Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwen Cready

I loved this book! Let me just start by saying this: Sexiest game of Scrabble ever. This book was time-travel but not, contemporary and historical, funny and sad.

Flip is a bird researcher and is part of a book club that is planning to review Pride and Prejudice. Magnus is a Jane Austen scholar from England currently working at the local college. Flip and her friends are outside a coffee shop one morning, talking and laughing and making ribald remarks about Mr. Darcy, planning their book club meeting the next week. Magnus is sitting nearby, trying to work and not hear their ridiculous remarks about the book. He is a serious scholar and can't believe they're reducing P&P to comments about Mr. Darcy's pants and hedgerows. As she leaves the coffee shop, Flip accidentally bumps into Magnus. She tries to make small talk but he rebuffs her by repeating some of what he'd overheard of their conversation and leaves. Flip gets angry and follows him, planning to tell him off, but ends up distracted and her neck hurts. She sees a flyer for a quick massage and decides, why not?

The massage has a theme - Imagine Yourself In Your Favorite Book. Of course Flip imagines herself in P&P. She falls asleep and wakes up in the book. Her character, Lady Quellin, ends up having sex with Mr. Darcy in a gazebo! She wakes up back on the table, thrilled with the massage, and heads home. The next morning, she sees a copy of P&P at the library - a first edition- and it's different!! Lizzie Bennett does not marry Mr. Darcy, she has a tryst with Wickham and ends up pregnant and alone!!! Uh-Oh. Flip needs to see more to see how bad it is but the book is encased in glass and guess who has access? Yup, Magnus. She goes to him for help (obviously she can't tell him the truth) and he denies her. She leaves in a huff.

He is intrigued by her request and goes to her home to get more information, and a comedy of situations ensues, including the sexy Scrabble game. Magnus sees the changes in the book and is alarmed and confused. Flip ends up back at the massage therapist to try to correct the changes, but it's dangerous because you're not supposed to go back into the same book twice, AND, you only have 24 hours from when you started to correct the changes. Magnus follows her and ends up in the book as well, and the two of them try to get Lizzie and Darcy back together.

This book was great! From the first page I laughed and cheered. The characters were likeable and I really wanted Flip and Magnus together. Flip's ex-husband, Jed, and his girlfriend Io were hilariously awful. I couldn't put it down, this one definitely goes on my keeper shelf! I want to read it again!!!