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Ms. George has shared an enticing excerpt with us and there is a giveaway. Don't forget to pop in at all the stops along the tour.
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Elizabeth gasped in shock and waited for Kitty to continue. Instead, her sister suddenly lamented Mr. Riley’s absence, and Elizabeth’s attention drifted elsewhere to the ghost of the man from whom she had fled.
Darcy was still tall, of course, which assisted in maintaining that air of haughtiness she had so disliked, but his pale skin and longer hair diminished the frightening assurance he once conveyed. He looked up, and their eyes met.
Elizabeth quickly looked away. Her mouth was suddenly dry, so forgetting Kitty entirely, she went in search of a glass of punch. While looking for refreshment, she decided it would not be productive to dwell on Mr. Darcy’s presence, to dwell on what could have been. She had been so close to wanting to call him friend at Pemberley, so close to falling in love with the tenderness she saw in his eyes and the ease he had displayed there and nowhere else. There was no way to go back and change anything, and it was time to accept it.
She had almost reached the refreshment table when she spotted Mr. Darcy standing just beyond it.
Any attachment between them was not meant to be, Elizabeth reasoned, but if that were the case, why did the gentleman keep appearing before her as though he were a lion and she were some hapless prey?
“Miss Bennet, would you do me the honor of dancing the next with me?”
Unable to find an excuse quickly, Elizabeth nodded mutely and felt her heart flutter at the small, shy smile that alighted on Darcy’s lips. He offered his hand and tucked hers through his arm, walking slowly to the floor where they awaited the next set to start.
Find something impersonal to talk about! Elizabeth’s brain wailed at her.
“It has turned rather cold this evening. I was outside with the twins earlier, and we were driven back to the house by the wind. I fear winter has finally descended on us full stop.”
“It would appear so.”
“At least it did not snow. That would have made travel difficult.”
He nodded. Darcy’s heart swelled to be standing next to her, touching her. He had dreamt for so long of the moment he would see her again that he nearly felt as though he were sleeping at that moment. She was a beautiful, gauzy illusion—and she was staring at him sternly.
“I apologize, Miss Bennet.”
“Mr. Darcy, I do not believe you are even aware of the reason for your apology.”
“My thoughts wandered while you were speaking. I did not hear what you said.”
Amusement lit Elizabeth’s eyes, and she blessed him with a tender smile. “Then I apologize for jumping to conclusions, sir. I should not have spoken so.”
He was half-tempted to tell her she could speak in any way she wished to him as long as she kept conversing with him. Her voice was like a salve upon his wounded soul. Instead, Darcy nodded slightly in acceptance of her unnecessary apology.
“I fear we shall spend the evening giving offense so the basis of our conversation will be nothing but regrets.”
Elizabeth looked down at his hand covering hers and felt a powerful energy run through her. It was as though she had too much wine. Her head flew up as the music ended, signaling that their dance would soon begin.
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Blurb:
Once, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet were foes, then tenuous friends. After Elizabeth discovers Darcy is engaged to another woman, she flees to Boston to seek solace with her cousin, the brash and worldly Emeline Poston.
When she returns to England after years spent abroad, Elizabeth must face the man who shattered her heart, and she is shocked to find the proud man she once knew drastically altered. Does she have the courage to seek out the man with whom she fell in love—whatever the cost?
Fitzwilliam Darcy has spent his days regretting what might have been and his nights being tormented by the decisions he has made. His life in tatters, he can barely face the once-respectable man in his mirror or the baby girl in Pemberley’s nursery. Now that Elizabeth has returned, will he atone for his mistakes and win her heart for good?
This alternate path reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice is recommended for adult readers
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Author Bio:
Amy George is a middle-aged woman who hates her "old lady/grown-up" car and refuses to listen to its radio at a reasonable volume, especially when the Beastie Boys or the Violent Femmes are playing. She lives in a town in the middle of the country where the county fair is one of the biggest social events of the season and everything is fried. Her household consists of a dog, a cat, a man, a hermit, and stubborn soap scum.
She has been writing since she was a child and was a frequent contributor to the Hyacinth Gardens, a popular but defunct JAFF site.
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Author Links:
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Second Impressions Blog Tour Schedule:
8/15: Review at Margie’s Must Reads
8/16: Excerpt & Giveaway at Romance Novel Giveaway
8/17: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club
8/18: Guest Post & Giveaway at Skipping Midnight
8/19: Review at Tomorrow is Another Day
8/20: Review at Liz’s Reading Life
8/22: Excerpt & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged
8/23: Review at Half Agony, Half Hope
8/23: Excerpt & Giveaway at So Little Time…
8/24: Review at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice
8/25: Guest Post & Giveaway at From Pemberley to Milton
8/26: Review at Diary of an Eccentric
8/27: Review at Just Jane 1813
8/28: Author Interview & Giveaway at Babblings of a Bookworm
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Giveaway: Please note that the giveaway is different from all other giveaways Meryton Press has done. ONLY contiguous United States residents (the lower 48) will be eligible to win paperback copies. Paperbacks are no longer available for international winners. International winners can still enter for a chance to win an ebook (Kindle copy).
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I hope you all enjoyed the excerpt for Second Impressions by Amy George. It was just enough of a teaser to make me want to read the 'rest of the story'. That's the whole idea of an excerpt though, isn't it! :) Thanks so much Amy George for sharing it with us. I must admit to being quite fascinated with this story from what I have read so far. I will be reading it as soon as possible.
Dear Readers, be sure to check out the Rafflecopter giveaway and take note of the changes in the giveaway of paperback books. Good luck to everyone. I hope you will have a chance to visit all the participating blogs along the way.
Oh! VERY intriguing. I cannot wait to read more about Darcy's suffering. Why is a downtrodden Darcy, and his emotional struggle, always so compelling??? I look forward to buying this when the paperback is available. No need to enter me in the drawing though!
ReplyDeleteA not very composed Lizzy
ReplyDeleteWow! Looking forward to reading!
ReplyDeleteThat short excerpt engaged my emotions quickly. Can't wait for the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteOh, what has happened? Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI want to hear all about how Darcy is now in comparison to when she left! I can hardly wait to win this book! Thanks Janet and Amy!
ReplyDeleteOh!! This was so sweet. To think that Darcg was so happy just to be dancing with Lizzy that he was rendered speechless!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd to think that she still loves him!!
A fantastic excerpt!
Oh, what a tease! Can't wait to find out what happened and how Darcy got engaged to make Elizabeth flee!
ReplyDeleteVery appealing excerpt! It gave me a glimpse of the author's engaging writying style and her ability to let the readers feel with and feel for the characters. I would really want to read what happened next.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us th excerpt.
ReplyDelete