One Month until Austen Tea Party is Here

Oh, I’m so excited (and nervous)! There’s only one month until the release of Austen Tea Party. You can pre-order your copy now, ready for its release on 9^th August.

This publication will cover a few firsts for me: my first publication, my first short story, my first anthology, and my first complete work that will be out there for others to read.

I hope you like it. I’ve been chomping at the bit to get something out there for readers. I’m a member of the New Romance Café Facebook group, and when they called for authors to take part, I could not turn down the opportunity.

At that point, I did not know how to write a short story, so I knew it would be a challenge. In the end, I enjoyed every moment of working on this project. Plus, I can contribute to the work of a charity that does so much for women across the world, and I’m sure Miss Austen would have approved.

What’s Austen Tea Party About?

Austen Tea Party is a historical romance short story anthology featuring characters from the works of Jane Austen. Published by Romance Café Publishing, all proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The brief for the project was to create a short story of only seven thousand words that takes place at a Regency tea party and includes at least one character from Jane Austen’s novels.

I will join twenty-six historical romance authors, and I’m pleased to welcome some of them to my blog today to share snippets from their stories that will feature in the anthology.

Austen Tea Party Teasers

Sharon D Michalove

Henry Fitzwilliam has been summoned to Rosings Park to attend the Twelfth Night Party that his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is holding. When he meets his cousin Anne’s lady companion, Ophelia Hampton, he is enchanted, despite himself, by the accomplished but penniless orphan. Sir Thomas Wheelwright, a landholder in the district, has also shown a marked interest in the young woman. Can Fitzwilliam overcome the expectations of his family and woo her, or will he allow his rival to scoop up the prize?

“This is Ophelia Hampton, Anne’s companion.” Lady Catherine gave a careless wave in front of Ophelia’s face, who stepped back to save her nose.

“What happened to Mrs. Jenkinson?” Elizabeth asked.

With a repressive glare at her presumption, Lady Catherine turned her eyes toward Darcy. “She remarried.” Her mouth snapped shut, closing the subject. From the expression on Elizabeth’s face, Ophelia thought she burned to know the whole.

“Miss Hampton, my nephews, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Henry Fitzwilliam. My niece, Georgiana Darcy.” Darcy cleared his throat. Lady Catherine turned her Gorgon eye to him. “And Darcy’s wife, Elizabeth.”

Ophelia curtsied. “Pleased to meet you,” she said in a noticeable Devon accent. “Anne has mentioned you often.” Fitzwilliam noticed how she assessed them. Perhaps she was less of a mouse than she appeared.

For more from Sharon D Michalove, check out her website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook page and Facebook profile.

Christina Alexandra

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘺-𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩, 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.

They sat in silence for a while then, each working on their own little woven treasure. By unspoken agreement, they wouldn’t show the other their progress until completed. The back of her neck prickled, and Lucy-Anne looked over to see Andrew staring at her intently. His eyes roved over her face as if he were studying her.

“What are you doing?”

“Counting kisses,” he replied.

Lucy-Anne groaned and pressed her face to her raised knees.

“Don’t hide from me,” he said. He pushed gently on her shoulder until she sat upright and looked at him again. He was a handsome man, sitting in the dappled light of spring, jacket off and shirtsleeves rolled up. “They’re beautiful.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“They’re a curse,” she retorted. “I can’t tell you how many times my mother tried to bleach them from my skin.”

“I never want to hear of you doing anything to them,” he told her sternly. “They’re the proof that you were kissed by fairies as a child.”

Lucy-Anne laughed at that. “How fanciful you are!”

“Promise me, Lucy-Anne. Promise you won’t ever hide this magic.”

“Very well,” she said. “I promise.”

For more by Christina Alexandra, check out her website, Facebook profile, Facebook group and Instagram.

The Surgeon’s Second Chance by Alexa Santi

Ten years ago, John Haverstock let the woman he loved marry another, for her own good. Now Letitia is a captain’s widow returning to England on the ship where Haverstock serves under Captain Wentworth—an encounter that leads him to doubt his own principles.

Supper in the officers’ mess was unusually civil, with everyone from the first lieutenant to the youngest midshipman on their best behavior in the presence of not just one, but two ladies. They had come to relax in the presence of Mrs. Wentworth over the several weeks of the voyage to Jamaica, but Mrs. Morrow was an unknown quantity, and the politeness was stretched and painful.

Until, that is, the lady nonchalantly reached for the bottle of rum Mr. Hayes had left next to her plate, poured herself a dram, and toasted the table with a gesture before drinking it in a single gulp, leaving the men stunned and silent.

“Rum was Henry’s favorite,” she explained, “and I formed a taste for it myself while we were at sea.”

Captain Wentworth coughed into his napkin, his eyes uncharacteristically twinkling above it, and exchanged a glance with his wife, who was suppressing her own smile.

For more by Alex Santi, check out her website, Facebook page, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub and Amazon Author page.

Finally, here’s my short story, Jilted.

Lord Asher Mandeville is heartbroken when his childhood love, Miss Tabitha Rowe, jilts him only weeks before their wedding.

Asher refuses to accept Tabitha’s rejection and chases after his betrothed to demand an explanation.

Tabitha is determined to escape him, but Asher’s shattered heart will accept nothing but her return, and he will do whatever it takes to get her back.

Amelia lay a hand on her arm. “Are you certain you wish to remain? Perhaps we can leave as soon as the tea is served.” Amelia tilted her head towards the would-be matchmaker. “Mrs Jennings will return to harass you again before the evening is over.”

Tabitha resisted the urge to flee. She had done enough running. “I must adapt to my new circumstances. My childhood dream to marry Asher is not to be. I will endure and be well soon enough.” She offered her cousin a tight smile.

“Lord Mandeville.” A footman announced to the room.

Tabitha froze.

The chatter silenced, and the hair at her nape stood on end.

Keeping her back to the door, she maintained a wide-eyed stare at her cousin whose gaze followed the movement over Tabitha’s shoulder.

Where was her fan to cool her heated skin? Her stays seemed to tighten and made every rapid breath more difficult.

Over her shoulder, the deep, husky voice she loved sent a shiver down her spine. “You cannot hide from me, Tib.”

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