Heather Moll's Latest Book, Nine Ladies, is a Timely Page Turner! + Giveaway

I jumped at the opportunity to read and review Heather Moll's newest novel, Nine Ladies. because I really enjoyed two of her previously books including Two More Days at Netherfield and His Choice of a Wife. I had no idea what the book was about and just assumed the title was literal, but boy was I wrong! I later realized that the opportunity to read this book could not have come at a better time for me. 

I work in the public school system and was lucky to have a long Winter Break. During that time, I began listening to the Outlander audiobooks as well as watching the series on Netflix. The Outlander books are very long (anywhere between 800 to 1100 pages), and there are eight of them. I'm currently on book four. Like Outlander, Nine Ladies follows a woman from the future (Elizabeth Bennet) as she unwittingly finds herself touring the ancient stone circle on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire that is referred to as the Nine Ladies. It just so happens to be on the Vernal Equinox.

Through some ancient power, Elizabeth is transported 200 years into the past to 1811. Although Elizabeth's life experiences and attitude toward this otherworldly experience are very different than those of Claire Beauchamp Randall Frazer (Outlander), her knowledge of the future and incredulity toward some seemingly backward practices and viewpoints of the past are a constant source of tension but also hilarity. Elizabeth's transportation through time is just the beginning of a fantastic voyage (not the Coolio kind) for both she and Mr. Darcy.

One of the ways I like to convey my thoughts on a book is to choose and share a line or passage that spoke to me. This particular line reminds me of my favorite image from the Pride and Prejudice (2005) film and is spoken as Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth begin to change.

"Now he imagined his head was in Miss Bennet's lap, her hand stroking his hair. It was no wonder he dreamed about her. She had woven herself into the threads of his life these past few months. He hoped that when she left on the solstice, it would not tear him apart."

With that, I'll hand the blog over to Heather for a bit as she introduces and then shares an excerpt.

Hello Paige and thank you for welcoming me to  Jane Austen State of Mind! I’m excited to be here with an excerpt from my time travel Pride and Prejudice variation Nine Ladies. This scene is when regency Darcy and modern Elizabeth meet for the first time. Elizabeth was found at a stone circle on an equinox in 1811 and was brought to Pemberley. It falls to the Darcy family to conceal anyone out of their time and return them to the future on the next solstice. To say that neither one of them is thrilled about the situation they find themselves in is an understatement! In this scene, Elizabeth has demanded to see whoever is in charge to get some answers and Darcy has to come face-to-face with this stranger from the future.

Darcy stared at the door while Reynolds searched through the keys on her chatelaine. The pause was nearly enough to break his resolve to acknowledge the woman from the future. Her existence defied reason, and it felt as though by seeing her with his own eyes he validated this madness. But a gentleman discharges any duty required of him.

The door was thrown open, and Darcy settled his features into indifference. Reynolds announced him and was then gone, closing the door firmly behind her.

The woman was looking out the window she had threatened to break. When she turned, her eyes widened, and she stared at him in a forward manner. As though she has just cause to be alarmed by my appearance.

“Madam.” He bowed. The woman did not acknowledge him with a curtsey. Such rudeness. She was indecent, her legs fitted in indigo buckskin with thick, strange laced half-boots. She wore a lilac gentleman’s shirt with buttons down the front that stopped at her hips. Darcy could think of no respectable reason a woman would be dressed that way.

“So you’re the ruler of Pemberley. I thought you’d be older.”

The woman’s strange voice brought his attention from her clothes to her face and person. She was of average height and thinner than was becoming in a woman. Her nose wanted character, her mouth only tolerable, her cheekbones high, and her eyes wide-set. Her air was arrogant, angry, and she looked into his eyes with total attention. It alarmed him.

“You have me at a disadvantage, madam.” She stared as though she did not understand him. Is she a simpleton? “I do not know how to address you.”

“I’m Elizabeth Bennet, but let’s get right to it. I’m either crazy, or I’ve traveled through time. Either way, you have no right to lock me up. I don’t want to be here, and you don’t want me here, so what will you do to get me home?”

Darcy strained to catch her meaning through her strange inflection and language. “Miss Bennet, you are here for your own safety and for the safety of those under my protection. Any person of sense could not fail to comprehend the confusion and chaos that would result were it known one might pass through time.”

“Time traveling doesn’t surprise you?” She gave a disappointed sigh.

“Simply because it has been known to happen, it does not follow that I am not surprised. I am astounded that I live in a world where such a thing is possible.”

“That makes two of us. But why are you keeping me here? Send me back!”

“It is not as simple as putting you in my carriage and telling the coachman to walk on.” For some reason, this made her laugh, and it fueled Darcy’s indignation. “Do not you comprehend the danger you pose to me? I am not given to hyperbole, but let me assure you I will not allow you to ruin my family’s reputation or safety. Cannot you imagine what might become of Pemberley if it is known I concealed such a thing? And there is considerable danger to yourself, and any who shelter you, if others learn from whence you came.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What, are your serfs going to burn me at the stake if they find out I’m from the future?”

Darcy flinched. “What manner of people do you take us for?”

“The type that kidnaps women through time and keeps them under lock and key!”

“We did not abduct you!”

They glared at one another, only a few feet stood between them. The woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Let’s say time traveling is real. You don’t want anyone to know I’m from 2011, and I don’t want to be here in the dark ages. I don’t want to cause you any problems, really I don’t. I won’t tell anyone the truth, I promise—just let me go home.”

“As far as our limited understanding of these strange events go, it is impossible to send you back until the summer solstice. One can stand in the center of the stone circle and go forward in time on the solstice, and one comes here—back in time, according to you—on the equinox.”

“I have to stay three months?” Her shoulders dropped, and she appeared overwrought. “Why?”

He gestured toward the chair at the dressing table, and she fell into it. “Miss Bennet, you are laboring under the impression this is under my control. But you are the first person I have seen with my own eyes appear from the stone circle.”

How fun was that excerpt?! If it piqued your interest, Heather has also shared several more excerpts from Nine Ladies as part of her stops along this blog tour. In addition to excerpts, Heather shares her experiences visiting Bakewell as well as some history and beautiful photos of Stanton Moor and the surrounding area. There are also three more blog tour stops over the next few days!

Thanks again visiting the Jane Austen State of Mind blog! It has been a labor of love since I started it in October 2020. It has also been a sanity saver and positive outlet for stress in during COVID. If you have not yet subscribed to the blog, please consider doing so. Also, consider following the blog via the Jane Austen State of Mind Facebook page!

 Also, Heather is giving away six copies of Nine Ladies at the end of this blog tour. To enter, click on the following Rafflecopter Link and follow the instructions. It's super simple. Good Luck!