Romance Novel Giveaways - Freebies and Giveaways of All Things Romance Romance Novel Giveaways: Second Impressions by Amy George ♥ Book Tour & GIVEAWAY ♥ (Austenesque Romance)

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Second Impressions by Amy George ♥ Book Tour & GIVEAWAY ♥ (Austenesque Romance)


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.





Balls were boring affairs, no matter who hosted them. The same kind of people—the rich looking to get richer—in the same types of places—enormous houses with an equally enormous crowd—gathered for God knew what reason. John Dalton had scanned the invitation, noted when and where to go, and ignored the rest. He attended the ball out of social obligation. He stayed for the sport.
“Mr. Dalton?”
He looked up from his conversation with Miss Poppy Gallagher, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy landowner. She had just told him she was spending the winter with her elder sister and was glad to finally be away from the house. John could see the lovely Miss Gallagher was hungry for a little diversion, and he was more than willing to provide it.
“Mrs. Bingley,” John said, standing to greet his fair hostess. “Thank you for the invitation. This is a lovely party.”
“I am glad you are happy, sir,” Jane replied offhandedly. “I, however, am not.”
John sucked in a breath, dreading what was to come. Jane Bingley would surely scold him for talking to an unchaperoned girl, knowing his intentions. It would not be the first time he had been asked to leave a festivity given by “polite” society.
“What could I do to change that, Mrs. Bingley?” he asked, though the question sounded more seductive than he had intended. While Jane Bingley would have made an impressive conquest among his peers, it was not only gauche to think so ill of her but an impossibility considering it was obvious she was completely devoted to her husband.
Jane raised an eyebrow at the tone of his remark but kept a smile at bay. “I have a cousin who lacks a partner for the next set.”
Narrowing his eyes, Dalton sighed. He had been maneuvered into corners like this one before. He was rich, he was handsome, and he was young. There had been many a mother who had tried to use their daughters as lures to tame the wild beast, but all had failed.
“Mrs. Bingley, are you suggesting I ask your cousin to dance?”
Jane smiled brilliantly. “Dear Mr. Dalton! I would be delighted if you would. Miss Poston is American and frightens many men because she conveys the appearance of not needing them.”
At that, Miss Gallagher stood and joined the conversation. “But Mr. Dalton has asked to dance the next set with me.”
“I am sure you can see that my cousin is in desperate need,” Jane said, the barest hint of a threat in her voice. “If you let him go now, I will return Mr. Dalton to you for the dance later.”
Miss Gallagher seemed doubtful but granted her consent.
Jane took John’s offered elbow and led him to the sitting room in which Emeline had been hiding.
All day long, Emeline had dreaded the ball, knowing men would be fascinated only by her looks and then be disappointed when they found out she could form an opinion about something other than gowns or flowers. Men hated clever women, and Emeline was not about to stand for another night of shocked looks and scurrying backsides. Instead, she chose to sit with a few of the matrons who were curious about her and talk of her travels.
“Emeline?”
She looked up at the sound of Jane’s voice. Puzzlement settled over her features as Jane motioned her out into the hallway and then quietly led her to the ballroom door.
“Jane, I told you I did not plan to dance this evening.”
“I know that, but there is someone who will not believe me. He has heard much about you from Charles and insists upon meeting you.”
“Jane—” Emeline’s voice carried a tired warning as John Dalton stepped into view.
“Miss Poston, it is a pleasure to—” John looked at the shapely strawberry blonde standing before him, realizing he had seen her before.
Emeline’s eyes grew wide. “Jack?”
Jane smiled and quietly slipped away.
“My lady?”
“Well, not quite,” Emeline replied saucily. “You never really offered a decent apology for running into me in the middle of the street.”
“Abominable behavior,” he said, shaking his head. “You must allow me to make amends for it.”
“And how would you propose to do that?”
“By asking you to dance.”
“And what if I do not dance?”
“Every young lady dances.”
“Preposterous presumption on your part.”
“How so? I have never met a young lady who does not dance; so therefore, all young ladies dance.”
Emeline bit her lip, nodding thoughtfully. “I suppose you have a point, however irrational it might be.”
“Miss Poston, would you care to dance? Despite my disadvantage.”
“What disadvantage is that?”
“I do not know your Christian name.”
“Whereas I know only yours.”
“John Bickford Dalton.”
“Emeline Poston.”
They greeted each other with a bow and a curtsey.
“Now?” asked John.
“Now.”
And they entered the ballroom.








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.


   


4 winners will receive a print copy of Second Impressions (contiguous United States residents only)

4 winners will receive an eCopy (International residents)




authoramygeorge @MerytonPress @J_Leatherberry http://goo.gl/y0UcLI

11 comments :

  1. This story sounds super fun!! I really enjoyed the excerpt! All young ladies dance, made me laugh :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great excerpt, sounds like a wonderful story! thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jane with a hint of a threat in her voice - that's an interesting concept

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing with us the excerpt.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like a good book can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like a good book can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love Jane's clever ploy! Looking forward to reading this book!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The cover is sweet. Thanks for the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for the enthusiasm. I hope you, if you've read the book, that you enjoyed it. If you haven't had a chance yet, I hope you get an afternoon to give it a go. And then come and tell me what you thought. You can find me more on Facebook than Twitter, but find me. I love to interact with readers!

    ReplyDelete

PLEASE NOTE: I do not moderate comments, but some go to Spam anyway. Rest assured, I check regularly and will publish non-Spam comments shortly!