Greetings friends! I’m so happy to welcome author Amanda Kai to Austenesque Reviews for her very first visit! Amanda Kai is an Austenesque author who has published Austenesque works such as – Marriage and Ministry and Love at the Library. And you may have already seen that Amanda just released a brand new book last week – Not In Want of a Wife: A Pride and Prejudice Variation. 🤗

Amanda is here today to share a little bit about her new release – Not In Want of a Wife. We hope you enjoy! 👰🏻‍♀️

Thank you so much for having me on Austenesque Reviews, Meredith!

I’ve always enjoyed reading the “what if” variations of Pride and Prejudice and seeing how Darcy and Elizabeth’s story might play out if something had been changed from the original story. So, I thought to myself…what if I wrote a whole series of “what if” scenarios for Darcy and Lizzy? For example, “what if Darcy and Lizzy decided to fake a courtship”? That became the premise for the first book in my “Other Paths Series”, Not In Want of a Wife.

The fake courtship/fake dating trope is such a fun one, because you just know that the couple who is pretending to like each other are going to fall in love, and I hadn’t seen it done before with Darcy and Lizzy (although I’m sure there’s another one out there somewhere!) I took a little bit of inspiration from the first season of the Bridgerton show on Netflix, in which Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings put on their own sort of fake courtship in order to improve Daphne’s appeal after her brother scares away all her suitors (although my story is quite a lot less steamy than theirs!)

In my story, however, neither Darcy nor Elizabeth have any desire to get married. They both have a jaded view of love and marriage—Elizabeth, after seeing her sister’s heart get broken seven years prior, and Darcy, after spending years dodging fortune hunters in the marriage mart and after his sister’s near-elopement to Wickham. Because of this, their fake courtship arrangement is purely one of convenience to help Darcy avoid being ensnared by a fortune hunter and to keep Mrs. Bennet off of Elizabeth’s back for finding a suitor. But as we all know, things never go quite according to plan where fake courtships are concerned. 😉

Besides the big “what if” scenario, there are a few other “what ifs” that take place. I wanted to explore what it would be like if Wickham had actually loved Georgiana and Lydia, and see whether he might be able to be redeemed from his rakish ways.

I also took out Jane’s illness and made a washed-out bridge be the reason that Jane and Lizzy get stranded at Netherfield, which gave Jane and Bingley more time together, and I had Mr. Collins take a different tactic after his arrival, which causes some major disruptions and misunderstandings (not giving anything else away here!)

There are plenty of other “what ifs” that come into play, because as you know, once you change one thing in the timeline, it sets off a chain reaction of twists to the set of circumstances. Which is exactly what makes writing and reading these types of stories so fun!

~ Book Description ~

Mr. Darcy is not in want of a wife. At least, not one that only loves him for his money. Ever since he came of age, Darcy’s been an object of prey to fortune hunters– greedy ladies and their scheming mamas who would do anything to get their hands on his ten-thousand a year and his luxurious estate. Tired of being the most eligible man in any room he walks into, Darcy decides the only way to stave off the fortune hunters is to make himself unavailable to them.

Elizabeth Bennet is convinced that only the deepest love could persuade her into matrimony, and since that has yet to appear, she would do anything rather than marry without affection. Unfortunately, all her mother’s thoughts are bent on finding rich husbands for her and her sisters. With the arrival of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy causing a stir among all the mothers of Meryton, Elizabeth knows it is only a matter of time before her own mother pushes her to try to capture one of these rich gentlemen for herself at all costs.

Seeing themselves in virtually the same predicament, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth come up with a convenient arrangement: they will pretend to court while Mr. Darcy is staying at Netherfield. Mr. Darcy will get a reprieve from the relentless husband hunters, and Elizabeth can satisfy her mother with the notion that she has landed a suitor.

But when the time comes for their partnership to end, the feelings that were merely an act have started to become a reality. Will Darcy and Elizabeth find a way to express the feelings that are in their hearts, or will they part ways for good?

Ooh! A fake courtship? ✅ Darcy and Elizabeth in a partnership? ✅ Tangled feeling and major disruptions? ✅ Interesting twists and secondary storylines? ✅

This book is checking so many boxes! On my TBR list it goes! 😁

Thanks so much for sharing, Amanda! I wish you all the best with your release of Not In Want of a Wife! 🤗

Not In Want of a Wife is now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!

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~ Connect with Amanda ~

Website

~ About Amanda ~

Amanda Kai’s love of period dramas and classic literature inspires her historical romances and othe romances. She is the author of several stories inspired by Jane Austen, including Not In Want of a Wife, Elizabeth’s Secret Admirer, and Marriage and Ministry. Prior to becoming an author, Amanda enjoyed a successful career as a professional harpist, and danced ballet for twenty years. When she’s not diving into the realm of her imagination, Amanda lives out her own happily ever after in Texas with her husband and three children.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her visit, Amanda is generously giving away 1 ebook edition of Not In Want of a Wife!  Woot woot!  

To enter this giveaway leave a comment, question, or some love for Amanda below!

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Amanda!
• This giveaway ends January 17th!