A Look Inside The Wrong Mr. Darcy

When I stumbled upon The Wrong Mr. Darcy on Goodreads, I was fully prepared to read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice all over again, but this time in a modern, 21st century setting. My taste in novels doesn’t stray very far from romance and fiction, however I did hope that there was going to be more than just tasteful P&P metaphors and that one subtle hand touch that was implied to have sexual tension (you know the one). I was happy to find that the story had a lot more than it led on, instantly reminding me of those Lifetime movies that my mom keeps on the TV on weekends.

Now, the premise of The Wrong Mr. Darcy is a question that deals with the moral codes that are stretched throughout the story itself: “Would you abandon the opportunity of a lifetime in favor of helping someone else?” The Wrong Mr. Darcy, written by Evelyn Lozada and Holly Lorincz, follows the lives of Hara Isari, a small town reporter from Portland, Oregon with big dreams of becoming a sportswriter, and Derek Darcy, a rookie basketball player on the rise to stardom with an arrogant and proud personality as well as thick walls built around his heart. The story begins with Hara visiting her father in prison and breaking the news that she won a writing contest, scoring the chance to interview the Fishers’ star player, Charles Butler. Later, she is flown out from Portland to Boston and is sent to stay at Mr. O’Donnell’s—one of the owners of the team—mansion, with further access to the cocktail party and the big game the night after. Before that, Hara has a run-in with Derek, the literal embodiment of tall, dark, and handsome, but is instantly turned off by his rude behavior towards her.

At the party, Hara finds that Mr. O’Donnell is quite unsettling and his assistant a total bitch (her words, not mine). She sees Derek again at the party, then again while she interviews Charles, and again at the game while she jots down notes for her article in the press row. With all that in mind, she also manages to overhear Derek telling Charles that he needs to come clean, and Hara is determined to find out the scoop that could possibly kick-start her career. Said scoop would be that Charles’s mother had accepted dirty money from the college he was going to, meaning they technically bought him. So many things unfold for the reporter, both good and bad. As she bonds with Derek and begins to grow feelings for him, she soon finds out that her father had O’Donnell rig the contest so that she was picked.

The story progresses as Hara is discovering a softer side of Derek, especially after the massive storm that hit Boston, landing Hara’s new friend, Naomi, in the hospital, and ending with Hara spending the night with Derek as she didn’t want to step foot back in O’Donnell’s home. The pair end up sharing a very passionate night wrapped up in each other. But, as all complicated romance novels are, emotions are thrown askew! As the story starts to wrap up, it is revealed that O’Donnell rigged the games, told Charles to throw the games so he could bet against the Fishers and win, as well as threatened Hara, Derek, and Naomi, and had someone beat Hara’s father within an inch of his life as a warning. Charles is later shot and killed by O’Donnell in a parking garage while protecting Derek and Hara, then gets taken into custody with the evidence from the garage’s CCTV cameras. This harrowing experience officially solidifies Hara and Derek’s relationship as they’ve come to realize that one can’t be without the other and that they’ve fallen for each other.

With the elements I was given in the story, I’ve concluded that the controlling idea is, “Remaining true to your ethics and loyalties will lead to success and personal fulfillment.” By remaining true to her ethics of a reporter, Hara was sure that getting the dirt on Charles would make for a great story and kick her career into high gear. However, as her relationship with Derek progresses, she sees how much it would hurt both him and Charles if she went through with it. Instead she remains loyal by promising Derek that she won’t do anything until he says it’s alright.

But with the controlling idea comes the counter idea: “If you rely too much on your own quick judgement, you lose sight of what’s in front of you.” While Hara lives off of first impressions of others, Derek has a serious distrust for reporters, which is what makes them like oil and water. But because of this, they push their feelings for each other down further, and because of Hara’s belief that Charles was a good person who hangs with the wrong crowd, she is too blinded by her judgement until it’s too late, and ultimately costs Charles his life.

Narrative Graph

• Hara tells her dad (who is in prison) that she will interview a famous basketball player (+)
• Hara’s mother presses her to find a husband (-)
• The flight to Boston and limo ride from airport is unpleasant (-)
• Hara sees Derek Darcy for the first time (+)
• …and then embarasses herself in front of him (-)
• Derek is a jerk, leading to Hara’s first impression of him (-)
• Hara is invited to the cocktail party/tomorrow’s game (+)
• She sees Derek again (-)
• Hara interviews Charles (+)
• Hara overhears dirt on Charles, her chance to write a big story (+)
• Derek is begging Charles to come clean about his mom taking a bribe from a college for Charles (-)
• Hara feels confident in the press row at the game (+)
• Derek is a jerk to her at the club (-)
• ….but opens up a little while they sit at the bar (+)
• Derek and Hara go in for a kiss when Hara is taken back to O’Donnell’s (+)
• ….but are interrupted by Madeline (-)
• Hara finds out that her father rigged the writing contest for her (-)
• Hara is comforted by Naomi (+)
• Hara discovers the softer side of Derek as the story progresses (+)
• A big storm shakes Boston (-)
• A pregnant Naomi lands in the hospital with an injury (-)
• Derek takes Hara back to his place where he comforts her (+)
• Derek and Hara end up sleeping together (+)
• Derek tells Hara what’s going on with Charles, then regrets it (-)
• Hara promises to wait for the green light from Derek (+)
• Hara goes to the hospital to check on Naomi (+)
• ….and sees Madeline leaving (-)
• Hara finds out that O’Donnell is forcing Naomi to get an abortion (-)
• Derek is summoned by O’Donnell, who tells him to stop trying to make a name for himself and pass the ball to Charles (-)
• Derek argues with a drunk Charles, telling him to get his shit together (+/-)
• Hara and Derek talk things out about the O’Donnell situation (+)
• Hara gets a call from the hospital saying that Naomi miscarried (-)
• Hara visits Naomi later, only to find that she attempted suicide (-)
• Hara finds out that her father was attacked in prison as a warning from O’Donnell (-)
• Hara gathers her courage and goes to the next game despite warnings (+)
• Derek sees her, but so does Madeline (-)
• Madeline brings Hara and Derek to a parking garage, where Charles knocks Derek out (-)
• It’s revealed that O’Donnell was having the games rigged, and Charles was an unwilling accomplice (-)
• A scuffle ensues, ending with Charles being shot and killed (-)
• Hara and Derek manage to defeat O’Donnell (+)
• Hara and Derek realize that they can’t be apart and admit their feelings (+)
• Hara and Derek visit her father in the hospital (+)
• Derek gives Hara the green light to interview him and tell Charles’ story (+)