Recognizing Love – Excerpt & Giveaway

Good Afternoon everyone,

I’m very happy to bring to you today the first excerpt of Recognizing Love, Lizzy Brandon’s second novel. Some of you may already know this author because of her first release Folly and Forgiveness which has a very good rating on Amazon and is currently on sale for 1,99$. If you haven’t read it yet, this is a good opportunity to get it, and you can buy it by following this link. If you have read it I’m sure you’ll like to read the excerpt we are sharing today and Ms. Brandon’s intake on why she decided to write this story.

I haven’t read this book yet, but I really like this premise and something tells me I will enjoy it immensely! Until I read and review it, I leave you with this little taste of it 🙂

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I’ve always wondered at what point Darcy actually decided he was going to find Wickham to save Elizabeth and her family’s reputation.  Did he know he needed to take that step immediately after Elizabeth told him of Lydia’s elopement, or was it something he had to sleep on?  He tells Elizabeth, “Would to heaven that any thing could be either said or done on my part, that might offer consolation to such distress!” suggesting he had not yet decided and would have spoken up if only to ease her mind.  Before leaving he “wished it a happier conclusion than there was at present reason to hope,” which has always suggested to me that he was considering taking action to enable that happier conclusion.

Of everything he does, the secrecy around his help strikes me as the most noble of his actions.  By that point, he wants Elizabeth to want him.  He doesn’t want her to feel indebted to him or even be aware that he undertook such extraordinary measures on her behalf.  Perhaps he doesn’t want to commit himself yet either. In any case, the secrecy of his assistance shows the depth of change in his character.  This is his perfect opportunity to help her and let her see just how much he has taken her reproofs to heart.

In this variation, Darcy cannot leave Elizabeth alone to worry and fear for her sister and instead immediately offers his assistance.  Elizabeth is in that delightful early stage of infatuation where she can start considering the possibility of a future, but she is in no way ready when he proposes too soon.

How does Elizabeth move forward when her head tells her Mr. Darcy is the perfect man for her but her heart is not yet convinced?

Today’s excerpt is the prologue of the story where Elizabeth must first answer that question.

 

“Elizabeth.”

Mr. Darcy brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, his voice as gentle as his touch. She bit her lip trying to restrain some of her delight.

They had stopped to admire a fountain and she wondered how she had ever considered him disagreeable. Well, he had seemed a different person then, but she would not remember him that way. Elizabeth sighed happily, enjoying the exercise in this lovely place and the easy banter with Mr. Darcy after the chaos and strain Lydia had brought upon them the past week. She would consider only the gentleman he had proven himself to be since they met again at Pemberley.

He stroked the side of her face with his thumb. She felt her cheeks color at his touch as well as the intensity of his stare. For a moment, she thought he might kiss her and was surprised to find the idea quite tolerable.

“Elizabeth.”

As he caressed her face, she knew she should stop him from taking such liberties with her name and her person; instead, she leaned into his hand, savoring the warmth of his palm against her cheek. His eyes darkened at her response.

“Elizabeth, you have known my feelings for some time now.”

She pulled back slightly realizing too late the danger of her actions.

Not yet, please not yet.

Elizabeth admitted she had a great respect and admiration for Mr. Darcy, but she was not ready to commit her life to his. How could she possibly love him in such a short time? She had only known this new rendering of Mr. Darcy for little more than a week. Surely she could not accept him when her feelings were not the equal of his.

“I was unworthy of you in Kent. I have striven to be a better man.”

Her mind whirled. He had saved her family from ruin and dealt with his worst enemy to do so. How could she refuse him after he had done it all for her?

Should she refuse?

Elizabeth was confident he was the kind of man that she could fall in love with…in time. Yet, she would prefer to be confident in the state of that affection before pledging herself.

He would not ask a third time. What man would consider proposing marriage to a woman who had spurned his offer not once but twice? If she did not accept him now, she knew she would never have another chance. She felt a chill despite the heat of the day. Was she willing to risk any future with him? Should she accept him now or regret his loss?

“I love you.” His honesty in such simple words moved her and she could feel tears well in her eyes.

She could not begin their life together with a lie. “I … I do not know what to say.”

“Say you will be my wife.”

The moment extended into an eternity as she looked into his eyes, studying the hope and emotion shining there.

Here was a good man, the very best of men. He deserved so much more than she could offer him at this moment. Elizabeth was convinced that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her…she just needed more time.

Or did she? Her feelings had already undergone so dramatic a transformation over the preceding weeks that she may well already love him and not yet realize it.

Is this love?

How was she to recognize the signs when she had never been in love before? Did she not desire his company when he was away? This admiration and gratitude she felt must be love.

Elizabeth fought against the knot in her throat but the words would not come. Determined to gain command of herself, Elizabeth pulled back her shoulders and pushed aside the voice in her head begging her not to deceive him into thinking she felt more.

“I will.”

 

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Secrets will surface…

Accepting Mr. Darcy’s proposal and allowing him to assume a love she does not yet feel pains Miss Elizabeth Bennet but she is certain she can love him…in time. After all of the miseries he endured to salvage her youngest sister’s reputation, how could she not come to love such a man?

Unfortunately, Lady Catherine arrives, bringing even thornier complications. With the many objections Darcy’s family will have regarding his marriage to the daughter of an unremarkable country squire, what more trouble can Lady Catherine stir up should she learn Elizabeth’s secret?

In this Pride and Prejudice romance variation, what will Mr. Darcy do when he learns his beloved has accepted him although her heart is not engaged?

You can find Recognising Love at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

At the moment the book is available for presale, but tomorrow it will finally go live 🙂

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Lizzy Brandon once attempted to switch sections of a Brit Lit course after seeing Pride and Prejudice on the reading list.  How could a book with such a boring title possibly compete with Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, or Frankenstein?  Luckily, her request was denied and she was introduced to Jane Austen’s amazing world of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Years later, Lizzy was thrilled to discover the world of Pride and Prejudice sequels and variations where her favorite characters could live on with countless adventures.  After enjoying reading variations for years, she decided to try writing her own.

If you want to reach out to her, you can find her on Facebook :  https://www.facebook.com/lizzy.brandon.ppv

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This is just the first stop, don’t miss the rest of the blog tour for more information on this book 🙂

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From Pemberley to Milton:   September 13

Jane Austen Book Club:   September 15

Babblings of a Bookworm:   September 17

So Little Time:   September 20

My Love for Jane Austen:   September 22

Diary of an Eccentric:   September 24

Austenesque Reviews:   September 26

More Agreeably Engaged:   September 28

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Lizzy Brandon would like to offer 3 Paperback copies of Recognizing Love and 3 $10 Amazon eGift Cards to readers following her blog tour. The giveaway is open worldwide and to enter it all you have to do is click here.

She is also organizing a pre sale giveaway that will run until the 14th of September. She is offering 4 ebook copies of Recognizing Love in this second giveaway and this is the link to enter it. Once again, this is open worldwide, and it’s a second opportunity to win this lovely book, so don’t miss this chance 🙂

Good luck everyone!