Threads of Magic: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Monica Fairview - Guest Post and Giveaway

I’m happy to be welcoming Monica Fairview to the blog today with Threads of Magic: A Pride & Prejudice Variation, the second book in her Mr Darcy’s Magic series. Monica has brought us a guest post about the book and an ebook giveaway.

You can read more about the first book, Dangerous Magic: A Pride & Prejudice Variation, here.

Let's look at the blurb of Threads of Magic and then I'll hand over to Monica for her guest post. 

Book Description

In a magical Regency England, two powerful magicians strive to find a balance between love and duty as they confront enemies who might well be their closest friends.

Elizabeth Bennet may be a heroine, but by defying some of the most powerful mages in England, she has made enemies who will stop at nothing to embroil her in scandal.

So when she is accused of endangering the Royal Mages through her reckless actions, she no longer knows who to trust. Even the gentleman she loves is taking their side. It seems the only person who believes her is the captive French mage who is imprisoned in the cellar at Netherfield.

Meanwhile, Fitzwilliam Darcy is willing to fight to the death to defend Elizabeth, if only she would stop getting herself into trouble. Why does she always have to break the rules? And why does even her sister Jane cause him so many problems?

Join us in this magical Jane Austen Regency variation. Set mostly in Meryton, with familiar beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice, you will once again be captivated by Elizabeth and Darcy as they struggle to find true love against the backdrop of England’s war with Napoleon.

Threads of Magic continues the bewitching tale of a forced marriage between two powerful mages. The novel picks up after Fitzwilliam Darcy has told Elizabeth that he is in love with her, but are the differences between them too difficult to overcome?

Since this is the second book of a series, there is more to come. Experience the slow-burn romance developing between Elizabeth and Darcy in this magical adventure spanning several novels. It is a standalone novel without cliff-hangers, but it is best read as part of a series.

Guest Post from Monica Fairview

I’m delighted at this opportunity to visit Ceri on her wonderful blog and to connect with all the readers who like to visit as well. I’m here to share some reflections about my new release, Threads of Magic, a full-length Jane Austen variation.

Threads of Magic is the second book in Mr. Darcy’s Magic. In the first book, Dangerous Magic, I introduced a forced marriage trope where Elizabeth Bennet resents being torn out of the familiar world of Longbourn and made to marry a complete stranger because their magic is supposed to make them compatible. For those who have read the novel, you realize very quickly that they are far from compatible. For those who haven’t, just imagine a much worse situation than being snubbed at the Meryton Assembly for being no more than ‘tolerable’!

Just like they have very different characters, their magic, too, is very different. Darcy’s magic is quite literally by-the-book and sticks to the rules, while Elizabeth’s is creative and unconventional. You know the clash between Elizabeth and Darcy is inevitable. It doesn’t need a Wickham to convince Elizabeth that Darcy is the ‘last man on earth’ she would wish to marry. Perhaps the truism that ‘opposites attracts’ works in this case, but if it does, there are still some rocky issues to be ironed out.  

As I was writing Book 2 of Mr. Darcy’s Magic, I discovered something delightful. Just like you have more room in a television series to develop the characters more fully than in a film of an hour and a half, the same is true of a book series. You have plenty of room to expand the characters’ traits.

Threads of Magic is a novel that looks at the consequences of the ‘opposites attract’ romance. It is much easier for two people who are similar in the ways they think to settle into a smooth relationship than two who are almost diametrically opposite, even in their way of using their magic. If you take two headstrong and stubborn people and put them together, the road to love becomes a very bumpy carriage ride indeed. In Chapter One of the novel, Darcy undoes the magic spell that allows their coach to travel above the ground to avoid the ruts in the road. I never really thought about it until now, but the moment they hit the ground, quite literally, their problems start, and it is a very bumpy road from that moment onwards. Not only do they have to discover and confront their enemies, but they also have to confront each other. Theirs is an arranged marriage that was hoisted on two very unwilling partners, after all.

Being in love certainly gives them the motivation to find a middle ground, but that does not mean that they can magically wish their differences away. It’s a magical world, but there are no magical solutions.

Writing in a series means that, even if Darcy and Elizabeth have already fallen in love, love is only the beginning. Now comes the slow-burn romance. Gradually, slowly, they nudge closer to each other. Like in canon Pride and Prejudice, Darcy has to change if he wants to win Elizabeth’s trust. And she does, to some extent. Darcy is reserved and cautious by nature. He is ‘ruled by good principles’, but he had not yet been ‘properly humble’ as he words it himself. He has still not learned to give up his ‘pride and conceit’ (minor side-track here: isn’t it amazing how Jane Austen makes Mr. Darcy tell us as readers what his faults are?).

Books 1 and 2 of Mr. Darcy’s Magic take place over a relatively short time: They cover a period of a bit more than six months. In Pride and Prejudice, it takes almost a year for transformation to happen. In my series, I am planning on following a similar time frame over three or possibly 4 books.

It’s a unique opportunity to savour the growth of their relationship. The tension between loving and desiring each other is counterbalanced by Lizzy’s awareness that they still don’t trust each other, and that they are not yet ready to surrender themselves fully to the relationship. They need more time, and time is not something they have when they are dealing with the threat of attacks from Napoleon’s magicians as well as trouble inside Netherfield when they are forced to escape there.

The love is there, the magic is there, but the road is still bumpy. In Threads of Magic you will be joining them on their metaphorical carriage ride. Take your time and enjoy the magical landscape along the way.

Author Bio

Monica Fairview writes Jane Austen sequels and variations as well as Regencies. Her biggest claim to fame is living in Elizabeth Gaskell’s house in Manchester, long before the house was restored. After studying in the USA, she taught literature, then became an acupuncturist. She now lives near London. 

Monica loves anything to do with the nineteenth century, and obsessively follows every period drama she can find. Some of her favorites are ‘North and South’, ‘Bright Star’, ‘War and Peace’, and a dozen others that she couldn’t possibly list here. Of course, she has watched Pride and Prejudice (1995 and 2005) more times than she could count on her hands and toes.

In addition to her love of Jane Austen, Monica enjoys reading fantasy and post-apocalyptic novels but avoids zombies like the plague. She loves to laugh, drink tea, and visit National Trust historic properties [If Covid allows it!], and she is convinced that her two cats can understand everything she says.

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Buy Links 

Threads of Magic is available to buy now in Paperback, Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. The first book in the series, Dangerous Magic is also available in audio, so hopefully at some point Threads of Magic will be too!

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

Giveaway Time! 

Monica has very kindly offered to give away an ebook of Threads of Magic: A Pride & Prejudice Variation to one of you! To enter, just leave a comment on this blog post by the end of the day worldwide on 4 February 2022.

 If you have any problems adding your comment please  contact me and I will add your comment for you :)

Many thanks to Monica for the guest post and giveaway! 

Blog Tour Schedule 

Monica Fairview has been visiting other blogs with Threads of Magic. Check out the other posts!

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