Hi friends! Are you looking for something fantastic to get you through your week? I know I am! 😄 How about something fantastic with Mr. Darcy?  🙌🏼

Victoria Kincaid’s got us covered! She just released a new fantasy Pride and Prejudice variation one week ago! 📖

Victoria is stopping by to celebrate the release of her fantastic-sounding new book Spells and Shadows with an excerpt and giveaway! We hope you enjoy! 🧙🏻‍♂️🪄🔮🐉🌙🧚🏽

Hello Meredith, It’s a pleasure visiting Austenesque Reviews again! Thank you for inviting me back. Spells and Shadows is my second fantasy Pride and Prejudice variation and a project that has been a true labor of love. Darcy has been injured and is recovering at Longbourn with the help of Elizabeth’s healing powers. Because he is a secret agent, he has concealed his true identity from the family. The scene below is his second conversation with Elizabeth—and his first encounter with the youngest two Bennet daughters.

~ Excerpt from Spells and Shadows ~

When Darcy awoke the next morning, he was hungry and more alert. He was also alone in the room. To his amazement, the bell by his bedside did not summon a servant but Miss Elizabeth.

Darcy was embarrassed. “I had not intended to call for you. I merely hoped to break my fast.”

She shrugged, unperturbed. “I must learn how you are healing.” She sat beside his bed without any apparent concerns for modesty and spread her hands over his head. It was rather disconcerting. He had never encountered a female healer before, and Miss Elizabeth was quite attractive with her dark curls and blue-green eyes. His body was quite aware of her proximity.

“I believe the lump on your head has diminished,” she said after a moment.

Darcy did not consider himself an overly modest person, but would she wish to examine the cut along his ribs? No doubt she had viewed his chest when he was unconscious. However, his body was sufficiently recovered that it might now react in noticeable ways.

Fortunately, she merely skimmed her hands a few inches over his body. “Your cuts are healing well, but I have noticed signs that may be incipient infection,” she reported.

“Can you heal it?”

She shook her head. “I can ease some of the symptoms of infection, but I cannot prevent infection itself. My mancy does not function in that way. I pray you do not fail to rest.”

“I will not,” he promised.

She stood to retreat, but the door flew open and a younger girl bounced in, apparently heedless of the propriety of entering a strange man’s room. She was taller than Miss Elizabeth, but not nearly as pretty despite her blonde curls.

“Mama needs you,” she informed her sister. Her eyes darted to the bed. “Ooo! The mysterious stranger is awake.”

Miss Elizabeth gave her a quelling look. “This is Mr. Dee. Mr. Dee, this is my sister Catherine, or Kitty.”

“How do you do?” he said.

She stared at Darcy for a long moment. He supposed strangers in this area were uncommon. But she finally remembered to give him a curtsey. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Kitty is the second youngest of my sisters,” Miss Elizabeth remarked.

“How many sisters do you have?” he asked.

“There are five of us,” Miss Kitty responded.

“We should let Mr. Dee rest,” Miss Elizabeth said, opening the door again. However, another girl— who had obviously been eavesdropping—fell into the room.

Miss Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “This is Lydia, my youngest sister. Lydia, this is Mr. Dee.”

“You said you would tell us when he awoke!” Miss Lydia exclaimed.

“I said I would tell you when he was ready for company. He is not,” Miss Elizabeth said.

Miss Kitty regarded her sister. “Did he reveal why he was in the river? Is he a pirate?”

Miss Elizabeth gave Darcy an ironic smile. “Please forgive my sisters. They have active imaginations.” She shooed her sisters toward the door. “Mr. Dee needs to rest.”

“Not a pirate?” Miss Kitty asked.

“I am afraid not,” Darcy said, thanking providence that they had not thought to inquire if he was a spy.

The girls pouted, disappointed about his plebian occupation. “I do not believe pirates ply their trade on the Lea,” Elizabeth murmured.

“What about a lost duke?” Miss Kitty inquired eagerly.

“No.”

“A prince?”

“No.”

“Then who are you?”

Miss Elizabeth laughed. “Are those the only available options? Pirate, prince, or duke?”

“I am just a wool merchant,” Darcy said, hoping he appeared uninteresting.

The younger sisters exchanged disappointed looks. “That is not particularly mysterious,” Miss Lydia complained.

“Oddly enough,” Miss Elizabeth said. “I do not suppose Mr. Dee fell into the river for your amusement.” Her sisters looked unhappy, so she finally relented and said, “However, he was set upon by highwaymen.”

Two sets of eyes went wide. “Did they say, ‘Stand and deliver’?” Miss Kitty asked.

He shook his head. “They were not so polite.”

“You may hear the whole story some other time—when Mr. Dee is feeling better.” Miss Elizabeth finally managed to chivvy the girls out the door. She turned to him. “I apologize for my sisters’ ill manners. Are you well enough to eat?”

He nodded. “I am quite hungry.”

“I will send up a tray. I would recommend mostly broth and tea today, but if that agrees with you, we might try some bread later.”

He was resigned to his fate. “I understand.” He did not want her to quit the room and could imagine any number of methods for prolonging her visit. But he was being ridiculous. He must simply be as starved for human companionship as he was for food.

“Please ring if you need anything.” Elizabeth closed the door firmly behind her.

Little do Kitty and Lydia know – this seemingly plebeian Mr. Darcy is full of magic and mystery! 🧙🏻‍♂️ I love seeing Elizabeth nurse Mr. Darcy…I can’t wait to see what other exchanges and moments they have together! 💗

~ Book Description ~

As a secret agent for the Mages’ Council, Mr. Darcy investigates a necromancer who is leading his followers down a dark path. When they discover him, a fight and a chase drive Darcy—injured and close to death—into the river. He is rescued and healed by Elizabeth, a talented mage at the Longbourn estate. Darcy cannot help developing feelings for her, but he dares not reveal his true identity while the necromancer’s creatures search for him.

Elizabeth Bennet is intrigued by the family’s new guest as he recovers at Longbourn. But mystery surrounds the man, and strange happenings plague the neighborhood while he visits. Elizabeth herself harbors a secret that she cannot share with the handsome stranger.

When Darcy’s enemies come calling, the Bennet family is caught in the crossfire. Worse, Elizabeth’s magic draws the necromancer’s particular interest. Darcy is falling in love with her and believes she returns his feelings, but the secret of his true identity could destroy their budding relationship—if they survive the upcoming danger.

Can Elizabeth and Darcy protect themselves and their families from the necromancer’s plots? What will happen when they learn each other’s secrets? Can Elizabeth and Darcy’s love survive when it is entangled in a web of secrets, spells, and shadows?

Spells and Shadows is available at Amazon

~ Other Fantasy Pride and Prejudice Books by Victoria Kincaid ~

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Connect with Victoria

Website  ❧   Blog    ❧    Twitter    ❧    Facebook

About Victoria

The author of more than sixteen best-selling Regency and modern Pride and Prejudice variations,
Victoria Kincaid has a Ph.D. in English literature and runs a small business, er, household with
two children, a hyperactive dog, an overly affectionate cat, and a husband who is not threatened
by Mr. Darcy. They live near Washington DC, where the inhabitants occasionally stop talking
about politics long enough to complain about the traffic.

On weekdays Victoria is a writer who specializes in IT marketing (it’s more interesting than it
sounds). She is a member of the Magical Austen authors group and is the host of the annual Jane
Austen Fan Fiction Reader/Writer Get Together.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Today, Victoria brings with her ONE Ebook copy of Spells and Shadows for me to give away to ONE lucky winner!

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

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Victoria!
• This giveaway ends August 3rd!