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The Darcy Myth by Rachel Feder

Title: The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love

Author: Rachel Feder

Publisher: Quirk Books 2023

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 240

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader; Retreat Recommendations

Where I Got It:

You already know Mr. Darcy—at least you think you do! The brooding, rude, standoffish romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy initially insults and ignores the witty heroine, but eventually succumbs to her charms. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers plot, and one that has profoundly influenced our cultural ideas about courtship. But what if this classic isn’t just a grand romance, but a horror novel about how scary love and marriage can be for women?

In The Darcy Myth, literature scholar Rachel Feder unpacks Austen’s Gothic influences and how they’ve led us to a romantic ideal that’s halfway to being a monster story. Why is our culture so obsessed with cruel, indifferent romantic heroes (and sometimes heroines)? How much of that is Darcy’s fault? And, now that we know, what do we do about it?

I got this as a recommendation from friends at the retreat and they are getting really good with their recommendations. I dove into this slim book not knowing what to expect except for the title and subtitle. Turns out this is a hilarious deconstruction of Austen’s most famous hero and the (sometimes not great) lessons in romance we have learned from him. Even after reading the book, I still love Mr. Darcy. But I do understand how he doesn’t give us the best example for real romantic relationships. Feder brings in other famous bad boys of literature and television/movies to back up her arguments. I really enjoyed every page of this one. And she’s absolutely hilarious!

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Next up on the TBR pile:

cold eternity.jpg orv2.jpg feathers.jpg is she really.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg anxious.jpg centre.jpg far better.jpg black butler.jpg i accidentally.jpg kill the villainess.jpg infinite.jpg kill2.jpg irresistible.jpg orv3.jpg letter from the lonesome.jpg orv4.jpg quicksilver.jpg royal.jpg shattered.jpg stolen.jpg swarm.jpg they bloom.jpg
tags: Rachel Feder, Jane Austen, nonfiction, Nonfiction Reader, Retreat Recommendations, literature
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 07.12.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Title: The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1)

Author: Helen Hoang

Publisher: Berkley 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 314

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Retreat Recommendations

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 5

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

This book has been on my TBR for years and I decided to take the plunge and choose it for my Dirty Book Month selection. Thankfully I ended up really enjoying this reverse Pretty Woman romance. Right away we know that Stella is autistic and struggles with the idea of romantic relationships. From there, she devises a plan involving hiring a male escort to teach her. This male escort has his own issues and struggles. As we learn more about each of the characters, we start to see just how perfect they might be for each other. I really loved seeing Michael interact with his family and attempt to protect them from all struggles. And we get to see Stella interact with them. Overall, this was a very satisfying romance and start of a series. I cannot wait to have our discussion next week and unpack all the aspects of this story.

The Kiss Quotient

  • #1 The Kiss Quotient

  • #2 The Bride Test

  • #3 The Heart Principle

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Next up on the TBR pile:

cold eternity.jpg orv2.jpg feathers.jpg is she really.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg anxious.jpg centre.jpg far better.jpg black butler.jpg i accidentally.jpg kill the villainess.jpg infinite.jpg kill2.jpg irresistible.jpg orv3.jpg letter from the lonesome.jpg orv4.jpg quicksilver.jpg royal.jpg shattered.jpg stolen.jpg swarm.jpg they bloom.jpg
tags: Bookworms Book Club, romance, COYER, Retreat Recommendations, Helen Hoang, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Thursday 02.13.25
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

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