Through a Different Lens by Riana Everly - Guest Post and Giveaway

Today I'm welcoming Riana Everly back to Babblings of a Bookworm. Riana has a new story out , Through A Different Lens, which explores as a variation a concept which I saw mooted as an explanation of Mr Darcy's behaviour some years ago.  Riana brings us a guest post and excerpt, plus an ebook giveaway. I'll share the blurb with you and then hand over to her.

Book Description

A tale of second glances and second chances

Elizabeth Bennet has disliked the aloof and arrogant Mr. Darcy since he insulted her at a village dance several months before. But an unexpected conversation with a startling turn of phrase suddenly causes her to reassess everything she thought she knew about the infuriating and humourless gentleman.

Elizabeth knows something of people who think differently. Her young cousin in London has always been different from his siblings and peers, and Lizzy sees something of this boy’s unusual traits in the stern gentleman from Derbyshire whose presence has plagued her for so long. She approaches him in friendship and the two begin a tentative association. But is Lizzy's new understanding of Mr. Darcy accurate? Or was she right the first time? And will the unwelcome appearance of a nemesis from the past destroy any hopes they might have of happiness?

Warning: This variation of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice depicts our hero as having a neurological difference. If you need your hero to be perfect, this might not be the book for you. But if you like adorable children, annoying birds, and wonderful dogs, and are open to a character who struggles to make his way in a world he does not quite comprehend, with a heroine who can see the man behind his challenges, and who celebrates his strengths while supporting his weaknesses, then read on! You, too, can learn what wonders can be found when we see the familiar through a different lens.

This is a full-length novel of about 100,000 words.

Darcy and Deception by Victoria Kincaid - Guest Post and Giveaway

I'm happy to be welcoming Victoria Kincaid back to Babblings of a Bookworm. She's joining us with an excerpt and giveaway of her new Pride & Prejudice variation, Darcy and Deception. Where's the deception? Spies!!!! Let's have a look at the blurb and I'll hand over to Victoria for her post.

Book Description

Returning home from Kent, Elizabeth Bennet is still distressed over Mr. Darcy’s insulting marriage proposal.  However, her attention is diverted by the local militia commander who asks her to observe Wickham, now suspected of being a French spy.  Pretending to be besotted with Wickham, Elizabeth accompanies the regiment when they relocate to Brighton.

Darcy arrives at Longbourn with the intention of making amends to Elizabeth, only to discover that she is now at Brighton with Wickham.  Desperate to save her from the scoundrel, Darcy follows her to the seaside, where he hopes to woo her away from the other man. 

Deception piles on top of deception as Elizabeth attempts to carry out her mission without betraying confidences—or breaking Darcy’s heart.  However, the French plot runs deeper than she knows; soon she and Darcy are plunged into the confusing and dangerous world of international espionage.  Can Darcy and Elizabeth escape with their lives and their love intact?

Happier in Her Friends Than Relations by Jayne Bamber - Guest Post and Giveaway

Today I'm happy to be welcoming debut author Jayne Bamber, who has brought us a very interesting-sounding novel. Happier in Her Friends Than Relations is an Austenesque variation which features characters from both Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility. Some of the characters are differently drawn to their canon counterparts, too. Interested? I bet you are :)

Let's have a look at the blurb and then I will hand over to Jayne Bamber for a guest post about her portrayal of Anne de Bourgh. There is also a chance of winning an ebook of Happier in Her Friends Than Relations for a commenter on this post.

A Very Austen Valentine Story Anthology - Blog Tour

Today the blog tour for A Very Austen Valentine stops by. This is an anthology from the same four authors who brought us A Very Austen Christmas, plus another two authors! I am happy to bring you an author interview from 3 of the authors of the anthology. There's also an opportunity to enter a giveaway to win a copy of A Very Austen Valentine for yourself! Read on for more...

Winners - Mr Darcy's Enchantment by Abigail Reynolds

I am so sorry for the delay in bringing you this post! I've been unwell and many things have fallen by the wayside.

Recently I was joined by Abigail Reynolds with an excerpt of her new book, Mr Darcy's Enchantment, which puts the characters from Pride & Prejudice into a world where fairies exist. I am really looking forward to reading this, and hope to get to it very soon.

Abigail was very kindly giving away 2 ebooks of the story to visitors to my blog. I chose the winners using a random number generator, and they were:

Sheila Majczan

Lily Bernard

Sheila, I have contact details for you and will be in touch. Lily, I don't think I have details for you. Please can you contact me by the end of the day on Wednesday 9 January? Otherwise I will have to select another winner. Congratulations to both of our winners.

For those of  you who weren't lucky on this occasion, why not treat yourself to a copy of the book? You are worth it :)

Buy Links

This book is available to buy now! You can get it in paperback or kindle. It's also available in kindle unlimited. Amazon UK / Amazon US / Amazon CA / Add to Goodreads Shelf

Thank you so much to Abigail Reynolds for the giveaway!

Happy New Year - and Happy Blog Birthday

Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2019 is full of good things for you - happy times, good health, good wealth and good reading.

It's not only a New Year, but also a new blog year for me. I posted my first ever blog post back in January 2014, making my blog 5 years old this month. If you want to see any of my past posts they are all accessible via the blog archive menu on the right (desktop site only).

To celebrate my blog's birthday, I will be having a little giveaway, but more of that later :)

My Pick of the Year 2018

Well the Earth has orbited the Sun another time and we've reached the end of the year. For me, it's been a very busy year in work and at home, with a new job, plus some major building work, which is still not entirely complete (gaaaah!). Unfortunately this has impacted on my mental energy and reading time. I got far less read this year than I'd like, and didn't review everything. However, I still had some good reads, and here is my pick of them.

The Avenger by Don Jacobsen - Book 6 in Bennet Wardrobe Collection - Blog Tour

I'm pleased to be welcoming Don Jacobson back to Babblings of a Bookworm. The latest book in his Pride & Prejudice-inspired Bennet Wardrobe series, The Avenger: Thomas Bennet and a Father's Lament, is now available, and this is the first stop on the blog tour, which features a guest post, excerpt and giveaway!

If you're new to this series, let me explain a little about it:

What is the ‘Bennet Wardrobe’? Well it’s literally a wardrobe, but it’s no ordinary piece of furniture. It can transport people of the Bennet bloodline forward in time for a period, and then transport them back to their original time. The time traveller doesn’t get to choose when they travel to; it’ll take them to a period that will teach them something they need to know.

Let's look at the blurb for The Avenger, and then pass over to Don Jacobson for his guest post.

Book Description

Bennet looked at his wife’s swollen lips, softly bruised from several deeply loving kisses, and her flushed complexion, as alluring when gracing the countenance of a woman of four-and-forty as that of a girl of nine-and-ten. He was one of the lucky few to have fallen in love with the same woman at both ages. 

Thomas Bennet, Master of Longbourn, had always counted himself amongst the few educated gentlemen of his acquaintance. But, he had to travel over 120 years into the future to discover how little he knew about the woman sharing his life.

Once again, the amazing Bennet Wardrobe proved to be the schoolmaster. Tom Bennet’s lesson? Mrs. Bennet had been formed especially for him. Yet, t’would be the good lady herself who taught him the power of the Fifth and Sixth Loves: Redemption and Forgiveness.

Fanny Bennet also would uncover deep wells of courage and inspiration as she stood by her man’s side in the bleak years after World War II. Together they would lead their descendants in pursuit of the beast who had wronged every member of the Five Families.

The Bennet Wardrobe series stands alone… 

The Avenger takes us on a new journey through The Bennet Wardrobe – an alternate universe rising from Don Jacobson’s vivid imagination and based upon the immortal Pride and Prejudice. The Avenger is another important step leading to the culmination of this enchanting trip: one that has drawn us into its reality to travel side-by-side with richly sketched characters. Each book has left us wanting more.

The Bennet Wardrobe series stands alone as a unique result of originality focused on beloved characters as they move—and grow—through surprising plotlines.
Lory Lilian, author of Rainy Days

Mr Darcy's Enchantment by Abigail Reynolds - Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

I'm very happy to be welcoming Abigail Reynolds back to the blog with her new Pride & Prejudice variation, Mr Darcy's Enchantment. This time the variation is quite a major one... this is a world where magic is real....

Let me share the blurb with you, and then we will hand over to Abigail for an excerpt from Mr Darcy's Enchantment.

Book Description

In a Regency England where magic and faeries are real…

Fitzwilliam Darcy is a powerful magician who controls fire, water, and wind. What he cannot control is his growing feelings for Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But Darcy is also sworn to uphold the laws which forbid women to use magic, and Elizabeth knows it.

Elizabeth’s sentiments towards Darcy are quite different. She detests his arrogance, and she fears he will expose her use of forbidden magic. He is the last man in the world she would choose to help her on a difficult and dangerous task.

But when a magical war looms between the land of Faerie and their world, a Lord of Faerie demands that Darcy and Elizabeth serve together as his emissaries to make peace with the other mortals. That mission throws them into the middle of a chaotic power struggle between magicians whose power dwarfs their own, and everything Elizabeth has ever believed about her family, her friends, and her enemies will be called into question.

This magical variation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice makes the land of Faerie as real as Regency London and Rosings Park, as bestselling author Abigail Reynolds presents new challenges for Darcy and Elizabeth in her longest and most enchanting story to date.

Winners Post - Sophie Turner, Maggie Mooha and Anngela Schroeder

It feels like Christmas is here already with all the winners I have to announce! We've had some visitors to the blog lately who have been so kind as to provide some giveaways.

Firstly, Sophie Turner visited with A Season Lost, which is the third book in the Constant Love series, a series of sequels to Pride & Prejudice. Sophie was giving away winner's choice of any of the three books in the series so far. The winner's name was chosen using a random number generator and that person was:

Anon (mcwarrillow)

Congratulations to you! You very helpfully left me contact details, so I will be in touch :)

Then Maggie Mooha visited us with her debut novel, Elizabeth in the New World, a Pride & Prejudice variation, which sees Elizabeth Bennet travelling to the Caribbean. Maggie was offering to give away a print version and ebook of her novel to commenters on the post. The winners were chosen at random, again using a random number generator. The paperback winner is:

Sheila!

The ebook winner is:

Darcybennett!

Congratulations, both!

The final winner I have to announce won an ebook of Anngela Schroeder's festive novella, An Unexpected Merry Gentleman, which sees Elizabeth spending Christmas in a party including Mr Darcy, and seeing another side of his character. Again, the winner was chosen using a random number generator, and that person is:

Melanie Rachel

Congratulations to you, I will be in touch.

Thank you so much to the authors for these giveaways and to everybody who visited the posts and commented :)