Hi friends!

We are in for such a treat today! 🙌🏼

Jayne Bamber is visiting today to share about her upcoming new release which is perfect for the month of October and Halloween… 👻

And it is also a perfect choice for readers who are fans of the movie Clue and character crossovers! 🔍

Jayne is here to share an excerpt from her new release – Clwyd Castle. 🏰

We hope you enjoy!! 🤗

Hello, JAFF readers! It’s great to be back at Austenesque Reviews to share another new release: Clwyd Castle is here in time for Spooky Season. Pronounced “clue-id,” Clywd Castle is inspired by the cult classic film, which is a favorite of mine.

This book is unique for me; it is my first novel written entirely from Elizabeth’s point of view. Elizabeth and her relationship with Mr. Darcy remain at the forefront of the story, while she also befriends other characters and they work together to solve the mystery and survive a week in Clwyd Castle with a murderer in their midst.

But one thing I am very, very familiar with is mash-ups, and thus novel has an all-star Austen cast….

General Tilney: reimagined as a spy for the Crown, the general is a master of misdeeds who is blackmailing many of the other characters. For Clue fans, he’s the “Mr. Boddy.”

Henry Tilney: aka “Mr. Butler,” he inherits Clwyd Castle and orchestrates a gathering of the people being blackmailed by his father, whom he means to expose.

Captain Fred Tilney: only slightly less villainous than his father; after the first murder he locks all the guests in the castle together.

Catherine Morland: is captivated by the mystery at Clwyd Castle, and devotes herself to solving the murders based on her conviction that Henry Tilney is too handsome and charming to be the guilty party.

Lady Allen: an amalgamation of two characters, Lady Allen (Willoughby’s relative at Allenham in S&S) and Mrs. Allen (Cathy’s indulgent neighbor in NA) who is hiding a scandalous secret.

Mr. Willoughby: charming as ever, he is being blackmailed about his dalliance with Colonel Brandon’s ward. He is connected to Lady Allen, and is also Sir Walter Elliot’s heir following the off-screen demise of Mr. William Elliot.

Sir Walter Elliot: a perfumed dandy who checks himself out in every mirror he passes and has no idea the ladies make fun of his flirtation behind his back.

Emma Woodhouse: just out of mourning for her late father, who had a fit of apoplexy when he discovered the shocking secret Emma is being blackmailed for.

Harriet Smith: Emma’s devoted friend, who in this retelling has refused Mr. Martin and come to reside at Hartfield with Emma.

Lady Susan Vernon: a charming, manipulative, pot-stirring Merry Widow, whom I have reimagined as Emma’s aunt.

Henry Crawford: true to his character in MP, he is dallying with newlywed Mrs. Rushworth. In this retelling, he is indebted to Fred Tilney, and has been acting as an informant for the secret-stealing General.

Maria Rushworth: still enamored with Mr. Crawford, though doing a better job of concealing it than in canon.

Mr. Rushworth: Emma declares him “too stupid to even have a wife,” and you know what? She’s not wrong.

Sidney Parker and Esther Denham: both are being blackmailed for considerable crimes in Sanditon.

Mrs. Clay and Mrs. Younge: both women are former mistresses of General Tilney, who helped him gather secrets and work his blackmail.

Sir Edward Gardiner: Elizabeth’s uncle is elevated in this retelling, and is also a widower, who was quite the ladies’ man back in his younger days.

And of course, Darcy and Lizzy! The story begins a year after they meet in Meryton. Having departed abruptly during the Netherfield Ball, Mr. Darcy did not prevent Bingley and Jane’s marriage. A year later, he has never been back to see his newlywed friend, so Elizabeth begins the book with a bit of a grudge against Mr. Darcy. Poor, socially inept Mr. Darcy is just happy to know someone amongst the guests at Clwyd Castle, while Elizabeth can’t imagine anyone worse to be trapped in a castle with!

But of course, Elizabeth is a few snarky one-liners away from a big reality check about Mr. Darcy! In one of my favorite parts of the story, Elizabeth begins to realize just how she and Mr. Darcy get along….

In want of some distraction, her eyes landed on the billiard table. Her lips twisted into a mischievous smile. “Would you like to play?”

Mr. Darcy looked bemused. “If it will take our minds off of this whole horrid ordeal, I should be honored to instruct you, Miss Bennet.”

She stifled down a snort of laughter and arched an eyebrow at him. “How gallant.” She moved to the billiard table, and slid her hands into each of the pockets. “What if we were to find the other key?”

He nodded, but neither of them had much heart for their search at present. “He might have thrown the blasted thing into the moat,” Mr. Darcy muttered.

He retrieved two cues, and handed one to her, and then demonstrated its use. When Elizabeth assured him she comprehended the mechanics involved, he placed two cue balls and one red ball on the table, positioning them carefully.

“If you can strike the other two balls with your cue ball, that is a cannon. If you can get the other balls into one of the pockets with your cue ball, that is a hazard.”

“And the point values?”

“Whatever we choose. Shall we agree that a cannon is two, and for hazards, a cue ball is three points and a red ball is four? We shall play to twenty.”

Elizabeth nodded, and he made a few demonstrations, calling attention to his techniques and explaining fouls; all the while she smiled brightly and nodded her head. When he was done, he made way for her to take her first shot. He looked as if we would advise her on her posture, but hesitated, and Elizabeth knew herself to be correct. She took her shot. The red ball spun into one of the far pockets, and the cue ball into another. Mr. Darcy stood up a little straighter and eyed her with something between awe and alarm.

He proved a competitive man, despite his determination to be agreeable, and was running his hands through his hair in frustration when she attained twenty points before he had scored half so many. He set aside his billiard cue and stepped toward her. “You have played before.”

She grinned brightly at him. “Every time I visit Sir Edward in London. He taught me years ago.”

He shook his head, looking very well pleased with her mischief despite the chagrin of his thorough defeat. “Why did you not tell me you are an experienced player?”

“For my own amusement, of course. I have not run mad or fainted for fear of murder, so I regret nothing.”

Mr. Darcy laughed at Elizabeth’s saucy banter and took another step closer to her. He reached up to brush away a stray wisp of her hair that had fallen out of place, and his fingertips moved slowly across her face, and then briefly stroked her lips before he withdrew. “I cannot regret…”

“Letting me win?”

“You jest with me, but I am sure I might have been more ferocious if I had known of your talent.”

“But you were made aware of my gifts fairly quickly,” she said with a saucy smile. “You might have exerted yourself at once, and stood some chance.”

His mouth fell open, but the corners of Mr. Darcy’s lips worked upward. His eyes sparkled as he stared with wonder at her insolence. “I will not be defeated – best of three!”

He thrust her billiard cue at her with a vicious grin, and when she wrapped her hand around it, her fingers brushed his. “You are rather flustered, sir; have you your wits about you?”

He let out a throaty growl as he retrieved his own cue, and began arranging the balls on the table. He pointed at her with flourish. “I will play first; it is your forfeit for such wicked taunting. Very unsportsmanlike, Miss Bennet.”

Elizabeth threw back her head and laughed, then gestured for him to proceed. “Go on, then, sir – do your best! I can trounce you twice more, for I have nowhere else to be at present.” She winked at him, and swiftly fulfilled her threat.

In their second game, she was merciful enough to allow him to lose by a single point, and the prolonging of his heated endeavor to best her was excessively diverting. The man had never been more animated than in the throes of his imminent defeat.

After a perfectly reasonable amount of gloating on Elizabeth’s part, Mr. Darcy bowed to her with gracious exaggeration. “Well done, Miss Bennet, though I cannot imagine what has come over me. I play far oftener than I suppose you do.”

“And are you generally drinking brandy when you play? Aha! It is the same for my uncle. He says it helps him from overthinking, and affords him a degree of bravado that makes it all the more enjoyable. So you see, Mr. Darcy, now I am the one to have you all figured out.”

He pursed his lips with merry vexation, and his eyes darted to the decanters on the sideboard at the back of the room. He took a step toward her. She laughed, and wagged a finger at him. “I think it is too late for that.”

He narrowed his eyes and grinned, taking another step toward her. “Next time we play, Miss Bennet, we shall have to even the odds in my favor.”

“Oh, really? And when….”

Her voice trailed off as the sound of music emanated from the next room; Emma was playing a jolly tune on the pianoforte. Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth’s hand and raised her arm upward in an arc, into which she instinctively gave a playful twirl.

“I am glad you have broken your habit of refusing me,” he said, moving into another figure of steps, and Elizabeth found herself begin to dance with him in earnest.

They carried on this way for several minutes, staring silently at one another as they danced. Elizabeth was utterly dumbfounded, and hardly in possession of herself as she managed the steps smoothly despite her inner distraction. She could not account for why Mr. Darcy was determined to behave so charmingly to her, after she had been utterly horrid to him about Mr. Wickham.

Such a cute interlude for these two! I love Elizabeth keeping her skills a secret and Mr. Darcy’s reaction to being bested by her! 🎱

It will be fun to see how their relationship progresses amidst all the intrigue and murders… 🔪

~~~

Connect with Jayne

Facebook    ❧    Blog

~~~

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Jayne is kindly offering 3️⃣ ebooks of Clwyd Castle, in conjunction with her visit today!

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

• This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Jayne!
• This giveaway will end October 27th

 

Clwyd Castle is currently available for pre-order and will be released on October 31st! 🎃