Not Exactly Mr. Darcy

Miller (A Valentine for a Vet) kicks off the Silver Teapot Series with a fun if somewhat flimsy 21st-century spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. After losing her job as a high school history teacher, Liv Bennet is tasked by her family with caring for her ailing grandmother, Veronica, in the small English village of Hartbury. A lifelong Austen fan, Liv is itching to visit historic Hartbury Hall, which doubled as Pemberly Hall in the film Pride and Prejudice, but upon arriving discovers the building has fallen in disrepair and learns from surly, handsome gardener Liam Brown, who chastises her for trespassing, that it is closed to the public. But there’s more to Liam than meets the eye, her grandmother hints as she and Liv marshal a group of volunteers to refurbish the hall and open it to the public. Liam begrudgingly joins the efforts to revive Hartbury Hall and begins to open up about a long-ago tragedy and his struggles with his faith in its wake. While the narrative frame and Regency-inflected trappings are cute, it feels unlikely that it would take Liz almost to the end of the book to discover Liam’s secret. Still, Austenites who can suspend their disbelief will find enough to enjoy. (Dec.)