Critic Reviews
Great
Based on 6 reviews on
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...
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A CERTAIN APPEAL by Vanessa King - I don’t know how this went so under the radar when it’s basically Pride and Prejudice but set in the modern day NYC Burlesque scene. Lots of queer characters, lots of spice, lots of found family vibes https://t.co/IxBC8Hxof9
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'A Certain Appeal' by Vanessa King. 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. http://pw-ne.ws/fc975 https://t.co/9EAg2UkH59
"Pride and Prejudice gets a modern makeover in A Certain Appeal." --PopSugar
"[A] sparkling, steamy tale." --Women's World
"If you've ever wondered what Pride and Prejudice would look like in the world of modern burlesque, this romance from Vanessa King is for you!" --Life Savvy
"A burlesque Pride & Prejudice retelling? Yes, please!" --Bustle
"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)
"King takes full advantage of the sensual art of burlesque to ramp up the sexual tension between Darcy and Ben while including cheeky nods to Austen's masterpiece...An utter delight."--Booklist
"A rompy, raunchy retelling of Pride & Prejudice with a burlesque twist, A Certain Appeal is incredibly charming and it knows it...Vanessa King excels at infusing her own fresh voice and sparkling ideas into this contemporary romance...Fans of the source material will have an immeasurable amount of fun identifying all the Easter eggs within, from recognizable characters to dialogue that harkens back to the original text. King captures the magical feeling of seeing New York City awash in lights, and the electric hum of a rapt crowd during a live performance...The only big questions left are what King will write next and when can we read it?"--BookPage (starred review)
"King puts a fun, sassy spin on Pride & Prejudice with a rom-com set in the racy world of burlesque."--CNN.com
"Whether you loved the classic that inspired it or not, you'll devour this steamy novel."--Good Housekeeping
"Deft and fun... 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
"Vanessa King creates a vibrant cast of secondary characters led by a heroine to cheer for. A Certain Appeal is delightfully tantalizing, cover to cover. This book will make you want to shimmy!"--Alli Frank & Asha Youmans, authors of Tiny Imperfections