Synopsis
Darcy & Friends Series – Book 1
Mark Knightley – handsome, clever, rich – is used to women falling at his feet. Except Emma Woodhouse, who’s like part of the family – and the furniture. When their relationship changes dramatically, is it an ending or a new beginning?
Emma’s grown into a stunningly attractive young woman, full of ideas for modernising her family business. Then Mark gets involved and the sparks begin to fly. It’s just like the old days, except that now he’s seeing her through totally new eyes.
While Mark struggles to keep his feelings in check, Emma remains immune to the Knightley charm. She’s never forgotten that embarrassing moment when he discovered her teenage crush on him. He’s still pouring scorn on all her projects, especially her beautifully orchestrated campaign to find Mr Right for her ditzy PA. And finally, when the mysterious Flynn Churchill – the man of her dreams – turns up, how could she have eyes for anyone else?
With its clueless heroine and entertaining plot, this modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma stays true to the original, while giving fresh insights into the mind of its thoroughly updated and irresistible hero.
Juliet Archer
Juliet Archer writes award-winning romantic comedy for Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction. She has been known to spend many happy hours matching irresistible heroes with their equally irresistible chocolate counterparts – watch out for the dark nutty ones!
Her debut novel, The Importance of Being Emma, won the Big Red Read Book of the Year 2011 Fiction Award and was shortlisted for the 2009 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance. Her second novel, Persuade Me, was shortlisted for the 2011 Festival of Romance Best Romantic Read Award.
Juliet’s third book, One Summer Weekend, is out in June 2018. You can also read her short stories: Incense & Insensibility in the Choc Lit Love Match anthology, and Love Rules in Choc Lit’s Kisses & Cupcakes anthology.
Juliet was born and bred in North-East England and now lives in Hertfordshire. She gives talks all over the UK and in the USA about the classic authors who inspire her work. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Jane Austen Society. Her non-writing career has spanned IT, acquisitions analysis, copy editing, marketing and project management, providing plenty of first-hand research for her novels.
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Juliet Archer stayed true to the original plot of “Emma” but updated it in a clever and witty way. We all know and love these characters and to see them in a modern setting is so refreshing. It helps to keep them alive.
In this version Emma is a marketing director of Highbury foods, Mr. Knightley CEO of Donwell Organics Foods. Frank “Flynn” Churchill is a television chef in Australia, Robert Martin is a Haulage director and Harriet Smith is a P.A.
Emma is still trying to give Harriet a make over, as she claims “Harriet is a chav”. It if often hilarious , and Harriet does provide some comic relief. I even got the IKEA jokes, having a Klippan myself.
Some how a modern setting seems to work just as well as it did in the 1800.We all know how these characters will act but yet you will still anticipate their actions. Modern life is so changed and it is hard to find modern counterparts. There are company mergers instead of engagements and Emma is still every bit as charmingly naïve. Juliet Archer gave “Emma” a make over and did it beautifully. She injected a bit of sexiness that was never present before. I wouldn’t mind borrowing her Mr. Knightley for the evening.
I really enjoyed this book and can not wait to read the sequel, Persuade me. St
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