Hi friends! I have a cover reveal to share with you today and I’m so very excited about it! 🙌🏼

Why am I excited? 🤔

Because this cover reveal is for a Pride and Prejudice/Little Women crossover!!  😮

Is that not fabulous?!? 🤩

As a longtime fan of Louisa May Alcott and Little Women, I’m so excited about these characters coming together! 👏🏼

Thank you, Brigid Huey for creating this story and for wanting to share your cover reveal with us today! 🤗

~ From the Author ~

Hello everyone! It’s so wonderful to be back at Austenesque Reviews! Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to my new book, Learning to Love. This sweet romance combines two of my all time favorite novels, Little Women and Pride and Prejudice. To better explain why I wrote the book, I’ve decided to share the Author’s Note itself.

Little Women was my first love among the classics. As a child, I read it so many times that the cover fell off. One of my fondest memories is of sitting in an old pine tree in my backyard reading about Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

As the youngest daughter in a family of five, I feel an affinity for Amy. She is often maligned, no doubt because she burned Jo’s book, which is, admittedly, an unforgivable offense. Yet I find her character to be relatable—even admirable. She knows what she wants from life and pursues it to the best of her ability, given the restrictions on women at the time.

It may be heresy to some, but I have always loved Amy and Laurie together. In Chapter Thirty-Six of Little Women, even Jo admits that those two are best suited for each other.

My daughter shares my love of classic literature. She suggested that I write a story with characters from our two favorites: Little Women and Pride and Prejudice. Once she mentioned it, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head.

So, with a tiny bit of timeline tweaking, I brought my favorite characters together in Learning to Love. This novella is an expansion upon the original work—a love letter to two books I have cherished for many years. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Now that you know why I wrote the book, let’s have a little sneak peek! In this scene, Laurie has come to the Darcys for advice. He is having tea with the older couple in their sitting room.

~ Excerpt from Learning to Love ~

Laurie stood up abruptly, agitation driving him to the fireplace. Mr. Darcy eyed him as he paced back and forth but said nothing.

“You will think me unfaithful, surely. Unfaithful and fickle.”

“I declare you to be a very good boy, Theodore Laurence. Come. Tell us the heart of the matter.”

Seeing nothing for it, Laurie continued his confession. “A month or so ago I encountered a young lady that I have known since she and I were children.”

“Another such lady?” Mrs. Darcy asked.

“Yes. We had not seen each other for several years. We were always good friends, like family. Now I find myself unable to think of little else but her. It was she who accused me of idleness, and she who made me realize I was wasting my life. It was she who urged me to return to my grandfather and pursue music seriously.”

“Is the problem your youthful love?” Mrs. Darcy’s sweet tone soothed him.

“In a way.”

“There is more to the story, is there not? Might this lady currently reside in Nice?” Mr. Darcy asked.

He had guessed it. Forcing himself to face them, Laurie confessed. “I think of Miss Amy March with affection that goes beyond friendship. Yet how can she accept this from me? She knows I thought myself in love with her sister!”

A silence followed this statement. Laurie felt all the awkwardness of his situation.

“I have not confessed this to the lady in question. I know she would be uneasy.”

“I can well believe she would be,” Mrs. Darcy said.

“The principal point is whether or not the lady returns to your affections.” Mr. Darcy said, startling them both.

Laurie turned to the older gentleman. “But what of her sister?”

Mr. Darcy looked at him sternly. “Her sister does not care for you, but Miss Amy March might indeed share your feelings. Unless you mean not to act, the sooner you ascertain her position, the better.”

“My dear, it is not a business proposition,” Mrs. Darcy said lightly. She turned her attention to Laurie. “I do believe my husband is correct, however. If you mean to keep your feelings to yourself forever, well, there is nothing to be done. But if you wish to pursue Miss Amy, then you must do so openly and honestly. You are not the first man to fall in love with a sister of your chosen one.”

“But that’s just it!” Laurie said with sudden feeling. “Jo is not my chosen one! I mean, I thought she was. But now I see that she was correct. We don’t suit at all! But how can I know my feelings for Miss Amy are true when I spent years thinking that Jo was the only woman for me? How can I be so…so…fickle?”

To his surprise, Mrs. Darcy smiled at him. “My dear boy, I understand your feelings completely.”

He looked at her, nonplussed.

“When Mr. Darcy first proposed, I emphatically refused him.”

Laurie blinked and then threw a glance at Mr. Darcy.

“I told you my initial proposal was disastrous,” the gentleman confirmed.

“It was not six months later that I realized my feelings for him had changed. I began the year 12 with such conviction in my thoughts and judgment of character. My confidence was severely shaken by certain events within my own family. By that summer, for the first time in my life, I found myself without a clear sense of my thoughts and feelings.”

“Lost,” Laurie said quietly.

“Just so.”

“How did you…mend things?”

It was Mr. Darcy who answered. “I was rather persistent.” This drew a musical laugh from his wife.

“I spent many a long, solitary walk trying to understand myself. How could I have fallen in love with a gentleman after I refused his proposal? Was I truly in love with him at all? Had I simply been awed by his glorious home and elegant manner? But when I saw Mr. Darcy again, my questions were answered in a moment. My doubts and fears fell away, and I knew I had to act. I only hoped that his feelings for me had not cooled to dislike, considering my earlier treatment of him.”

“What did you do? That is, if I may be so bold as to inquire.”

“I tried my very best to show Mr. Darcy that I no longer thought of him as the last man in the world I would ever choose to marry.”

Laurie’s jaw dropped in surprise, and Mrs. Darcy laughed. She looked up at her husband, who still stood near the fireplace. He was shaking his head, but a smile graced his lips. Then he walked to her side and took her hand. When he spoke, his voice was gentle. “Do not worry, Theodore Laurence. You will find your way through this maze in time.”

Laurie felt comforted, though his head and heart were still all in a jumble. Watching Mr. and Mrs. Darcy gave him a strange sense of peace, as if he could really believe their promise that everything would work out well.

“Thank you both. Truly.”

~ Book Description ~

In this exploration of Little Women and Pride and Prejudice, can Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy help unite two young lovers?

Amy March has been in love with her neighbor Laurie for years, but he only had eyes for her older sister. Now living in Europe, Amy is choosing her path to happiness despite her heartache. But her equilibrium is challenged when a single and melancholy Laurie pays her a visit.

Soundly rejected by his childhood love and best friend, Laurie is now wandering around Europe, taking little interest in anything or anyone. Things change in France, where he reunites with his old friend Amy. Disappointed in his behavior, she convinces him to take charge of his life and engineer his own happiness.

Laurie returns to London to make a fresh start, but he cannot get Amy out of his mind. Confused and lovestruck, he appeals to his grandfather’s close friends, the Darcys, for advice. Will this wise, elderly couple be able to guide him through his heartache?

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

(expected release date: July 5th)

and the full wrap…

Quite beautiful and enchanting isn’t it? 😍

I love both paintings – they feel very European, very French. 🇫🇷

The woman looks thoughtful and maybe a little melancholy, but the flowers add such bursts of vibrancy and promise. 🌹

I love the idea of taking a closer look at Amy’s and Laurie’s courtship – something that feels like it happens more offstage than onstage in Little Women. 💗

What do you think, friends? 🤔

~~~

Connect with Brigid

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About Brigid

Brigid Huey lives in Ohio with her husband and two kids. She dreams of living on a farm where she can raise as many chickens, ducks, and goats as she likes and write romance novels in an airy study overlooking the wildflowers.

You can Preorder Learning to Love now!

~~~

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

Today Brigid brings with her a lovely prize to give away! One lucky commenter on this post will win an ebook copy of Learning to Love!

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

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Brigid!

• This giveaway ends July 3rd!