A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity Blog Tour ~ Excerpt & Giveaway!

Hello, my friends! I'm delighted to be part of A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity Blog Tour! A D'Orazio has stopped by with a lovely excerpt. I enjoyed it very much, and I hope you will also! 

Make sure to enter the giveaway. Details are at the bottom of the post! 

Excerpt:

     Much to his chagrin, Darcy was received by only Mrs. Bingley and Miss Bingley. The two ladies occupied chairs across from a settee in which he seated himself. When tea arrived, Miss Bingley made much of her belief that she knew how he liked his prepared, but she did not. He preferred it without cream or milk, unlike how she served it to him. He took a sip or two to be polite then pushed it away.

     They spoke of the weather—it was cold, as it tended to be in January—and of the festive season. Conversation languished after this, and Miss Bingley sought to fill the time by repeating uninteresting gossip that was unlikely to be true about people he could scarcely abide. She had just begun what promised to be a prolonged dissertation on Mr. Walter Pickering and the autumn hunting party he had hosted in Sussex, when the door opened and Elizabeth entered.

     For a moment he was struck dumb, staring at her with his heart pounding so hard that it seemed it would leap from his chest. A moment too late, he rose politely and bowed to her.

     Someone must have warned her of his presence for she did not seem surprised to see him and made every effort to excuse herself. “Forgive me, Jane. I do not mean to intrude, but I wanted to let you know I had returned.”

     “Come sit, Lizzy,” urged Mrs. Bingley. “Have a bit of tea to warm yourself.”

     The settee where Darcy sat was closest to the fire; the only other chair was at some remove from the group. Elizabeth hesitated, glancing at him. He offered a faint smile and made a gesture with his hand at the place next to him. She came slowly, appearing uncertain but not unwilling.

     Elizabeth was quiet through most of the conversation, leaning forward and pouring herself a cup of tea. As she did, she noticed the cup Darcy had pushed away. Without a word, she obtained a new cup and fixed him tea in precisely the way he liked it. Discreetly, she moved it in front of him, not looking to see his grateful smile.

     When the tea was gone, he rose to leave. The small party moved into the vestibule where, alas, a door had been left slightly ajar. The resulting cold was nearly unbearable for the ladies. Mrs. Bingley shivered and mentioned something about her housekeeper, and Miss Bingley bid him farewell in hurried tones. Thus he was left alone with Elizabeth.

     “Thank you for the tea,” he said in a low tone. “Miss Bingley has not yet learnt my preference, not that I would wish her to know.”

     Although her countenance for these many months had been meek and pale, for a moment, the Elizabeth Bennet he once knew—the true Elizabeth Bennet—came through. She gave him the impish smile that always portended some teasing, and her eyes lit for a moment. “I did once intend to marry you. To learn your preference in drink was of no little import.”

     Her words caused him to catch his breath; he was thrilled, alarmed, and joyous all at once. She had no such happy response, appearing to repent of her levity almost immediately. Colour flooded her face, and she gave him a stricken look, murmuring, “Forgive me.” Then he could not stop her, and she rushed off, but it hardly signified as his carriage drew up moments later.

     He did not breathe until he was seated in his carriage, and then he released his breath all at once. Her words, he would not soon forget: “I did once intend to marry you.”


     She could have no notion of how her words affected him; the scales had fallen from his eyes. My life without her makes no sense.

Book Title: A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity 
Author: A. D’Orzaio 
Blog Tour Dates: February 21 - March 6, 2018 
Publisher: Meryton Press 

Synopsis: 

Is not the very meaning of love that it surpasses every objection against it?



Jilted. Never did Mr. Darcy imagine it could happen to him. 



But it has, and by Elizabeth Bennet, the woman who first hated and rejected him but then came to love him—he believed—and agree to be his wife. Alas, it is a short-lived, ill-fated romance that ends nearly as soon as it has begun. No reason is given. 



More than a year since he last saw her—a year of anger, confusion, and despair—he receives an invitation from the Bingleys to a house party at Netherfield. Darcy is first tempted to refuse, but with the understanding that Elizabeth will not attend, he decides to accept. 



When a letter arrives, confirming Elizabeth’s intention to join them, Darcy resolves to meet her with indifference. He is determined that he will not demand answers to the questions that plague him. Elizabeth is also resolved to remain silent and hold fast to the secret behind her refusal. Once they are together, however, it proves difficult to deny the intense passion that still exists. Fury, grief, and profound love prove to be a combustible mixture. But will the secrets between them be their undoing?

Buy: Amazon US • Amazon UK
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About the Author

Amy D’Orazio is a former breast cancer researcher and current stay at home mom who is addicted to Austen and Starbucks in about equal measures. While she adores Mr. Darcy, she is married to Mr. Bingley and their Pemberley is in Pittsburgh PA.

She has two daughters who are devoted to sports which require long practices and began writing her own stories as a way to pass the time she spent sitting in the lobbies of various gyms and studios. She is a firm believer that all stories should have long looks, stolen kisses and happily ever afters. Like her favorite heroine, she dearly loves a laugh and considers herself an excellent walker.

Connect with Amy D'Orazio

Twitter • Facebook • Meryton Press • Goodreads Author Page

A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity Tour Schedule

February 21 More Agreeably Engaged / Book Review & Giveaway

February 22 From Pemberley to Milton / Book Review & Giveaway

February 23 Austenesque Reviews / Guest Post & Giveaway

February 24 My Vices and Weaknesses / Excerpt Post & Giveaway

February 25 My Love for Jane Austen / Vignette & Giveaway

February 26 Babblings of a Bookworm / Book Review & Giveaway

February 27 Savvy Verse and Wit / Guest Post & Giveaway

February 28 Laughing with Lizzie / Vignette Post & Giveaway

March 1 So Little Time... / Excerpt Post & Giveaway

March 2 Of Pens and Pages / Book Review & Giveaway

March 3 Liz’s Reading Life / Author Interview 

March 4 Just Jane 1813 / Book Review & Giveaway

March 5 Diary of an Eccentric / Guest Post & Giveaway

March 6 Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review & Giveaway

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time!! Meryton Press is giveaway eight (8) eBooks of A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below!

Terms and conditions:

• One eBook per winner
• Eight winners will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter.
• Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once each day and by commenting daily on a blog post or review that has a giveaway attached to this tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented.
• Giveaway is open to international readers.
• Giveaway ends March 8, 2018, midnight ET

Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Many thanks to Amy D'Orazio for stopping by today with that lovely excerpt! I really must this your book! I have to find out what on earth happened to end their engagement! 

Thanks to Meryton Press for the generous giveaway and special thanks to Claudine @ JustJane1813 for organizing this blog tour!

So, what did you think?! Didn't your heart melt during that scene in the vestibule? Mine did!