With Love, Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Valentine Short Story Collection

 Hello, my friends! A group of lovely authors have put together this wonderful anthology of short stories for Valentine's Day! But not only that, but the proceeds will be going to the Jane Austen's House Museum! Amazing! Thank you, Ladies, for doing for being so generous with your time! 

With Love, Mr Darcy

A Pride and Prejudice Valentine Short Story Collection

Thanks so much for welcoming us here today, as we celebrate the release of our Valentine’s Day short story collection. We’re so excited to share these stories with everyone, and even more excited to be helping the Jane Austen’s House Museum by donating all the proceeds from this volume to the museum. 

What is this collection, you ask?
 

Our tagline says it all.

Six authors, six stories, seven happily-ever-afters.


Join writers Michelle d'Arcy, Elin Eriksen, Riana Everly, Iris Lim, Laura Moretti, and S. Neha for a special Valentine's Day anthology of Pride and Prejudice variations, each crafted with love from Mr Darcy.

Wait? This is for an Austen-Amazing cause?


Indeed it is!



All proceeds will be donated to the Jane Austen’s House Museum at Chawton, England.
Swoon for a worthy cause!

What do you all have to say for yourselves, anyway? Why a Valentine’s anthology about Darcy?

A word from the authors…

“I loved the idea of putting together a collection of stories about, well, love! Valentine's Day just seemed the perfect opportunity to bring our favourite couple together in our unique ways.”

“The theme is both unifying and inspiring, and seeing how we all had such different ideas was wonderful. This is, for me, one of the great joys of JAFF. We have some fixed parameters, but rather than limiting our imaginations, they let our imaginations soar.”

“We love Jane Austen, and her legacy! And we would love to know we contributed even a bit to it. The House in Chawton is the very heart of this legacy.”

“And then there is Mr Darcy! We love Mr Darcy!”

“Yep, we do!”

Okay, you have our attention. So what’s in it?

Here are some tidbits to tempt you! Enjoy these excerpts!

Alone, by Michelle d'Arcy 

With every step closer, Darcy knew what he wanted and knew what he would do. He had no doubts remaining. The surprise, joy, and gratitude on Elizabeth’s beautiful face and the tears of happiness in her bright eyes would surely make his extended torment worth the while. She would surely forgive him for the weeks of silence and turmoil, during which he had given her the impression he was toying with her affections. 

He entered and found her alone in the parlour. She was pale and clearly not feeling well; she looked surprised, and he needed a little time to gather his thoughts and find the right words to address her. 

Then, their eyes met, and he lost himself in hers. She licked her lips, in obvious anticipation, so he opened his heart and held it in his hands, offering it to her. 

“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” He heard himself revealing the tumult that had tortured him for six months. 

She remained silent, wide eyed, completely still while he poured his very soul at her feet.

My Funny Valentine, by Elin Eriksen

Elizabeth curtseyed deeply. Far be it from her to show any lack of manners on her part. Oh no, she would be perfectly civil.

“Mr Darcy, we have not been introduced due to your lack of gentlemanly behaviour. I am willing to overlook that slight impropriety, which surely must count as insignificant and came as the result of you walking away in the middle of an introduction. I am referring to your party’s arrival, when my mother importuned you by asking you to dance with one of her daughters, and your immediate and hasty retreat to the opposite end of the room.”

Mr Darcy opened his mouth as if to speak, but Elizabeth had not finished, and she stopped him with a pointed hand gesture.

“I perfectly comprehend your feelings, Mr Darcy. You are an excellent physiognomist, and you should always judge people’s characters by their looks. One would not want to associate with anyone lacking in appearance, and certainly not dance with any lady slighted by other men.” 

Elizabeth drew a breath to allow her point to be understood. “You simply must allow me to express my gratitude. My dear grandmother has instilled in me the virtues of never expressing behind anyone’s back what you cannot say to their face. I, therefore, highly appreciate your sincere evaluation of my appearance. With that said, I shall not disturb you for a moment longer but shall promptly remove my unpalatable presence from your company.” 

A Coincidence of Connexions, by Riana Everly

Mr Darcy looked away and cleared his throat. Was he flushing pink? She hardly could believe so arrogant a man could feel such an emotion as embarrassment.

“I recall… when last we spoke, at the ball at—”

“Netherfield,” Elizabeth supplied.

“Yes. We danced.” He stopped and she waited. He surely had more to say than repeat such a fact. He cleared his throat again. “We were discussing your… our mutual acquaintance, Mr Wickham, before we were interrupted. You accused me of withdrawing from him my own friendship, in such a manner that he would suffer all his life. I did not know, then, how to respond. It hardly seemed the place…”

“Much better to bring out these matters at an intimate dinner party.” 

“You are, madam, always correct. I seem to have the ill fortune of a terrible choice of timing. But the topic was raised, and I had to address it. Forgive me.” He said this last with such genuine meaning that she could not help but be affected. 

Perhaps she had severely misjudged everything about Mr Darcy!

In Time for Valentine’s, by Iris Lim

“I shall be throwing a ball, here at Matlock House, that shall be the talk of the Season,” said Lady Matlock. 

Fitzy scoffed. “We already are the talk of the Season, mother dear.” 

“Not that sort of talk—the good kind.”

“A hardly think a ball could so easily distract the voracious ton.” 

“We shall have it on St. Valentine’s, a day many are coming to associate with love.” 

“Again, Mother, I do not think—” 

“Then we shall announce a betrothal—preferably, one of yours.”

Both Darcy and Richard sprung up with alacrity.

“You cannot mean—”

“And given that Richard shall be leaving for the Continent soon, the better candidate would be Darcy.”

“Aunt, please, you must see—”

“Georgiana would benefit, would she not?” Lady Matlock continued, unperturbed by Darcy’s clear agitation. “Besides, I already have several ladies in mind. I am sure you shall be able to find at least one of them suitable.”

“This is madness. I cannot possibly—”

“Oh, but you can.” The countess pinned him in place with a glare. “Have no fear, Darcy, we shall have you betrothed in time for Valentine’s.”

Ten Valentine’s Days, by Laura Moretti

“Darcy had been so in love with her, ten years ago. Paradoxically, he’d only realised how much after his drunken declaration. When days had passed. When his hangover had subsided. When he’d had time to reflect. 

He missed Elizabeth like hell.

He’d cut Elizabeth from his life cold turkey, like one would just stop smoking, stop eating sugar, stop doing drugs. And yes, it was hell.

The withdrawal. Everything hurt. Before the…‘The Events at the Pub at Hunsford’, Darcy had spent two years in Elizabeth’s presence, in the same circle of friends. Darcy and Elizabeth had celebrated Bingley and Jane’s engagement together, their attendance mandatory at the intimate dinner and during the huge party that followed; they’d been best man and chief bridesmaid at the wedding. 

Elizabeth had been a constant in Darcy’s life. Her banter. Her laugh. Their heated debates. The love she showed her sister, her friends. It was in her absence Darcy realised how much he was—hooked.

Seven years. Why couldn’t he move on? 

Mr Darcy's Matchmaking Valentine, by S. Neha

Yellow? Oh… no! Rosie’s favourite doll has a cap of the exact same colour. It was now evident to Elizabeth why her aunt was standing close to those two gentlemen and why Rose was so upset. But how did Rosie’s doll wind up in the lake in the first place?

The gentleman with the stick suddenly, and somewhat improbably in Elizabeth's opinion, stretched his arm a little bit further and stumbled, just as she had feared. It was only the second gentleman holding on to him that saved him from a dunking in the frigid waters. The very next moment, the man was lifting the stick in the air, Rose’s doll dangling from it. That young lady’s squeals of joy indicated that she, too, had observed the rescue of her poor, beleaguered doll.

The gentlemen then turned to face the others, both beaming proudly, and Elizabeth’s thoughts scattered in shock. It was Mr Darcy who was holding the stick with the dangling doll, and very poetically, it was Mr Bingley who had been hanging on to his coattails! Although in this instance, one could be charitable and argue that he was making himself useful.

* * *

Available for a limited time!

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So, my friends, what do you think of this short story collection? We'd love to hear from you! 

Falling for Mr. Thornton Blog Tour ~ Guest Post & Giveaway!

Hello, my friends! It's my stop on the Falling for Mr. Thornton Blog Tour! Today a few of the authors briefly share thoughts about writing their short story in this anthology! There's also an awesome giveaway! Details are at the bottom of the page!

In our first guest post of this tour, Maria Grazia interviewed us about how difficult it was to move from Austen’s world to Gaskell’s, but not all authors of Falling for Mr. Thornton went through this journey. In fact, some of us are avid fans of Gaskell and the Victorian period, which is quite different from regency, so we thought readers would like to know about the specificities of writing a Gaskell variation. We asked Damaris Osborne, Evy Journey, M. Liza Marte, and Kate Forrester to go through this endeavour. We hope you all like to hear our thoughts ☺ 

Damaris Osborne: 

When writing parody, I try to retain the essential core of the characters, and then accentuate them as caricatures, but not cruelly. That was especially true of Mrs Gaskell’s creations, since I was not mocking her or her book.

The essence of Hannah Thornton is the focus of her love upon her son, the one chink in her armour which she built up in the aftermath of her husband’s ‘betrayal’ by suicide. JT has learned repression of feeling from her and is driven by integrity and a need to prove he is not his father, especially to himself. Margaret, with increasingly weak parents, has the courage to step outside the norm for a young lady and take control of more than domesticity, having opinions and speaking her mind. 

I took the kernels of these characters and plot (whilst taking the BBC serial ending) and coated them in tea and absurdity - a cup of Gaskell with a twist of Osborne?

Evy Journey:

Margaret of the North, the first novel I published, is a historical novel, a sequel to Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, a much loved classic. With this novel and the short story in the anthology, I pay homage to Elizabeth Gaskell and Jane Austen. 

Gaskell’s novel has been described as a romance against a backdrop of industrial upheavals and the resulting occasional violent strikes. I wrote Margaret of the North as a kind of Victorian feminist bildungsroman (coming-of-age novel) couched in romance. Yes, the romance is there. But equally stressed is Margaret’s inner adventure as she fully realizes her womanhood and finds her place in a rapidly changing society. If you’re expecting a sexy plot, you may be disappointed.  I was more concerned with character development than a thrilling climax (no pun intended). Conflicts and tendresse occur just as much within the psyches of characters as they do openly between them.

I use an omniscient viewpoint and write in a style as close as I could get to that of 19th-century writers. I assumed it would fit the story better. This approach has its problems: It can seem antiquated, stilted, daunting at the very least, and most likely, impossible. Still, I had some trouble imagining the characters talking like my niece or my son and using currently popular forms of expression. I was also conscious of trodding in Gaskell and Austen’s footsteps when I wrote the second to the last chapter. Gaskell opened North and South, with scenes typical of the Austenian novel of manners. In the penultimate chapter, I borrow a frequent theme in Austen—the vagaries of courtship among young people of the period.

M. Liza Marte:

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

Unlike Jane Austen, who is probably the most beloved and emulated author, who I would describe as writing genteel stories in easy, flowing verse, Gaskell in contrast, writes harsh, heavily weighted prose. Her writing voice is not whimsical, but grounded. Her world is the working class world.

At first glance, North & South is a story of social classes clashing. Yet through Gaskell deftly storytelling, we realize it is first and foremost a love story, one born of the common man’s struggle to achieve success whether in business or romance. Trying to imitate Gaskell’s prose is difficult. Gaskell’s writer’s voice is a standalone. My writer’s voice is more like a Mercury Retrograde, travelling backwards in a zig-zag path. 

My attempt to adapt North & South was born out of a need to satisfy my overactive imagination, which decided the story couldn’t end in a London parlor where we are hinted of an unseen embrace and kiss or on a train heading north, whose occupants spoke by way of gazes and smiles. I tried to emulate the basic themes of the simple man’s rise. I tried to construct a love story overflowing with emotion, it could not be contained, that even in the morally guarded Victoria era, men and women still could fall in love even without the grandeur.

I see my style of writing and choice of storyline as a mix of modern, an attempt not to sound modern, and the expectation that I achieved it. With a healthy dose of “something completely unexpected” I don’t write stories of things you know would happen, but more like stories you wish could happen.

Kate Forrester:

Later rather than sooner is the best way to sum up how I came to write an adaptation of North and South and the brooding Mr Thornton. Having seen the BBC serial of this wonderful novel I went in search of other work, not by Gaskell, but by Richard Armitage who so magnificently portrayed John Thornton. My hunt for information led me to C19 and there I discovered a writing forum where people were writing variations of not just North and South but other literary works.

As I worked my way through several of Mr Armitage’s characters I earned myself the title the Fanfic Queen but always shied away from Mr Thornton. By now I had read the novel and I suppose I felt intimidated by the perfection created by Elizabeth Gaskell which was so ably portrayed by Mr Armitage and his fellow actors. How do you improve on a classic? Eventually, I was convinced I had to try, and A Nightingale Sings took flight. At this stage in my development as a writer, I felt the only thing that I could do was pick the story up and put it in a different time and so John and Margaret’s romance played out against the backdrop of the second world war. The narrative closely followed the original source material with one notable exception. 


It wasn’t until I was invited to contribute to the anthology Falling for Mr Thornton that I was secure enough in my writing to complete a more original slant on the Gaskell story.

Falling for Mr. Thornton
Tales of North & South


Book Blurb: 

Amidst the turbulent backdrop of a manufacturing town in the grips of the Industrial Revolution, Elizabeth Gaskell penned the timeless passion of Mr. Thornton and Margaret Hale. A mixing of contemporary and Victorian, this short story anthology by twelve beloved authors considers familiar scenes from new points of view or re-imagined entirely. Capturing all the poignancy, heartbreak, and romance of the original tale, Falling for Mr. Thornton is a collection you will treasure again and again. 

Stories by: Trudy Brasure * Nicole Clarkston * Julia Daniels * Rose Fairbanks * Don Jacobson * Evy Journey * Nancy Klein * M. Liza Marte * Elaine Owen * Damaris Osborne * Melanie Stanford ** Foreword by Mimi Matthews ** 

Modern

On the Island By Melanie Stanford 

Travel blogger Meg Hale doesn’t want to return to John Thornton’s resort. After all, another visit won’t change her bad review. 

But the resort has changed—and so has John. 

The more time Meg spends on the island, the more she realizes she may have made a mistake. A mistake that could cost John the resort, and Meg her heart. 

Time Slips 

Passages in Time By Kate Forrester 

Set just before Margaret arrives in Milton. Mr Thornton dies in a devastating fire at Marlborough Mill - or does he? 

The First Day of Spring By M Liza Marte 

Spring this year will bring daffodils, singing birds, and the love of a lifetime. 

Humorous 

Loose Leaves from Milton By Damaris Osborne 

A spoof of North & South with a strong twist of tea, the British favoured beverage, and sprang from John Thornton being known as 'JT' in so many forum threads. J Tea was an obvious progression, and the story follows the television adaptation, loose-leafly, as his love for the haughty Miss Hale with the porcelain tea cup complexion, who looks down upon him upwards, brews until he has to pour out his love, unstrained. 

Continuation Reeducating Mr Thornton By Evy Journey 

When Mr. Thornton and Margaret arrived in Cadiz for a month’s visit with her brother and his new wife, he did not care much about the strange city. Nor did he have great expectations of what Cadiz could offer a visitor like him. But later, what he finds there and who he encounters change his outlook forever. 

Variations 

Mistakes and Remedies By Julia Daniels 

When John Thornton’s sister goes missing, he seeks help from the one woman he can trust—the one who still holds his heart. Saving Fanny is all he hopes for, until a tender friendship begins to flourish between him and the love he had thought lost to him. 

Her Father's Last Wish By Rose Fairbanks 

Two hearts desperately in love divided by her wretched secret, one father's wish to unite them. 

The Best Medicine By Elaine Owen 

What if Thornton found a way to change Margaret's mind about him earlier in the story? Could helping Margaret's friend Bessy be the way to winning Margaret's heart? This is a short story with more than one happy ever after for more than one beloved character! 

Cinders and Smoke By Don Jacobson 

That space between the end of the riot and the new dawn where Thornton faces his demons as Higgins confronts him with questions about his humanity and where Margaret uses her compassion to bring the two sides together. 

Mischances By Nicole Clarkston 

When the wrong person discovers Margaret in a compromising position, she is forced to decide who she really wants and just how much she can trust the one man who can help her. 

Alternate Endings  

Looking to the Future By Nancy Klein 

Starting from Margaret's return to London from her trip with Mr. Bell to Helstone, this story contemplates events solely from Margaret's point of view. Margaret rues her treatment of Mr. Thornton, and wonders if she will ever have a chance to set things to right. 

Once Again By Trudy Brasure 

A deeper look at Thornton’s emotional journey from despair to bliss as he arrives in London to sign the papers to give up the mill.

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About the Authors

Damaris Osborne is an English author and lover of North & South, whose novella 'North & Spoof' is available from Amazon, and who is the author of a 12thC murder mystery series under another pseudonym. She says spoofing is her outlet for her 'silly streak', and her literary heroes are Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling, Georgette Heyer and Terry Pratchett. Damaris Osborne’s other books include: North & Spoof

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

Don Jacobson has written professionally since his post-collegiate days as a wire service reporter in Chicago. His output has ranged from news and features to advertising, television and radio. His work has been nominated for Emmys and other awards. Earlier in his career, he published five books, all non-fiction. As a college instructor, Don teaches United States History, World History, the History of Western Civilization and Research Writing.
Don turned his passion for reading The Canon into writing #Austenesque Fiction. He has published eleven works in the genre since late 2015. As a member of The Austen Authors Collective, Don joins (and he is modestly bowing his head to admit that he is the knave in this deck of Queens and Kings) other Janeites who seek to extend the Mistress' stories beyond the endings she so carefully crafted.


Don Jacobson’s books include: Miss Bennet's First Christmas, The Bennet Wardrobe: Origins, The Keeper: Mary Bennet's Extraordinary Journey, Henry Fitzwilliam's War, The Exile (Pt. 1): Kitty Bennet and the Belle Époque, Lizzy Bennet Meets the Countess, The Exile (pt. 2): The Countess Visits Longbourn, The Avenger: Thomas Bennet and a Father's Lament, The Pilgrim: Lydia Bennet and a Soldier's Portion), Lessers and Betters Stories, Of Fortune's Reversal, The Maid and The Footman 

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

Elaine Owen was born in Seattle, Washington and was a precocious reader from a young age. She read Pride and Prejudice for the first time in ninth grade, causing speechless delight for her English teacher when she used it for an oral book report. She practiced writing in various forms throughout her teen years, writing stories with her friends and being chief editor of the high school yearbook. She moved to Delaware when she married. In 1996 she won a one year contract to write guest editorials in the Sunday edition of The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware, and she continued her writing habit in political discussion groups and occasional forays into fiction.

In 2014 she began to write Pride and Prejudice fan fiction and decided to publish her works herself to see if she might possibly sell a few copies. Thousands of books later, the results have been beyond her wildest hopes, and she plans to continue writing fiction for the foreseeable future.

When she's not writing her next great novel, Elaine relaxes by working full time, raising two children, volunteering in her church, and practicing martial arts. She can be contacted at elaineowen@writeme.com. 


Elaine Owen’s other books include: Common Ground, Duty Demands, Mr. Darcy’s Persistent Pursuit, One False Step, Love’s Fool, and An Unexpected Turn of Events

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

Evy Journey, SPR (Self Publishing Review) Independent Woman Author awardee, writes Women's Fiction, an amorphous category of stories written mostly for women, from a woman's point of view, as varied as that is. They can be romance, chick lit, or literary. Evy has a Ph.D. in psychology so her particular brand of women's fiction spins tales about well-drawn characters as they cope with the problems and issues of contemporary life. These stories explore the many faces of love, loss, second chances, and finding one's way. Often, they're laced with a twist of mystery or intrigue.

She's also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse who wishes she lived in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has lived in Paris a few times as a transient. 

Evy’s other books include: Margaret of the North, Hello, My Love, Hello, Agnieszka, Welcome Reluctant Stranger, Brief Encounters, and Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies.

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook

Julia Daniels loves to write happily ever after stories that warm the heart and make the reader satisfied. From rural and farm romance to historical western romance and even romantic mystery novels, Julia can spin a tale that ends in a happy romance. Her characters come to life on the pages, drawing the reader into the love story, making them want to stick around and see what happens. Julia lives in Nebraska with her husband and two kids. In addition to writing, she designs counted cross-stitch patterns, sews, gardens and cares for an odd menagerie of animals, including chickens and goats.


Julia Daniels’ other books include: Milton’s Mill Master, Master of her Heart, Choices of the Heart, The Earl Next Door, Duchess on the Run, and Saved by a Cowboy

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Kate Forrester lives in Shropshire, one of the most beautiful counties in Britain, with her family and other animals. She has worked as a nurse in the NHS for thirty years. About five years ago she stumbled across the c19 forum and was bitten by the writing bug. Since then she has written two novels Weathering the Storm and Degrees of Silence and is about to publish her third a Nightingale Sang.

Kate Forrester’s other books include: A Nightingale Sang, Degrees of Silence, In the Shadow of the Games, The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing, and Weathering the Storm

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook

M. Liza Marte lives in Santa Clara, just south of San Francisco in northern California. She currently works in an Accounting corporation. She has written 16 books, four of which have been self-published and can be found on Amazon.

M. Liza Marte’s other books include: The Whistle Echoes, A Drop of Red, Above the Roars, and More than Words

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook

Melanie Stanford reads too much, plays music too loud, is sometimes dancing, and always daydreaming. She would also like her very own TARDIS, but only to travel to the past. She lives outside Calgary, Alberta, Canada with her husband, four kids, and ridiculous amounts of snow. 

Melanie Stanford’s other books include: Sway, Collide, Clash, Then Comes Winter (Anthology) and The Darcy Monologues (Anthology)

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

Nancy Klein: I have been writing fiction for quite a few years now, and surprise! I find I love it. I owe a huge debt of thanks to Trudy for reading what I write and offering incredibly helpful insights (and wonderful friendship). I am a writer and editor by trade, so I enjoy beta reading for other writers. Besides playing in Milton and Nottingham, I enjoy finding treasures at yard sales and auctions, running/hiking and race walking, working with dog rescue, listening to NPR (especially This American Life and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me), travelling, singing Broadway scores, reading, drinking good wine, and hearing a good joke.

Nancy Klein’s other book is How Far the World Will Bend

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook 

Nicole Clarkston is a book lover and a happily married mom of three. Originally from Idaho, she now lives in Oregon with her own romantic hero, several horses, and one very fat dog. She has loved crafting alternate stories and sequels since she was a child, and she is never found sitting quietly without a book or a writing project.

Nicole Clarkston’s books include No Such Thing as Luck, Northern Rain, Nowhere but North, Rumours and Recklessness, The Courtship of Edward Gardiner, These Dreams, London Holiday, Nefarious, and Rational Creatures (Anthology).

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

Born in the wrong era, Rose Fairbanks has read nineteenth-century novels since childhood. Although she studied history, her transcript also contains every course in which she could discuss Jane Austen. Never having given up all-nighters for reading, Rose discovered her love for Historical Romance after reading Christi Caldwell's Heart of a Duke Series. 

After a financial downturn and her husband's unemployment had threatened her ability to stay at home with their special needs child, Rose began writing the kinds of stories she had loved to read for so many years. Now, a best-selling author of Jane Austen-inspired stories, she also writes Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance, and Historical Fantasy. 

Having completed a BA in history in 2008, she plans to finish her master's studies someday. When not reading or writing, Rose runs after her two young children, ignores housework, and profusely thanks her husband for doing all the dishes and laundry. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and Romance Writers of America. 

Rose Fairbanks’ books include: The Gentleman’s Impertinent Daughter, Letters from the Heart, Undone Business, No Cause to Repine, Love Lasts Longest, Mr. Darcy’s Kindness, Once Upon a December, Mr. Darcy’s Miracle at Longbourn, How Darcy Saved Christmas, Sufficient Encouragement, Renewed Hope, Extraordinary Devotion, Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride, The Secrets of Pemberley, Pledged, Reunited, Treasured, and A Sense of Obligation 

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

Trudy Brasure’s curiosity about life in past times and her fascination with the Victorian Era have been part of her since she was a small girl considering the ruins of her grandfather's barn in rural Pennsylvania. 

She began her own personal romance story with a whirlwind courtship. Her married life started in a picturesque colonial town on the coast of Massachusetts. With the addition of three children and several dogs, she currently lives in California.

As a hopeless romantic and a fervent enthusiast for humanity's progress, she loves almost nothing more than to engage in discussion about North and South. 

Trudy Brasure’s books include A Heart for Milton and In Consequence

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

Blog Tour Schedule:

14/11/2019 More Agreeably Engaged; Blog Tour Launch & Giveaway

19/11/2019 My Jane Austen Book Club; Author Interview & Giveaway

21/11/2019 From Pemberley to Milton; Review & Giveaway

25/11/2019 So Little Time…; Guest Post & Giveaway

05/12/2019 My Vices and Weaknesses; Review & Giveaway

10/12/2019 Diary of an Eccentric; Guest Post & Giveaway

16/12/2019 Babblings of a Bookworm; Review & Giveaway

20/12/2019 Austenesque Reviews; Guest Post & Giveaway

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time! The authors will offer one big prize to one reader following the entire blog tour. This prize will contain 13 different ebooks, one copy of Falling For Mr. Thornton and one other ebook from each author. Enter through the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bonus! Two of my lucky readers will win a bookmark of Falling For Mr. Thornton! To win a bookmark, please leave a comment below. I will announce the winners of the bookmarks in the comments shortly after the blog tour is over. 

Good luck! 

Many thanks to Rita of From Pemberley to Milton for organizing and including me in this blog tour!

Congratulations to all the authors on the release of Falling For Mr. Thorton! 

What Are You Reading? ~ Nov. 20, 2019

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finished reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Current Read:

I'm currently reading Speechless* by Jessie Lewis. I didn't mean to start reading this. I opened my Kindle to start a new book, and Speechless was open, although I didn't know that's what it was. I started reading the page, and I was hooked! I love stories like this! Where Elizabeth and Darcy are forced to be together. In Speechless, Darcy is severely hurt, and Elizabeth is the only one who can take care of him because they are snowed in with no help. So far, it's so good! :)




Recently Finished:

I finished reading Holidays with Jane: Thankful Hearts* by Rebecca M. Fleming, Jennifer Becton, Melissa Buell, Nancy Kelley, Cecilia Gray, and Jessica Grey. This is a wonderful collection of modern retells of Jane Austen's novels. The authors do a fantastic job condensing each of Austen's six novels and setting them into a season or holiday. In this case, it's Thanksgiving. 





What's next?

I want to read The Knight Before Christmas* by Marilyn Brant. This is what I was going to start! Lol! Hopefully, I will get to it next. :)









*Disclaimer: Links are 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!



Have a great week, friends! Be sure to share what you've been reading! 

What Are You Reading? ~ Nov. 13th, 2019

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finished reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Current Read

I'm currently re-reading Holidays with Jane: Thankful Hearts* by Rebecca M. Fleming, Jennifer Becton, Melissa Buell, Nancy Kelley, Cecilia Gray, and Jessica Grey. I'm reading this with my JASNA reading group. It's a fun set of modern Jane Austen short stories!  






Recently Finished

I finished reading One Second After* by William R. Forstchen. Wow, it was good and so intense! It's about a small town in North Carolina, and their struggle to survive after an EMP goes off and shuts down the country. The story looked at so many aspects of the aftermath from an EMP, not only trying to find food and defending it from raiders. But also not having proper medications; for instance, diabetics, what happens to them. What happens to hospitals, nursing homes, and with communications down, there is no way to find out if or when help is coming. So many things to think about. What a page-turner! ~ 5 stars

I also finished listening to The Girl With No Name* by Diney Costeloe.  Another great book for me this week! Lisa is a Jewish refugee who is sent to London just before the Blitz during WWII. She slowly learns English and starts to feel comfortable with her foster family when she gets hurt during a bombing. Her new family thinks she is dead, and she has no memory of them or who she is. I really enjoyed listening to this story and loved following Lisa as she grows into a young woman. Also, the secondary characters are wonderful too. ~ 5 stars



What's next? 

I'm thinking about reading The Knight Before Christmas* by Marilyn Brant, who kindly gifted me a copy! Ooh, it looks so good! 








*Disclaimer: Links are 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! 


Have a great week, friends! I'm excited to have started in on my holiday reads! How about you? Do you have any holiday books on your list? 

What Are You Reading? ~ Nov. 6th, 2019

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finished reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Current Read

I'm currently reading One Second After* by William R. Forstchen. I'm enjoying it immensely! It's so intense. What I like about this one is that it explains more of how an EMP works - how it fries all electronics. Also, you see more of a small town trying to survive and maintain civility, instead of just a couple of people (preppers) trying to survive. It's interesting, and it makes you think. 

I'm still listening to The Girl With No Name* by Diney Costeloe. I'm about 60% finished and loving it! It's about a Jewish refugee teenager sent to London just before the Blitz during WWII.







Recently Finished

I finished reading Looking for Alaska* by John Green. It was good, and now I'm watching the series on Hulu. One thing, for a YA, I thought it was a little too mature. 







What's next? 

My reading group is reading Holidays with Jane: Thankful Hearts* by Rebecca M. Fleming, Jennifer Becton, Melissa Buell, Nancy Kelley, Cecilia Gray, and Jessica Grey, so that's what I'll probably read! I've already read it, but it will be fun to read again. 







*Disclaimer: Links are 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! 


Have a great week, friends! Be sure to share what you've been reading!