Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2021
352 pages
Genre: Romance
Paperback Original.
Publication Information
A sparkling contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the tantalizing world of New York City burlesque, perfect for fans of The Kiss Quotient and The Roommate.
After a betrayal derailed her interior design career, Liz Bennet found a fresh start in New York. Now an executive assistant by day and stage kitten by night, she's discovered a second home with the performers at Meryton, Manhattan's top-tier burlesque venue. Love's the last thing on her mind when she locks eyes with Will Darcy across the crowded club, yet the spark between them is undeniable—that is, until she overhears the uptight wealth manager call her merely "tolerable."
Bennet is determined to write Darcy off, but once their besties fall head-over-heels, they're thrown into each other's orbit again and again. Each encounter begins to feel more heated than the last, but is their chemistry enough to topple that terrible first impression? What's more, when a charming newcomer arrives on the scene with accusations against Darcy, and a sudden development leaves Meryton's fate in jeopardy, Bennet will have to decide who to trust in time to salvage her design dreams, her heart, and the stage she shares with her found family…
"King's irresistible debut gives Pride and Prejudice a fresh look, transplanting the classic story to the sexy, sequined world of a contemporary burlesque club...Between the camaraderie and the costumes, this immersive look at the burlesque scene is sure to win many fans, Austenite or not." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"While King's attempts at Austen-ian repartee feel largely superfluous to her otherwise deft and fun storytelling, this is nonetheless an original take on the source material, filled with three-dimensional characters. A jaunty and sexy twist on a classic." - Kirkus Reviews
"Readers who enjoy sexy contemporary romance will be charmed by King's light, irreverent retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in the New York City burlesque scene." - Library Journal
"Vanessa King has written one of the freshest new takes on Pride and Prejudice I've ever read. With plenty of catch-you-off-guard moments of modern humor and sex-appeal, she still manages to maintain the heart-tugging longing and frustrations of the original. Darcy and Lizzie have never been so fun and sexy." - Lyssa Kay Adams, author of The Bromance Book Club
"Sassy and sizzling! A fun play on Pride & Prejudice about the loves we find and the families we make." - Virginia Kantra, author of Meg & Jo
"A Certain Appeal is a fun romp into contemporary New York's burlesque scene. King brings alive a fizzy Burlesque world with its pasties, boas, heels, backstage camaraderie and tensions, friendships and self-defined families, and all the drama of running such an establishment...A thoroughly enjoyable page turner." - Soniah Kamal, author of Unmarriageable
This information about A Certain Appeal was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Vanessa King spent two years in the New York City burlesque scene and has the glitter in her pumps to prove it. A Certain Appeal is her debut novel and love letter to the dynamic, sexy world of twirling tassels and eyelash glue. When not writing, she enjoys reading, wielding a glue gun, and the contrast of red nails against a chrome barbell. She lives in Colorado with her husband and daughter.
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