Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! I’m very excited to welcome back author Barry S. Richman to Austenesque Reviews today! 
You might recall that Barry S. Richman was here just one month ago to share about his new Pride and Prejudice prequel about a very beloved secondary character. 📖
And there was the promise hinted of more…as he announced that these characters’ stories will continue in his upcoming release After the Fall! 🤩
Barry is here to share an enticing excerpt from After the Fall and an exciting giveaway opportunity! 🙌🏼
We hope you enjoy! 
~ Book Description ~
In a duel, there are two sides. We read of the hero who prevails.
What of the others—who fall?
When the Walton family defied the House of Matlock, their ruin was swift and complete. Fortune, name, and standing were stripped away—but not the will to endure.
From that wreckage rises Winnifred Walton—her father sold her to settle a debt—remade as Catherine Murray, and determined to avenge herself on those responsible.
Years later, Colonel Fitzwilliam’s daughter, Lady Lydia, grows to womanhood beneath the burnish of his legend. Bright, brave, and restless, she begins to question the quiet cost of victory—and the unseen lives lost to preserve it.
Across London’s parlours and alleyways, two women—one shaped by ruin, the other by privilege—move toward an inevitable reckoning between the victors and the forgotten.
After the Fall is a tale of inheritance and vengeance—of daughters who live in the choices their fathers made and make their way by instinct and grit.
~ Excerpt from After the Fall ~
The fire in the study was down to fading embers when he left the room.
The glass still stood on the desk, Roark’s smear on it.
Upstairs, his sons lay swaddled in bandages, dosed into silence. Wallace stared at nothing. Walter wept in his sleep.
His wife’s door was shut.
He found Winnifred in the parlour.
“We can recover,” she said, calm as a parson at prayer. “There must be a way. We can petition—”
“Petition?” The empty glass in his hand shattered against the hearth. She flinched. “Petition whom? The same peers who stood by while one of their own broke your brothers’ bones and left us bleeding in the dirt?”
Her voice sank. “That cannot be true.”
He fell into the chair, hand trembling as he ran it down his face. The fire hissed softly, wet from bad coal. Somewhere behind the wall, a rat scrabbled. A knock. The butler entered, a folded note on a silver salver. Soon, that too would be sold.
Your club awaits your presence R
Roark.
He could still hear that level voice across the desk: If a virgin, worth twenty-five hundred guineas. Sell her to Tom King. He drew a slow breath, smoothing his expression.
“Put on your best dress. Whatever jewellery you have.” He softened his voice. “We are paying an associate a visit.”
Ooh definitely seems like a story with tension and turmoil! But also a lot of strength and resilience! 😮
I’m looking forward to following the paths of such admirable women as they face some challenges and adversaries! 👏🏼
~ Connect with Barry ~
Instagram ❧ Facebook ❧ Goodreads
~~~
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Barry is generously giving away 1 paperback book of After the Fall in conjunction with his visit to this blog!! Woot woot!
To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment, question, or some love for Barry!
- This giveaway is open worldwide (international readers will receive a gift card in lieu of a paperback). Thank you, Barry!
- This giveaway ends May 26th!
Both “Before the Storm” and “After the Fall” are in my Amazon wish list, but getting one of them as a freebie would be very nice indeed! And this duology certainly approaches the setting of P&P from a very different angle.
I wish you luck on the drawing. After The Fall certainly introduces characters and settings not read of before.
Wow. That was heavy and striking. I can’t wait to see how this plays out. The cover is lovely as well!
Thank you. This is a sequel where the journey is as gripping as the denouement.
Heavy and striking indeed! What a way with words Mr Richman has! Sounds like a very interesting premise. Congratulations on the new release!
Thank you. Sequels are amazing because of the paths our known characters forge in uncharted waters.
Thank you. Sequels are amazing because of the paths our known characters forge in uncharted waters.
I’m looking forward to reading both books in the duology. Thanks for offering a giveaway!
Thank you. I appreciate your interest.
That’s a gung-ho way to start a story! Winning a copy would be grand. If I’m not lucky there’s always the public library (I’ve asked them to add lots of books to the collection).
Good luck. I was unaware authors of our genre were in the public libraries. I would love to see a picture.
Congratulations! I just recently received my paperback that I ordered of ‘Before the Storm’. Once I saw that ‘After the Fall’ was in paperback I ordered that too. Should be arriving this week. Can’t wait to read them!
That is wonderful to hear—thank you. There is something special about holding the paperback in hand, and I truly appreciate you giving both books a place on your shelf. Enjoy the journey.
What a great excerpt! I’d love to read the book. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Thank you. I’m glad the excerpt caught your interest, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to read it and comment. Good luck in the drawing!
I hadn’t heard of “Before the Storm”, so I’m adding two books to my list!
Before The Storm is a parallel to Doubt Not, Cousin but in Colonel Fitzwilliam’s exclusive Point-Of-View. After The Fall is the sequel to both. Thank you for adding them to your TBR pile.
I love that we get to explore more of these characters
Thank you. I intend to write more of our favourite secondary characters in my AU–Reeves, Legget, Roark, Bill Steele–in future works. Stay tuned.
I am wish for som e hope to rise somewhere in all this darkness. We need som e light too!
I am happy to confirm the light in the Epilogue.
Sounds great, thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Thank you. I’m glad it sounds interesting, and I appreciate you stopping by to comment. Good luck in the giveaway!
Thank you. I’m glad it sounds interesting, and I appreciate you stopping by to comment. Good luck in the giveaway!
This sounds amazing, I have always loved books based on secondary characters! And Colonel Fitzwilliam is very much an interesting character! Cannot wait to read it even if I don’t win 😀
Thank you. Colonel Fitzwilliam has always deserved more time on the page, in my opinion, and I hope you enjoy his story. Good luck in the giveaway!