Audiobook Release Day for More Than You Know! by Jennifer Altman

Hi, all! I hope you’re having a wonderful summer filled with sunshine, relaxation, and—of course—a good book or two. 🙂

Today, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: my most recent Pride and Prejudice variation, More Than You Know, is now available as an audiobook, beautifully narrated by the incomparable Stevie Zimmerman!

If you’ve already read the book—thank you! I’m so grateful for your support. And whether this will be your first time experiencing the story or a return visit, I hope you’ll give the audio version a try. Stevie brings Elizabeth and Darcy’s world to life in such a vivid, heartfelt way that it feels like stepping into the story all over again.

🎧 You can listen to a sample or grab your copy HERE.

To celebrate the release, I’m also giving away five Audible promo codes to five lucky winners! So, if you’d like to enter to win a free copy of the audiobook, just leave a comment below.

In the meantime, keep scrolling to read the book blurb and enjoy a brand-new excerpt from the story. 🙂

Happy listening!

More Than You Know

Book Blurb

Fitzwilliam Darcy has spent years guarding a secret—one that could cost him everything.

Resigned to a solitary existence, Darcy has long accepted that love and marriage are luxuries beyond his reach. But when a chance encounter on the Yorkshire moors proves impossible to forget, the life he has so carefully constructed slowly begins to unravel.

Years later, drawn into Hertfordshire society by his friend Charles Bingley, Darcy crosses paths with Miss Elizabeth Bennet—clever, spirited, and unafraid to challenge him at every turn. Yet as his attraction to Elizabeth deepens, so does the fear that winning her affection would mean exposing a truth he has long kept hidden.

Unable to endure the agony of watching Bingley pursue the woman he loves, Darcy flees—but fate has other plans. When unexpected circumstances bring Elizabeth to Pemberley, his restraint is tested like never before.

Torn between duty and desire, Darcy must decide: will he cling to the barriers he has spent a lifetime building, or risk everything for the one woman he cannot forget?

Excerpt

Darcy pushed his mount through the swirling snow. He could only hope that Jane Bennet had the right of it and that Elizabeth had indeed gone to the rise they had visited on their walk, where the village of Lambton could be viewed in the valley below. If not, he was wasting valuable time, riding off in completely the wrong direction.

He urged his horse forwards, the animal’s hoofs crunching through the thick snow. The air was heavy with the weight of falling flakes, obscuring his vision and deepening the unease that had taken root in his chest. The chill bit at his cheeks, but he scarcely noticed it; his thoughts were consumed by Elizabeth.

She had been gone too long.

Shaking his head, Darcy cursed his own stupidity. What on earth had he been thinking, setting out to find her all on his own? He never rode alone, even in the best of circumstances. He should have apprised Mr Gardiner of the situation at once. Surely Elizabeth’s uncle would have wished to join the search. Or, at the very least, he should have collected Atkins, his steward, to accompany him. What had possessed him to throw all caution to the wind when Elizabeth’s very life might be at stake?

But even as the question formed, he already knew the answer. It was not his steward or Mr Gardiner he had been avoiding, but Bingley. Bingley, who was all but betrothed to Elizabeth, should have, by rights, been the one to search for her. Yet Darcy had taken it upon himself to play the role of her deliverer—compelled not only by concern but by the unbearable thought of Elizabeth turning to Bingley in gratitude for her salvation. If anyone was to be the recipient of Elizabeth’s appreciation and regard, he had wanted it to be him.

And now his selfishness had endangered the life of the woman he loved.

He was so lost in his musings that he almost missed the turning that led to his destination. Tugging sharply on the reins he wheeled the horse about before spurring it into a gallop.

The skeletal branches of the trees loomed overhead, their limbs weighed down with snow, casting eerie shadows in the dim light. Darcy continued to scour the wintry scene, calling her name, but the wind seemed to snatch the words away, carrying them off before they could travel very far.

Then, through the silvery haze, he saw it—a flash of crimson—and his heart leapt.

“Elizabeth!” he shouted, urging his horse towards the splash of colour. As he drew closer, the shape became clear. It was her coat.

Elizabeth stood amid the trees, her arms wrapped tightly around her body, her head bowed against the wind. At the sound of hoofbeats, she looked up, and Darcy could see that her face was pale, her cheeks flushed from the cold, but relief overspread her features.

“Mr Darcy!” her voice called back to him.

He dismounted in an instant, striding to her side. “Thank God you are safe!” He grasped her gloved hands, feeling the icy chill that seeped through the fabric. “You are freezing.”

“I-I lost my way,” she said, her voice trembling along with her body. “The snow—I could not see where I was going.”

“Come.” Without hesitation, Darcy lifted her onto his horse, removing his greatcoat and wrapping it around her shivering body. “We must get you inside.”

Taking the reins, he turned his mount and began leading it through the deepening snow.

After a few moments, Elizabeth glanced down at him as they pressed forwards, her breath unsteady.

“H-how did you k-know to come looking for me?” she called through chattering teeth.

“Your sister,” Darcy called back. “She grew worried when you did not return from your walk. Then she remembered you had made a remark when we viewed Lambton from the nearby summit about how lovely the village must look in the snow, so I came this way first. I am glad her instinct was correct.”

Elizabeth nodded, wrapping his coat more tightly around her body.

“I am exceedingly grateful to her, and to you. And thank goodness you found me when you did, as it appears I was walking in the wrong direction entirely.”

“No,” Darcy replied loudly over the roar of the wind, “you were not so far off. You were moving towards the formal gardens. But once you reached the next rise, you would have been able to see the house, so no doubt you would have corrected your course.”

“I do not understand. Then why are we now going in the opposite direction?”

“Because I am not taking you back to the manor. At least not directly. We are much closer to the dower house. Indeed, you would be able to see it from here if the visibility were better. We shall be there within a matter of minutes.”

It was not long afterwards that the stately stone edifice became visible through the gloom of the falling snow, its dark windows promising shelter and warmth. Although it had not served as a permanent residence since his grandmother’s time, Darcy had always ensured it was kept furnished and ready, should the need for its use ever arise.

When they reached the door, Darcy gently lifted Elizabeth down from his mount. Her legs wobbled slightly, and he steadied her with a firm but careful grip.

“You are safe now,” he murmured, his voice low and reassuring. “I shall have you inside in a moment.”

Elizabeth managed a faint smile, her pale lips just beginning to regain some of their natural colour. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Leading the horse to the stables at the back, Darcy made quick work of securing the animal before returning to Elizabeth’s side. From the inner pocket of his coat, he withdrew a heavy brass key, thanking providence that he had thought to bring it with him—though he would have broken a window to gain entrance had it been necessary.

The lock yielded with a solid click, and he pushed the door open, holding it so that Elizabeth could step into the dimly lit hall.

The air within was cool but dry, and Darcy wasted no time. Striding to the hearth in the front parlour, he set kindling and logs into place, striking a flame with practised efficiency and slowly coaxing it into a steady blaze.

Elizabeth moved closer, extending her hands towards the fire’s warmth. The flickering light danced across her features, easing the tension that had been evident in her expression.

“You should sit,” Darcy said with quiet insistence, motioning towards a nearby chair draped with a woollen blanket. “I shall fetch more wood in a moment and then see about tea.” Elizabeth nodded, slowly lowering herself into the chair and pulling the blanket around her shoulders. Her eyes lifted to meet his, and there Darcy saw a mixture of gratitude and discomfiture in her gaze.

“Mr Darcy, I do not know how to thank you. I feel very foolish for having risked not only my own safety but yours as well.”

Across from her, Darcy offered up a small smile. “We all occasionally do things we later come to regret. And there is no need to thank me. I am only glad to have found you before… Well, I am only glad to have found you, and to know that you are unharmed.”

After that, they drifted into silence, Elizabeth curled up in the overstuffed armchair, and Darcy, standing before the hearth, staring into the shifting firelight.

The steady heat from the flames seeped into the room, but a sudden chill traced its way along his spine. He blinked, willing the sensation away, but his vision wavered, and the edges of the room suddenly seemed to pulse and quiver.

He gripped the mantelpiece, his knuckles whitening as a prickle of unease settled like a weight upon his chest. The faintest hum filled his ears, growing louder with each passing moment. A surge of dizziness washed over him, and he steadied himself, breathing deeply. Not now, he thought. Not here.

Darcy squeezed his eyes shut, but the sensations only intensified. Flashes of light burst behind his eyelids, and the tingling in his fingertips crept upwards, spreading through his arms.

He smelled the acrid aroma of smoke, sharp and disorienting, and he felt his knees begin to buckle. He opened his eyes, and the room tilted. And then the darkness swallowed him whole.

Thanks so much for stopping by! The book is available in both ebook (Kindle and KU) and paperback (you can find those HERE) as well as Audiobook. 🙂 If you ‘d like to throw your hat in the ring to win a Audible promo code, please comment below!

Until next time,

JA