Hi friends! This is a special day indeed! 😄

Austenesque author Jennifer Altman is visiting today to talk about her upcoming release – More Than You Know, and share its beautiful cover! 🤩

As a big fan of Jennifer’s earlier releases – To Conquer Pride and Faults of Misunderstanding, I am eager with anticipation to read another one of her works. ✨

And More Than You Know promises to be an interesting blend of secrets, struggles, and steadfast yearning… 🥰

Please help me welcome back the lovely Jennifer Altman! 🤗

 

~ From the Author ~

Hi all, and thank you so much, Meredith, for hosting the cover reveal for my latest novel! After a very long hiatus, I’m extremely excited to finally announce that my third Pride & Prejudice variation, More Than You Know, will be releasing next week!

As I’m sure many readers are aware, this book has been years in the making. While I’ve shared a few sneak peeks along the way, this is the first time I’ll be revealing the title, book description, and of course—the beautiful cover!

I’ll admit that when I’ve been asked, I’ve found it somewhat difficult to describe the story without spoiling too much, as the plot holds several twists and turns (hence the title!). But one element I have shared is that the book opens with some unexpected pairings.

I’d always had an interest in exploring a scenario where Bingley meets Elizabeth before he meets Jane. I wondered how he might handle a situation where he was already in a relationship with Elizabeth when he is introduced to her elder sister. And more importantly, how would Darcy cope with watching his friend pursue the very woman he’s slowly falling in love with, despite his best intentions? (And for anyone getting a little nervous right now, rest assured—every character will find their happily ever after, and I promise that all will end up precisely where they’re meant to be). 🙂

As far as the cover goes, this one was a bit of a departure for me. When I initially reached out to my wonderful designer, Susan Adriani at CloudCat Design, I had only a vague concept in mind—but Susan truly exceeded all my expectations. The final result is everything I had hoped for and more, and I couldn’t be happier.

So, I big thank you to Susan, Meredith, and to everyone else who has joined me on this journey and supported me along the way.

I hope you enjoy reading More Than You Know just as much as I’ve loved writing it.

~ Book Description ~

Fitzwilliam Darcy has spent years guarding a secret—one that could cost him everything.

Resigned to a solitary existence, Darcy has long accepted that love and marriage are luxuries beyond his reach. But when a chance encounter on the Yorkshire moors proves impossible to forget, the life he has so carefully constructed slowly begins to unravel.

Years later, drawn into Hertfordshire society by his friend Charles Bingley, Darcy crosses paths with Miss Elizabeth Bennet—clever, spirited, and unafraid to challenge him at every turn. Yet as his attraction to Elizabeth deepens, so does the fear that winning her affection would mean exposing a truth he has long kept hidden.

Unable to endure the agony of watching Bingley pursue the woman he loves, Darcy flees—but fate has other plans. When unexpected circumstances bring Elizabeth to Pemberley, his restraint is tested like never before.

Torn between duty and desire, Darcy must decide: will he cling to the barriers he has spent a lifetime building, or risk everything for the one woman he cannot forget?

~ Excerpt from More Than You Know ~

The carriage jostled over London’s uneven cobblestones as Fitzwilliam Darcy leaned back against the leather squabs. His eyes, heavy-lidded from lack of sleep, took in the familiar sprawl that rose up around him as the distant cries of vendors selling their wares drifted through the open window—yet none of it registered.

Darcy was bone-weary, in both body and mind. The past few weeks had been nothing short of a crucible—a relentless series of trials that had left him dangerously close to the end of his tether. And to think, it had all begun with a single, unforgivably audacious letter.

His aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, had never been one for subtlety, but even by her standards, the express she had sent was nothing short of extortion. She had threatened—threatened!—to publish an announcement of his supposed engagement to her daughter, Anne, in the London papers if he did not immediately present himself at Rosings to sanction the match.

Darcy’s jaw tightened at the memory. The scheme had been as absurd as it was insulting. Did she truly believe he could be so easily coerced? Yet, to his begrudging acknowledgement, the letter had achieved its purpose; it had stirred him from the quiet sanctuary of Pemberley, compelled to put an end to the entire farce, something he should have done long ago.

But fate, in its capricious manner, had intervened. For had he not been forced to travel into Kent to confront her ladyship, he never would have had the fleeting instinct to stop in Ramsgate where his sister, Georgiana, was spending the summer under the care of her newly appointed companion, thereby averting disaster. Even now, his fingers clenched at the thought of how close Georgiana had come to utter ruin. His sweet, trusting fifteen-year-old sister, persuaded into an elopement by that scoundrel, George Wickham. Had he arrived a day later—well, he dared not even consider the consequences.

But amid the fury and the shame, Darcy could not help but feel an unbidden, bitter gratitude. Lady Catherine’s imperious summons, meant to further her own ambitions, had inadvertently saved his sister, and for that, he owed his aunt more than he cared to admit.

The carriage slowed, turning into Grosvenor Square and drawing him back to the present. Moments later, the conveyance came to a halt, and a footman hurried forwards to open the door. Descending onto the pavement, Darcy could feel the weight of the city pressing in around him as he slowly climbed the steps, where his long-serving butler greeted him with a bow.

“Welcome home, Mr Darcy. I trust your journey was without incident?”

Darcy acknowledged him with a curt nod, already tugging off his gloves as he stepped into the hall. “Yes. Thank you, Carleton. Please see to my trunks. And send Pierce to my chambers.”

“Yes, sir.”

Darcy resumed walking, but Carleton remained at his elbow.

“Sir, if I may—”

Halting mid-step, Darcy turned to his butler with thinly veiled annoyance. “Yes, Carleton, what is it?”

Carleton, ever composed, gave a discreet cough before saying evenly, “I thought it prudent to inform you that Colonel Fitzwilliam is currently in residence. He arrived yesterday afternoon.”

Darcy startled, turning towards his butler with a narrowed gaze. “Richard is here?”

“Indeed, sir,” Carleton confirmed. “I believe he might presently be found in the saloon.”

For a moment, Darcy’s thoughts raced. His cousin was meant to be escorting Georgiana and his mother, Lady Matlock, to their family’s country estate in Derbyshire. What the deuce was he doing sitting in Darcy’s saloon?

Without another word, he pivoted sharply, abandoning his original course. His boots echoed against the marble floor as he crossed the hall.

Pushing the door open with force, his eyes scanned the room until they settled upon the familiar figure slouched comfortably in a high-backed chair, a tumbler of brandy already in hand.

Richard Fitzwilliam looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing his features as Darcy strode towards him, already beginning to speak in an agitated manner.

“Fitzwilliam, what do you do here? Are you not meant to be on your way to Matlock by now?”

“Relax, Cousin, you will do yourself an injury,” Richard replied in measured tones, rising to his feet and holding out a hand in placation. “I assure you, all is well.”

Darcy dragged his fingers through his hair and forced himself to draw a steadying breath. Moving farther into the room, he came to stand before his cousin as Richard continued, “The ladies are on their way to Briarwood, as planned. His lordship accompanied them.”

“His lordship? I thought my uncle had resolved to remain in town?”

Richard’s mouth twisted into a wry smirk. “He had—until I mentioned that you were bound for Rosings to put an end to Lady Catherine’s schemes regarding your supposed engagement to Anne. Then, quite miraculously, he recalled an urgent matter in Derbyshire that required his immediate attention.”

A low laugh escaped his cousin as he returned to his seat, taking a leisurely sip of brandy before placing his glass on a nearby table. “As such, I saw no reason to make the trip myself. So, I elected to wait here for your return.”

Relief loosened the tightness in Darcy’s chest as his heart slowly returned to a steady rhythm. “Good,” he murmured, pivoting towards the sideboard to pour himself a drink. The crystal decanter clinked against the glass as he filled it halfway with the amber liquid.

“And the other business?” Darcy asked quietly. “Regarding Wickham?”

Even the act of forming the blackguard’s name left a bitter taste on Darcy’s tongue, and he quickly took a long swallow of brandy to wash it away.

Across from him, Richard darted a glance at the tumbler before saying, “Everything has been arranged, exactly as we discussed.”

Darcy nodded grimly, crossing the room to sink into the winged chair opposite his cousin. The brandy burned a slow path down his throat, and Darcy closed his eyes, savouring the feeling. He rarely drank any sort of spirits, but at times like this, he was willing to take his chances.

He opened his eyes to find Richard regarding him with a pensive expression. “Not that I am surprised, but you look like the very devil. I hesitate to enquire but…how did matters unfold at Rosings?”

Darcy grimaced, twisting his glass and watching the liquid swirl. “Much as I had anticipated. Anne stared at her shoes for the duration of the interview, while Lady Catherine nearly brought down the walls with her tirade on duty, honour, and family loyalty. Still, I have no regrets. The conversation ought to have occurred long ago.”

Richard smothered a sigh. “What, exactly, did you say to her?”

“What could I say? I told her the truth.” At Richard’s narrowed gaze, he continued, “At least as much of the truth as I was at liberty to share. I simply informed Lady Catherine that as soon as Georgiana was settled, I would be leaving England and that I had no intention of taking a wife before I went.”

Richard gave him a long, measured look, and Darcy sighed, running a finger along the rim of his glass.

“I am only sorry it has taken me this long to speak my piece. Anne is seven-and-twenty! She deserves the chance to marry and raise a family, if that is her desire. I have done her a great disservice by not making my position clear years ago.”

Richard released a breath, rubbing a hand over his face. “I know you and our cousin would never have made a love match. But…given the circumstances, could you not have seen your way to marrying Anne? You know she would not talk, and once you were wed, surely Lady Catherine would do everything in her power to keep your confidence.”

“Certainly not!” Darcy replied, appalled at the very thought. “I have told you—I shall never marry. I could not condemn any woman to such a fate. Besides, Anne deserves some happiness in this life, and she will not find that with me.”

“You and your blasted principles,” Richard muttered, and Darcy scowled back at him.

“Pray, do not laud me for my principles. There is little honour in what I have done. For years, I allowed our aunt to perpetuate this fiction because it suited my purposes. But it was cowardice, not virtue. Had Lady Catherine not threatened to announce the engagement in the papers, I might never have bothered to end the masquerade.”

Richard regarded him steadily. “Well, I can hardly fault you for going to Rosings. If you had not stopped in Ramsgate, Georgiana would be bound to that degenerate Wickham as we speak.” He took another slow drink, his expression hardening. “But Anne… I still say you should have left that well alone. You know how much influence Lady Catherine wields in society. Now you have turned an ally into an enemy. And there is no telling what she would do for her daughter’s sake.”

Darcy’s grip tightened around his glass. His cousin spoke the truth, and yet—what choice had he truly had?

“We must hope,” he said quietly, “that your father can keep her in check. At least until Georgiana’s future is fixed.”

Richard’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, but he said nothing more.

****

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

(expected release date: March 27th)

Striking and serene – it feels very suited for springtime and nature! 🌷

I love the macro view here – the flowers (peonies maybe?), the butterfly, and the cute bee. 🐝

But you can also sense something hidden and sombre is lurking nearby – the torn pages, Mr. Darcy’s secret, what happened in Yorkshire? 😯

There are a lot of interesting elements to this premise already – Mr. Bingley with Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy’s stance against Lady C – I cannot wait to see what other plot twists Jennifer Altman has in store... 📖

What do you think, friends?🤔

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Today Jennifer brings with her 2️⃣ ebook copies of More Than You Know for me to give away to 2️⃣ lucky readers!

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

• This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Jennifer! 
• This giveaway ends March 26th.

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More Than You Know is Available for Preorder!