Full of hope and ripe with possibility, beginnings and new beginnings refresh the spirit with optimism and anticipation.   Four Days in April.   Two letters. Four Days. Everything changes.   After offering a most disastrous proposal of marriage and receiving a rebuke he will never forget, Fitzwilliam Darcy writes Elizabeth Bennet an equally memorable letter.   What if she answers it with one of her own?   From the award winning author of Given Good Principles, Remember the Past and Mistaking Her Character, Sweet Tea short stories offer the perfect bite to transport readers back to the Regency era for the first days of new love.

    Bennet threatens to leave his five young daughters at the mercy of the vengeful Mr. Thaddeus Collins. But Mr. Bennet plays one final desperate card before he passes, calling on his distant relatives—the Darcys—to provide his children with a home. Removing themselves to Pemberley after their father’s death, the girls are protected by the estate’s current master, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, who looks after them as conscientiously as he does his own sister. When chance takes the Bennets and their Darcy relations to the estate leased by Mr. Bingley, little do they know that their father’s thwarting of Mr. Collins has only fanned the flames of his envy and hatred. He is determined to secure a Bennet daughter as a wife for his son, and he will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal. Elizabeth has become consumed by love for Mr. Darcy, but since he remains oblivious to her feelings, Elizabeth’s desperation forces her to consider going into service as a governess, if only to obtain some distance from the object of her affection. But Mr. Collins has no intention of letting Elizabeth escape his grasp so easily, and everything finally comes to a head when he meets with her in an explosive showdown.

    love never fails. After her father dies, Elizabeth Bennet refuses to marry the heir of her family’s estate, leaving her, her mother, and her sisters without means and without a home— and it is all Elizabeth’s fault. What are five single women with no prospects to do? A string of emotional decisions lead her from her beloved Hertfordshire to London, where she becomes a lady’s companion to a scheming woman with too much time and money and too few scruples. Fitzwilliam Darcy is full of remorse. Humbled from his arrogance, he sets out to prove that he is a man of honor by earning the respect of the one most affected by his indifference— Miss Elizabeth Bennet. From the offering of a handkerchief to a hot air balloon ride, he will do what he must to become the man she believes him to be. However, even the best intentions often go awry… especially when Charles Bingley’s aunt, Lady Lavinia Rutledge, is involved. Can Darcy and Elizabeth see past their guilt and regret to recognize the love they long for? *This is a sweet romance based on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice.

    Lies. Lessons. . . Love? Elizabeth Bennet’s insistence on marrying for love has unintended consequences when she defies her mother and refuses Mr. Collins. With Longbourn left in mourning, Elizabeth must work through her guilt and grief, only to discover how little she has understood anyone around her. As others prepare for weddings, Elizabeth is left to wonder how she will find love when her judgment is so abominable. Though she tries, can she really change? Fitzwilliam Darcy knows the Master of Pemberley has a duty to find a suitable bride. As tempted as he is by Elizabeth, she is far from suitable. When Mr. Bingley refuses to leave Hertfordshire, Darcy finds himself staying as well to protect his friend, then staying to protect Elizabeth from Mr. Wickham's increasing attentions. Darcy struggles to balance claims of his heart against claims of duty, only to learn he faces another obstacle. The more he speaks with Elizabeth, the more he fears that making an offer may not be sufficient to make her his wife. If you are a fan of Jane Austen adaptations, vagaries, fan fiction, and sequels, then open a sample of Folly and Forgiveness now. New through Kindle Unlimited, Folly and Forgiveness: A Pride and Prejudice Variation is a full-length novel of over 100,000 words.

     When ELIZABETH BENNET appears on his doorstep some ten months after her refusal of his hand in marriage, FITZWILLIAM DARCY uses the opportunity to "bargain" for her acceptance of a renewal of his proposal in exchange for his assistance in bringing Mr. George Wickham to justice. In Darcy's absence from Hertfordshire, Wickham has executed a scam to defraud the citizens of Meryton, including her father, of their hard-earned funds. All have invested in Wickham's Ten Percent Annuity scheme. Her family and friends are in dire circumstances, and more importantly, Mr. Bennet's heart has taken an ill turn. Elizabeth will risk everything to bring her father to health again and to save her friends from destitution; yet, is she willing to risk her heart? She places her trust in Darcy's ability to thwart Wickham's manipulations, but she is not aware that Darcy wishes more than her acquiescence. He desires her love. Neither considers what will happen if he does not succeed in bringing Mr. Wickham before a magistrate. Will his failure bring an end to their “bargain”? Or will true love prevail?

    From their infancy, they have been intended for each other. It was the favorite wish of his mother… —Pride and Prejudice, Jane AustenFitzwilliam Darcy was raised to never stray from the path set before him: ensure the continued prosperity of his estate, Pemberley, protect and educate his sister to become an accomplished woman, and marry the woman his mother chose for him—his cousin Anne de Bourgh. With a letter bearing his late mother’s signature, Darcy presumes his fate is sealed and prepares to wed one he does not love. However, his destiny begins to unravel when he glimpses a pair of fine eyes on a quiet, country road.Elizabeth Bennet is the second daughter of a respectable though insignificant gentleman. She is flattered to have captured the attention of a local squire, a childhood friend, and everyone believes her path is secure—until a handsome, rich gentleman arrives at a neighboring estate. Happenstance begets the unlikely pair together, bridging a forbidden love long past a mere friendship.In A Lie Universally Hidden, two of literature’s most beloved romance characters are destined to marry for fortune and obligation rather than love. How will Darcy and Elizabeth fulfill their true destiny under such circumstances? Shall honor, decorum, prudence—nay, a signed letter from the grave—forbid it?A Lie Universally Hidden is a Regency Romance suitable for most audiences, teen and up.

    Elizabeth and Darcy are in love and plan to marry, until Elizabeth comes face to face with Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Although standing strong during the worst confrontation of Miss Elizabeth’s life, she soon realizes that she cannot marry Mr. Darcy and refuses him. Futile attempts by Mr. Darcy to win her back fail, until he finds out the most astonishing information about Elizabeth Bennet.Show More Show Less

    Compromise! can bring down a virtuous maiden, like Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and her entire family along with her.When Elizabeth finds Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy outside Netherfield, alone and at his most vulnerable, she must make a quick decision to bend the rules of propriety to help him or turn her back on someone in need. Her tender heart reaches out to him and his wounded one grabs hold of her well-intentioned support. Discovery changes the course of their lives as Elizabeth is forced to accept a reluctant proposal of marriage from this man whom she has just barely begun to respect. Can Jane Austen’s most beloved couple reach a compromise that might turn a tenuous friendship into a loving marriage? Will it survive as desperate, unscrupulous, and foolish people alike set compromising machinations into motion for their own greedy ends?Follow Elizabeth and Darcy in this novella-length Regency romance as J. Dawn King takes them through a sweet variation of Pride and Prejudice where compromises abound and outcomes will surprise you.By the author of Amazon bestsellers A Father’s Sins and One Love, Two Hearts, Three Stories.BONUS PREVIEW INCLUDED: The Trouble With Horses by Elizabeth Ann West

     A much better summer for Darcy prevents the worst of the misunderstandings in Hertfordshire. This results in a fast, strong friendship between Elizabeth and Darcy. While in Kent, Darcy abruptly discovers that despite, considering Elizabeth only a friend, she has fallen in love with him.

    Darcy had never spoken so disdainfully? First Impressions explores how the events of Jane Austen's beloved novel would have transpired if Darcy and Elizabeth had danced together at the Meryton Assembly. Jane and Bingley's relationship blossoms unimpeded, Mary makes a most fortunate match, and Lydia never sets a foot in Brighton. Austen's witty style is authentically invoked in this playful romp from Longbourn to Pemberley.

    One of the crucial points in Austen’s novel is Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s fiery and passionate refusal and denunciation of the equally passionate but infinitely more repressed Fitzwilliam Darcy. What might eventuate if the robustly healthy Elizabeth falls prey to illness for almost the first time in her life just when Darcy comes to call? Bemused by her illness, she hardly comprehends what Darcy is asking, and her simple nod of acknowledgment is misinterpreted as acceptance of his suit by a joyous Darcy. By the time Elizabeth regains her health, it seems that every one of her acquaintance and many outside of it accept that she has become engaged to the last man in the world she would ever have considered marrying. Can she openly demand her engagement to the amorous but prideful Darcy be broken, a course fraught with hazards in the social milieu of Regency England? In a maelstrom of confusion, choices have to be made and disclosures closely considered. Elizabeth knows that nothing in her life will ever be the same, and the consequences will likely spread further than she can imagine.

    Their return finds Rosings swathed in mourning. In death, Anne is revealed as having lived a rich life of the mind, and she plotted rather constantly to escape her loathsome mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Anne’s journal—spirited into the hands of Elizabeth and Charlotte Collins—holds her candid observations on life and her family. It also exposes her final, and sadly fatal, means of outwitting her mother. Anne’s Last Will and Testament, with its peculiar bequests, sends Lady Catherine into a tailspin and throws into turmoil every relationship amongst the Bennets, Darcys, Fitzwilliams, Collinses, and even the Bingleys! Was Anne de bourgh a shrewder judge of character than Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy combined?Includes mature content.

    Bennet died, Elizabeth became the governess of Lady Catherine’s unwanted ward. One day she collided with Mr. Darcy in the halls of Rosings. But though she now saw the good gentleman he truly was, it was too late: Mr. Darcy was engaged to his cousin, Anne. Lady Catherine called Darcy to Rosings after she learned about Georgiana’s near elopement to Wickham. She gave Darcy a terrible choice: Marry Anne, or I shall tell the world! When Darcy saw Elizabeth again, he knew he never ceased to love her. Darcy was torn between protecting his sister and the desperate wishes of his heart. When Darcy at last sees a hope for himself and Elizabeth, something terrible happens that may keep them apart forever…

    In Jan Hahn’s "The Child," Darcy flees England soon afterward, striving to overcome his longing for her. Upon his return two years later—while standing on the steps of St. George’s Church in Hanover Square—he spies the very woman he has vowed to forget. But who is the child holding her hand? Darcy soon discovers that Elizabeth and her family are suffering the effects of a devastating scandal. His efforts to help the woman he still loves only worsen her family’s plight. His misguided pride entangles him in a web of falsehood, fateful alliances, and danger. Will Elizabeth be able to forgive Darcy for his good intentions gone awry? And what effect will the child have on Darcy’s hopes to win Elizabeth’s love?

    This short story assumes the reader is familiar with Pride and Prejudice.Cover by Summer Hanford