Mr Darcy's Phoenix by Lari Ann O'Dell - Blog Tour, Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

Today I’m pleased to be welcoming Lari Ann O’Dell back to the blog as part of a blog tour. I love that there are more Austen-inspired reads with a magical slant, and I am pleased to say that Lari’s latest book, Mr Darcy’s Phoenix is one of them, combining Pride & Prejudice with magic. Read on to learn more on the book, plus have the chance to win an ebook of Mr Darcy’s Phoenix. 

Book Description

A phoenix brings them together. Will a curse keep them apart?

When the hauntingly beautiful song of a phoenix lures Elizabeth Bennet to the Netherfield gardens, she has a vision of an unknown gentleman. He whispers her name with such tenderness that she wonders if this man is her match. Unfortunately, her gift of prophecy has never been exactly reliable.

Mr. Darcy is a celebrated fire mage, the master of Pemberley, and the man from her vision. But he is not tender; he is haughty, proud, and high-handed. His insult of her during the Summer Solstice celebration makes her determined to dislike him in spite of her love for Dante, his phoenix familiar.

After Mr. Darcy is called away by his duties, Elizabeth’s magic runs wild, and it is only their reunion at Rosings that offers her any hope of controlling it. They are drawn together by their love of magical creatures and their affinity for fire. But Elizabeth soon has another vision about Mr. Darcy, one that may portend a grave danger to his life.

Can Darcy and Elizabeth overcome misunderstandings, curses, and even fate itself?

Guest Post from Lari Ann O’Dell

I am so pleased to be back at Babblings of a Bookworm.

In my new fantasy variation, Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix, I took inspiration from many different sources for certain story elements. Among those are Harry Potter, Outlander, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.

The stone circles from the Outlander series inspired the magical mode of travel in this story. In this story, there are various standing stones throughout England. Typically they are by the homes inhabited by magical families. To travel through the standing stones, you must have magic, so those non-magical folk are restricted to traditional means of travel. All a mage has to do is think of where they wish to go as they touch the standing stone and they will be transported instantly to that place. This plot device was incredibly useful for getting the characters to Longbourn, Netherfield, London, Rosings, and even Pemberley. The plot can really move quickly when the characters don’t have to travel by carriage.

Harry Potter inspired the titular character, Dante the phoenix. Before starting the story, I was listening to the books on audible and I was struck with the question: What would happen if Mr. Darcy had a phoenix? Throughout writing this book, Dante has become one of my favorite characters to write for. He creates a bond with Elizabeth very early on, which is fun because it gives Elizabeth a reason to look for redeeming qualities in Mr. Darcy, despite his poor first impression. In the early chapters, she decides that anyone who shares a bond with a majestic phoenix cannot be all bad. Dante serves many purposes in the story from messenger, to matchmaker, to a source of comfort and I loved finding ways to include him in important scenes.

I also took inspiration from Harry Potter when writing about certain magical creatures. In this story, magical families often have household elves. But unlike poor Dobby, these elves are paid and valued members of the household. It is true that some characters do not have a true appreciation for the elves, but they certainly aren’t mistreated.  All the household elves are named for plants and flowers and they are very loyal to their families.

Without wandering too far into spoiler territory, I did take inspiration from several fairy tales.. As you read the book, I hope you’ll enjoy hunting for various references.

And now, I would like to share a brief excerpt from Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix that includes a nod to Snow White.

 * * *

A half an hour later, the Hursts and Miss Bingley had disappeared through the standing stone. The attendees of the Netherfield Ball were blissfully unaware of the scandal that almost was, kept distracted by the delicious food and dancing in the ballroom.

          Elizabeth stood beside Lucy and Colonel Fitzwilliam as Mr. Bingley helped Jane up to the dais. Four footmen appeared with trays filled with flutes of champagne. Mr. Bingley signaled for the musicians to stop playing. The dancing stopped, and two hundred pairs of eyes turned to the raised platform.

          Mr. Bingley was grinning broadly. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to announce that Miss Jane Bennet has accepted my hand in marriage. Please, raise your glass to my betrothed. She is truly the kindest and fairest of them all.”

          Jane was flushing like mad as she accepted a bouquet of roses, conjured from thin air by her intended. The guests broke into applause and toasted the happy couple. Elizabeth saw Mr. Darcy enter the ballroom and made her way toward him.

          “Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said.

          Mr. Darcy looked at her. “I beg your pardon?”

          “Thank you for helping to expose Miss Bingley’s scheme.”

          “It was no trouble,” he replied. “Disguise of every sort is my abhorrence. I believe Miss Bingley has been lying and manipulating her brother for years.”

          “And she has truly left?”

          “Yes. She was bound for Scarborough. She will remain there for the foreseeable future.”

          Elizabeth smiled and gave him a conspiratorial look, lowering her voice. “I am glad to hear it. She is not pleasant company.”

          Mr. Darcy matched her tone. “Indeed, she is not. Netherfield will be a happier place without her.”

* * * 

Author Bio 

Lari Ann O'Dell first discovered her love of Pride & Prejudice when she was eighteen. After reading a Pride & Prejudice variation she found in a closing sale at a bookstore, she said, "This is what I want to do." She published her first novel, Mr. Darcy’s Kiss, two years later.

Born and raised in Colorado, she attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and earned a bachelor's degree in History and Creative Writing. After graduating college, she wrote and published her second novel, Mr. Darcy’s Ship. Her third novel, Mr. Darcy’s Clan, is her first supernatural variation, and she is working on two more fantasy variations. She is now back at school and pursuing a degree in Nursing. She adores her three beautiful nephews, Hudson, Dean, and Calvin. She enjoys reading, singing, and writes whenever she can. 

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Buy Links 

Mr Darcy’s Phoenix is available to buy now for Kindle and it's also available in Kindle Unlimited. 

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

Giveaway Time

Lari O’Dell is giving away 4 eBook copies of Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix. The giveaway is worldwide and will end at midnight central time on the 1st of September. Please use the Rafflecopter linked below to enter. 

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

 

Blog Tour Schedule 

Please drop by to the other stops on the blog tour: 

August 18 Interests of a Jane Austen Girl

August 19 Austenesque Reviews

August 22 Babblings of a Bookworm

August 23 My Jane Austen Book Club

August 25 From Pemberley to Milton

August 26 My Vices and Weaknesses

August 30 Savvy Verse and Wit

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