Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2016 discussion

For this month the book is Haunting Mr. Darcy by Karalynne Mackrory (this was the winner of our voters poll for the Spooky Reads theme)

All you have to do is leave a comment that you plan to join the group read, then take the month of September to read the book.
Feel free to make comments or ask questions here in the Group Read Discussion along the way.
Then at the end of the month or whenever you finish, feel free to leave your final thoughts.

If your thoughts or questions might be spoilerish then just designate the top of your comment as such.


This is not mandatory for the challenge, but just a fun option within the challenge.

We had a tie in the poll, LOL so I got to break it. I chose the cowards way and flipped a coin since I equally wished to read both books. The Haunting of Mr. Darcy won. Thank you all who voted.

Sooo, beginning Sept 1 our group read will be The Haunting of Mr. Darcy. I do hope several can join in and even if you can't start at the beginning of the month, any time during September will do. Happy Spooky Reading, all!

Boo... already read that one, so I am out.

I’ve read it and passed it along to a friend, but will participate to the best of my recollection!

I think this will be my 5th read-through, but I'm game anyway!! Love this book!

Yay! I'm looking forward to it!!

I will come in and out, but since I read this one twice already, I won't be rereading it right now. Thanks for the offer, but my TBR is too high and I was going for a different title.

Thanks Sophia for putting this together!

No problem, you all who read it. :) If you remember it well, feel free to pop in with your thoughts on it. Loving seeing what everyone thinks.

Boy, I guess I am among friends here - I have read it at least 3 times and possibly more. But, I am game! It really is one of my very favorite JAFF reads.

I read it once before, but loved it so will re-read it and join in as I'm able.

This is a really enjoyable read. I am not sure I can join in; no time for re-reads!

I hear you, Cwri. Wink, wink!

Hey it is on my TBR and I haven't read it yet! I will be joining in.

I've read this several times also. But I liked it so I'm in. My TBR stack will still be there when we're finished. Only getting bigger. Seems like there's a new book or two every few days.

Carol wrote: "I've read this several times also. But I liked it so I'm in. My TBR stack will still be there when we're finished. Only getting bigger. Seems like there's a new book or two every few days."

That's for sure!

This was one of my reads earlier this year, so I won't be joining in this time as I don't have the time to re-read it right now. I absolutely loved it though

I've been looking for a used hard copy of the book to read (my preferred format). I might have to crack and buy it new. Or I may try my first-ever interlibrary loan.

Amanda wrote: "I've been looking for a used hard copy of the book to read (my preferred format). I might have to crack and buy it new. Or I may try my first-ever interlibrary loan."

Yeah, I didn't have any luck at Half.com, eBay or Amazon Marketplace for a good priced used one. Hopefully it will be available through the library for you, Amanda. I'm going the ebook route, but I do prefer my paper copies, too.

has anyone started reading book yet?

Patricia wrote: "has anyone started reading book yet?"

I haven't. I probably won't be able to start right away, but I will make sure I get our suggested discussion 'date' questions up to get the ball rolling. If you have questions or observations and want to start discussing early, please feel free, Patricia! Love the lively discussions that happen for the group reads.

Patricia wrote: "has anyone started reading book yet?"

As soon as I finish my current read... :-)

...and now my answer would be "Yes, I've started." :-)

I may or may not have stayed up too late finishing my previous book so I could start this one.

Purchased the kindle edition, and ready to get started

Lookit you all, chomping at the bit to start reading!!

I have it on hold at the library. I think it should be here next week as soon as I get it I will join in.

I requested an inter library loan, but it may take a week for the book to come in. I'm going to avoid the group read thread until I get it and read it. I'll join in when I'm done. Happy reading, everyone!

Amanda wrote: "I requested an inter library loan, but it may take a week for the book to come in. I'm going to avoid the group read thread until I get it and read it. I'll join in when I'm done. Happy reading, ev..."

That works, Amanda! Then you won't get any accidental spoilers. :)

Finished my third read of . Can't wait to discuss....

Finished. (Thank you, insomnia!) :-)
Very much looking forward to discussing this with others.

Book Date with Haunting Mr. Darcy

Introduction to your book date
Share what your impressions were of the book before starting to read- cover, blurb, comparisons to others paranormal JAFF, recommendations, etc. Why are you interested in reading it?

First Date
Did it grab your interest from the beginning? What's your initial impression of the variation elements, the plot, and the characters? Are you eager or cautious to read on?

These are meant to be discussion starters, but feel free to use them or share your own discussion topics and questions from early on in the story.

I like the cover a lot! Had seen a number of rave reviews before I read it, and I had never read a paranormal Austenesque (unless you count Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). It sounded like a clever premise.

I confess that I copyedited the first forty pages or so (never a good sign with an Austenesque novel when I dive for my red pencil), but then I got too caught up in the story to care about the mistakes!

My marked-up copy is out with a friend, but I am trying to claw it back for this discussion.

I would definitely count PPZ in the paranormal group though I suppose on the scare spectrum it would be a heavy hitter.

Glad the book captivated you so much the red pencil was forgotten. :)

Oh man, I want to be that generous soul who loans out my books to friends, but then I hate it when there's that one who makes me threaten to kidnap her dog just to get my book back again.

Look forward to more of your impressions, Abigail! :)

It has been quite a long time since I first picked up this title, so I am having a hard time recalling my first impressions. I loved the idea of Darcy and Elizabeth both thinking this could not be happening. I don't recall the cover coming into play in my decision to read the book. I don't particularly care for it. The story grabbed my interest from the very beginning.

The one advantage of buying Kindle copies is they do actually update the book with corrections if they are made by the author. In this last read through, I didn't notice many, if any.

One book-lending conflict that I had decades ago led to my finally showing up at the woman’s house (3 hours away) unannounced and demanding them back. They were part of a complete set, long out of print, which I had explained to her. She finally confessed that she’d been keeping them in order to have an excuse to get together, but this was after she’d three times canceled get-togethers at the last minute. So I told her she had destroyed my trust in her and took my books and went away. I guess I really am an ogre after all!

Barb wrote: "It has been quite a long time since I first picked up this title, so I am having a hard time recalling my first impressions. I loved the idea of Darcy and Elizabeth both thinking this could not be ..."

I get hazy on books I've read even just last year so I'm glad to have GR where I can type up my thoughts. Though, even then... yeah, mind like a sieve. LOL

I like 'the reaction' moment from the characters when the woo-woo stuff is encountered. Always fun to see how an author writes that part.

Abigail wrote: "One book-lending conflict that I had decades ago led to my finally showing up at the woman’s house (3 hours away) unannounced and demanding them back. They were part of a complete set, long out of ..."

No way, wow, that is not a straight up way to act in a friendship. She should have just said, let's meet for lunch and I'll drop the books with you then. And to have them be rare ones makes it worse.

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical about a paranormal P&P variation, but it sounded sweet and amusing. How would this twist change the Lizzy/Darcy dynamic, and disrupt the familiar sequence of events? The moment when Lizzy was waking up and smelled lemon... I was hooked.

Many moons ago, when we realized that we were loaning out the same titles over and over, we started buying spares of those titles that we were commonly inclined to loan people. Especially once those titles went out of print. If they came back to us, wonderful. If not? We still had our copy.

ladymurmur wrote: "I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical about a paranormal P&P variation, but it sounded sweet and amusing. How would this twist change the Lizzy/Darcy dynamic, and disrupt the familiar sequence of e..."

Oh, now the bit about waking up to the smell of lemon is a nice teaser. Glad you gave the story a try even if you wondered about the mash of paranormal with P&P.

First impressions: I don't like the cover, so that didn't grab me. I was a little wary. I love paranormal, but wasn't sure how well it would mash up with P&P. I kept thinking that if Lizzy is dead it wouldn't make for a very good story. As with a lot of books, our friends here in the group who had read it were singing its praises. I thought why not give it a try. Onto the TBR it went last year, and I never got around to it. The group read has given me the perfect chance.

Seven chapters down, and I am happy that my initial thoughts of Lizzy being dead is not the case. I love that because both of them think that the other is a figment of their imagination they are so forward with each other. I keep thinking that once they figure it out they are going to be SO embarrassed.

Ahnya wrote: "First impressions: I don't like the cover, so that didn't grab me. I was a little wary. I love paranormal, but wasn't sure how well it would mash up with P&P. I kept thinking that if Lizzy is dead ..."

I could see being wary about a mash-up particularly with a ghost potentially being one of the MCs. Glad there was a nice twist to that so we don't end up with a G&Mrs. Muir situation. :)

It is fun as a reader knowing something the characters don't and anticipating the moment when they find out.

Ahnya wrote, “I love that because both of them think that the other is a figment of their imagination they are so forward with each other. . . .”

My thought exactly! It’s a very clever way of allowing the hero and heroine to escape the bounds of propriety. I often get frustrated with Austenesque novels that rely on violations of the canons of ladylike behavior to move the romance (or the plot) forward—after all, Jane Austen managed to tell her stories and keep the reader’s interest without the heroine behaving forwardly. But the paranormal element in this story allows me to relax and enjoy!

The cover did grab my attention. When you look carefully, on Elizabeth's left side you can see books through her body. If Elizabeth couldn't pester him why not a ghost of Elizabeth. Either way, she was already haunting his dreams, so this was a clever way to let their guard down and act so much different than societal norms of the day.

Good point about how the paranormal element alters the rules, Abigail and Carol. I hadn't thought it of that way before.

Ahnya wrote: "First impressions: I don't like the cover, so that didn't grab me. I was a little wary. I love paranormal, but wasn't sure how well it would mash up with P&P. I kept thinking that if Lizzy is dead ..."
I agree - I don't care for the cover. It is nice to know up front that Lizzy is not dead or this question could have hung over me as a reader and I am not sure I would have enjoyed the book as much. But, they don't know! That's interesting.

Sophia wrote: "Good point about how the paranormal element alters the rules, Abigail and Carol. I hadn't thought it of that way before."
I agree and believe this is truly the charm of this story. It is the letting down of expectations and being totally uninhibited with each other that makes the "haunting" such a great plot device.

Abigail wrote:

My thought exactly! It’s a very clever way of allo..."

Yes, if it were a normal Austenesque not using propriety, and etiquette of time would bother me. It is interesting that Darcy is the one pushing the forwardness. I would think it would be the other way around based on their characters.

I am enjoying Elizabeth teasing Darcy, and purposely trying to make him jealous.

Ahnya wrote: "Abigail wrote:

My thought exactly! It’s a very clever way of allo..."

Yes, if it were a normal Austenesque not using propriety, and etiquette of time would bother me. It is interesting that Dar..."

I think one of my favorite scenes is Darcy reading the newspaper trying to avoid Elizabeth and she taking steps to get his attention. Especially when she realizes how close they were....

I have to answer Sophia's question, "Did it grab your interest from the beginning?" The very first scene, where Darcy has just left yet another ball early, disappointing his aunt, because he just can't seem to get Elizabeth Bennet out of his mind and can't get interested in the other ladies, is great. But even before THAT is explained, the scene is set with him struggling to get the cravat from around his neck and, when he finally does, hurling it away. Of course, it doesn't go far; instead it just hovers and flutters to the ground only a step in front of him. He immediately recognizes the irony of this perfect metaphor for his Elizabeth obsession. Just reading those few pages, I think the tone for the entire book is perfectly established. That's REALLY great writing!

Debbie wrote: "I have to answer Sophia's question, "Did it grab your interest from the beginning?" The very first scene, where Darcy has just left yet another ball early, disappointing his aunt, because he just c..." Debbie, this is why you are such a great reviewer. You can pick out these nuances and express them to other readers. Yes, this is great writing, but it is also great reviewing...