Lover's Knot Blog Tour ~ Guest Post with Jenetta James & Giveaway!

Hello, Friends! It's my pleasure to be part of the Lover's Knot Blog Tour! Today, Jenetta James is here to talk about a subject that I think is very important. Cover art. I know I shouldn't, but I do judge a book by its cover. It's the first thing that catches my eye, making me pick it up, and then read the book description. So, it's important! :)

Lover’s Knot: a quick tour around the book cover.

Firstly, thank you Candy for having me visit “So little time…” as part of the “Lover’s Knot” blog tour. It is a pleasure to be here for a guest post. 

Today, I’m talking about the cover of “Lover’s Knot”. That is not because I designed it, or because I have any aptitude in that department! The cover is the work of Susan Adriani of CloudCat Design, but I’m so taken with it that I hope readers will enjoy a little saunter through its finer details. 

As a reader, I take quite an interest in covers. I love the “cover reveals” in the world of JAFF and always enjoy looking at the different designs that pop up - both for my trusty favourite authors and those who are new to me. My gut instinct is that a cover should give you a sneak peek at the story but not try to tell it. It is like wafting a just-cooked meal under the nose of a hungry soul, and a lot of what makes an effective cover comes down to feeling and atmosphere.

Because “Lover’s Knot” is both a romance and a mystery - its cover needed to hint at both as well as be slightly dark. It is after all, not every day that everyone’s favourite Hertfordshire estate is beset by a grisly murder, and I feel that should be reflected in the cover of the book. 

The full cover contains three images from historical works of art. In each case, by focussing on details, Susan cleverly transforms how those images appear. So let’s have a look at each one.  

The brooding gentleman starring out from the top of the front cover is intended to call to mind Mr. Darcy. In “Lover’s Knot”, he is not simply the male lead - he is also the narrator. It is his story, so it seemed fitting that he should take pride of place on the cover. In fact, that face is a detail from a portrait of French sculptor Paul Lemoyne by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It was painted in Rome in 1811. The whole portrait is here and as readers will see, in the full version, he looks a bit like Elvis and not at all like Mr. Darcy. But, to my mind (I know others will disagree, of course), the close up version could well be the man himself. 

So what of the party-going lady at the bottom of the front cover? This is a detail from a painting called “After the ball” by German artist, Conrad Kiesel. It will be clear from the fashions and the style of painting that this does not date from the Regency, but considerably later. Despite not being the right period - I found it such an appealing image. It worked in the landscape format that was needed for the front cover. And something about the opulence and hopefulness of the lady brought to my mind a particular scene in “Lover’s Knot”. For these reasons, and because I just *love* that fan, I was anxious to use it. Again, Susan focussed in, cleverly changing the way it appears. Readers can look at the whole painting here… 

The back cover features a detail from Vittorio Reggianini’s painting “A Shocking Announcement”. Reggianini was an Italian artist of the late 19th century, although he frequently painted Georgian “saloon scenes”, of which this is one. The whole painting does not really relate to the story of “Lover’s Knot” at all. It is the wrong period and shows a swooning lady in a gilded room being fanned by a maid, seemingly after hearing some unexpected news. As with the other pictures, a detail was used to suggest something quite different. The fallen chair hung with a lady’s shawl on the polished floor and the sight of retreating feet is intended to hint at the chaos and disorder of Netherfield following the discovery of a murder. 

So there you have it. I’d love to hear reader’s reflections on this cover. What do you think of it? What type of covers appeal to you? Do you like to see historical art or contemporary photography? Are you for faces or landscapes? Have your share of the conversation!

Lover’s Knot: A Mysterious Pride & Prejudice Variation 

by Jenetta James 

Book Description:

A great love. A perplexing murder. Netherfield Park — a house of secrets. 

Fitzwilliam Darcy is in a tangle. Captivated by Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a girl of no fortune and few connections. Embroiled in an infamous murder in the home of his friend, Charles Bingley. He is being tested in every way. Fearing for Elizabeth’s safety, Darcy moves to protect her in the only way he knows but is thwarted. Thus, he is forced to turn detective. Can he overcome his pride for the sake of Elizabeth? Can he, with a broken heart, fathom the villainy that has invaded their lives? Is there even a chance for love born of such strife? 

Lover’s Knot is a romantic Pride & Prejudice variation, with a bit of mystery thrown in.

Buy: Amazon / This book is free through KindleUnlimited
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FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

About the Author

Jenetta James is a mother, writer, lawyer and taker-on of too much. She grew up in Cambridge and read history at Oxford University where she was a scholar and president of the Oxford University History Society. After graduating, she took to the law and now practices full-time as a barrister. Over the years, she has lived in France, Hungary, and Trinidad as well as her native England. Jenetta currently lives in London with her husband and children where she enjoys reading, laughing, and playing with Lego. She has written, Suddenly Mrs. Darcy and The Elizabeth Papers as well as contributed short stories to both The Darcy Monologues and Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes and Gentlemen Rogues

Connect with Jenetta James

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Lover’s Knot Tour Schedule

March 29 My Jane Austen Book Club/ Guest Post & Giveaway

March 30 Savvy Verse & Wit / Guest Post & Giveaway

March 31 Liz's Reading Life / Book Review & Giveaway

April 1 My Vices and Weaknesses/  Excerpt Post & Giveaway

April 2 Of Pens and Pages / Book Review & Giveaway

April 3 So Little Time... /  Guest Post & Giveaway

April 4  Austenesque Reviews / Author Interview & Giveaway

April 5 From Pemberley to Milton /  Excerpt Post & Giveaway

April 6 Babblings of a Bookworm /  Book Review & Giveaway

April 7 More Agreeably Engaged / Book Review & Giveaway

April 8 My Love for Jane Austen / Guest Post & Giveaway

April 9 Diary of an Eccentric /  Guest Post & Giveaway

April 10 Laughing with Lizzie /  Excerpt Post & Giveaway

April 11 Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review & Giveaway

April 12 Just Jane 1813/ Author Interview & Giveaway

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time! Jenetta has selected a lovely giveaway package where one lucky winner will receive a Pride & Prejudice scarf, a Kindle cover, and paperback copies of all five of her JAFF books.

Terms and Conditions

• 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.
• Winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter.
• The giveaway is international.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Wow! Awesome prize! Thank you, Jenetta, for your generosity! Also, great post! I love to hear about the thought put into a cover. 

Many thanks to Claudine @ JustJane 1813 for organizing this tour and including me! 

So, readers, what do you think? Like Jenetta asked above, what kind of covers appeal to you? 

'The Elizabeth Papers' Blog Tour ~ Excerpt & Giveaway!

Hello, Friends! As part of The Elizabeth Papers Blog Tour, it is my pleasure to bring to you an excerpt from Jenetta James' new book, The Elizabeth Papers. I loved Jenetta's first book, Suddenly Mrs. Darcy, and I'm looking forward to this one. I hope you enjoy the excerpt! Details for the giveaway are at the bottom of the post! 

From: Prologue

May 2, 1860

Pemberley

Galbraith,

     Thank you for agreeing to travel to Pemberley next week. I can only apologise that I shall not be able to see you in Town, but I think we both know it very likely I shall not leave here now. My purpose in writing to you before you travel is twofold. First, I believe that what I am about to ask may occasion considerable thought on your part, and I want you to be prepared when we meet. Second, I am increasingly anxious to communicate what is in my mind, to set it down and ensure that it is not misunderstood or put by the board. I am—and I do not wish to hear your protestations—not long for the world.

     We are old friends and you will do me the credit of trusting me when I say that I know my life is drawing to its close. I have been, as you know, greatly blessed.

     You, more than anyone, know my legal and financial affairs. You know the steps I have taken and the money I have spent in protecting my late, beloved Elizabeth and her family. As a result of the entail on the Longbourn estate, Elizabeth and her sisters effectively had no resources of their own and no relations upon whom they could rely. I, together with Bingley, have shouldered the burden of protecting them—financially and in other ways as well. There are men who, if they knew the full truth, would say I have been a fool. However, I regret nothing and would never have done less for her. This history, though, has provoked me to consider the position of our own family. Our daughters are all of them well married to men whom I respect. Their husbands can provide for them. They all had significant dowries, and I do not fear for them.

     However, I am also conscious that they are five sisters, and there may be many such daughters born to their descendants. We live in a world, Galbraith, where a woman has only that which fortune has given her. She cannot shift for herself as a man can, and I have come to fear that, in time and in future generations, the largesse I gave them may be diminished.

     For this reason, I have decided, before my death, to separate out part of the Darcy estate to fund a trust for the benefit of my female descendants in perpetuity. In other words, it is to be an entail in favour of the women in my family. It is in my mind to use the estate at Rosschapel for this purpose. You and I, alone in the world, understand the significance of that. I have considered, of course, the disadvantages to my son and his descendants of reducing the size and value of the overall Darcy estate. I have considered it, and I am decided.

     I trust that this has given you substance for thought, and I shall welcome you here with all the verve my health allows.

     Yours,
     Darcy

Suddenly Mrs. Darcy by Jenetta James ~ My Review

Suddenly Mrs. Darcy by Jenetta James 

Publication Date: April 2015 
Publisher: Meryton Press
Pages: 200 
Received: Paperback from the author 
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Suddenly Mrs. Darcy is a delightful read! Jenetta James is a beautiful story teller! I loved the feel of the first person narrative told from Elizabeth’s POV; it reminded me of an old black and white movie! Quite charming!

After Mrs. Bennet accuses Darcy of compromising Elizabeth at the Netherfield Ball, Elizabeth and Darcy are forced to marry. Arrangements are quickly made, and Elizabeth soon finds herself on the way to Pemberley.

“And so it was that my marriage was a strange, hurried, and patched together affair that nobody seemed to enjoy.” ~ p. 20

Elizabeth vows to herself to make the best of her marriage with Mr. Darcy, to make it as good of a marriage as it could be. She soon grows more comfortable around him, but she doesn’t speak her mind as she did before they were married, and misunderstandings begin to simmer. Elizabeth is falling in love with him, but she is frustrated with his lack of conversation with her beyond the basics. She longs to be in his confidence, to be trusted with his thoughts. It seems Darcy has many secrets and Elizabeth finds out bits and pieces of them either by stumbling over them herself or by some mean-spirited person trying to hurt Lizzy. She keeps all this to herself until it becomes too much to bear and it comes exploding out.

My favorite stories are Pride and Prejudice variations; I love the chase! But I also love stories like this! Even though they are married soon at the beginning of the story, there is still a chase of sorts, as it is filled with insecurities and heartbreak, and finally happiness! 

I loved Suddenly Mrs. Darcy! I found it to be a beautiful story and one I’ll be rereading…I’ve already read it twice!

FTC Disclaimer: I received a paperback of the book for my honest review.

Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

Connect with Jenetta James

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Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you!

Winner of the Suddenly Mrs. Darcy Giveaway!

Hey Everyone! It's time to announce the winner of the Suddenly Mrs. Darcy giveaway! 

Many thanks to Jakki at Leatherbound Reviews, Meryton Press and Jenetta James for including me in this Blog Tour! 

Without further ado, Rafflecopter has picked a winner!

Congratulations to:

Arjanne!

You've won a paperback of Suddenly Mrs. Darcy!

I have emailed the winner. (Winners have 72 hours to respond to this post or an email or another winner will be picked. Thank you.)

Thank you to all who entered and took the time to comment! I appreciate all of you!

Suddenly Mrs. Darcy is now on sale at Amazon or B&N.

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks! 

Suddenly Mrs. Darcy Blog Tour & Giveaway!

Hey Everyone! I'm delighted to be part of the Suddenly Mrs. Darcy Blog Tour! This stop brings Jenetta James author of  Suddenly Mrs. Darcy here to So little time... with a guest post! 

Many thanks to Jakki at Leatherbound Reviews for organizing this Blog Tour! 

Also, Meryton Press is giving a paperback of Suddenly Mrs. Darcy to one lucky winner! You'll find the information for the giveaway at the bottom of this post.

Book Blurb

Elizabeth Bennet never imagined her own parents would force her to marry a virtual stranger. But when Mrs. Bennet accuses Fitzwilliam Darcy of compromising her daughter, that is exactly the outcome. Trapped in a seemingly loveless marriage and far from home, she grows suspicious of her new husband’s heart and further, suspects he is hiding a great secret. Is there even a chance at love given the happenstance of their hasty marriage?

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I'm so excited about this book! When Elizabeth is forced to marry Mr. Darcy is one of my favorite scenarios! And it looks like it's a favorite of Ms. James, too, as you'll soon see:

Marriage Lessons for Lizzy

When you think about it, it’s a funny thing that Jane Austen wrote so effectively about marriage, having never been married herself. I guess that you don’t need to be a soldier to write about a war and the keen observation and humour that she brought to every aspect of her work – she also focussed on the whole business of matrimony. Pride and Prejudice itself contains a number of brilliantly drawn portraits of marriage – some of them more inspirational than others. The union of Mr and Mrs Bennet is clearly unsatisfactory to all concerned, while that of Mr and Mrs Gardiner appears to be a paradigm case of love and mutual respect.

I have a soft spot for Pride and Prejudice variations in which Lizzy and Darcy are forced by circumstance to marry sooner than they do in cannon. Changing the chronology in that way asks the reader to consider how the characters may build a marriage that is tolerable to both of them on shaky foundations when there are still unresolved conflicts bubbling away under the surface. They are effectively locked into a rigid relationship without first being able to know one another. An “early” marriage also gives a flavour of the times. This was an era in which marriages could be brokered very quickly between families. It was also an era when the threat of scandal might necessitate a marriage in dazzlingly short order, whatever the truth of the matter may be.

That is what happens to Lizzy in Suddenly Mrs Darcy and I have tried to focus on how she would have coped; how the playfulness and intelligence of her personality would have reasserted itself. With that in mind, I have deliberately given her a couple of new examples of marriage within the narrative. The Lizzy of Suddenly Mrs Darcy has within her contemplation and happy marriage of some length and a marriage which has been overshadowed by unhappiness and scandal to the detriment of all. Let us hope that she will heed their lessons in her matrimonial travels with Mr Darcy!

Author Bio:

Jenetta James is a lawyer, writer, mother and taker-on of too much. She grew up in Cambridge and read history at Oxford University where she was a scholar and president of the Oxford University History Society. After graduating, she took to the law and now practises full time as a barrister. Over the years she has lived in France, Hungary and Trinidad as well as her native England. Jenetta currently lives in London with her husband and children where she enjoys reading, laughing and playing with Lego. Suddenly Mrs Darcy is her first novel.

Connect with Jenetta James

Twitter • Facebook • Website

Blog Tour Schedule

4/20:Excerpt & Giveaway at The Calico Critic 

4/21: Review at Songs and Stories 

4/22:  Guest Post & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club 

4/23: Guest Post & Giveaway at So Little Time… 

4/24: Review at Diary of an Eccentric

4/25: Excerpt & Giveaway at My Love for Jane Austen 

4/26: Review at Babblings of a Bookworm

4/27: Guest Post & Giveaway at Austenesque Reviews 

4/28: Guest Post at Songs and Stories 

4/29: Excerpt & Giveaway at Best Sellers and Best Stellars 

4/30: Review at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice

5/1: Review at Margie's Must Reads

5/2: Guest Post & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged 

5/3: Excerpt & Giveaway at Laughing with Lizzie 

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

Giveaway time! Meryton Press is giving away ONE paperback of Suddenly Mrs. Darcy to ONE lucky winner! This giveaway is open Internationally! To enter fill out the Rafflecopter below and leave a comment!

Thank you, Jenetta James and Meryton Press! 

• One person will win a paperback of Suddenly Mrs. Darcy.
• Open Internationally.
• Last day to enter: April 30, 2015

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please, leave a comment! We'd love to hear from you! Remember, to enter the giveaway you MUST fill out the Rafflecopter (shown above). If you need help entering, email me by clicking on the email icon at the top of the sidebar. Thanks!