When Isla Waterstone and Declan Fox meet at a Valentine's Day singles brunch on beautiful Mariposa Island, they take an immediate dislike to each other. Their mutual antipathy only intensifies after Declan overhears one of Isla's friends talking about "landing the white whale" (in other words, marrying billionaire Declan) and subsequently believes Isla to be a gold digger by association. The more they're thrown together by their friends, the more sparks fly between them, but will Isla and Declan ever be able to get past their first impressions of each other?
"Pride and Prejudice" is one of my favorite books and Sarah Ready is one of my favorite rom-com authors, so when I heard that she was writing a Caribbean-set P&P retelling, I was here for it. Now that I've actually read the book, however, I have to admit that I was hoping for a little more from it. Even with the background of P&P and Mr. Darcy's character, it was tough to like Declan. He was just so icy, and some of the things he said to Isla were downright mean. I think it would have helped if the story had been told in dual POV rather than solely from Isla's POV; IMO, knowing what Declan was thinking would have softened his character quite a bit. I also had a tough time believing that Isla fell in love with him so quickly. It was like she just flipped a switch and went from hating him to loving him. I would have liked to see them spend more time together before declaring their feelings.
That said, there were a lot of things I really did like about the story. For example, I liked Isla herself, and her friends were a ton of fun. Kate was a bit mercenary, but at least her motivations were understandable. She missed her family back in England and believed that getting married was the only way to convince them to forgive her for her past transgressions. I also loved the book's setting on Mariposa Island. After reading about the beautiful scenery there, I'm ready to plan a trip to the Caribbean right now!
Overall, I enjoyed "Once Upon an Island" and would recommend it for all romantic comedy fans. I look forward to whatever Sarah Ready writes next.
*Review copy provided by the author/publisher via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "Once Upon an Island"
Sometimes first impressions aren’t everything.
Once Upon an Island, a steamy and hilarious retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the Caribbean from author Sarah Ready, is now available!
Fun-loving Isla Waterstone loves her laid-back life on Mariposa Island. She has everything she could ever want…a great job as a journalist for the local paper, amazing friends, and pink sand beaches with stunning tropical sunsets.
The only problem with tiny tropical islands? There are more sea turtles than single men.
So when British billionaire Declan Fox and his aristocratic friend arrive, Isla’s friends know this can mean only one thing.
Marriage.
After all, it’s a truth universally acknowledged, when a single billionaire travels to a tropical island, he must be in want of a wife.
But Isla isn’t convinced. Especially because Declan is the most rude, arrogant, prideful man she’s ever met.
Or is he?
From tropical Mariposa to England and back again, this playful summer romcom finds that first impressions don’t always tell the whole story.
Read an Excerpt from "Once Upon an Island"
Jimmy starts the propeller and the noise fills the cabin. Percy and Arya lean closer together to continue their conversation. When Jimmy starts moving the plane forward I close my eyes, but unfortunately, my head spins so much that I have to open them again.
When I do, I notice Declan staring at me.
“Yes?” I ask.
He scowls. “You made a noise.”
I probably did. In fact, I imagine it was a noise like “please, oh please, please fly okay.”
“I’m fine,” I say.
Declan looks down at my hands and makes a disbelieving noise. I look down too. I’m gripping the seats and my knuckles have turned white.
The plane bumps down the runway and my stomach flips with each little bump.
“Are you afraid to fly?” asks Declan. He has a judgy look on his face. “How can you live on an island and be afraid of flying? Don’t you have to fly to go anywhere else in the world?”
I glare at him. His people skills are terrible. “I’m not afraid of flying.”
He makes another disbelieving noise.
“I’m not,” I say.
“Just like you don’t eat balls very often,” he says. Then he smirks at me.
I gasp and my back goes poker straight. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure he remembered me, or recognized me from the Valentine’s Day Brunch, but I am now.
“It’s none of your business how often I eat balls,” I hiss at him. Then I flush. “And I’m talking about chocolate, you…you…man.” My insult falls flat. It’s hard to be eloquent when you’re drugged up and terrified of flying.
“I know what you’re up to,” he says, and his lip curls in a villain-ish sort of way.
What’s he talking about?
“You don’t know anything,” I say. Because…comebacks.
He shakes his head and looks at me like I’m the larva of a slug. “I heard your friends talking in the terminal. ‘Land the white whale. Nab a billionaire. Blah blah blah.’ Trust me, La-La. I’ve had enough gold diggers after me to recognize one from a mile away. I’m not interested.”
My mouth drops open and I try to formulate a comeback. Instead, all I manage are little choking noises of outrage. Finally, I say, “I’m not a dold gigger…” I shake my head. That wasn’t right. Darn prescription. “Gold digger,” I correct.
Declan snorts and turns back to his phone, effectively dismissing me.
However, I’m a person, not a dog he can dismiss or beckon at his convenience. So I lean over and forcefully poke his arm with my pointer finger.
He glances up and gives me an affronted look. “Yes?”
“I’m not a gold digger,” I say again.
“Methinks thou protesteth too much.”
I shake my fuddled head. “I just want to set the record straight. I wouldn’t chase you, lust after you, date you, or marry you, even if you and I were stranded on a deserted island together, or if you were the last man on earth. Billionaire or bankrupt, I don’t care. Because I don’t like you. Got it? I don’t like you.”
Declan gives me a tight-lipped smile. “The feeling’s mutual,” he says. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have important things to do.”
Implying that I’m not important.
Well.
“So do I,” I say.
I resist the urge to stick out my tongue.
What a jerk.
I turn away from him, my head spinning. When I look out the little oval window next to my seat, I see with surprise that we’re high in the sky, soaring over the azure-colored sea. I was so distracted by Declan that I forgot about my terror over take-off, and my fear of flying.
I look down and make out the white sail of a sailboat, the dark greenish-black smudges of a reef, and a tiny uninhabited island.
I glance over at Declan. It’s amazing. It seems that my complete and utter loathing and fear of flying was finally wiped out. I don’t need anti-anxiety medication, therapy, or any other tricks. I just need to replace it with an even greater loathing – that of Declan Fox.
I grin gleefully. At that moment he looks up, sees my expression and scowls at me.
Amazing. Wonderful.
“It’s not going to work. You’re not pretty enough to tempt me. Nor are you eloquent or smart enough. Or friendly enough for that matter. Even when you smile. You can stop trying,” he says grumpily.
This makes me smile even more.
He’s awful, and that’s wonderful.
“You’re the worst person I’ve ever met,” I say with the biggest grin on my face.
“And you’re the most vulgar, greediest, average-looking gold digger I’ve ever met.”
“Perfect,” I say with a smile.
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