Love Stories from Long Ago Blog Hop

Greetings! Welcome to Love Stories from Long Ago Secret Cravings Historical Romance Blog Hop!

Yes, I know Pulse and Prejudice - the vampire adaptation of the Jane Austen Classic - is a Paranormal Romance, but it is also a Regency Romance; and I went to the ends to the Earth (well, OK, England) to preserve the historical accuracy and to maintain the language and style of the time, all to ensure the complete eradication of anachronisms.

The Prize: Because this is a Blog Hop, of course I have giveaways! Pulse and Prejudice recently came out in Audiobook, and you can listen to the audio sample just there on the upper right. Do you see it? (Although the sample doesn't do justice to the narrator's range - he is amazing in the scenes with the prostitute and the dwarf!) Hence, I will be giving away a  FREE AUDIOBOOK  PLUS a FREE PERSONALIZED EBOOK to two lucky winners who leaves a comment below.  (Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you when you win.) Of course, Pulse and Prejudice is still available in print and all eBook formats.

I have a short excerpt to share with you from early in the novel. Here the vampire Darcy has been attempting to avoid Miss Elizabeth Bennet because he cannot deny his attraction to her, but he fears she appeals to his desires as a creature of the night and not those of a man.....

That evening after dinner, Darcy made excuses not to join them in the drawing room directly. When he heard music playing, he thought it then safe to join the others without the risk of being pulled into badinage with Elizabeth or being forced to face her. He did not know if he could suppress the shame that racked him from appearing on his face. Miss Bingley finished a concerto as he entered and immediately transitioned into an Italian love song. She smirked, quite pleased at the attention she received from one quarter, as Darcy stared in her direction while listening to her play and sing. She rose to polite applause then invited Elizabeth to the pianoforte as she smiled at Darcy and assumed the chair nearest him.

Elizabeth thumbed through the sheet music a moment then changed her mind and took her seat at the instrument. She began to play.

Darcy recognized the sonata within the first few notes. Beethoven. He had not heard it in years, perhaps not since before, but he did not recall it ever sounding so bittersweet. Miss Bingley spoke, yet he heard nothing but the haunting chords...strains of sorrow, longing, and unrequited desire. He had not wanted to watch Elizabeth, but he could not look away, the mysterious melody whispering to him. His mind returned to that morning, his hand on her face, his lips on her neck. He envisioned pulling her into his arms and holding her in a firm embrace, untamed thoughts of loosening her hair and running his fingers through the silken strands as he brought his mouth onto hers.

Elizabeth played only six minutes, ending as gently as she had begun, sending the room into silence. A few moments passed before she said, “I fear the first movement is all I remember.”

“That was beautiful, Lizzy,” said Jane. “I have not heard you play that piece in forever. Pray, what is it called again?”

“Quasi una fantasia. I do not remember the last time I played it. I cannot think what made me play it now.” She turned her gaze from her hands on the keys into the eyes of Darcy.

They held the stare for a full minute, although it seemed an hour, as if pulled by lodestone. Darcy regained his senses and broke away, straightening his posture, standing, and stalking out of the room. Elizabeth shook her head to relieve the torpor. She stood and smiled at the others. “I suppose I cannot please everyone.”

In case you are curious as to the piece of music Elizabeth played, in lieu of a blurb, I have included the book trailer here since I used a portion of the Beethoven Sonata from the scene.

Now don't forget to leave a comment below to win the Audiobook or eBook of Pulse and Prejudice, and then be sure to continue on the Secret Cravings Historical Romance Blog Hop! I know the other authors have some wonderful things awaiting you!

UPDATE:   Congratulations to Liza and Monica!  They are the winners of my Love Stories from Long Ago Blog Hop giveaway (as selected by Random.org). If you didn't win, no worries! Pulse and Prejudice  is still available in print, ebook, and audiobook!

In this thrilling and sensual adaptation of the classic love story, Elizabeth Bennet and the citizens of Hertfordshire know Fitzwilliam Darcy to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man, but they never suspect the dark secret of his true nature. He is not a man at all – but a vampire.

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