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!
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.
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Blog Tour Schedule
* * * 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!
- 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!
Newly Acquired Books
by Tracie Banister. I'm not very far into this story, but it seems good so far! 
by Monica Fairview. The only thing that bothers me here is Spoof. I'm not sure if I'm going to like that. We'll see! 
