A Little Whimsical in His Civilities Blog Tour...J. Marie Croft

A Little Whimsical in His Civilities Blog Tour Stops by my place today with a delightful excerpt. It will bring a smile to your lips and a desire to read more of this tantalizing new novella by J. Marie Croft! If you are not familiar with Ms. Croft's writing style, you are in for a delicious treat. Enjoy, dear Readers! Be sure to enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter at the end! (I LOVE this cover!)

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Since tomorrow will be Valentine’s Day,

the snippet being shared is Darcy and Elizabeth’s first tender moment in the novella,

as told from the gentleman’s point of view.

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“I am missing one of my pearl earrings. Do you happen to see it anywhere?”

Most eager to come to the lady’s aid, I say, “Can you describe it?”

“It is a pearl.” She casts me a peculiar look. “One of a pair.” My beguiled mind is apparently not keeping pace with hers. She rolls her eyes at my rug-headed ignorance. “The missing earring looks remarkably similar to its mate.” She waits for enlightenment to dawn upon me, but I remain in the dark. “Its mate, Mr. Darcy, is the one presently clinging to my left earlobe.”

Ah! Brilliant. She now believes I have more hair than wit, and I suspect the impertinent minx might have the right of it. But she is not the only brazen one. I prove that by stepping closer. A fleet survey of the room’s occupants indicates that, rather surprisingly, no one is paying particular attention to my position. That is a singularly odd but most welcome circumstance. So I inch even nearer. Standing now almost toe-to-toe with Elizabeth, I am not unaffected by our closeness. Definitely not unaffected.

I plainly see the pearl on her delectable lobe, and although deceit is not my wont, I pretend her hair is an obstruction. “May I?”

Tentatively, I reach out my hand towards her. She blushes prettily but, to my amazement and delight, nods consent. I tenderly lift a curl away from Elizabeth’s delicate ear, and I can scarcely believe the unmitigated joy I receive from such a simple but totally unnecessary and highly improper deed. She responds with a slight gasp and higher colour on her cheeks whilst my heart throbs wildly. “Exquisite,” I whisper.

“Thank you. The earrings were a gift from my dear Aunt and Uncle Gardiner and, as such, are quite precious to me.”

I do not amend her misunderstanding of the compliment. All the while, I am enthralled, transported beyond the room, oblivious to the noise and presence of others. There is, after all, only dearest, loveliest Elizabeth and—

“Mr. Darcy?” she murmurs.

Preoccupied by her absolute beguilement of my senses, I absentmindedly answer, “Yes, my love?”

Her hitched breath and widened eyes slam me back into reality. Thanks to innate quickness of mind, I am able to salvage the slip of my traitorous tongue. “Yes. My love of the hunt has been engaged, and I shall immediately run down the crafty, artful jewel. It may be elusive, but I am resourceful.”

By God, am I ever!

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  A Little Whimsical in His Civilities by J. Marie Croft

Blurb:

Told entirely from Fitzwilliam Darcy’s point of view, J. Marie Croft’s humorous novella, A Little Whimsical in His Civilities, spans one moonlit, autumnal night upon the gentleman’s return to Hertfordshire in pursuit of Elizabeth Bennet.

“We take the turning which places us on Meryton’s main road, and—oh, gad! There it is—the base-court building which passes for an assembly hall in this godforsaken place. For me, the venue shall be either a heaven or a hell tonight. My palms grow clammy, my gut churns, and I regret that second helping of onion-laden vegetable pie forced on me before we left.”

Accompany Darcy as he, intent on reversing the disastrous first impression he made there, braves another Meryton assembly and seeks to win his heart’s desire.

Author Bio:

J. Marie Croft is a self-proclaimed word nerd and adherent of Jane Austen’s quote “Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery”. Her light-hearted novel, Love at First Slight (Meryton Press, 2013), her humorous short story, Spyglasses and Sunburns, in the Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer anthology (Meryton Press, 2015), and her novella, A Little Whimsical in His Civilities (Meryton Press, 2016) bear witness to Joanne’s fondness for Pride and Prejudice, wordplay, and laughter.

Links:

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Purchase A Little Whimsical in His Civilities by J. Marie Croft

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Blog Tour Schedule:

2/8: Excerpt & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club

2/9: Guest Post & Giveaway at Moonlight Reader

2/10: Review at Tomorrow is Another Day

2/11: Guest Post & Giveaway at So Little Time…

2/12: Excerpt at My Love for Jane Austen

2/13: Excerpt & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged

2/14: Guest Post & Giveaway at Liz’s Reading Life

2/15: Guest Post & Giveaway at From Pemberley to Milton

2/16: Review at Just Jane 1813

2/17: Review at Half Agony, Half Hope

2/18: Review at Margie’s Must Reads

2/19: Excerpt & Giveaway at Best Sellers and Best Stellars

2/20:  Guest Post & Giveaway at Skipping Midnight

2/21: Guest Post & Giveaway at Babblings of a Bookworm

2/22: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice

GIVEAWAY

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