Fitzwilliam Darcy, Undone by Sue Barr: Interview + Giveaway

Hello, friends! If you’re on the lookout for a new and very different take on Pride and Prejudice, well, you’re in for a treat! Sue Barr is here today to celebrate the release of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Undone. Please give her a warm welcome!

What would Pride & Prejudice be like if Darcy and Elizabeth had a touch of magic in their lives?

What is more challenging – tackling a character as renown as Fitzwilliam Darcy or having to give life and voice to a character fresh out of your imagination?

For me, a fresh character is harder to give voice because in JAFF the readers already know the background of the key players. Yes, we massage them into different situations and storylines, but the key components of WHO they are remains the same. In a new novel, you have the task of building their back story and showing their personalities/quirks. How they think and feel, their goals and motivations. All of this has to be done in a way that doesn’t bog down the story line and put the poor readers to sleep.

What did you feel was the greatest message that would resonate with readers?

Something extremely simple. When you meet the one you are fated to love, nothing will keep you apart. In fiction, our heroes and heroines battle against odds that would stagger mere mortals and in Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Undone, Fitzwilliam is willing to give his life in order to save Elizabeth, and Lizzy, upon seeing him fall unleashes her full potential. They are inexorably intertwined for eternity.

Was there anything different in writing this novel compared to your previous books?

Ummm… yes….? The biggest difference being a mature, sensual scene. My previous books, written under my own name, have been sweet with a little heat but the bedroom door remained firmly closed. In Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Undone, we not only peeked through the keyhole but took a ringside seat. Not a long scene, but very… ahem… informative. *cheeky wink*

How did your impression of Darcy change from “Pride and Prejudice” to “Fitzwilliam Darcy, Undone”?

Not a lot, if I’m being truthful. As stated before, I’ve always seen him as a deeply passionate man. Once he gave his heart and knew his love was returned, there would be no holding him back. In this book I was allowed to ‘show’ his nature rather than hint at it.

When you’re not writing, what renews your spirit?

Other than my faith, which renews my soul on a daily basis, I’m a big proponent of #KnowWhatsInYourFood. This means eating as close to the ground as you can. I make almost everything from scratch. I’m lucky there are lots of farms and orchards in the area and I preserve fruit and vegetables in season. I make my own brown sugar, jams/jellies, vanilla – Bourbon vanilla being the latest – tomato sauce, and bake bread/buns weekly. For me, cooking and baking to feed my family in a healthy way makes my heart smile.

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About Fitzwilliam Darcy, Undone

She’s the outcast in her family…

Elizabeth knows she’s different from the rest of her family. She has visions and strange dreams and sees things others do not. With the advent of the odious Mr. Darcy and his friends from Netherfield Park, as well as the amiable Mr. Wickham of the _____shire Militia, her powers seem to increase and her greatest fear is that she won’t be able to contain them and will be discovered.

He has eight hundred years of tradition to uphold…

No Darcy has married a non-magical woman since arriving on the shores of England with William the Conqueror in 1066.  However, his kind – Miatharans – are dwindling in numbers. Miatharan magic only flows through aristocratic blood lines, so his strange obsession with Miss Elizabeth Bennet is puzzling as she is not of noble blood. Just a country squire’s beautiful daughter who has him slowly becoming undone.

Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Undone is available in Kindle Unlimited (Amazon) until Dec 12 when it will be released to other major digital retailers.

Buy on Amazon

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About the Author

‘The prairie dust is in my blood but no longer on my shoes.’

Although it’s been over forty-two years since Sue called Saskatchewan home, her roots to that straight-lined province and childhood friends run deep. The only thing strong enough to entice her to pack up and leave was love. When a handsome Air Force pilot met this small-town girl, he swept her off her feet and they embarked on a fantastic adventure which found them settled in beautiful Southwestern Ontario when hubby retired from the military and began his second career as an airline pilot.

Sue started writing in 2009 and sold her first manuscript in 2010. Always a reader of Regency romance, she discovered Jane Austen Fan Fiction in 2014 and almost immediately wanted to know – Whatever happened to Caroline Bingley after her brother and Mr. Darcy became engaged to a Bennet sister? From that question, her first JAFF book was launched.

Connect with Sue: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page

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Giveaway

Sue is generously giving away an ebook of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Undone to 3 random winners for the entire blog tour. Follow the tour and join in the comments to be entered to win. Sue will choose the random winners and announce them on social media on Dec. 5, 2020. Good luck!

Thanks, Sue, for being my guest today, and congratulations on your new book!

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Blog Tour Kickoff (Guest Post & Giveaway): Georgiana by Sue Barr

I’m delighted to help Sue Barr kick off her blog tour for Georgiana, book three in a series I absolutely adore! (Check out my reviews of Caroline and Catherine). Sue is here to talk about why she chose to write about the secondary characters in Pride and Prejudice, and there’s a giveaway as well. Please give her a warm welcome!

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First and foremost, thank you for kicking off the blog tour for my latest release, GEORGIANA: Pride & Prejudice continued… Book Three.

I’ve been asked why I decided to write about Pride & Prejudice’s secondary characters instead of our beloved dear couple. Especially Georgiana who had but a brief cameo in the original novel with no direct lines of conversation. The answer is a bit twisted and came from an unexpected source.

In 2014, I joined the fan fiction site, A Happy Assembly and decided to write my own Austen inspired Regency story. I’m a visual person and because of that, began to scour cover art sites to see what was available by way of Regency inspired book covers. I stumbled across a pre-made cover a beautiful red-haired woman. Instantaneously, I thought of Caroline Bingley.

All of these happen-chances coalesced with me asking, ‘Whatever happened to Caroline Bingley after her brother and Mr. Darcy became engaged to the Bennet sisters?’ From that, Caroline was born. There were two other matching covers and with no hesitation I determined they would be Catherine and Georgiana.

Whereas one question about Caroline provided me a beginning, an internal thought and a heartfelt desire provided an ending. First, when I imagined Georgiana’s history and how the family dealt with her ‘incident’ I wanted Maxwell to hear Darcy say “I can’t make this one go away”, followed by Max thinking, “What does Darcy mean by this one?” Once that little pot of conflict began a slow boil, images of Georgiana at her escritoire, quill in hand popped into my head. She’d just written, “My darling Maxwell. May I call you Maxwell, for that is how I think of you.”

Why would she be writing him and why would he be offended if she called him by his given name? Immediately, their estrangement and the reason became clear and within the hour I’d penned all of her letters which are featured near the end of the book.

I’d love to paint a picture of why Maxwell does what he does upon his discovery of Georgiana’s previous compromise, but a single blog post won’t do it justice. Besides, I want you to read ALL of the book and judge for yourself. Georgiana is available exclusively on Amazon until May 1 when she will be launched to other digital retailers.

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About Georgiana

She longs for true love…

A dowry of thirty thousand pounds places a hefty weight upon the shoulders of Miss Georgiana Darcy. Her tender heart has been broken before by a cad who cared not one whit for who she was, but as a prize to be won, and she fears no man will ever see the worth of her heart.

Duty and honor…

These are the stalwart columns which hold up the life of Maxwell Kerr, Fifth Duke of Adborough. After rescuing Miss Darcy from an inescapable compromise, an offer of marriage is as natural to him as breathing air. When he discovers this is not the first compromise she has evaded, anger becomes his faithful companion and threatens their tenuous bonds of love and respect.

Buy on Amazon (U.S. | U.K. | CA | AU)

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About the Author

Sue Barr

“The prairie dust is in my blood but no longer on my shoes.”

Sue Barr coined that phrase when once asked where she came from. Although it’s been over thirty-seven years since she called Saskatchewan home, her roots to that straight-lined province and childhood friends run deep. The only thing strong enough to entice her to pack up and leave was love. When a handsome Air Force pilot met this small-town girl, he swept her off her feet and they embarked on a fantastic adventure which found them settled in beautiful Southwestern Ontario when hubby retired from the military and began his second career as an airline pilot.

Sue started writing in 2009 and sold her first manuscript in 2010. For four years she was published under the pen name of Madison J. Edwards, and in 2014 began to write sweet contemporary romance under her own name. Always a reader of Regency romance, she discovered Jane Austen Fan Fiction through a childhood friend who writes under the name of Suzan Lauder. Almost immediately a question popped into her head, “Whatever happened to Caroline Bingley after her brother and Mr. Darcy became engaged to a Bennet sister?” and the “Pride & Prejudice Continued…” series was launched.

Sue is a member of Romance Writers of America and its satellite chapter, The Beau Monde. She is one course away from achieving her Professional Creative Writer’s certificate from the University of Western Ontario’s continuing study curriculum. In her spare time, she cans and preserves her own food, cooks almost everything from scratch and grows herbs to dehydrate and make into seasoning. Hubby has no complaints other than his trousers keep shrinking. At least that’s what he claims…. Oh, the kids and grandkids don’t mind this slight obsession either.

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Giveaway

Sue is generously giving away 3 ebook copies of Georgiana as part of the blog tour. You must enter through this Rafflecopter link. This is giveaway is open internationally through March 12. Good luck!

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Thank you, Sue, for being my guest today, and congratulations on your new release and blog tour!

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Review & Giveaway: Catherine by Sue Barr

Source: Review copy from author

The guilt she wore like a heavy shawl sometimes threatened to overwhelm her. With a small sniff, to keep the tears at bay, she shook her head and struggled to stand, waving off Mary’s helping hand. The past was the past. What was done could not be undone and she’d have all her empty life to reflect on it.

(from Catherine)

Sue Barr’s Catherine is the second book in her Pride and Prejudice Continued series. I really enjoyed the first installment, Caroline (my review), which focuses on Caroline Bingley after she learns that she has lost her chance with Mr. Darcy forever. Catherine picks up after the first book and follows Kitty Bennet and Lord George Kerr as they struggle to hide their respective secrets following the weddings of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, and Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet.

Lord George has a reputation as a result of his work for King and Country, but despite being brother to a duke, he has little patience for the ton and is immediately captivated by Catherine Bennet when he meets her at Pemberley. Meanwhile, Catherine is attracted to Lord George but knows that little could happen there. Not only does she know her place in society as a mere gentleman’s daughter, but she also harbors a terrible secret — one known only by her father, and one that will surely jeopardize her future happiness. When Lord George’s suspicions about a possible traitor to the crown causes his path to cross with Catherine’s in very dramatic fashion, the two forge a friendship that could be so much more if their secrets didn’t stand in their way.

I love reading stories about the secondary characters in Pride and Prejudice, so it’s no surprise that Barr’s series has quickly become one of my favorites. I enjoyed getting to know Kitty better as she blossomed into Catherine, and with only Mary left at Longbourn for companionship, I loved the relationship that developed between the sisters — both of whom were underestimated while living in the shadows of Elizabeth, Jane, and Lydia.

Meanwhile, Lord George is totally swoonworthy, and I loved that the book also is told from his point of view. Barr does a great job balancing a budding romance fraught with secrets and misunderstandings with a story of scandal and intrigue that adds a lot of depth to the characters. I’ve been distracted in my reading lately, and Catherine was just the thing to grab my attention. I had a hard time putting it down so I could get some much needed rest, and when I finished, I was tempted to immediately start reading it again. I can’t wait for the next book in the series, which will be about Georgiana Darcy — but I do hope Mary’s story is in the works!

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About Catherine

Some secrets are not meant to be shared

Catherine Bennet, known as Kitty to close friends and family, knows this better than anyone. She also knows that she will never marry and it never bothered her before she met Lord George Kerr at Elizabeth and Darcy’s wedding. He’s determined to breach the walls of defense she’d carefully constructed around her heart, and she’s just as determined to stay the course.

Some secrets cannot be shared

Lord George Kerr knows this better than anyone. For five years, as a spy for His Majesty the King, he played the part of a Rake, concealing his espionage activities beneath a blanket of brothels, drink and loose women. Even though he’s forced to resume his regular life within London’s finest society, he still must keep some things hidden. One thing he does not hide is his attraction to Miss Catherine Bennet of Longbourn. Enraptured by her beauty and warmth of character, he plunges headlong into winning her heart, only to find it carefully guarded and she’s unwilling to give him even a small pinch of hope.

Some things are beyond your control

When circumstances bring Kitty’s secret into the open, she fears the tenuous bonds of friendship she’s forged with Lord George will be lost forever along with whatever love he proclaims to have for her. With the very lives of England’s vast network of spies working undercover in Bonaparte’s France hanging in the balance, she’s forced to face her worst nightmare.

Her secret is laid bare, can he love her enough to overcome what he learns?

Buy Catherine on Amazon

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About the Author

Sue Barr

Sue Barr resides in beautiful Southwestern Ontario with her retired Air Force hubby, two sons and their families. She’s also an indentured servant to three cats and has been known to rescue a kitten or two, or three…in an attempt to keep her ‘cat-lady-in-training’ status current. Although, she has deviated from appointed path and rescued a few dogs as well.

Sue is a member of Romance Writers of America and their affiliate chapter, Love, Hope and Faith as well as American Christian Fiction Writers.

For more information about her other books, visit her website.

Connect with Sue via Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Blog

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Giveaway

As part of the blog tour, three copies of Catherine will be given away. Two winners will receive ebooks, and one will receive an autographed paperback. This giveaway is open internationally. To enter, you must use this Rafflecopter link. Good luck!

Terms and Conditions: 

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once each day and by commenting daily on a blog post or review that has a giveaway attached to this tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented.

Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international. Each entrant is eligible to win one eBook or paperback book.

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May 28 / My Jane Austen Book Club/ Launch Post & Giveaway

May 29 / From Pemberley to Milton/ Excerpt Post & Giveaway

May 30 / Just Jane 1813/ Guest Post & Giveaway

May 31 / More Agreeably Engaged/ Author Spotlight & Giveaway

June 1 / So Little Time… / Excerpt Post & Giveaway

June 2 / Liz’s Reading Life / Book Review & Giveaway

June 4 / Diary of an Eccentric /Book Review & Giveaway

June 5 / My Vices and Weaknesses / Book Review & Giveaway

June 6 / Savvy Verse & Wit / Guest Post & Giveaway

June 7 / Margie’s Must Reads/Book Review Post & Giveaway

June 8 / Obsessed with Mr. Darcy / Book Review & Giveaway

June 9 / My Love for Jane Austen / Excerpt Post & Giveaway

June 10 / Babblings of a Bookworm / Excerpt Post & Giveaway

June 11 / Austenesque Reviews/ Guest Post & Giveaway

Disclosure: I received Catherine from the author for review.

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Review & Giveaway: Caroline by Sue Barr

Source: Review copy from author
Rating: ★★★★☆

Caroline is the first book in a series of Pride and Prejudice sequels by Sue Barr, opening when Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley go back to Hertfordshire to propose to Elizabeth and Jane Bennet. Caroline Bingley is angry and distraught when she learns of Mr. Darcy’s engagement to the “country miss” Elizabeth Bennet, as she’d spent the last few years trying to grab his attention in her quest to marry into high society. Meanwhile, Lord Nathan Kerr, Mr. Darcy’s new vicar, is instantly captivated by Caroline but understands that, in her current frame of mind, she is not a suitable match for him.

Unaware of Lord Nathan’s humble lifestyle in Kympton, Caroline is infuriated by his judgmental comments. She knows that Mr. Darcy is lost to her forever and that she must forge a new path for herself, but Lord Nathan can’t help lashing out at her for her marital aspirations. Yet neither can deny the growing passion between them, nor can they deny that they both need to do some serious soul searching before they can find inner peace.

I really enjoyed Barr’s take on Caroline, from her temper tantrums to her memories of her grandmamma — and the advice she soon realizes she must take to heart. I also loved Lord Nathan, the reformed rake who still struggles with his memories of the war and the behavior he put behind him when he took orders. I thought he was pretty harsh to Caroline, but getting to see things through his point of view made me understand him better. It was entertaining to see their evolution over the course of this short novel. I was so wrapped up in their troubles that I didn’t mind the quick character development or that Mr. Darcy/Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley/Jane take a backseat as their wedding preparations are underway.

Barr does a good job handling the Christian elements of the novel, from the Scripture passages Caroline remembers from her grandmamma to Lord Nathan’s prayers and counseling. It made sense given Lord Nathan’s occupation, and it wasn’t too heavy-handed. The only minor quibble I had with the book is that the ending seemed too convenient given the character development throughout the novel.

Overall, Caroline is a strong start to the series, and readers will be happy that there isn’t a cliffhanger ending. I was thrilled to see a description for Book Two at the end of Book One, and I cannot wait to read the next volume!

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About Caroline

Whatever happened to Caroline Bingley after her brother and unrequited love interest married a Bennet sister? Join me in this story of redemptive love and the healing of broken dreams.

Caroline Bingley, beyond frustrated with her brother, Charles and Mr. Darcy both proposing to the Bennet sisters, dreads their upcoming nuptials. For three years, her sole focus has been on attaining a marriage proposal from one Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, only to be foiled by a country miss with ‘fine eyes’.  Adrift and not sure of her place in life, she meets the mysterious and devastatingly handsome Lord Nathan, who equally vexes and intrigues her.

Lord Nathan Kerr, third in line to a Dukedom, had a well-earned reputation as a Rake. He cast all that and his noble title aside to become Mr. Darcy’s vicar in Kympton, finding contentment in leading his small flock and doing the Lord’s work. His plan for a quiet, country life is thrown into upheaval when he meets the fiery Miss Bingley. Can he reconcile his rising desire for the spoiled miss with how a vicar’s wife ‘should’ behave?

Check out Caroline on Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

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About the Author

Sue Barr

Sue Barr resides in beautiful Southwestern Ontario with her retired Air Force hubby, two sons and their families. She’s also an indentured servant to three cats and has been known to rescue a kitten or two, or three…in an attempt to keep her ‘cat-lady-in-training’ status current. Although, she has deviated from appointed path and rescued a few dogs as well.

Sue is a member of Romance Writers of America and their affiliate chapter, Love, Hope and Faith as well as American Christian Fiction Writers.

For more information about her other books, visit her website.

Connect with Sue via Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Blog

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Giveaway

Sue Barr is generously offering paperback copies of Caroline and a Jane Austen Journal to three winners, and ebook copies of Caroline to three separate winners. Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally. Good luck!

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March 12/My Jane Austen Book Club/Launch Post & Giveaway

March 13/From Pemberley to Milton/Book Review & Excerpt & Giveaway

March 14/More Agreeably Engaged/Author Spotlight & Giveaway

March 16/Just Jane 1813/Guest Post & Giveaway

March 17/Babblings of a Bookworm/Vignette Post & Giveaway

March 18/My Love for Jane Austen/Excerpt Post & Giveaway

March 19/Margie’s Must ReadsExcerpt Post & Giveaway

March 20/Austenesque Reviews/Guest Post & Giveaway

March 21/My Vices and Weaknesses/Book Review & Giveaway

March 22/Savvy Verse & Wit/Guest Post & Giveaway

March 23/Diary of an Eccentric/Book Review & Giveaway

March 24/So Little Time…/Excerpt Post & Giveaway

March 25/Obsessed with Mr. Darcy/Book Review & Giveaway

March 26/Of Pens & Pages/Book Review & Giveaway

Disclosure: I received Caroline from the author for review.

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