Coming soon: Mr. Darcy’s Twelve Days of Christmas

Good morning, everyone!

I am pleased to announce that my Christmas novel, Mr. Darcy’s Twelve Days of Christmas is up for preorder and will be released soon! The release date is set for the fifteenth of November, but if I can, I’ll push it sooner.

I was brainstorming ideas for a short story that is part of a coming anthology when this idea hit. After a bit of research, imagine my surprise when I learned that the 12 Days of Christmas poem is OLD, like 1600s old. So, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet might have played it as a sort of parlor game, a call and response. If you forgot what came next, you were out.

So, what would happen if Mr. Darcy returned to Hertfordshire with Mr. Bingley? How would he react when he finds out Elizabeth Bennet doesn’t like him at all?

In Mr. Darcy’s Twelve Days of Christmas, our hero rewrites the famous poem in his own way, secretly bestowing gifts upon his true love. Elizabeth does not know his identity. And while he shows his admiration in secret, Mr. Darcy woos Elizabeth, courting her patiently and showing her he has changed.

This piece inspired one of Mr. Darcy’s 12 gifts.

Here’s the blurb:

Fitzwilliam Darcy never meant to fall in love—not here, and not with her.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is relieved to leave Hertfordshire behind. The temptations of a certain spirited miss have grown too strong to ignore, and if he remains at Netherfield, he knows he will propose—and make what he believes to be a most unsuitable match. Yet when his friend Charles Bingley cannot be persuaded to stay away from Jane Bennet, Darcy feels compelled to return to the countryside to prevent what he sees as a potential folly. When the chance for happiness presents itself, he seizes it in the only way he knows how—through quiet devotion, heartfelt gifts, and a love that speaks louder than words.

Elizabeth Bennet is delighted by Mr. Bingley’s return, especially as he resumes his courtship of Jane. But she is far less pleased to see the proud and aloof Mr. Darcy again. To her surprise, the gentleman appears changed—more thoughtful, more kind, and far more agreeable than she remembers. Then, as the Twelve Days of Christmas begin, a mysterious string of lavish and meaningful gifts starts to arrive at Longbourn. Elizabeth is intrigued—and increasingly convinced the sender is the only man who she could ever be prevailed upon to marry.

As each day passes, Mr. Darcy struggles to show the woman he loves that he has changed. For Elizabeth, the mystery deepens, and she finds her heart beginning to soften toward the man she once dismissed. In this heartwarming Regency romance full of mystery, charm, and Christmas magic, true love just might be the greatest gift of all.

Mr. Darcy’s Twelve Days of Christmas is a light-hearted, low-angst Pride and Prejudice variation.

Another inspritation for Mr. Darcy’s gifts.

Well, what are your thoughts? Can Mr. Darcy succeed in courting Elizabeth properly? And no, she does not fall in love because of the gifts. She falls for Mr. Darcy without knowing he’s the gift giver.

You can get the book here: https://mybook.to/MrDarcys12days

Have a wonderful day, dear friends!

MJ Stratton