A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King

 Pride and Prejudice meets the burlesque scene in this entirely unique retelling. Elizabeth Bennet is a stage kitten for the burlesque performances at Meryton. On a memorable night at the club, she meets Charles and Darcy and life as she knows it is changed. With her friend and roommate Jane staking a claim on Charles, Bennet sees a lot more of Darcy than she would like… or maybe not enough of him. When things begin to look up, everything comes crashing down and Bennet must decide if she wants to be brave or if she’ll follow her past mistakes. 

Photo from my bookstagram @bookworminkayla

I love the setting of this retelling!  I am a sucker for Pride and Prejudice in any form but this is definitely one of my favorite adaptions.  With burlesque being a focus, there are a lot of fun characters to fill out the cast, and the extra spice that the role gives Elizabeth’s character is fabulous.  But that is not all for Miss Bennet - she does interior design and has an admin job for a tech company as well.  She really does contain multitudes, and while I have no complaints with Austen, Vanessa King does a great job of refitting Lizzie into the role of a modern day woman.  She is busy, she is a hard worker, she is feminine and sexy and invincible, and I enjoyed reading every moment.  

My only disappointment in this book is that it ends. I would love more time with the characters and the setting, not to mention King’s writing.  With all of the amazing details - of the burlesque shows and costumes, the interior design elements, the modern ways this classic story is brought to life, the subtle emphasis that consent is sexy, and just generally the attention to the characters - this story is one I am already anticipating re-reading.