Have you never wondered about the pasts of her rakes, rattles, and gentlemen rogues? Surely, there's more than one side to their stories. It is a universal truth, we are captivated by smoldering looks, daring charms ... a happy-go-lucky, cool confidence. All the while, our loyal confidants are shouting on deaf ears: “He is a cad—a brute—all wrong!” But is that not how tender hearts are broken...by loving the undeserving? How did they become the men Jane Austen created? In this romance anthology, eleven Austenesque authors expose the histories of Austen’s anti-heroes. "Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues" is a titillating collection of Georgian era short stories—a backstory or parallel tale off-stage of canon—whilst remaining steadfast to the characters we recognize in Austen’s great works. What say you? Everyone may be attracted to a bad boy…even temporarily...but heaven help us if we marry one.

    Oh, that she might have just looked at it!After rejecting Mr Darcy’s proposal at Hunsford, Elizabeth Bennet is surprised when he finds her walking the next day and hands her a letter. Without any expectation of pleasure—but with the strongest curiosity—she begins to open the letter, fully intending to read it.It really was an accident—at first. Her shaking hands broke the seal and somehow tore the pages in two. Oh, what pleasure she then felt in tearing the pages again and again! A glorious release of anger and indignation directed towards the man who had insulted her and courted her in the same breath. She did feel remorse, but what could she do? The letter was destroyed, and Elizabeth expected that she would never see Mr Darcy again. Home at Longbourn, she discovers that her youngest sisters are consumed by a scheme to go to Brighton—and Elizabeth finds herself drawn to the idea of a visit to the sea. But the surprises of Brighton are many, beginning with a chance meeting on the beach and ending in unexpected romance all around.

    At the age of forty, Darcy is now a widower raising a teenage daughter, whilst Elizabeth, a spinster, has spent the intervening years in service. Unexpectedly thrown into each other's company by circumstances not of their making, has time stood still when it comes to matters of the heart? Can their timeless love survive the newest obstacles to their happiness?

    Both sisters are hurt after Mr. Bingley’s hasty departure from Netherfield, although their suffering differs. One of them is trying to mend her broken heart and the other one tries to soothe her anger against those who hurt her sister. Jane and Elizabeth are unexpectedly reacquainted with the men who will change their lives forever. “In a More Amiable Light” is the first Austenesque attempt of a man who has been in love with reading and with Jane Austen’s books all his life but has tried his pen only in other genres so far. The author hopes the readers will give this story a try, so he gains enough courage for another longer and more complex project.

    Darcy overhears some less than flattering opinions of himself. Is fate trying to tell him something? Approximately 13,000 words.

    Darcy is in need of a wife. Business keeps him in London, but Georgiana must go to Pemberley for the sake of her health. He cannot trust her care to the servants. He knows his duty - he must seek a wife. A ball at Almack’s is the place to seek a wife of good breeding and wealth. So Mr. Darcy must force himself to attend. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is pleasing to look at. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is lively, playful and intelligent. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is wearing exquisite, costly gowns. Miss Elizabeth Bennet has a voucher to Almack’s, so she must be from a highly suitable family. Mr. Darcy knows his position in life is such that no lady will refuse his offer of marriage, even when he makes it clear that the arrangement does not include affection. Nothing can possibly go wrong. Artifice and Attraction is a sweet and clean Regency Romance novel of over 89,000 words

    Moments later, Mr. Darcy arrives and asks for her hand in marriage. Thrown by the dreadful news she has just received, Elizabeth cannot respond to him. Once the sickness that claimed her father has finished raging through Hertfordshire, Elizabeth’s family has been decimated, only leaving behind herself, Jane, and Lydia. Numb and aggrieved, Elizabeth agrees to become pledged to Mr. Darcy, but asks that he wait for her period of mourning to be over before they wed. Together, they set off for Pemberley, where Elizabeth must face Lady Catherine’s disapproval, Georgiana’s painful shyness, and the sudden appearance of Mr. Wickham…

     The last thing Fitzwilliam Darcy was looking for was a wife. However, he found he was unable to forget the young woman with the chestnut curls and flashing eyes that tempted him almost beyond decorum. Unbeknownst to him, a despised former friend has also set his sights on Miss Elizabeth Bennet and is determined to do what is necessary, including the unthinkable, to woo, wed and bed her. Elizabeth Bennet has found that her mind, heart and even her body have engaged feelings never experienced before that leave her unsure and frustrated. As a result, she finds it difficult to keep her temper regulated when around Mr. Darcy, even as her feelings for him continue to grow. Will these two passionate people ever resolve their differences and obtain their ‘happily ever after?’ Or will Darcy’s adversary be successful in winning Miss Elizabeth as his own?

    Darcy’s sin of omission, Elizabeth Bennet’s clear-eyed view of the facts gives her the upper hand in a long-distance battle of wills with Mr. Bingley’s former friend. By the time Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth meet—repeatedly—in the groves of Rosings Park, neither knows the whole truth except that somehow, someway, their future is inextricably linked to the courtship of Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet. In this Pride and Prejudice “what-if,” the additional dash of backbone and “far-sighted” action to the character of Mr. Bingley begs the question: How is Mr. Darcy to impress Elizabeth Bennet if Bingley does his own matchmaking? And how is Elizabeth Bennet to trust Mr. Darcy when even faith in a most beloved sister falters? Includes mature content

     NO GREATER LOVE Darcy’s sudden, passionate kiss sweeps Elizabeth into a bliss she has never known...but their love is short-lived. On a field of honor, Wickham, once again, engages in an irresponsible act, which leaves Darcy mortally wounded and Elizabeth broken. Refusing to leave Darcy’s side, the last vestiges of her reputation are shattered, and when Elizabeth sees Darcy in his coffin, she is ruined in more ways than one. Devastated and without hope, reluctantly she agrees to accompany friends to Grenada, a Caribbean island on the brink of revolution. Things are not what they seem. Darcy hasn’t died, but Elizabeth is gone and he fears it is too late to recapture what he has lost. As he struggles to recuperate, he must put aside his pride and his heritage in order to find the only woman he will ever love. Never before has Darcy sacrificed so much for a passion he fought against so vehemently. And never before has Elizabeth’s strength of character been stronger - it is the only thing standing between her and an end that doesn’t include Darcy.

    Darcy's entrance just after Elizabeth receives news that Lydia has run away kicks off the string of events that leads to Lydia's salvation - and that of the entire Bennet family. But what if he did more than offer his condolences and leave? What if, touched by Elizabeth's distress or a moment of insanity, Mr. Darcy gave into his feelings and kissed her then and there? It is a moment neither Darcy nor Elizabeth ever expected, but the odds are still stacked against the couple. As the weeks go by and Darcy shows no sign of renewing his advances, Elizabeth begins to wonder if what happened in Lambton will be nothing more than a sweet memory. Will circumstances conspire to keep them apart forever? Or will Darcy and Elizabeth find their happily ever after? At roughly 12,000 words, What Happened in Lambton is an alternate ending to Pride and Prejudice beginning when Elizabeth receives news of Lydia's elopement.

    It assumes that he does not write a letter after the proposal and that, with the collusion of Georgiana Darcy and Col. Fitzwilliam, they meet again in London not many weeks after they have departed Kent. Then tragedy occurs when there is a disastrous fire at Longbourn and the lives of the entire Bennet family are affected as well as the life of Col. Fitzwilliam, who finds love with an unexpected person.

    Intelligent, pragmatic, and anxious to escape the shame of spinsterhood, Charlotte chose this life, an inevitable one so socially acceptable that its quietness threatens to overwhelm her. Then she makes the acquaintance of Mr. Travis, a local farmer and tenant of Lady Catherine…In Mr. Travis’ company, Charlotte feels appreciated, heard, and seen. For the first time in her life, Charlotte begins to understand emotional intimacy and its effect on the heart—and how breakable that heart can be. With her sensible nature confronted, and her own future about to take a turn, Charlotte must now question the role of love and passion in a woman’s life, and whether they truly matter for a clergyman’s wife.

    Hoping the time away from home might begin to heal Jane’s wounded heart, Elizabeth also seeks peace and quiet to finish the novel she has been working on in secret. She does not expect to meet Mr. Darcy ever again, but should she collide with the arrogant man who had a hand in causing Jane’s sorrow, she has vowed to give him a piece of her mind. A chance encounter while visiting his favorite bookshop finds Fitzwilliam Darcy in the company of a woman he has failed to forget. When he discovers that Elizabeth is there to research a novel she is writing, Darcy offers the use of his own personal library instead, hoping she might finally understand his true character. When the two are thrown together again by fate, will Darcy and Elizabeth open their hearts enough to amend their first impressions of each other? Though not without plenty of conflict, Darcy’s Winter Ball is a sweet, lighthearted, Regency-set novella, with a happy ending for ODC.

    However, what price must she pay for that future? She once said she was not romantic, but how true is that now after almost one year of marriage? Mr Collins is submissive in the extreme to his patroness, and his constant simpering, fawning and deference to the overbearing and manipulative Lady Catherine de Bourgh is sure to try the patience of a saint, or at least of Charlotte. As Charlotte becomes part of Hunsford society, she discovers she is not the only one who has been forced to submit to the controlling and often hurtful hand of Lady Catherine. She feels trapped and realises her need for love and affection. She is not as content as she once thought she would be. The easiest thing to do would be to maintain the peace and do as she is told. But as Charlotte witnesses the misery around her due to her inimitable neighbour, she must decide to remain as she is or to begin a chain of events that will change not only her life but also the lives of those around her in the village of Hunsford forever. But...after all, doesn't every girl deserve a happy ending?