A Good Name and Beauty and Mr Darcy, both by Sarah Courtney - Excerpt and Giveaway

Today I'm happy to welcome a new visitor to the blog, author Sarah Courtney. Sarah has written two quite different Austenesque books. A Good Name was released back in November 2019 and Beauty and Mr Darcy, came out in January 2020. Sarah is visiting here with excerpts and giveaways of BOTH books, so whether you prefer modern or Regency we have something here for you today! I'll share a blurb and excerpt for each book, starting with the most recent book, the Regency-set Beauty and Mr Darcy. 

As an aside, when Sarah sent me the excerpts I realised that although they are set in different time periods they actually have a common theme, which is - Caroline Bingley, please shut up :)

Book Description - Beauty and Mr Darcy

Elizabeth Bennet knows that Fitzwilliam Darcy is a beast. At least, that's what George Wickham tells her, and she is inclined to believe him. Why, then, is it so hard not to find him interesting and attractive? Is she just another young lady intrigued by a rogue?

Jane Bennet was in love once and has never quite recovered. When the object of her affections returns to Meryton, she is thrilled, until she realizes that the same problem that has frightened off all of her other suitors might drive away the man she truly loves.

Mary Bennet's pedantic pronouncements irritate her sisters and repel the man she longs for. Is there any hope for a happy ending for her?

Kitty and Lydia Bennet's giggles and foolish ways make the matrons of Meryton shake their heads. Without real parental guidance, they long for attention, even if means risking their reputations and hope for the future.

Charlotte Lucas has long since given up the idea of finding a husband and having the children she longs for. When an unusual suitor arrives in Meryton, she has one last chance to avoid spinsterhood.

Beauty and Mr. Darcy is a Pride and Prejudice variation in which romance and humor abound! The Bennet sisters' fairy tales intertwine as they each find their very own happy ending, but there is no fantastical magic in this retelling.

Excerpt from Beauty and Mr. Darcy, introduced by Sarah Courtney

Beauty and Mr. Darcy is my first Regency, and it was a fun adventure writing it after my first novel, a modern. Regency language is an interesting challenge, and I will admit to having had an etymological dictionary open the entire time I was writing. I was amused sometimes to see some words that sound rather new have been around since Shakespeare’s times and other words that sound old are from the twentieth century!

In some ways, Beauty and Mr. Darcy is rather like six novellas in one book. Elizabeth and Darcy’s story runs throughout, but along the way we get to watch all of Elizabeth’s sisters and her friend live their own fairy tales and find their true loves, with the tales intertwined and dependent on each other.

The scene I have included here is from Jane’s last day at Netherfield. She has recovered from her illness and is ready to return home, but she and Mr. Bingley have a few last moments together. Their relationship is not as new as in canon; in this story, they met and fell in love in London several years ago but were separated by circumstance.

From Beauty and Mr. Darcy:

Mr. Bingley scooted the chair closer to Jane, until the arms of the chair and the sofa touched. “This is such lovely country. I have never seen any more beautiful.”

Beautiful. There was that word again. Jane had heard it far too often. She sighed.

“There are more important things than beauty,” she said.

“Of course! Like productivity. The land here is excellent for farming and hunting. I have also found a great deal to admire in the society here. So many friendly, engaging, kind people.”

And now there was the other word that always got applied to Jane: kind. Being kind, she supposed, was better than being beautiful, at least in that she could choose to be one and the other had been chosen for her. Usually people said that she was “kind” as if she was a rather sweet and docile child, or as if it were the only thing they could think to say about her. But somehow hearing “kind” from Mr. Bingley’s mouth made it seem so much more.

“Kind,” she said softly.

“The most important of all attributes, in my opinion,” Mr. Bingley said softly. “Truly kind people are few and far between. Somebody who is kind sees the good in every person and wants the best for them. It is such a rare quality, but there is nothing superior.”

Jane swallowed. “Do you honestly think so?” She realized that she was leaning towards him, but she could not make herself pull away.

“I do.” He must have been leaning toward her as well, because his face was inches from hers. “I strive to be kind, but you, Jane, are the kindest person I know. I love . . . I love that about you.”

Jane took in a quick breath. “I love that about you, too.” She dared not say more.

She swallowed hard at the realization that his face was so close to hers that she could feel his breath warm on her lips. Was he going to . . . would he dare kiss her?

Before the idea had done more than cross her mind, they were both startled back into sitting upright at a noise in the hall. Caroline bustled into the room.

“Charles!” she said sharply. “That chair does not belong there. Really, brother, how am I to keep order in the house when you insist on rearranging the furniture at every opportunity? And did you not tell me that you had important letters to write this morning?”

She turned to Jane and hurried to her side.

“Dearest Jane, do say you will take a turn in the gardens with me. My brother here”—she turned to smile at Mr. Bingley—“is far too busy with his correspondence and cannot be interrupted any further. Let us hurry outside to enjoy the sun, as I know the carriage is to be ordered for you this afternoon.”

Jane was surprised at Caroline’s haste and reluctant to leave Mr. Bingley’s company, but she knew she should let him get his work done. She allowed herself to be dragged outside into the gardens. She found herself short of breath and near laughter when Caroline finally stopped, for Caroline had never so much reminded her of Lizzy as she did now.

“I am sorry to be so abrupt, Jane, but I wished to give my brother privacy,” Caroline said with a smile, taking Jane’s arm in hers. They walked past a row of rosebushes which Jane would have liked to stop and smell, but could not while arm in arm with Caroline.

Jane was not going to ask, but Caroline did not wait for her to do so. “He likes his privacy, you know, when he is writing about delicate matters. He does so admire Miss Darcy, but it is of course not quite proper for them to correspond.”

“Mr. Bingley writes to Miss Darcy?” Jane asked, startled. Surely he would not do so unless there was an engagement between them? But Caroline said it was not quite proper, and it would be appropriate if they were engaged, so perhaps . . . Jane could not think of a reason.

“Oh, forgive me,” Caroline said with a giggle. “I have been shockingly indiscreet! Please do not tell anyone I said anything about it. It is just that, now that Miss Darcy is of age to marry, my brother’s wait is nearing its end. I have longed for the special day when Miss Darcy and I become sisters for quite some time now.”

“I see,” Jane said, not seeing any of the flowers as they walked. She fought to keep her eyes from tearing up. How embarrassing if Caroline were to see how foolish Jane had been. Of course Mr. Bingley was engaged, or practically engaged. He was too handsome and amiable a man to still be single long. She had known that from the first time she had met him when she was seventeen. She lost her struggle and tears filled her eyes. She looked up and blinked them away quickly before Caroline could see.

Beauty and Mr. Darcy is available on Amazon in both ebook and paperback!

Amazon US / Amazon CA / Amazon UK / Add to Goodreads shelf

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Book Description - A Good Name

George Wickham's childhood friendship with Lizzy Bennet saved his life. How will it change her future?

Ten-year-old George Wickham was hungry, lonely, and desperate until the day he met Lizzy Bennet. She transformed his life with a peanut butter sandwich and the magic of books. Losing her friendship devastated him, until his meeting with the Darcy family set him on a course to a new life.

Will Darcy insulted Elizabeth Bennet at their first meeting and accidentally injured her a few months later. She is just starting to overcome her first impression of him when something from his past comes to light. Will the revelation of Elizabeth’s childhood friendship with George Wickham change everything?

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Excerpt from A Good Name, introduced by Sarah Courtney

"A Good Name" is a clean modern variation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," not a retelling. Is George Wickham born to be the villain, or can he be something more? At its heart, this is a Darcy & Elizabeth romance.

My first book, A Good Name is a clean modern variation that is centered largely on George Wickham. Don’t let that turn you off, though! It’s not a villain book, but a book about an opportunity to be something other than what others might expect of you. Despite the significance of Wickham, this is a Darcy and Elizabeth love story with a happy ending.

In this scene, Will Darcy has been invited to dinner at Jane’s house, where Elizabeth is staying temporarily, along with his cousin Richard and Charles and Caroline Bingley. Will has meandered into the kitchen, where Elizabeth is keeping an eye on dinner.

From A Good Name:

“Uh . . . so I heard you lost your job,” Will said, and then immediately felt like hitting himself on the head. Not subtle.

Elizabeth kept her back to him, flipping the squash on the stove. “Yeah.”

“So what did you do?” He was compounding his error, he knew, but Charlie would never think to interrogate her and make sure she wasn’t going to live off him forever. Not that Will was interrogating her, of course. Just checking her story out. Charlie had said not to bug her about it at dinner . . . but technically they weren’t eating dinner yet.

“I managed a bookstore for my father,” she said curtly, opening a cabinet and rummaging through it.

“Your father fired you?” he asked, stunned.

She took a spice down from the cabinet and added it liberally to the squash. “No. He lost the store.”

“Ah.” Will paused. “I’m sorry.” Then how― “And your apartment?”

Jane walked in and headed for the stove. She hip-butted Elizabeth out of the way so she could turn on the light and check whatever was cooking inside. Elizabeth hip-butted her back.

Elizabeth turned off the burner and brought the pan to the counter, placing it on a trivet. She glanced at him briefly as she got out a serving plate for the veggies. “I lived in the store’s building. He had to give up the lease on the building, so that meant I lost my housing, too.”

Will was surprised. He wasn’t sure exactly what he expected, but she didn’t sound like the leech he thought she was. Was there a possibility she really would get a new job and move out soon?

“Something smells great in here!” Charlie walked into the kitchen with Richard right behind him.

Caroline wrinkled her nose, looking down at the lovely seared squash slices that Elizabeth was arranging. “Did you put butter on that? You may not care about your figure, Liz, but I do!”

“I can see that,” Elizabeth said calmly.

Will hid a smile.

Elizabeth cocked her head at him. "I have to ask, Will, do you happen to have a brother who looks like you? Or a cousin, maybe?"

"No brothers, just my sister Ana. Richard's my cousin, but he looks nothing like me."

She frowned. "Ah. Okay."

He wondered why she asked, but before he could say anything, dinner was ready and there was a flurry of activity to get it on the table.

Soon everyone was seated around the table enjoying Jane’s meal. Will somehow found himself seated next to Caroline and almost across from Elizabeth.

“So I heard you lost your job!” Caroline said brightly to Elizabeth.

“I just love how this is everybody’s first topic of conversation.” Elizabeth took a bite without looking up.

“Oh, but we all just feel sooo very sorry for you! It’s just terrible to be fired, you know. I mean, I never have been, but I totally sympathize anyway.”

“What do you do again, Caroline?” Elizabeth glanced up at Jane, then back to Caroline.

Caroline smiled sweetly at her. “I’m Charlie’s social secretary! I make sure he has time for the important things.” At that, she frowned at Jane, then turned back to Elizabeth. “It’s a very important role, you know. I have sooo much influence over Charlie’s commitments, and whether he keeps them or not.” She gave a meaningful look at Jane, then raised her eyebrows to Elizabeth.

“Do you?” Elizabeth turned back to her meal.

Charlie broke in. “Whether I keep them or not? What are you painting me as, Caroline, some sort of flake? Of course I keep my commitments!”

Caroline turned her scowl to Charlie. “We’ll see,” was all she said.

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A Good Name is available now on Amazon in both ebook and paperback!

Amazon US / Amazon CA / Amazon UK / Add to Goodreads Shelf

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About the Author

Sarah is a homeschooling mom of six kids, ages thirteen to two. Her first introduction to Jane Austen was the BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice, which aired when she was fifteen. The first scene she ever saw was Mr. Wickham telling his story to Elizabeth Bennet, and Sarah asked her mother if he was meant to be the hero. She didn't like him and didn't plan to continue watching if he was. 

Assured by her mother that he was not the hero, she kept watching and fell in love with Jane Austen's most beloved work. The first time she read the novel, she read the final page and immediately flipped back to the first to start again, unwilling to let it go.

Follow Sarah on Facebook or check out Sarah's blog, for extra scenes, previews of new books, and updates on her writing

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Giveaway Time!

Sarah is very kindly offering to give away an ebook of both A Good Name and Beauty and Mr Darcy to visitors to Babblings of a Bookworm! To enter, please leave a comment on this blog post by the end of the day worldwide on Tuesday 11 February 2020.  If you have a preference for one book over the other, please indicate this in your comment, or I will assume that you would be equally happy with either. 

Two winners will be chosen, one to win A Good Name and the other to win Beauty and Mr. Darcy.

Note Regarding Comments: I love to read your comments, but a few blog visitors have reported difficulties in commenting while using the Safari browser. If you are unable to comment, please try using another web browser, such as Google Chrome, or please contact me and I will add your comment for you :)

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