Hi readers! I’m happy to start my week with a lovely visit and excerpt from author Sue Barr! As you might already know, Ms. Barr has penned a couple of Pride and Prejudice sequels about secondary characters – Caroline, Catherine, and now Georgiana! I love secondary character stories and I cannot decide which of these heroines intrigues me the most! I hope you enjoy the lovely excerpt Sue has brought to share with you today! 📖

Thank you for hosting me and letting me an excerpt from my latest release, GEORGIANA: Pride & Prejudice continued… Book Three.

~ Excerpt from Georgiana: Pride and Prejudice continued ~

“May I have the next dance, Miss Darcy?”

“Thank you, Sir Reginald, but my card is full.”

She spoke a partial truth. Between family members, close friends, the Marquis of Trevayne, the Earl of Litchfield and Earl Dunleavy she has a surfeit of partners. The only exception being the very next dance and the supper set. She’d deliberately left those blank with the hope Maxwell would request her company for one of them.

“May I see?”

She gasped. A gentleman never demanded to see a lady’s card.

“Sir Reginald−”

“Excuse me, Sir Reginald. Miss Darcy promised this next dance to me.”

“Your Grace!” A flood of relief washed through her body at the sound of Max’s deep voice. She turned and gave him a proper curtsy. Max returned with a slight nod and held out his hand.

“Are you ready, Miss Darcy?”

“Oh yes, thank you.” She placed her gloved hand in Max’s and moved closer to him. “Good evening, Sir Reginald”

As they strolled to the dance floor, she noticed that the color of Max’s vest was the same soft green as the trim of her gown and the ribbon in her hair. What a strange coincidence. First, his blue vest matched her embroidered flowers and now her ribbons. If he weren’t careful, people would begin to think they were a couple. Not that she’d mind, but as he’d never given any indication that he thought of her in ‘that way’ she didn’t want any rumors to float around.

“I am sorry I was late, Miss Darcy,” the Duke began.

“No need to apologize, Your Grace. You weren’t on my card.”

“I meant in the fact I was not there to forestall Sir Reginald imposing himself upon you.”

She glanced up and saw a look of anger chase across Max’s handsome face. She couldn’t help herself, she blushed and stammered, “Th… thank you. I appreciate your concern for my well-being. You are a dear friend.”

“I am more than a friend, Miss Darcy.”

The look he gave her caused her stomach to flutter. If she were fanciful, she could almost believe he cared for her. And not as the sister of a good friend, but maybe something more. He led her to the head of the formation and they faced each other as the orchestra began playing the opening bars.

Not once did Maxwell remove his eyes from her face. They came together, touched hands briefly and parted once again, and his gaze never wavered. As they moved down the line, he had to watch his other partners, but did not emit the same intensity he’d given her.

Heat blossomed in her chest and at times she fought to keep a grin from escaping. The other dancers would think her deranged if she let go and laugh out loud. Dare she hope the Duke of Adborough held her in high enough regard to court her? Maybe his choice of vest color was deliberate and not something of chance.

She’d been led astray before by fanciful thoughts. This time she would proceed with caution and wait for him to declare his intentions. Too soon the dance was over and Max escorted her to where Fitz and Lizzie waited. Beside them stood the Marquis of Trevayne, her next dance partner. With a polite bow over her hand, Max left her staring after his broad shoulders as he cleaved through the crowd.

A soft hand at her elbow alerted her to the fact the Marquis was ready to lead her to the dance floor. With a smile, she let him guide her to the starting position. More than once, she caught the Marquis studying her. Rumors were rampant he was on the hunt for a bride and she idly wondered if he had considered courting her.

He was so very attractive and if she weren’t in love with Maxwell, her heart would be in danger around the handsome lord. The dance was lively and their conversation flowed as easily as a bubbling river. When the last chords of music faded away, and they’d bowed and curtsied, he led her to the refreshment table.

“May I speak openly with you, Miss Darcy?” Trevayne asked as he handed her a glass of punch.

“Please do.”

“I enjoy your company very much, however, I am not looking to take a bride, regardless of what you may have heard.”

“Oh, I’ve not…” she demurred.

“You are not one to lie easily, my dear. Do not start now.” She had the grace to blush. “I tell you for two reasons. One, I enjoy your company and wish to dance without worrying if the woman expects a proposal the minute the set ends.”

“And the second reason?”

“You, my dear, love another man.”

Oh my! Georgiana is surrounded by extremely eligible men in seems! I like the sound of this. I wonder if Maxwell is as fond of Georgiana as she is of him…and what about Sir Reginald…🤔

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~ Book Description ~

She longs for true love… 

A dowry of thirty thousand pounds places a hefty weight upon the shoulders of Miss Georgiana Darcy. Her tender heart has been broken before by a cad who cared not one whit for who she was, but as a prize to be won, and she fears no man will ever see the worth of her heart.

Duty and honor… 

These are the stalwart columns which hold up the life of Maxwell Kerr, Fifth Duke of Adborough. After rescuing Miss Darcy from an inescapable compromise, an offer of marriage is as natural to him as breathing air. When he discovers this is not the first compromise she has evaded, anger becomes his faithful companion and threatens their tenuous bonds of love and respect.

~ Connect with Sue ~

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~ About Sue ~

“The prairie dust is in my blood but no longer on my shoes.”

Sue Barr coined that phrase when once asked where she came from. Although it’s been over thirty-seven years since she called Saskatchewan home, her roots to that straight-lined province and childhood friends run deep. The only thing strong enough to entice her to pack up and leave was love. When a handsome Air Force pilot met this small-town girl, he swept her off her feet and they embarked on a fantastic adventure which found them settled in beautiful Southwestern Ontario when hubby retired from the military and began his second career as an airline pilot.

Sue started writing in 2009 and sold her first manuscript in 2010. For four years she was published under the pen name of Madison J. Edwards, and in 2014 began to write sweet contemporary romance under her own name. Always a reader of Regency romance, she discovered Jane Austen Fan Fiction through a childhood friend who writes under the name of Suzan Lauder. Almost immediately a question popped into her head, “Whatever happened to Caroline Bingley after her brother and Mr. Darcy became engaged to a Bennet sister?” and the “Pride & Prejudice Continued…” series was launched.

Sue is a member of Romance Writers of America and its satellite chapter, The Beau Monde. She is one course away from achieving her Professional Creative Writer’s certificate from the University of Western Ontario’s continuing study curriculum. In her spare time, she cans and preserves her own food, cooks almost everything from scratch and grows herbs to dehydrate and make into seasoning. Hubby has no complaints other than his trousers keep shrinking. At least that’s what he claims…. Oh, the kids and grandkids don’t mind this slight obsession either.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her book tour, Sue is giving away 3️⃣ebook copies of GEORGIANA: Pride & Prejudice continued… Book Three to 3️⃣lucky winners!!

Commenting and entering through the rafflecopter widget on this blog enters you in a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Sue!
• This giveaway ends March 12th.

Thank you to Christina Boyd and Sue Barr for making this blog tour possible and inviting us to take part!