Review & Giveaway: A Most Handsome Gentleman by Suzan Lauder

Source: Review copy from Meryton Press

She spun around. “Oh! Good morning, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy! We were…watching Mr. Collins…I mean walking Mr. Collins…I mean walking to my aunt’s with Mr. Collins.” I had never seen Jane so flustered!

Mr. Bingley’s face was frozen in a strange grin as Jane again stared at Mr. Collins, who gave her a simpering smile. My Jane, my usually cool and unaffected elder sister, fluttered her lashes and giggled like Lydia! How horrifying!

(from A Most Handsome Gentleman)

I’ve long been a fan of Suzan Lauder’s work, so I was anxiously awaiting A Most Handsome Gentleman, especially since I heard talk about a Hot Collins. Now those are two words you don’t expect to see together! Billed as a Pride and Prejudice comedy, A Most Handsome Gentleman does not disappoint. I must admit to waking my husband up by laughing out loud!

Lauder’s latest novel imagines a swoon-worthy (literally) Mr. Collins. When he arrives at Longbourn, he certainly distracts the Bennet sisters and renders Mrs. Bennet speechless. There are no words to describe his beauty, but Mr. Collins certainly finds a way to talk about himself non-stop, which of course means Elizabeth grows tired of him very quickly. She might dislike Mr. Darcy for his pride, but it’s not long before she is comparing the two men, and it’s easy to see who will come out the winner.

Mr. Collins’s looks even distract Elizabeth’s sister Jane, as evidenced from the quote above, and in this variation, he doesn’t allow Mrs. Bennet’s not-so-subtle warning that Jane is as good as engaged to Mr. Bingley to deter him from his goal of winning Jane as his bride. He is the uber-handsome Mr. Collins, of course, and he won’t let you forget it! From Mr. Bingley and Mr. Collins sparring over who gets what dance with Jane at the Netherfield Ball to Mr. Collins’s introduction to Charlotte Lucas to Elizabeth and Darcy joining forces to manage Jane’s suitors, I could not stop laughing.

Just as Jane Austen herself portrayed the ridiculous in her novels, Lauder does so here. Mr. Collins’s over-the-top speeches and Elizabeth’s first-person narrative, alternately witty and snarky, had me wishing the book wouldn’t end. I loved how Lauder dramatically changed the plot of Pride and Prejudice and quickened the pace, even managing to include storylines involving Mr. Wickham and Anne de Bourgh. If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud take on Austen’s novel, or even just want to imagine a “hot” Collins, you won’t want to miss this one!

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About A Most Handsome Gentleman

Elizabeth Bennet’s life is uncomplicated until she meets a quartet of new men: the haughty but handsome Mr. Darcy, the pert-with-a-pout Mr. Bingley, the confident and captivating Mr. Wickham—and then there is her father’s cousin, the happy man towards whom almost every female eye has turned.

Mr. Collins is HOT—well, incredibly handsome in Regency-speak—beautiful of face, fine of figure, elegant of air, his perfect clothing and hair matching his Greek god-like form. Unfortunately, when he opens his mouth, Elizabeth wishes he were mute. With affected servility and prideful self-conceit, he capitalizes upon his exquisite appearance and fixes on Jane Bennet as his bride.

Can Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy form an alliance to stop Jane’s suitors from issuing challenges—and will Elizabeth coax a smile from Mr. Darcy?

Bestselling Regency romance author Suzan Lauder delivers a hilarious Austenesque romance suitable for all readers of Pride and Prejudice.

Check out A Most Handsome Gentleman on Goodreads | Amazon U.S. (Kindle) | Amazon U.S. (paperback) | Amazon U.K. (Kindle) | Amazon U.K. (paperback)

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About the Author

Suzan Lauder

A lover of Jane Austen, Regency period research and costuming, cycling, yoga, blogging, and independent travel, cat mom Suzan Lauder is seldom idle.

Her first effort at a comedy, A Most Handsome Gentleman is the fourth time Lauder has been published by Meryton Press. Her earlier works include a mature Regency romance with a mystery twist, Alias Thomas Bennet, a modern short romance Delivery Boy in the holiday anthology Then Comes Winter, and the dramatic tension filled Regency romance Letter from Ramsgate.

She and Mr. Suze split their time between a loft condo overlooking the Salish Sea and a 150-year-old Spanish colonial home near the sea in Mexico.

Suzan’s lively prose is also available to her readers on her blog, road trips with the redhead www.suzan.lauder.merytonpress.com, on her Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/SuzanLauder, and on Twitter @suzanlauder.

Connect with Suzan Lauder via Website | Goodreads Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page |Pinterest

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Giveaway

Meryton Press is generously giving away 8 ebooks of A Most Handsome Gentleman as part of the blog tour. To enter, click here. Blog comments are always appreciated, but you MUST enter for the giveaway using the Rafflecopter link.

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post or review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented. Remember: Tweet and comment once daily to earn extra entries.

A winner may win ONLY 1 (ONE) eBook of A Most Handsome Gentleman by Suzan Lauder. Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international. Good luck!

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Disclosure: I received A Most Handsome Gentleman from Meryton Press for review.