Cover Reveal + Giveaway for Take His Likeness!!!

May 6, 2024 • Author Features, Giveaways • 80 Comments

Hi friends! I’m excited to start this week with a new cover reveal!  (and guess what! this is not the only cover reveal you will see here this week!) 🎉🎉

Today’s cover reveal is for author Lyndsay Constable’s upcoming Pride and Prejudice variation – Take His Likeness!! Which I am thrilled to learn more about because it sounds like the premise of it may have some nods to the novel Jane Eyre – which I adore just as much as I do Pride and Prejudice! 🥰

Please give Lyndsay and her upcoming release – Take His Likeness – a warm welcome! 🤗

~ From the Author ~

Thank you Meredith for hosting the cover reveal for Take His Likeness! I am honored to be here. This Pride and Prejudice variation was inspired by a very specific chapter of another favorite novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I am fascinated by the concept of Elizabeth’s accomplishment of ‘sketching characters’ and attempted to dive deep into the idea. Taking someone’s likeness always struck me as a primitive sort of precursor to psychology or personality assessments. I am also intrigued by how Elizabeth is simultaneously terribly good and absolutely atrocious at her attempts to sketch characters. Obviously, she had some real talent at it as demonstrated by her ability to peg the Bingley sisters as supercilious gossips almost from their first meeting. But then she is completely taken in with her sketch of Wickham’s character. Not to mention her somewhat incorrect assessment of Darcy’s personality and her willful dismissal of his more sterling qualities.
On the lighter side, I had such fun mixing up the roles of the characters. They all stayed true to their natures as created by Austen, but things were a little topsy-turvy as a result of Elizabeth and Darcy’s first meeting ahead of the Meryton assembly.
Is there a little magic involved in the story? I honestly can’t say. I leave that entirely to the reader to decide for themselves.
The artist for the cover is the talented Jeremy Micheal Elder, a friend of mine and a professionally trained artist. He listened to my ideas and created a wonderful scene that is very formal yet also deliciously intimate.
The editor, Katie Jackson of Regency Editorial Services, is such a delight to work with and makes every sentence sing.
I hope everyone enjoys this different take on Elizabeth and Darcy and their tumultuous journey to their final destination of a Happily Ever After.

~ Book Description ~

Sir,

Scorn me if you must, but let it be done for reasons that are just and true. The idea of you moving through the world with disdain for me based on false notions is too much to bear. Once I have given you all the reasons for my deceptions, if you still choose to hold me in contempt, it will be done honestly.

ELIZABETH BENNET has a secret. The finances of Longbourn are more dire than is generally known and she has been forced by necessity to help keep food on the table of her family home. Her secret is safe. Until the night the handsome face and kind attentions of Fitzwilliam Darcy lay claim to her affections.

FITZWILLIAM DARCY is in dangerously low spirits. He cannot forgive himself for his mistakes in judgment that almost caused his young sister to marry George Wickham. This visit to Hertfordshire was supposed to cheer him. But nothing works until that odd night in the library…

Take His Likeness is a Pride and Prejudice Variation with a nod towards Jane Eyre.

~ An Excerpt from Take His Likeness ~

After a dreary evening that had not improved a whit, Caroline sat before the mirror in her room and sighed loudly as Kate brushed out her hair.

“And even Mr Hurst, who can always be relied upon to badger everyone into a card game, was too dull to even make the suggestion. He slept away the time, flopped on the lounge as if he had walked to Bath and back.”

Kate let out a small titter as she continued with her long, smooth strokes of the brush. Caroline examined her own face closely in the reflection of the mirror, tilting her head slightly in one direction and then the other. An almost imperceptible change in her countenance had lately given rise to concern. It was miniscule—perhaps even imagined—but worrying nonetheless. It seemed as if there was a certain diminishment in the glow of her bloom. Bloom was that one elusive quality that older women coveted and the young took for granted. A mild downcast of her mouth seemed to be creeping in, slowly and steadily.

Two years. Two years I have been cultivating this intimacy with Mr Darcy, and I seem no closer to receiving a proposal of marriage. I am the epitome of what the future Mrs Darcy ought to be. How does he not see it? I have no flaw that I can detect in form, figure, or character. If I do not see an improvement in his attentions soon, I shall have to…I shall have to…

Her thought spasmed and died, like a horse that collapsed mid-race, leaving nothing behind but shock and dismay. A tightness in Caroline’s throat caused her to cough suddenly and grip the end of the table.

“Are you all right, miss?”

“Of course I am perfectly fine,” Caroline snapped. “It is this wretched country living that has my nerves on edge. I was not made for this. Were there but some entertainment to be had! Some form of diversion that would help me to cultivate a bit of excitement in the evenings.”

“Ah, I see.”

A thought struck Caroline. She attempted to give her maid an ingratiating smile as their reflections gazed at each other. This only served to make Kate appear more on edge, like one accustomed to the growl of a dog before it tries to steal a chunk of your flesh. Caroline narrowed her eyes and pressed on. “You have not happened to hear of anything of interest in the area, have you? Anything out of the ordinary that could cheer away the dullness during these long evenings? Hmm?”

Kate broke her gaze away and went back to brushing Caroline’s hair a little too rapidly. “Oh, no. I cannot say that I have heard of anything like that. Except… But, no. It would be beneath your notice, I am quite certain, miss. Nothing that would interest you or the other guests.”

Caroline spun rapidly in her seat and caught Kate’s wrist in her firm grasp that was as quick as lightning. Kate gave a small gasp of shock. Caroline’s grip did not loosen.

“Please, miss. I really should not say. It could be thought of as just wrong.”

“Now Kate, you know that you can trust me implicitly. You remember well how I managed to smooth over that little misunderstanding you had with the head footman at my brother’s house in town? We would not want any knowledge of that to become common tittle-tattle, now would we?”

Kate, though not the quickest of girls, appeared to comprehend her mistress’s nature too well not to recognise the threat.

“I would simply love to hear any information that you may have,” Caroline purred in her smoothest voice.

With an air of resignation, Kate sighed and began to speak very softly. “Well, if you go into the woods just a little ways from here…”

And without further ado….here is the big reveal!!!

(expected release date: May 13th)

Ooh! This looks interesting, doesn’t it? 🤩

Possible magic, mixed-up roles, and a new twist in Elizabeth’s first encounter with Mr. Darcy. Sounds fantastic!  🙌🏼

I’m definitely most excited to discover the Jane Eyre connections in this novel! 🖤

But I’m equally curious about Elizabeth’s secret and what Caroline’s maid was about to tell her! 😲

What do you think, friends? 🤔

~~~

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Today Lyndsay brings with her 1️⃣ ebook copy of Take His Likeness for me to give away to 1️⃣ lucky reader!

 To enter this giveaway leave a question, comment, or some love for Lyndsay below.

  • This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Lyndsay! 
  • This giveaway ends May 13th.

~~~

Disclaimer: The Amazon links used in this post are affiliate links. 

80 comments

  1. That cover is fantastic! It seems to suit the book perfectly (with the shadowed figures). The story sounds terrific. Congratulations, Lyndsay!

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  2. The excerpt has already piqued my interest! I’m ready to finish the book now.
    Thanks for sharing this with us!

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  4. Congratulations on your new book, Lyndsay!
    I’m so looking forward to reading this one, the excerpt is great. I can’t wait to read more. Thank you so much for the giveaway and good luck to all.

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  5. Definitely getting a sense of intrigue from the cover.
    Congratulations on your new release. I look forward to reading it.

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  6. Congratulations on the new release. Love the cover, and the teaser snippet. Can’t wait to read the published book.

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  7. It looks like Elizabeth has a veil covering her face and is reading cards for the male (Darcy?). Oh, what is Caroline up to now? Thank you for the excerpt and giveaway.

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  9. Wow, this sounds so good! Lovely cover! Why is the woman (Elizabeth?) wearing a veil? What is the secret? I guess I have to wait a week to find out. Congratulations Lyndsay on your new book!

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  13. Oh, I wonder what’s in the woods? Great excerpt, and I love the cover art! Thank you for the chance to win a copy of the book…I’d love to read it!

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  14. I love all the unexpected happenings in Lyndsay Constable’s books, and this book promises to be very interesting. I look forward to reading it. Thank you! And the cover is very nice. It is a bit different from what I see as the more standard designs out there. I like the silhouette look.

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    1. Thank yo so much! Your words make me smile. I love silhouettes lately. There is plenty of room for your imagination to fill in the details while giving you a good idea of the intent of the book. I like that idea and the mystery it lends to the cover.

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  19. Oh dear, it sounds as if Caroline is considering compromising Darcy? If she tries I do hope she is punished accordingly. As for the maid’s information? the words ‘if you go down in the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise’ spring to mind. I’m looking forward to Elizabeth and Darcy meeting early and therefore no insult? I love the cover, the silhouettes allow me to put my own faces to the figures.

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    1. There will be some turbulence for E and D before they arrive at their final destination of Happily Ever After. I always think Caroline is punished just by the existence of E and D’s happy marriage, I do admire her tenacity though. I agree, I love silhouettes, they let the imagination roam a bit.

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  20. I love the cover! I am looking forward to finding out what is in the woods. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy.

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  21. Sounds mysterious for sure, with whatever is in “the woods” along with whatever mischief Caro is up to. Can’t wait to find out! Congrats on the latest book release!

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  22. I love Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, can’t wait to find the link inthis book. The excerpt has me ready to read it.

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  23. Ooooo intriguing. What’s Caroline going to stick her nose in next? It sounds great already.

    Best of luck on the book’s launch.

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  24. I really want to read this! I am intrigued by the mash up of Jany Eyre and P&P. Congratualtions on another publication, Lyndsay!

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  25. That cover fits the story perfectly. Nice touch with the silhouettes and the veil! Thanks for the mention, Lyndsay! YOU are a delight to work with! 🙂

    (Please do not enter me in the giveaway.)

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  26. I love the fact the people are in silhouette while the room is in colour. And what secret is Caroline’s maid holding?! I have to know!!

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  28. I’m looking forward to the release, the premise is intriguing and I loved the other books of this author., especially A Excellent Walker and A Lover’s Fine Eye. The cover is very nice too. Thanks for the giveaway

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  29. This sounds exciting!! Another book to add to my ever growing list of books to read over summer!

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  30. Love the cover! Thank you for the excerpt and giveaway. Congrats and best wishes on the new release!

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  33. I too like Jane Eyre, so I will look forward to this story. The cover gives us something to think about in what exactly they are saying. Thanks for sharing.

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  35. Thanks for the excerpt. It sounds very interesting and with a Jane Eyre connection, very unique. I want to read more and see how this variation develops. –Leslie

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  36. The cover is great! Shadow, his expression, intimacy, the veil and what looks to be … tarot cards! Jane Eyre! Oooo intriguing! I’m very excited about this tale. I keep hearing, Jane, Jane. Orson Wells was pretty awesome as Rochester.

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  38. Sounds like Caroline is still in her “I have to catch Darcy” mode. Since Jane Eyre is a favorite of mine, I am anxious to read how this talented author has chosen to infuse her new story with some of its elements. Congratulations on publishing a new work.

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  40. So the Bennet’s are worse off that thought???? Hmm wonder what Lizzie is doing ?

    Reply

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