Melanie Rachel

Melanie Rachel is a Jane Austen variation author who believes that the only thing better than a dashing hero is one who knows how to handle an unexpected adventure—or perhaps just a stubborn heroine. When she's not busy plotting how to put Darcy and Elizabeth in any number of predicaments, you can find her sipping tea and pretending it's still 1811.

Most commented posts

  1. A Little Royal Trouble (And an Audiobook Giveaway) — 36 comments
  2. Introducing author Melanie Rachel! — 27 comments
  3. Dear Miss Austen . . . — 26 comments
  4. Austen Variations 2025 Advent Calendar — 19 comments
  5. P&P Prelude to Pemberley: Darcy Races to Ramsgate — 18 comments

Author's posts

A Little Royal Trouble (And an Audiobook Giveaway)

The Princess Problem

It’s Monday (day 4 after release) and I’m celebrating The Princess Problem with an audiobook code drop! Want to listen? Comment on this post with the phrase “PRINCESS AUDIO” and tell me: if you were offered a title, would you take it ? I’ll pick two winners at random, so be sure to enter by Friday …

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It’s Still Christmas at Pemberley: The Fifth Day of Festivities

Cover for Unwrapping Christmas with couple walking together carrying presents.

On December 29th in Regency England, Christmas was not over. In fact, they were right in the middle of it. Under the traditional church calendar, the Twelve Days of Christmas run from December 25 to January 5, with Christmas Day itself counted as the First Day. That makes December 29 the Fifth Day of Christmas, …

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Austen Variations 2025 Advent Calendar

the number 20 in gold

Welcome to the 2025 Austen Variations Advent Calendar, where our amazing authors will bring you a new gift every day from now until December 24th. Christmas at Pemberley is no longer the quiet, solemn affair it once was. After their first full year of marriage, the great house glows with a new warmth: candlelight shimmers …

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Why No One Is Hanging Stockings at Pemberley

When you picture Regency Christmas, do you see twinkling lights, piles of presents, and everyone in ugly sweaters? I regret to inform you that Elizabeth’s Mr. Darcy owns zero ugly sweaters. Not even one with a reindeer. This is because in Jane Austen’s time, December looked a little different: No Christmas trees (for most English …

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Dear Miss Austen . . .

16 December 2025 My dear Miss Austen, It has come to my attention across years, pages, and more variations and adaptations than even Lady Catherine could properly censure, that today is the anniversary of your birth. I am reliably informed you have reached the distinguished age of 250, which, even for an immortal authoress, is …

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Austen Variations 2025 Advent Calendar

Welcome to the 2025 Austen Variations Advent Calendar, where our amazing authors will bring you a new gift every day from now until December 24th. Dear Readers,   HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON!!!! For today’s December 1st Advent calendar offering at Austen Variations Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Letters is FREE: readerlinks.com/l/4029848 If you enjoy: A swoony second chance …

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It’s here: Unwrapping Christmas, a Sweet Pride & Prejudice Christmas rom-com Excerpt!

Cover for Unwrapping Christmas with couple walking together carrying presents.

Are you ready for the holiday season??? I’m excited to share that my new Pride and Prejudice variation Christmas novella, Unwrapping Christmas, is now available! This is a low-angst, low-steam romantic comedy with all the emotional feels! It brings Elizabeth Bennet and William Darcy into a modern London Christmas—complete with a Bennet sister’s chat group, …

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Coming Soon, the Austen Variations 2025 Advent Calendar

This year, Austen Variations is doing a 24 day Advent Calendar, where our amazing authors will bring you a new gift every day from December 1st until December 24th. In all honesty, one post went up early by accident, and we know people are clicking over and seeing an error, so we’re replacing the error …

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Why You Should Read Pride and Prejudice in Other Eras

Unwrapping Christmas

If you’re anything like me, you’ve read Pride and Prejudice so many times that you can practically recite Mr. Collins’s proposal while brushing your teeth. (A hazardous activity. The line about “your portion is unhappily so small” almost made me choke on toothpaste once.) But here’s the thing: Jane Austen’s most famous couple, Elizabeth Bennet …

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Pink Slippers, Garden Scandals, and Why I Chose to Write P&P Rom Coms (Plus an Audio Sample)

Regency couple, man holding her slipper, her stocking foot peeking from under the hem of her gown.

Big news: The Slipper Scandal is coming to audio, narrated by the wonderful Harry Frost! Watch for it on Audible starting Wednesday–fingers crossed, everything will pass review and it’ll be available! For now, you can listen to the sample here for free: https://BookHip.com/HQAXWBS Audible should have the audio available on Wednesday, fingers crossed. I thought …

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