Blog Book Tour | Celebrating a #PrideAndPrejudice variant in the pages of “How to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated” by Elizabeth Adams

Posted Thursday, 6 May, 2021 by jorielov , , , 3 Comments

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Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! HFVBTs is one of the very first touring companies I started working with as a 1st Year Book Blogger – uniting my love and passion with Historical Fiction and the lovely sub-genres inside which I love devouring. Whether I am reading selections from Indie Authors & publishers to Major Trade and either from mainstream or INSPY markets – I am finding myself happily residing in the Historical past each year I am a blogger.

What I have been thankful for all these years since 2013 is the beautiful blessing of discovering new areas of Historical History to explore through realistically compelling Historical narratives which put me on the front-lines of where History and human interest stories interconnect. It has also allowed me to dive deeper into the historic past and root out new decades, centuries and millenniums to explore. For this and the stories themselves which are part of the memories I cherish most as a book blogger I am grateful to be a part of the #HFVBTBlogTours blogger team.

I received a complimentary copy of “How to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated” direct from the author Elizabeth Adams in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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On how much I already LOVE the author Elizabeth Adams:

This year was quite extraordinary already when it comes to featuring interviews on Jorie Loves A Story – as Ms Adams happily took up the challenge I presented to her via a respun Top Ten Tuesday wherein we explored her writerly style in this wicked lovely vlog interview!

The focus of course – was PRIDE AND PREJUDICE which is rather apt as the novel on this lovely blog tour is a PRIDE variant – wherein you can nearly guess the plot simply by taking stock of the title!

Last year, during one of  my @SatBookChat‘s – I hosted Christina Boyd and Ms Adams was one of the authors who came into the chat – as we were celebrating their 2020 release by the Quill Collective “Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl!! She provided so much wicked good commentary & laughter to the chat, it became one of my top favourite #SatBookChat’s as a result.

For #AudiobookMonth this June, I’ll be revisiting my listening of “Elizabeth: Obstinate Girl” but ahead of those lovely festivities – I was thankful to get a stop on this lovely blog tour which is featuring one of Ms Adams’ novels. I have only been acquainted with her stories in audiobook – this is the first time I’ve had the chance to read one of hers in print and I was wickedly delighted by the prospect!

IF you love Jane Austen’s worlds & characters – keep your eyes on Elizabeth Adams and the Quill Collective authors respectively – they are shining stars in the world of after canon lit for Austen!

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Notation on Cover Art & Design: As soon as I first looked at this cover art, I knew it was fittingly wicked for this story. There was something about it – the images themselves (front/back) and the colours of hues – plus it had this Jane Austen variant feel to it as the text and layout all worked together brilliantly. It would definitely make a wonderful poster to grace your library!

Blog Book Tour | Celebrating a #PrideAndPrejudice variant in the pages of “How to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated” by Elizabeth AdamsHow to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated
by Elizabeth Adams
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

For Elizabeth Bennet, Charlotte is the friend who is—annoyingly—always right. Colonel Fitzwilliam is the mischievous brother she never had. And if their convictions that Mr. Darcy is in love with her are correct, he could be the lover she’s always wanted.

There’s only one problem—he tried to ruin her favorite sister’s life, and she made an absolute fool of herself in front of him.

Can lasting happiness come out of such a beginning? And can a man die from chasing a woman too quick to be caught? Darcy is about to find out.

Genres: Classical Literature, After Canons, Re-telling &/or Sequel, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 979-8733477589

Also by this author: Sons of Pemberley (Spotlight/Vlog Interview)

Published by Self Published

on 5th of April, 2021

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 266

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Converse via: #HistFic or #HistNov as well as #JaneAusten
+ #PrideAndPrejudice Variant or #AfterCanon
as well as #HFVBTBlogTours

Available Formats: Trade paperback and Ebook

About Elizabeth Adams

Elizabeth Adams

Elizabeth Adams is a book-loving, tango-dancing, Austen enthusiast. She loves old houses and thinks birthdays should be celebrated with trips – as should most occasions. She can often be found by a sunny window with a cup of hot tea and a book in her hand.

She writes romantic comedy and comedic drama in both historic and modern settings.

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on collecting a myriadly eclectic array of Pride retellings:

I have come to realise, of all the Austen stories from her original canon, I have appeared to be unwittingly charmed by Pride and Prejudice to the extent it is nearly the full range of stories I have read in the world of after canon literature! From Romance to Mysteries to short story anthologies – if there is a respun story which resets us into the world of Pride, there is a strong plausibility I have stumbled across it! And, for me it has been most fun indeed seeking out the stories, seeing where the authors find their entrances into to the original storyline and where, afterwards, they take us ‘next’ in regards to sequencing of both story and dialogue with our beloved characters.

Each time, I question – will I re-adjust well enough? And, the anxiety of course melts away whenever I begin a story by one of these authors who like Adams or even Hemingway (ie. The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen trilogy) – who have found their cues from Austen herself and have written such compelling stories of their own. He focused on Jane herself, whereas Adams implores us to revisit Pride in different mirrors of reflection. Each in turn, has allowed me to peer back into the portal of Austen’s own vision and takeaway new remnants of her own voice and style retold through a contemporary writer’s lens of perspective. And, for that, dear hearts, I am especially thankful indeed.

my review of How to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated:

Fall in Love* opens with a conversation Charlotte is having with Elizabeth – Charlotte cleverly spins the topic in such a way that she elicits out the answer from Elizabeth she’s seeking, only to have it deflected by her friend who feels she’s been cornered into a response which isn’t entirely honest in her own opinions. The truth of it though – would depend if you favour Charlotte or Elizabeth by whichever woman is standing on the side of your own thoughts on the same topic. Charlotte of course, finds a way to revisit this conversation lateron – in such a cheeky way as to confuse her own sister, Maria but the fuller meaning behind her words were not lost on Elizabeth!

Seeing how companionable Elizabeth felt to Colonel Fitzwilliam felt right – as he seemed like someone she might turn a confidence too as she was now, to work through the thoughts in her head about her sister Jane and also, about life and the affairs of dating overall. Elizabeth is a deep thinker but she solves most of what upsets her through conversation and conversing with her peers of whom she trusts will give her honest answers to her enquiries. Even if she doesn’t readily agree with their opinions, because she is fiercely independently minded herself – she respects this trait in others as well. You had to smirk though as soon as Colonel Fitzwilliam broached the topic about Wickham! Of all the characters Austen has created (and of whom I’ve read) he is the most reprehensible bloke I’ve come across thus far into my readings of her canon. I honestly can’t stand him and whenever an after canon focuses too strongly on him, I must say, I am not amused.

Adams brought Wickham into the story in a way I could tolerate – he is left a devilish villain bent on breaking more hearts than what is considered proper and destroying all hope of his influence not affecting life in the country by his selfish acts which leaves a wake of upset whenever he interacts with others. It was a concise and particularly acute accounting of my own thoughts about Wickham and because this re-opened the door to give Elizabeth something new to chew on about Mr Darcy, I was definitely keen on where Adams was guiding us. She found entrance into this whole story during the visit Elizabeth was having with Charlotte – as Charlotte married Mr Collins; the match which was meant to be for Elizabeth but after having met Mr Collins, I am not sure anyone would have been critical of her choice to avoid the marriage. Charlotte on the other hand married for reasons which were suited to her needs and that made the difference. At least, I always felt it had.

Ha! When Colonel Fitzwilliam called out Darcy on the grounds of his character, I truly felt he could have been even more honest to say Darcy is definitely arrogant and doesn’t always think to consider others or their reactions whenever he sets his mind to something! Prime example is how Adams showcased how Darcy was of one mind – on a mission to give Elizabeth a particular message and to him it was all business and proper; that this was the expected course to take and it would be done. Not once did he even wonder about her which I agreed with his cousin on that score – he had no propensity for common sense. What others would readily take into account on such affairs as this, he never even begs to question those same sensibilities! He is a man who is inadvertently convinced that whichever way he sets his mind, others will simply follow his lead.

In a marvelously champion fashion, Adams had Colonel Fitzwilliam serve Darcy a dose of his own medicine in the same vein as Charlotte to Elizabeth! It was such an important scene – to get Darcy to have his blood boiling and to recognise that in effect, just because he chooses to see the world the way he sees it doesn’t necessarily mean its the way in which the world is meant to be seen! How wicked wonderful it was to see Colonel Fitzwilliam rile Darcy and get a proper good rise out of him!! Darcy (of course) was not amused and you could see how he didn’t like when someone else had the upper hand in a conversation – especially one where he himself felt had the right answers all along.

One of the most charming characters in Fall in Love is Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s cousin – the reason being he can relate to both Elizabeth and Darcy on different layers of intrigue. For Elizabeth, he is the friend in confidence in which she can share her truest thoughts and with Darcy, he is the one showing reason when Darcy would rather remain silent. It was an interesting triangle in some ways, as it wasn’t a romantic triangle by any means but with Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth could speak her mind openly and honestly without any retorts or criticisms; yet whenever she was around Mr Darcy, you gathered that he was deciphering all her words and looking further into their meanings. Darcy and Elizabeth are definitely well-suited, even in this variant but to reach the point where they both see how well suited they are for each other felt like an uphill climb. I daresay without Colonel Fitzwilliam in the picture, I am not sure they would have put in the work needed to realise what they had in common vs what they presumed they knew about each other. The latter of course is where their troubles began – making presumptions and not speaking to each other to root out the truth behind what they felt were truthful statements rather than rumour.

Lady Catherine was always full of herself and Adams plays well into that hand here. She is a tempestuous firecracker irregardless of which version of the story you’re reading! The gull this woman has to throw a tantrum over which woman Darcy shall marry is not very becoming of her title and yet, she continues to rail against the injustices of him quitting the match she once chose for him! Imagine?! I oft wondered by what disrupted her opinion about Elizabeth – above and beyond the betrothal that only existed in her mind – what was so cuttingly irksome about Elizabeth!?

loved the letters!! From Elizabeth to her father and her father’s response to everything which has been percolating between her and Darcy! Letters are one of my favourite inclusions in Historicals – they give such a smart look into a person’s heart and mind; to see their thoughts, hear their opinions or to simply tuck close to their observations on whatever is needing to be shared. Letters are a wonderful addition to any story (even a contemporary one!) and I’m so thankful these letters were inclusive of the storyline! I felt they added so much to the scenes and to the characters themselves; as of course, they would regularly use pen and ink to communicate but also it owned to the strength of the setting and timescape already established by Austen herself.

It is the conversation Mrs Gardiner has with Elizabeth which I felt was so poignant in Fall in Love. It spoke to what we know of being true for Elizabeth and for her family; whilst broaching the issues we all can readily see with our own observations in regards to Darcy. Her Aunt is such a kind-hearted woman and overall, I have always enjoyed the Gardiner’s in all the stories I’ve read set in this world. The three woman Elizabeth entrusts with her heart are her Aunt (Mrs Gardiner), Charlotte (her best friend) and Jane (her favourite sister) – each of whom play a very strong role in this story, except for Jane as we didn’t get to spend as much time with her as her story and Bingley’s is running concurrently in the background (as it always had, but with a more minor focus). Seeing how much trust Elizabeth places in these woman and how well she appreciates their console is telling in its own right about how much Adams adheres to the original canon. You will delight in the cross-references between the original story and Fall in Love as much as there are new scenes to tuck inside which show more of Darcy’s own character and the issues he has in society.

I felt Adams explored Darcy’s personality more than even Austen; to show how much he dissolves away from certain encounters and how he doesn’t always stand his ground when it comes to certain members of his family. In some instances, he backs down at times where you want him to be as fiery and fierce as he had been with his Aunt Catherine and other times, when you’d hoped he’d yield and bend a bit – he’s as difficult as a donkey! He’s a complicated character and that is of course the reason I always love reading stories about him; to see different sides of himself.

Fall in Love is a delightful second-look at how Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy come to terms with their growing affection for each other and the winding path they took to see each other as equals rather than seeing each other as sparring partners. In this variant, it is Darcy whose affection has superseded Elizabeth’s – which is quite an interesting route to take as a writer, as the canon eluded to the fact neither of them were especially keen on each other in the beginning; at least not romantically! This story rather takes an interesting path into how they can ‘fall in love’ with each other if each of them compromises a bit of their pride and swallows their prejudices – however, how they choose to do both is where the folly truly lies and where Adams shines the most!

NOTE: Rather than re-type the fuller title of this novel, I’ve chosen to shorten it for sake of reference and ease of readers reading my ruminative thoughts.

on the historically romantic styling of elizabeth adams in sequence with writing a jane austen variant of ‘pride and prejudice’:

I love the ease of transitioning into one of Ms Adams’ novels, because she writes with such a fierce passion about these characters – she treats them in such a kind accord as I believe Austen herself might have fancied if she had had the chance to read them, too. You easily can pick up the context of this story, simply through your memories of having read Pride and Prejudice or if you hadn’t read it and elected to watch one of the adaptations, you’d have enough of the gist of the characters and their relationships to seek out this novel and find yourself cleverly bemused!

I definitely understood know about the style of how Adams writes her Austen stories – how she finds these little nuanced entranceways and by doing so – she can elongate the scenes we already knew to have existed with new information, new dialogue and new routes of exit. This story is a prime example of that styling and I must say, I am a ready fan! She has such a warmth of joy in her writing – you can tell she likes spending time with these characters as a writer as much as we do as readers.

One of the things I noticed very early-on is how Adams plays off the conceptions of ‘pride’ and ‘prejudice’ – to entreat back into this story by way of the characters’ personalities and delightfully play with them a bit across those lines of enquiry! To see who truly has more pride than prejudice inside them and to which will own their faults and warts and strive towards change whilst the other of course is far more obtuse and won’t admit having any fault at all.

And, of course dear hearts – finding this particular Wickham still confronted by his own ill-wills was most delish of all! I never understood how he felt his past and his choices would never catch up with him in the present – Adams does a fine job of showing how much deception Wickham stirs inside the community of the Bennett’s but also, how despite his efforts, he really isn’t able to outsmart his foes when it comes to escaping his own fate!

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This blog tour is courtesy of:

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours - HFVBT

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours!

Follow the Virtual Road Map

as you visit others participating: along the route

& learn about the bookaway attached to the tour:

How to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated blog tour banner provided by HFVBTs and is used with permission.Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

 I look forward to reading your thoughts & commentary!
Especially if you read the book or were thinking you might be inclined to read it. I appreciate hearing different points of view especially amongst readers who gravitate towards the same stories to read. Bookish conversations are always welcome!

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Reading this story contributed to my 2021 reading challenges:

2021 HistFic Reading Challenge banner created by Jorie in Canva.

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{SOURCES: Book cover for “How to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Elizabeth Adams, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge banner, Book Review banner and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2021.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

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Posted Thursday, 6 May, 2021 by jorielov in #HistoricalMondays, After the Canon, Blog Tour Host, Classical Literature, England, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Inspired By Author OR Book, Inspired by Stories, Jane Austen Sequel, Pride & Prejudice Re-telling




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3 responses to “Blog Book Tour | Celebrating a #PrideAndPrejudice variant in the pages of “How to Fall in Love with a Man You Thought You Hated” by Elizabeth Adams

  1. I’m following your Wyrd & Wonder challenge, but it was this post which immediately caught my eye. You’re right, that’s a wonderful book cover, and just so right for a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. The same goes for the title too. Thanks for talking about this book! ~Lex

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