Hello dear friends! I am thrilled to be welcoming back the talented Susan Adriani to Austenesque Reviews today! Not only because I am always happy to have her visit, but also because today is the release day for Misunderstandings and Ardent Love!! 🎉📘🎉 Woot woot!! Congratulations, Susan!!
I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to read this story – there is so much that entices and excites!
🤗 It is a long-awaited new release from Susan Adriani
🤗 Has a gorgeous cover and a most-promising title
🤗 And that book description…
Susan is here to share a deleted scene from Misunderstandings and Ardent Love! We hope you enjoy! 😊
~ Book Description ~
“I have never been able to forget you…I am yours, in body and soul, for as long as I am able to draw breath.”
AFTER MONTHS OF BROODING DESPAIR while Bingley prepares to wed Jane Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy realises he has no choice but to put his heart at risk and try to win the only woman he will ever love.
ELIZABETH BENNET WOULD MORE THAN WELCOME his return to Longbourn. Yet despite such mutually ardent feelings, her most beloved sister and Darcy’s own uncle hold quite the opposite points of view.
TORN BETWEEN PERSONAL LOYALTIES and responsibilities, the couple must balance finding a discreet solution for a family scandal in London and dealing with new outrageous actions by Mr and Mrs Wickham, all while facing a Jane Bennet who cannot forgive Darcy his interference in her love story.
Can the two overcome misunderstandings and meddling and find their way to one another at last?
~~~
In this scene, Elizabeth is in Longbourn’s nursery with Robert, Emily, and Rosalie Gardiner, who are visiting with their parents for Jane and Bingley’s wedding. The story she tells is one I think you might recognize. It was cut from the book because it was simply unnecessary to include it in the story…and the book was so long we had to get rid of something! At first, I was frustrated to see what amounted to an endless block of red striking through this scene. I had spent so much time trying to get this part right; but in the end, I agreed my editor made the call to delete it. I hope you enjoy this charming little glimpse of Elizabeth with her young cousins.
~ A Deleted Scene from Misunderstanding and Ardent Love ~
Seated upon one of the beds with the littlest Gardiner nestled on her lap, sat Elizabeth. A blazing fire had
been lit in the grate hours before to chase away the nighttime chill. Its crackling flames were gay and pleasant, creating a coziness that invited the Gardiners’ two eldest children to climb onto the bed and settle themselves at their cousin’s feet.
“What happens next, Cousin Lizzy?” the eldest girl asked. Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned forward in anticipation of what Elizabeth would next relate. Long chestnut curls tumbled past her shoulders in charming disarray, tangling in her lashes and lips. Impatient, the girl pushed them aside. Emily Gardiner at seven-years-old looked much like Elizabeth had at that age, an observation often remarked upon by their parents.
The toddler on Elizabeth’s lap twisted in her embrace so she could better see her cousin. Her eyes were dark like her sister’s, but where Emily’s gaze was open and expectant, Rosalie’s was sleepy and serious. “Pease, Issy?” she said as she twirled a lock of Elizabeth’s hair between her plump little fingers.
Snuggling the little girl closer, Elizabeth kissed the top of her head. “As luck would have it, the fair maiden slayed the dragon and rescued the handsome prince, so he was exceedingly grateful to her. He thanked her profusely, apologized for all of his previous bad behavior, and forgave the maiden hers as well.”
“And what did the maiden do?” asked their elder brother. His fair, golden locks gleamed in the firelight. “Did she forgive the prince? He was awfully rude to her at the beginning of the story.”
Elizabeth smiled indulgently. “He was very rude indeed, but I believe that was long forgotten, Robert. In fact, the fair maiden not only accepted the prince’s apology, but apologized to him in turn, for she had since come to understand the prince had many expectations placed upon him, not the least being his family’s desire that he marry well.
“The prince, you know, was responsible for a great many things, including a vast kingdom and all the people who lived there. The maiden’s father, though kind-hearted and good, was merely a country squire and, though hardly poor, was still considered far below the prince and his family in wealth and rank. Their destinies, you understand, were not the same, or so they had both believed,” she sang as she tapped her forefinger upon the end of Rosalie’s nose. The little girl giggled delightedly.
Her brother shifted impatiently upon the bed. “But nothing really changed, Cousin Lizzy. Even though the maiden slayed the dragon and saved the prince, her rank was no different than what it was at the beginning of the story. He was still a rich prince, after all, and she was still a squire’s daughter.” He plucked at a loose thread on the counterpane and huffed. “And no matter what you say, I refuse to believe a girl could slay a dragon.”
“Girls are capable of many things, Robert,” Elizabeth chided, “but what you say is true in a sense. It is very hard to go against the rules of society, and to allow ourselves to accept things that would not otherwise be accepted—or even possible—due to an assortment of restrictions placed upon us as individuals, at least not without a great deal of mettle and ingenuity.”
Robert frowned as he considered her words. His countenance appeared impenetrably grave for his ten years. “Perhaps,” he allowed, albeit reluctantly, “but as far as their marrying, I do not think her father would have cared at all, so long as the prince truly liked the maiden; and the king and queen were both long dead, so they would not have been able to do anything to stop the prince from asking her again if he wanted, though I suppose the rest of his family could certainly try… But the prince was his own master. Could he not simply do as he wished?”
“I think it most unfair,” declared his sister sourly as she crossed her arms over her chest, “that boys can do as they please simply because they are boys, while girls are not permitted to do anything really interesting because they are not boys. I am sure a girl could do just as fine a job slaying a dragon as any boy. Of course, I would never consent to marry anyone who said such awful things to me as the prince said to the maiden, even if he was so very handsome and rich. I hope the maiden said ‘no’, Cousin Lizzy, and sent him back to his kingdom directly.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “Do not be a dolt, Emily. The maiden was just as disagreeable to the prince as he was to her. She called him arrogant when he had every reason to hold his head high. It was very wrong of him to insult her as he did, whether he meant to do it or not.”
“It certainly was,” Emily cried indignantly.
“But the maiden’s behavior was little better.”
“The Prince’s conduct was worse.”
“They were both to blame,” said Robert exasperatedly, “and there is an end of it. Besides, Cousin Lizzy said they made up in the end, so everything must have been put to right between them. The maiden must have accepted him. She would have been a simpleton to refuse the prince a second time should he have gone through the trouble of asking her, especially when he was not disagreeable, but good and honorable—a true gentleman. Am I right, Cousin Lizzy?”
“You are quite right, Robert,” Elizabeth told him, pleased by his reasoning and insight. “The prince, despite slighting the maiden in the beginning, was the very best of men. The maiden would have been very foolish indeed to refuse him twice, for she had fallen in love with him as well. The prince and the maiden forgave each other, and their quarreling and all their wretched past behavior was immediately forgot. The maiden, after discovering the prince’s goodness, was more than willing to receive his addresses when he declared his love to her a second time.
“So, without so much as another word,” Elizabeth continued with a dramatic sweep of her arm, “the prince placed the maiden upon his great white steed and whisked her away to his magnificent castle in the far north, where they lived happily ever after. And there is an end of it.”
“That was a lovely story,” said Emily with a frown, “but hardly likely, I think. Why would the maiden ever agree to marry the prince after he was so rude to her? How could she ever have come to love him? I doubt I could forgive a man who made such unfeeling remarks to me, nevermind fall in love with him.”
Elizabeth extended her hand, grasped Emily’s, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Dearest,” she said kindly, “the maiden was as wrong about the prince as the prince had been about her. She had grossly misjudged his character because of one thoughtless comment he had made at the beginning of their acquaintance, and she believed the tale of untruth told by the charming Black Knight. She did not take the trouble to get to know the prince himself, and so in the end the maiden suffered for her prejudice just as much as the prince.”
Emily took a moment to consider her cousin’s words. “So, what you are saying, Cousin Lizzy, is that the maiden was in the wrong as well, and she would have liked the prince to begin with if he had not been rude to her. She listened to the Black Knight, which she never should have done in the first place, for he was full of gossip and lies about the prince and turned out to be a wicked ogre.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “The prince, though he was arrogant in the beginning, was not mean-spirited at heart, only irritable because he bore the burden of so many responsibilities on his shoulders.”
“I believe you now have the right of it,” said Elizabeth.
“And I believe it is now well past your bedtimes,” said Mrs Gardiner as she entered the room.
So charming! I love seeing Lizzy with the Gardiner children. She is such a wonderful cousin to them! And I love how all the children shared the divisive opinions on Lizzy’s story about the fair maiden and the prince. 💗 Thank you so much for sharing this sweet gem, Susan!
Get Misunderstandings and Ardent Love now!
~~~
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
In conjunction with Susan’s lovely visit, Quills & Quartos is giving away 1️⃣ ebook copy of Misunderstandings and Ardent Love to 1️⃣ lucky winner!!
To enter this giveaway leave a comment, a question, or some love for Susan below!
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Quills and Quartos!
- This giveaway ends August 30th
My sincere gratitude to Susan Adriani, Kristi Rawley, and the wonderful people at Quills and Quartos for inviting me to take part in this lovely tour!
Congratulations on the release – I have had it on my look-out list. I am curious as to where in the story the excerpt would have occurred. Was Lizzie describing the HEA which had occurred or which she hoped would happen? Thanks for the giveaway.
Oh, good question. I imagined it being after they have confessed their love for each other but some time before they are actually able to marry. That’s still a pretty vague assumption, though.
That was a very good question! This faerie tale Elizabeth tells the children, while meant to entertain them, is also a bit of wishful thinking. She wasn’t formed for melancholy; this is her way of trying to move on, but that’s easier said than done 🙂
Thank you! I hope you enjoy reading the story. This scene was supposed to be toward the end of Chapter 11, and it was before Elizabeth and Darcy managed to finally work everything out. (That comes in Chapter 14) 🙂
Cute summary of P&P plot. Thanks for the chance to win this book. I love the simple elegance of the cover.
Thank you, TC – I am thrilled you like my cover!
I have thoroughly enjoyed Susan’s previous books so I know I will enjoy this. In fact, I pre-ordered it! Can’t wait to read it! Thanks for the omitted scene. It was lovely.
Brenda! It’s so nice to see you <3 It means a lot to me that you're here for my release. I hope you enjoy M&AL.
Oh, what a shame you have to delete scenes! This one was lovely, a familiar story I think?
I’m annoyed at Jane, ok so Darcy might have interfered but it was her own fault in a way and as soon as he knew he was wrong he put matters right. So now she has her happiness but is trying to prevent Elizabeth from having hers? So wrong! Can’t wait for more.
This book is my next read so please don’t enter me in the giveaway. I preordered it!
Hi Glynis! I know – deleting scenes is not what I had in mind, but the book is not a short one (474 pages), so we had to delete something…but don’t worry. I think you’ll find a lot left to enjoy 😉 Thank you so much for stopping by and always having such lovely things to say about TTAMD.
Congratulations Susan on your new release! I am interested in reading Jane’s perspective in this one, not so willing to forgive Darcy his interference.
I am also curious where in the story this deleted scene would have appeared, but prefer to think it’s before ODC has resolved their differences. Thus her belated conclusion for the children. 😉
Hi Linda – thank you! I’m excited release day is here at last 🙂 Jane’s perspective is a bit different from what we usually expect from her, but she isn’t an ogre. She loves Elizabeth and wants her to be as happy as she is with Bingley.
This deleted scene fits in at the end of Chapter 11, and yes, you’ve guessed correctly – it IS before D&E resolve their differences and reach an understanding.
I loved this story, and that cover is stunning!
(Please do not enter me in the giveaway.)
Katie, you have just made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you loved M&AL (and my cover, too!)
Such a sweet excerpt! This one is definitely on my wish list.
Congratulations on your newest release!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the deleted scene and that you’ve added M&AL to your wish list, Pam. Thanks so much!
That is a sweet scene. Thank you for sharing it with us, and good luck on your new release!
Thank you, Robin! I’m so happy you enjoyed this little peek into Elizabeth’s relationship with her young cousins.
Meredith, I want to thank you for welcoming me back today so warmly and for being the very first first stop on my blog tour. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be – spending time here with you and your readers is always a treat! Thank you!
Received notice that my copy had been downloaded to my Kindle app. Can’t wait to read it.
That’s such happy news, Fairlie – I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading!
I have been eagerly awaiting your release date today. Congratulations!! I’m excited to read it!!
That makes me so happy, Rebecca – thank you so much. I hope you enjoy reading M&AL!
Lovely cover and the snippet makes me want to read more (NOW)….will be going in my TBR pile.
Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
The cover is wonderful. Your fans are so happy you are writing again, as well as designing. Much success.
Luisa, you are so sweet. I am so happy to be writing again. It’s still daunting, though, to put something out there, hearing there are readers who are glad to see M&AL really makes my day. Thank you!
What a sweet scene! I wonder where in the story this scene occurs. I’m looking forward to reading this book. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
Cyndy, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! It is a deleted scene that would have appeared toward the end of Chapter 11. I hope you enjoy reading M&AL, and thank you! I’m so glad you stopped by 🙂
love the cover! Wonderful excerpt, too.
denise
Thank you so much, Denise. I’m glad you enjoyed both 🙂
Congratulations on the release and the cover. And such a great scene! A pity it was deleted.
Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙂 I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Enjoyed the deleted scene. Congrats on the release and thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks so much! Best of luck on the giveaway 🙂
I’m reading in on KU, enjoying it very much, would like to have a copy for my permanent library.
I am so glad you’re enjoying my book! Thank you for letting me know, and for stopping by 🙂
That is such an adorable scene! I noticed that the story Lizzy is telling is a variation of the canonical P&P — a variation within a variation! Thank you for sharing this piece.
Jen, I love that you picked up on my “variation within a variation”, and I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. Thank you!
Congratulations on the release of the book! What a gorgeous cover! I’m so excited to be reading the book 🙂 Maybe I should take another vacation and binge-read the book 🙂
Thank you, for your congratulations and for your compliment about my cover! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the book, and flattered that you’re contemplating binge reading it! (I’m a notorious binge reader myself, although I’m usually useless the next day, lol!)
I kept expecting Darcy to be at the door and secretly listening to the story. Elizabeth’s newfound thinking about Darcy and his character and her mistakes is quite evident. Thank you for the deleted excerpt and the giveaway. So happy you have published a new book!
Thank you, Eva! It’s funny that you should mention Darcy being at the door; I had originally thought to do that, but he ended up not wanting to cooperate when I wrote the scene. I also thought to have the children tell him the story, too, but there was so much in there already I decided against it. I’m thrilled you’re happy I published another book – it really makes me feel wonderful. Thank you <3
Congratulations on your new book! I would love to read it.
Thank you, Audny! I would love for you to read it, too – best of luck on the giveaway!
Ooo what an interesting twist! I look very much forward to reading this and love the cover.
I’m glad you liked the deleted scene, Katherine, and my cover! Thanks so much!
I believe this book will be very entertaining with a new twist on our favorite story–Jane not forgiving–oh heaven forbid!!! Congrats on a new release.
While Jane is not an ogre, she is definitely not pleased with Mr Darcy 🙂 Thank you so much so stopping by!
Our dear Jane – interfering with her sister’s happiness? This I must read!
But does Jane think that she’s interfering? Hmm… I hope you enjoy the story, Lily, and thank you! I’m glad you’re excited about my book!
Congratulations on the new release. I just downloaded the book so I didn’t want to read the deleted scenes. I will read it after I read the book. Good Luck!
Thank you, Maria, and thank you also for buying my book! I hope you enjoy reading it 🙂
Thank you for the deleted scene. She is such a good story teller. I look forward to reading this book. Congratulations.
Thank you so much, for your compliment and for stopping by! <3
Thanks for this delightful scene! Please don’t enter me in the giveaway, just wanted to leave some love for Susan and her awesome new book. I’m so happy you’re writing again, Susan! Congrats and all the best!
Can’t wait to read the book! That cover is so handsome! Thanks for the chance to win the giveaway!
I am so glad to hear that, Sharon – thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy reading my book!
The deleted scene is sweet, but I understand the decision to delete it. It tells Elizabeth’s thoughts a little too much, and is too quick to make the arguments that need to be figured out over time. I did enjoy seeing her with her cousins, though. 🙂
You hit the nail on the head, Roberta – it was way too much, and entirely unnecessary. It’s easy to get carried away if I happen to get an idea lodged in my head and become determined bent to make it work somehow; unfortunately, some of those ideas may not move the story forward, as in this case. Thankfully, I had wonderful editors who were merciless with their red pens, but kind. I’m glad you saw the sweetness in the scene – thank you!
I smell ANGST! Whoo hoo!
Hi Ginna! Just a little angst, but M&AL is a different type of story than TTAMD. If you’re going to dive into M&AL thinking they are the same, you may be disappointed. Or maybe you won’t be 🙂 The relationship between D&E – and the relationships they have with their family members and friends – is what inspired me to write M&AL. It’s not centered on a lot of angst or drama. I hope you’ll give it a try!
Oh, what a fun little excerpt, very nice. And this was deleted? Can’t wait to read the entire story!
Amanda, your comment was a great way to begin my morning – thank you so much! I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as you did this little scene 🙂
Thank you for sharing this deleted scene. Love Elizabeth’s way of weaving stories for these children’s delight and I guess it is a way for her to vent her sentiments of what happened on the true story. (Double benefit)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
Oh it must be agony to cut whole scenes, especially as delightful as the one above. Congratulations on your new book launch, and the best of luck. I’m so eager to read it. But Jane? Oh dear. That will hurt Elizabeth if she has to turn away from Jane in order to reach for her own happiness.
Hi Michelle! This scene was actually a chore to write. I kept picking at it and picking at it. When it was cut (on the very first round of edits) I was more frustrated because I had spent so much time trying to get it right, not that it was actually cut. I think the story flows better without this portion. A tiny little version of it is still in the story, but not the entire scene 🙂
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it, and for stopping by!