I bought this book and always pick it up every summer to read. It's a fun book. The character's are realistic. It's a sweet love story but NO trashy romance which I really appreciated. If you love the general storyline of Pride and Prejudice, I bet you will love this book.

Drive and Determination by Kara Louise is a modernized version of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The book is set in the U.S. and Guatemala (the descriptions of Guatemala sound romantic and exotic--a place I would like to visit). The names of the characters closely resemble those in P&P and some of the events mirror the original. It is a romantic story built much like Austen's (a number of plot twists, coincidences and a shy couple who are drawn to each other). Once you start you won't be able to stop until you are finished.

Here is a link to a site about Panajachel, Lake Atitlan in Guatemala--one of the settings in the book. http://www.enjoyguatemala.com/panajachel.htm

I'm not generally a fan of contemporary retellings of P&P so this one sat on my book shelf for a long time before I picked it up. Drive and Determination is definately one of the better modernizations. I've read all of Kara Louise's other books and I think she's an imaginative story teller. My only objection was that she killed off Elizabeth's sister Jane early in the book but at least this disaster served as a way to bring Darcy and Elizabeth together so they could get to know each other better. It allowed her to see the kinder, more caring side of Darcy which made her falling in love with him more believable. Generally, I liked the scenes in Guatemala more than those in the U.S. If you love Darcy and Elizabeth, I recommend adding this book to your book shelf.