I have a treat for you today, dear readers! I’m pleased to share with you an excerpt of the latest Meryton Press release, Obstacles by Belén Paccagnella.
First, a little about the book:
Not all obstacles are restricted to the show-jumping arena…
Though Elizabeth Bennet lives an uneventful life instructing young equestrians at Longbourn, the family farm, she dreams of winning a show-jumping competition on Liddy, her spirited mare. But her life is upended when a team of world-renowned riders arrives at Netherfield, the neighbouring estate, and uses it as their training headquarters. As she assists the newcomers and their prize-winning mounts, she meets William Darcy, a wealthy and arrogant—albeit talented—rider with Olympic aspirations. He first insults and then ignores Elizabeth, and her feelings teeter between disgust at his hauteur and admiration for his equestrian prowess. As she discovers first-hand the rigors of a world for the elite, will Elizabeth change her perspective about love, trust, and the foibles of her own family?
Originally known as “Obstacles to Overcome,” Obstacles pays homage to Pride and Prejudice in the highly competitive world of equestrian show jumping.
Buy on Amazon
****
An excerpt from Obstacles, which Belén says pairs well with the cover featuring Elizabeth and her scrapbook:
Dinner at Longbourn that night was a lot less formal than the last time Darcy had been there. There were no fancy dishes or desserts, it was just a family meal served in everyday china. And yet, Darcy was perfectly comfortable and happy that he wasn’t being treated like a guest but as a member of the family. He truly enjoyed this domesticity. It made him think about what he wanted for himself and Elizabeth, and he fantasized about getting married, having kids, and forming a family of his own.
After dinner, the couple sat in the living room, chatting with the family while drinking coffee. The first ones in to retire were Kitty and Phil, then Mary, and soon the young couple were left by themselves in front of the TV.
“I should be going.” Darcy yawned and glanced at his watch.
“It’s almost midnight,” Elizabeth replied, “and you’re tired. Why don’t you stay for the night?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure you dad will…”
“He won’t mind. Jane is at Charles’s tonight. You can stay in her room.”
“All right.” He caved. “But I’d rather sleep here on the couch.”
Elizabeth left him for a moment and returned with a pillow and a patchwork blanket. She sat beside him on the couch, crosslegged with the quilt covering them, and she scanned the TV channels for something they could watch.
“You never showed me your show jumping album,” he said after a while.
Elizabeth’s head turned abruptly to look at him. “How do you know about that?”
“I just know.” He smirked when her frown accentuated. “Mary told me, remember?”
“Oh yes.” She chuckled. “That day you came with Charles.”
Since she made no move to go, he gave her a little nudge. “Come on, show it me.”
Elizabeth studied him for an instant, probably suspicious of his intentions. The second nudge and his puppy-dog eyes convinced her. She left the room and returned a moment later with the infamous show jumping album.
Quietly, they perused the pages of the scrapbook. From the dates on each picture, Darcy could tell that Elizabeth began this collection about fifteen years ago. At the beginning, she just cut and glued anything that resembled a horse jumping an obstacle. There were a couple of photos of her father while he still competed and a lovely photo of Elizabeth with a group of girls that was taken at her first show when she was nine years old. As the years progressed, glitter and stamps disappeared, and Elizabeth became more selective, adding only more artistic or spectacular pictures. Darcy told to her how much he admired her neatness and the dedication she had given to the sport.
The last part of the album had many, many pictures of him. Some of them were added before she met him—he pointed out one of him with Miss D that he particularly liked—and the rest were almost every article and picture published about him since he came to Netherfield. That confirmed she had some interest in him then, and, from what he could tell by the dates, after their fateful encounter at Rosings, the album was exclusively about him.
“Where did you get this one?” He showed her a picture of him and Tuareg jumping in Edinburgh. “I’ve never seen it.”
“Cheval magazine, I think. Don’t you keep an album for your pictures?”
“That would be weird. Annie usually tells me when something comes up, but I don’t read the articles or look for the pictures.”
As he said that, he took off his shoes and lay down, arranging the pillow behind his head. His feet exceeded the length of the couch. Elizabeth accommodated herself next to him. She covered them both with the blanket and leaned the album on his chest.
Elizabeth told him about how and where she obtained some of the pictures and what she liked about each one. Darcy listened silently, wondering how he managed to inspire such contradictory feelings in her. Many of the pictures were added during the period she supposedly hated him, and he was both humbled and proud that he had managed to revert those sentiments and earn this extraordinary woman’s her unconditional love and admiration despite everything that happened between them. Her voice was soft and soothing and his eyelids became so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open. Dreams and thoughts entangled, and her words soon became a distant whisper that lulled him into sleep.
*****
At first, she felt lost, and her back was sore because of her unusual position and the unfamiliar weight of a man’s arm holding her tightly.
As she woke further, Elizabeth realized that the couch was large, but not big enough to comfortably accommodate two people lying down. The only reason she was not on the floor was because Darcy was embracing her so carefully that it would be impossible for her to fall. He was lying on his side, one arm under her neck and the other, oddly, inside her T-shirt and, even more oddly, holding her breast under her unhooked bra. How he managed to do that without waking her up would be one of the unresolved mysteries of mankind and, obviously, another of his hidden talents.
Something disturbed him, and Darcy stirred, stretching his body and slowly opening his eyes.
“Morning,” he said huskily.
“Good morning.”
After a pause he asked, “Is my hand where I think it is?”
“Yes.” She smiled.
“Does it bother you?”
“No.” Her voice was soft and sweet.
“Feels good.”
“Yes it does,” she said with a contented sigh.
Thank you, Belén, for sharing! I hope my readers enjoyed the excerpt as much as I did!
****
About the Author
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Belén Paccagnella discovered the world of Jane Austen fan fiction after watching the 1995 BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice. In her teens, she lived in Brazil when her family moved to the city of Curitiba due to her father’s work. She moved back to Buenos Aires a few years later, where she studied agronomy but finally pursued a different career and started working in the development administration of shopping centres.
In 2001, she started writing both Regency and modern stories adapted from the Pride and Prejudice storyline, merging drama, humour, and adventure while creating characters with unique traits.
Belén still lives in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, where she shares her home with her daughter and her pets while spending her time working, reading, and writing.
****
Giveaway
As part of the blog tour, Meryton Press is giving away 8 ebook copies of Obstacles. The giveaway runs until midnight on September 30, 2018. You MUST enter through the Rafflecopter link. Good luck!
Terms and Conditions:
Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post or a review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented. If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified.
One winner per contest. Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international.
****
September 17 / My Jane Austen Book Club / Guest Post
September 18 / Diary of an Eccentric / Excerpt Post
September 19 / Austenesque Reviews / Vignette Post
September 20 / More Agreeably Engaged / Author Interview
September 21 / So Little Time / Excerpt Post
September 22 / Just Jane 1813 / Guest Book Review
September 23 / My Love for Jane Austen / Character Interview
September 24 / From Pemberley to Milton / Excerpt Post
September 25 / Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review
September 26 / Babblings of a Bookworm / Vignette Post
September 27 / My Vices and Weaknesses / Book Review
September 28 / Of Pens and Pages / Book Review
Wonderful and enticing excerpt. I hope everyone enjoys this story as much I do.
LikeLike
The premise of this story appeals to me, Belén. I believe it is quite unique to combine your love of horses with the plot of Pride and Prejudice. Is the scene you shared happened near the ending of Obstacles after Darcy and Elizabeth have overcome their problems to be together?
LikeLike
Hi Luthien! Yes, this scene was part of the original version and it happens soon after they come to an understanding. There are a few chapters in the story that explore how D&E deal with their relationship after they get together.
LikeLike
Thanks for hosting Belen! I hope your readers enjoy this book as much as I did!!
LikeLike
Great excerpt! And I’ve already read the book so I can say the rest is amazing too! Best wishes Belen!
LikeLike
Wonderful excerpt! This is a fabulous story, so happy to see it published! Congrats !
LikeLike
As Jan said, this is a wonderful and “enticing” excerpt! Great book, too! Best wishes with your release, Belén! Thanks, Anna!
LikeLike
The excerpt certainly made me want to read more. This book sounds quite different from the average JAFF. Thanks for sharing, Belén, and thanks for hosting, Anna!
LikeLike
I really enjoyed this excerpt, thank you so much for sharing. I am looking forward to reading the whole of this book. Good luck with it.
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing the excerpt, I enjoyed it.
LikeLike
I like the idea of her having a scrapbook filled with his jumping competition photos.
LikeLike
Thank you all for stopping by and checking out the excerpt!
LikeLike
Thank you for the excerpt!
LikeLike
This book was recommended to me by other authors. Great job. Loved the excerpt. Will add to the TBR pile. Congratulations!
LikeLike
Beautiful excerpt. I just read another on one of the other blogs. Looking forward to reading your new book. It sounds wonderful!
LikeLike
That was a lovely excerpt, Belén. It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside!
LikeLike
Thank you all for this lovely welcome and thank you Diary of an Eccentric for allowing me to be part of your Blog!
LikeLike