've enjoyed most takes on Pride and Prejudice, but this one was perhaps too ambitious. It's very clear from the author that there's a deep love for Turkish culture and landscape. That flows through a lot, but I would have loved more. As someone who was an English as a Second Language instructor for six years, I felt all the frustrations and stresses of creating these programs and being in classrooms. Even the annoyances of getting used to a new country and lifestyle could be touched upon a little more. But I didn't get the Lizzie Bennet fighting spirit from Eliza. I think the attempt to highlight the connections between the two stories was more evident than necessary. I almost feel that if you removed the whole Pride and Prejudice element, the story could still work, or at least things could be fleshed out a little more, because you have more flexibility with the framework of the plot.

[Kayla Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride, Prejudice, and Turkish Delight: Pride and Prejudice, but at a language school in Turkey! Teacher Eliza heads to Turkey to start a new position as the assistant director of a language school. She tries to get the program into shape, makes friends, and meets a hot colleague she has conflicted feelings about.

I will read any Austen retelling. I love them. All of them. I realized while reading this book that Austen is the reason I love the enemies to lovers trope. And this was SUCH a different take on Pride and Prejudice, with most of the conflict professional in nature, rather than romantic. It was really refreshing to read a retelling that wasn’t super straightforward.

There was still some romance to be had! Eliza falls for Deniz, who is hot, competent, and supportive. He is perfectly standoffish yet enthusiastic. Everything you want in a Darcy analog. And Eliza herself is so great! So endearing and I think a very realistic character. I really loved watching these two get to know each other and truly see each other.

Pride, Prejudice, and Turkish Delight was funny, lovely, and heartwarming. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Oh! And so many delicious sounding food descriptions! A great read and just what I was looking for.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Samantha Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a very shallow surface zero spice romance, you’ve found it.

The writing, characters and their development and plot is all very shallow. Honestly, the FMC is not relatable or even all that likable. Shes very self centered and stubborn and not in a good way. While the book loosely mirrors pride and prejudice Jane Austen, I found a hard time remembering where and why Eliza’s initial distaste for Deniz came from. It’s like I literally put the book down, fell asleep, woke up and started reading a completely different plot line.

I do not recommend and am surprised I didn’t DNF it. Got this book free from a stuff my kindle day and that’s the only thing it’s worth.

[Andra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The flow of the book made sense, but a lot of the lines were cringeworthy at best. As an expat, living in another country it’s important to be mindful of others, but I found the way some of the mindfulness of others was stated as really unnecessary and a bit condescending frankly, and it took away from enjoying the book. I think I also would have preferred more descriptions of the characters, so we could properly imagine what they looked like, and also how old some if them were? There were also bits of the dialogue that kind of contradicted itself, so it disrupted the flow for me at least.

[Kayla Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice light-hearted book, slow burn coworker enemies to lovers. Great read when you want to relax and destress. The author weaves her own experiences with historical snippets about the city and customs, and it will surely provoke images that transport you to the places mentioned. Would also be appropriate for younger readers as it’s more of a blossoming friendship with the potential for something more

⭐️ 3.5 rounded up
🌶️ 0.5 little to no spice

[Angela Barger · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I've actually never read Pride and Prejudice, so the play on the title kind is lost on me. However, this story drew me in from the beginning because of the ESL being a main proponent of the book as I am an ESL teacher and did live abroad. There were some points of the book that were slow. Toward the end, the issue they faced seemed rushed, but other than that, I enjoyed it. A nice little beach read or, in my case, a quick read on the plane.

[Aslıhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of my being Turkish and occupation, this books relates to me way too much. I have a really deep personal connection to this book. Thank you Mrs. McCormick Çiftçi for making me go "YEEEEES THIS IS ME OMGGG" all the time. I feel so seen.

[Star Forbis · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Why shouldn’t something like this happen to you? Why shouldn’t you have your world rocked by a once in a lifetime opportunity?”

“There is a vulnerability to being a foreigner in a new place”

“That even if you get hurt by it, being vulnerable with the people you love is always a brave choice.”

[Pauline Hernandez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book I just couldn’t finish reading. I was really looking forward to the parallel it would have with pride and prejudice and I think that’s why I read as much as I did. But, the main character was just so annoying and prudish, like was she 12?

[Massiel Monrroy Monrroy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Intente con todas mis fuerzas terminarlo pero no... no conecte con la historia ni los personajes, es más ya se me hacían insufribles. No me gusta dejar libros sin terminar pero lamentablemente esta es la excepción

[Amy Keach · Rating 3 out of 5]

a nice fun escape

…but I can’t give a book about English teachers more than 3 stars when they kept calling buses kisses (because that’s what “busses” are), and other faulty word choices. That said, it was a cute story and fun to read on a lazy Sunday.

[sofianegroni · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5✨

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 heartwarming and great setting 🌊❤

[Quarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had higher hopes was very meh in the end, but an easy read

[Jyoti Dhanota]

Due to seasonal depression I was unable to finish the book. Hopefully I can come back to it someday