DOUBT NOT, COUSIN: A REGENCY SAGA OF LOVE AND INTRIGUE

 

Welcome, dear readers, to My Jane Austen Book Club! Today, we embark on a journey through the pages of a captivating new novel, Doubt Not, Cousin, written by the talented author Barry S. Richman. Filled with love, secrets, and the charm of England's Regency era, this book promises to delight all Austen enthusiasts. Join me as we delve into the depths of darkness and emerge into the light of happily ever after.

WHEN MARY MET THE COLONEL BY VICTORIA KINCAID. THE AUDIOBOOK IS OUT!

Hi Maria Grazia and thank you for welcoming me back to your blog!  Today I’m pleased to announce the release of the audiobook of my Pride and Prejudice novella, When Mary Met the Colonel.  This was the first of my secondary-character P&P variations and has a special place in my heart.  

I wasn’t sure, when I started writing it, if I could make a secondary-character story compelling and if readers would believe a love story between Mary and Colonel Fitzwilliam was believable.  Fortunately—based on the book’s reception—the answer to both questions appears to be yes!  I feel fortunate that I was able to secure the wonderful Stevie Zimmerman to narrate the audiobook of When Mary Met the Colonel.  She always does a great job!

Below is an excerpt from the beginning of the book.  I hope you enjoy it!

Fitz cleared his throat. “You must be Miss Mary Bennet.”

The young lady dabbed at her eyes with a corner of the handkerchief, which was still fairly clean despite its tumble to the stones. “Yes. The two elder Miss Bennets are the pretty ones, and the two younger Miss Bennets are the lively ones. I am the one in the middle—neither pretty nor lively.” Her hand immediately flew to her mouth. “Oh, dear me! That sounded terribly bitter, did it not? I apologize, Colonel.”

Ah, he suspected that he had now uncovered the reason for her tears; such sentiments might be particularly acute on the day one of her sisters married. Fitz took the liberty of seating himself next to Miss Bennet. “Do you fear to offend my delicate sensibilities?” He batted his eyelashes absurdly, provoking laughter. “Only apologize if you are speaking an untruth.”

MISTAKEN BLOG TOUR - VIGNETTE BY JESSIE LEWIS + GIVEAWAY

Thank you so much, Maria Grazia, for hosting the first leg of the blog tour for Mistaken. I’d like to celebrate the occasion by sharing with your readers a scene that didn’t make it into the finished novel. There were quite a number of outtakes strewn across my virtual cutting room floor by the time I finished writing; I thought this one would give readers a wonderful introduction to some of my favourite characters. It’s dated, as is every scene in Mistaken, so readers can place it within the story. In it, we join Colonel Fitzwilliam, his brother Lord Ashby and their incorrigible grandmother Tabitha Sinclair, as they discuss Darcy’s uncommon state of melancholy.

Jessie Lewis

SPOTLIGHT ON ... SNOWBOUND AT HARTFIELD BY MARIA GRACE + GIVEAWAY

One of the things I love about Jane Austen’s characters is that they stay with you long after you’ve read the book. They become like old friends and you wonder how they would get along if they met each other. Of course, it might be challenging to manage to get them all together for tea, or better yet a house party, but it certainly would make for a fascinating time.

In Snowbound at Hartfield, a freak blizzard is just the thing to strand the Darcy party, including the Darcys, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Bennet, and Sir Walter Elliot’s party at Hartfield with Emma and George Knightley. Though Knightley has Emma’s assurances that she is finished with matchmaking, can she really resist the temptation their guests provide?

Maria Grace

 About the book: Snowbound at Hartfield  

Colonel Fitzwilliam should have been happy facing retirement. No more Napoleon, no more tromping the Continent, and his distant cousin had unexpectedly left him an estate. What was more, two of his favorite people, Darcy and Elizabeth, were travelling with him to visit his new home.

But the colonel wasn’t happy, not when he was forced to watch Darcy exchanging enamored glances with his wife. No, he wanted to pitch his cousin out the window. It didn’t help when Darcy kept lecturing him on the joys of wedded life— as if women like Elizabeth Darcy grew on every tree.

VICTORIA KINCAID, WHAT IF MR DARCY'S PROPOSAL WAS TOO LATE? PRIDE & PROPOSALS: GUESTPOST, EXCERPT, GIVEAWAY

Colonel Fitzwilliam is an intriguing figure in Pride and Prejudice.  He appears for a rather short time in the novel, and his main function is to inform Elizabeth of Darcy’s role in separating Jane from Bingley.  We never even learn his first name.  Austen makes it clear, however, that Elizabeth and the Colonel get along well, in part because he enjoys the “easy manners” Darcy does not possess.  Thus, the Colonel serves to emphasize Darcy’s introverted, socially awkward nature while highlighting Elizabeth’s gregariousness.  Austen hints at the potential for a romance between Elizabeth and the Colonel, but he tells her he must marry an heiress, so any attraction goes nowhere. 

In the world of Jane Austen fan fiction, Colonel Fitzwilliam has a much more varied and extensive role than in the original novel.  He acquires a first name (Richard) which is used almost universally.  He is paired with Georgiana, Anne de Bourgh, Jane Bennet, or any number of other women.  He goes to war, inherits the earldom, fights with Wickham, and becomes involved in many other plots.  Because he is the son of an earl and a soldier, his character offers a lot of potential for interesting storylines.  But, above all in JAFF, the Colonel is always Darcy’s friend and confidante.  More than Bingley, he is the person Darcy can talk to about his conflicts over Elizabeth and his obligations to his family.