Hi readers! Did you see that author Sarah Courtney released a new book last month? I loved her first two releases – A Good Name and Beauty and Darcy – they both are wonderfully inventive! And I am very excited to read her latest – Plots, Ploys, and the Art of Matchmaking!
Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Sarah is here at Austenesque Reviews today to share an excerpt from her new story, we hope you enjoy! 🤗
I’ve always loved to read stories in which Lord Matlock or George Darcy is an old friend of Mr. Bennet, either from school or otherwise. There are some wonderful stories in which the men share a friendship that ultimately brings their children together.
When I read my friend Melanie Rachel’s Headstrong trilogy, I fell in love with the pranking war between Elizabeth and Richard. I thought it would be a lot of fun to combine these two elements and have Mr. Bennet and Lord Matlock be old friends who love to prank each other with hilarious—and disastrous—results.
The first few chapters tend to be more about these old school chums and their mischief, but as the story evolves, Darcy and Elizabeth take center stage. Is it any surprise that after being locked in rooms together and surviving disaster after disaster, the two would eventually fall in love?
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Elizabeth is stuck at Netherfield while Jane is ill, and she is not so fond of Mr. Darcy after his insult at the assembly. She becomes grumpier when she comes out for her morning walk in the gardens at Netherfield to find that he has taken her favorite seat. But the pranks of her father and Uncle Matlock give her an idea, and she sprinkles the bench with gravel dust before Darcy sits on it. She follows him back to the house, eager to see the results of her prank.
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Mr. Darcy had gone to the sideboard to get himself a cup of coffee. Her father and Lord Matlock were not yet down for breakfast, nor were the Hursts, but Mr. Bingley, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Miss Bingley all sat at the table enjoying their breakfasts.
Mr. Bingley was the first to notice. He looked up, caught a glimpse of Mr. Darcy’s trousers, and snorted. This drew Colonel Fitzwilliam’s attention, who did almost exactly the same thing.
Miss Bingley looked with horror from her brother to Colonel Fitzwilliam and was clearly about to take her brother to task for his manners when she saw Mr. Darcy.
“Oh. Oh! Mr. Darcy, were you . . . outside this morning?”
Elizabeth took a seat at the table to enjoy the show. What fun this was going to be.
“Yes,” he said curtly, moving to look out the window and giving all the inhabitants of the room a perfect view of his dusty behind.
“Did you . . . take a fall?” Her face was contorted as she obviously tried to find a way to hint about his wardrobe imperfections without making any sort of outright reference to his backside.
“No.” Mr. Darcy was not at his most loquacious in the morning, it seemed.
“Perhaps you chose to sit on the, er, lane?”
He half turned towards her and gave her a disgruntled expression. “Certainly not. I cannot imagine where you would get that idea.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam chuckled. “Can you not?”
Elizabeth thought it would be rather amusing if Mr. Darcy dropped his napkin and bent to pick it up. Of course, he would probably wait for a footman to fetch it for him. Still, the thought made her smile.
Miss Bingley looked around the table, seeing herself without allies. Desperate, she turned to her brother for relief. “Charles, do you not . . . do you not wish to say something to Mr. Darcy?”
Mr. Bingley’s grin broadened. “What do you think, Darcy? Shall we go shooting tomorrow? I’ve a mind to bag some birds from the back field.”
“Oh, certainly,” Colonel Fitzwilliam broke in. “We were at the bottom of the Stanley field last time.”
“Hopefully my shooting is better this time. I would hate to end up the butt of a joke.”
Elizabeth brought a napkin to her mouth to cover a cough just in time. Her shoulders were shaking with the attempt to hold in her laughter, but at least nobody was looking her way.
Mr. Darcy looked from his friend to his cousin, bewildered.
Miss Bingley was whispering furiously at her brother, but from his expression, he had no intention of giving in. “We will leave first thing, Darcy, so there will be no time for your visit to garden at the backside of the house.”
At that, Colonel Fitzwilliam guffawed. Miss Bingley could no longer contain herself and let out a little burst of laughter that she quickly quelled. Elizabeth had been holding the napkin to her face for a full minute now and attempting to breathe deeply so that she did not give in.
Mr. Bingley finally stood and walked over to Mr. Darcy, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder that set a poof of dust into the air. “You may want to have your valet brush off your—er, coat.”
Mr. Darcy looked behind him, saw the dust, and turned bright red. “Yes, yes, I will see to that immediately.”
He fled the room, leaving the rest of the inhabitants free to laugh to their hearts’ content.
Oh my! Wicked Elizabeth! 😉 How Mr. Darcy must’ve loathed being the butt of that joke! I wonder if Mr. Darcy suspects Elizabeth…and will he retaliate! The premise of Plots, Ploys, and the Art of Matchmaking sounds terrific! I love it when Mr. Bennet becomes more involved, and I love the idea of a relationship built on pranks! 😜 Thank you so much for sharing, Sarah! I wish you all the best!
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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Today, Sarah brings with her ONE ebook copy of either of her new release – Plots, Ploys, and the Art of Matchmaking for me to give away to ONE lucky reader!
To enter this giveaway, leave a comment, a question, or some love for Sarah!!
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Sarah!
- This giveaway ends December 15th!
Oh my lands, I was ready to howl at this excerpt. Sometimes it is difficult to laugh in this dreary world, but these paragraphs will keep me entertained for the rest of the day. Sounds like a wonderful book. Please put me in the drawing.
I hope you find the story as funny! I had fun coming up with inventive pranks (and researching old ones). I thought it would be nice to put out a humorous story when I think we could all use a laugh this year.
So fun! Your WIP reading at the December JAFF event was also a hoot! Thanks for sharing!!
Meredith, thanks again for hosting another wonderful story. Laughter is the best medicine these days! This excerpt brought a smile and a laugh! Thanks for the chance in the giveaway!
My favorite stories always have moments of humor and fun, so that’s what I love to write. I hope that it makes you laugh. 🙂
Ah, yes. Mr. Darcy, you shouldn’t slight young women so publicly on so short an acquaintance. You have no idea what methods of revenge they may take on your person.
I look forward to reading the rest!
Ha ha ha! But will he know it was Elizabeth, or will he blame Bennet and Matlock? That’s the problem with developing a reputation as a prankster: you get blamed for everything!
I enjoyed this book very much when I read it on the D&L forum. Congratulations Sarah on another publication.
Thank you! It’s gone through a lot of editing, particularly as to Matlock’s character, so I hope you enjoy the new updated version as well!
This looks stunning! Excited to read this book from this very talented author
Oh, thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Sounds like another good book to add to my list. Thanks for sharing.
I love having a list, too, otherwise I get so sad when I finish a book. I’m glad to be on it!
A humorous book? Just the thing! Obviously there is much trickery about, who will be the next victim?
Yes, pranks and silly situations abound! But don’t worry, there’s romance, too. As for who will be the next victim… the numbers are pretty high in this book. 🙂
I’ve never read a story where Lord Matlock and Mr Bennet were friends and I love the idea. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book.
Oh, I hope you like it! I’ve read a couple like that and always think it’s a fun idea.
I also like it when Mr. Bennet is friends with Darcy’s father and/or his uncle. The idea of pranks between Darcy and Elizabeth is fantastic! Thank you for the excerpt.
Most of the pranks are not really between Darcy and Elizabeth, but they often end up united as victims. But hey, you know Elizabeth can’t resist joining in the fun at some point. 🙂
Upon my word, that was too funny — and it was just one scene! I must add this to my wish list. Thank you for such an entertaining excerpt!
I loved Bingley and Fitzwilliam twitting Darcy about his pants, so I couldn’t resist picking this scene. 🙂 I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I read and enjoyed Sarah’s first two books so I am sure I would enjoy this third release. Good luck with that and thanks for a chance to win a copy.
I hope you like this one, too! It’s more comedic than the other two, with lots of pranks and practical jokes, but I thought we could all use a good laugh this year.
I enjoyed reading this on the forum and look forward to having a copy. Congrats on publication!
Thanks for providing me the opportunity to post it before! It has gone through lots of revisions, as the comments were so very helpful along the way. I hope you enjoy the final version. 🙂
That was most wicked! Thank you for sharing this excerpt and congrats on the release!
Thank you! Elizabeth does have a slightly more wicked practical joke later, even if she didn’t mean it to be. 🙂
Congratulations on your new boook.
This is hilarious. Enjoyed this excerpt. Thank you butt waiting for some more 😉
Thank you also for the chance to win a copy.
Ha, I saw what you did there. Check out the book for more! 🙂
Now that was down right sneaky. How can Elizabeth remain upset with Darcy when she is laughing at him? Her ire has to thaw eventually. What fun.
Thanks to Meredith for hosting [hello to your Mr. Bingley]. Thanks to Sarah and her publisher for the generous giveaway. Good luck to all in the drawing. Merry Christmas to everyone, and Happy Holidays in the manner in which you celebrate. Stay safe and healthy during this difficult time.
If only Darcy could get back at her… 🙂 She does hold onto her enmity for a little while, but not nearly as long as in P&P, don’t worry. Good luck!
Maybe these pranks will get that stick out of Darcy’s – well, you know!
Poor Darcy! 🙂 Yeah, he needs a few pranks to loosen him up. Maybe a good revenge prank on Elizabeth, hmm?
Thanks for sharing and the chance to win. Great excerpt, look forward to reading more.
I hope you enjoy it! Good luck!
I love the premise! I look forward to reading!
I love writing the kind of book I love to read, and I couldn’t resist more prank war fun. I hope you like it!
Hi Sarah!
I almost feel pity for Darcy but then I remember his comments about Elizabeth at the ball and think: “Bravo Lizzy! Take your own medicine, Mr Darcy!” LOL.
I’m really curious about Mr Bennet and Lord Matlock’s friendship…I imagine them like the pair of old and grumpy men in Jim Henson’s muppet show 😉
Thanks for the giveaway and congrats on your release!
P.D: The cover is charming!
Old? Grumpy? Well, they may be older, but Matlock would take offense at the idea of being a grumpy old man. He’s more like a youthful Colonel Fitzwilliam (as fanon portrays him, anyway), always getting into mischief and laughing at the world. Mr. Bennet would probably claim to be dragged along into trouble, but don’t listen to him, it’s his idea half the time.
I love to read books with humor! It will be fun to see Elizabeth and Darcy sport with each other!
I had a lot of fun with the humor in this! There’s plenty of situational humor with both Bennet and Matlock’s trouble-making, but I also like to think there’s humor in the conversation, especially between Elizabeth and Darcy.
Caroline – a sense of humor at Mr. Darcy’s expense? Love it and Elizabeth hiding her laugh behind her napkin? It will be fun to see what mischief Mr. Bennet and Lord Matlock create. Thank you for the excerpt and giveaway.
Caroline is a bit different in this story. 🙂 Hopefully you like the direction she goes!
For some strange reason, I like Caroline’s antics and am always glad to see different shades of her.
Hello Sarah, I love your story so much, the character are still there but the story is so unique and fun. Elizabeth playing prank, I can’t believe that she added gravel dust. Lol, poor Mr. Darcy! I wonder if he discover that it was Elizabeth prank. Well I would need to read to find out. I truly await the opportunity to buy and read this pride and prejudice variation.
Thank you so much for this wonderful story. Can’t wait for more of your fabulous story.
A pretty simple prank, really, just sprinkling some gravel dust on that bench, yet what fun, right? 🙂 As for whether he discovers it–yes, you’ll just have to read it. And also to discover whether he plays any pranks on her!
Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Elizabeth seems to have her share of the mischief! Looking forward to reading this one and the first two! Thank you for a chance at the giveaway!
She’s certainly had a certain kind of example! 🙂 But will she learn anything from the results of the pranks? We shall see . . . 🙂