Blog Tour of “What’s Past is Prologue” by Ann Galvia, review + giveaway

Dear all,

Today, I am very happy to introduce you to Ann Galvia, a new author who has never been at My Vices and Weaknesses. Ann is bringing her latest novel What’s Past is Prologue, a variation of Pride and Prejudice.I will be reviewing today this novel, so let me introduce you first to the author:

Ann started writing sometime before she knew how letters functioned. Her first books were drawings of circus poodles heavily annotated with scribbles meant to tell a story. Upon learning how letters were combined to represent words, she started doing that instead. This has proven to be much more successful.

Sometime after that, she decided she wanted to study Anthropology and sometime after that, she decided she liked cats more than dogs. And sometime after that, she decided to become an educator and teach a new generation of kids how to combine letters to represent words, and use those words express ideas.

And sometime after that, she realized all she really wanted to do was write, which probably should have been evident from the beginning.

Connect with Ann at the following places Ann: Twitter | Facebook | Blog

Before getting to the dissection of the novel, read the description, I hope you like it.

Elizabeth Darcy has her eye on the future.

Before her marriage, she saw herself making the best possible choice. Her husband saved her family from ruin. All he asked in return was her hand. Secure in his good opinion, Elizabeth married him. Only with hindsight and his cryptic warnings that passion is not immutable does Elizabeth question her decision. Her solution? Give him a son as soon as possible. Once his lust for her has been slaked, this service she has rendered him will ensure her value.

The newlyweds are summoned to Rosings Park almost the moment they are married. Though the estate can boast of beautiful grounds, Elizabeth and Darcy arrive to find devastation. A flood has swept away Lady Catherine’s last hopes of hiding debt and years of mismanagement. She expects Darcy to shoulder the recovery efforts.

The effort to save Rosings strains the already tense relationship between Elizabeth and her husband. To make matters worse, her presence is met with disdain and disinterest from the family. As the days in the besieged estate drag on, Elizabeth slowly untangles the histories and secrets of her new relations.

Like Elizabeth’s marriage, the crisis at Rosings is the culmination of past events. Disaster need not be the result of only bad choices; good principles have led them astray as well. As for Elizabeth, she barely knows her husband, and loving him might be impossible. Yet, she is determined to save all that she can—her marriage and the estate—and somehow, create the future she longs for.

What do you think? A lot of information to digest and I imagine that some questions may have risen as well.

If you want to buy the book, you can do it on the following links:

Amazon US   Amazon UK    Amazon CA

Review

Elizabeth and Darcy never met in Pemberley. It was Jane who met Mr Darcy as it was her who went with the Gardiners. Then a lovely reunion with Mr Bingley and then… Lydia’s elopement that can ruin everything!

However, as we know, Darcy made everything right.

Lizzy gets a marriage proposal, again, in a letter, from Darcy because Mr Bennet is too pushy when he asks him why he did what he did for Lydia.

Lizzy accepts but not because she is in love, but because she feels it is the honourable thing to do after all his struggle. (Not a good beginning)

Newly married, they are summoned to Rosings. Elizabeth is treated poorly by Lady Catherine (as you can imagine). However, Elizabeth is always loyal to her husband and supports him.

Darcy faces a big problem in Rosings: the floods have destroyed harvests, houses, etc. and there is no money to be used. Darcy is trying to help Lady Catherine but she keeps being insolent, pedantic and mean… to the point of wanting to kick Mr Collins from the parish because he is the cousin of Mrs Darcy.

Moreover, the cost to help all the farmers, villagers and so on after the flood is too high and Darcy right now cannot help directly as he has lately had some “unexpected payments” to make. Therefore, Darcy’s uncle sends one of his sons, the brother of Colonel Fitzwilliam, to “check” on what Darcy is doing and to confirm the need for such an amount of money. Let’s say that he is not as nice as his brother although he pretends to be. (I hate one of his comments, the one about getting a wife.)

Anne de Bourgh eventually speaks to Elizabeth, not because she hated her before, because she had not much to say. They become cousins and maybe friends eventually…

Georgiana and Kitty, who is to live with the Darcys, are fast friends and they are very good to each other. This will be helpful for everyone.

From my point of view, Lizzy is a bit annoying, she is only worried about not being attractive enough to Darcy for a long time because right now he is “super-in-love” and wants her a lot, but this may not last, as Darcy told her. (I suppose it was jokingly). Elizabeth is worried because she does not want Darcy to tire of her, to realise that he made “a mistake”. She wants to have his heir and spare because then she may not be seen as “a mistake”. However, SPOILER ALERT…

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she may change her mind as we have a happy ending.

I like Ann’s beginning of the chapters with “the girl”, it is a relevant feature to use and it has a meaning later on.

Blog Tour Schedule

1st of August / Savvy Verse & Wit / Guest Post & Giveaway

2nd of August / Of Pens & Pages / Book Review & Giveaway

3rd of August / Babblings of a Bookworm / Book Review & Giveaway

4th of August / Just Jane 1813 / Book Excerpt & Giveaway

5th of August / Liz’s Reading Life / Author Interview & Giveaway

6th of August / From Pemberley to Milton / Book Review & Giveaway

7th of August / More Agreeably Engaged / Guest Post & Giveaway

8th of August / My Vices and Weaknesses / Book Review & Giveaway

9th of August / Diary of an Eccentric / Book Review & Giveaway

10th of August  / Austenesque Reviews / Book Excerpt & Giveaway

11th of August / Margie’s Must Reads / Book Review & Giveaway

12th of August / My Love for Jane Austen / Book Excerpt & Giveaway

13th of August / So Little Time… / Guest Post & Giveaway

Time to Give Away
Ann is giving away 8 ebooks for eight different winners on this blog tour. It is an international giveaway that you can take part until the midnight of the 18th August 2018.

Just click on the link below and follow instructions. Read the terms and conditions below the link.

Rafflecopter of “What’s Past is Prologue”

Terms and Conditions:

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post or a review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented. If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified. One winner will be selected per contest. Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international.