thank you netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC! a very sweet sequel to pride and prejudice where Charlotte and Mary Bennet are sapphic lovers. i especially liked the fact that both of them are aware that they like women, but came to their realization that they loved one another in different ways. the ending was frustrating for me in the sense that the decision should have been simple.

I loved this so much. It was such a fun romance and I loved the chemistry between them. Watching these two get together was so much fun to read and I couldn't get enough.

I'll be honest, I am a tough sell on a P&P continuation, retelling, or generally any other JAFF. I'm into some of the modern retellings (if the author is queer and/or BIPOC) but I've read some smooshy JAFF that made me want to die inside. So when I saw the email from Harlequin saying that they were offering my early access because I'd previously liked A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence, I was curious, but skeptical.

I am so glad that I was wrong. I am officially a Mary/Charlotte shipper thanks to this book.

When Mr. Collins dies four years into marriage, the ever-practical Charlotte has to make preparations because she knows that without a husband, she'll have to remarry or return to her father's home. Unable to travel to her friend, Lizzie sends Mary as a friendly comfort so Charlotte doesn't have to be alone... And Mary is much less prim and boring than Charlotte remembers. Mary makes Charlotte feel alive and beautiful in a way that she hasn't before, and she finally lets go and allows herself to feel the feelings that she's felt for years.

As a floriography fan, I loved that Charlotte is a gardener and floriography enthusiast. And I loved the method of HEA that McLeod gave to us. It's grounded and freeing and full of love and worthy of Charlotte (the character I always thought I was in P&P).

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for this ARC. I will be buying a copy, and I've already started recommending this one to friends.

Newly widowed Charlotte Collins (nee Lucas) had a decent marriage -- her now deceased husband, a parish priest, was a kind and decent man -- however, she felt no passion for him. She married him because marriage was expected of her. She wrote to her dear friend, Lizzie Darcy (nee Bennet), to inform her of her husband's passing, but Lizzie had a sick child and could not visit. However, one of her younger sisters, Mary, would be passing through Kent, and it was arranged that she would stay with Charlotte briefly. Mary was the Bennet sister that Charlotte knew the least but someone she remembered as being plain, devout, and a talented pianoforte player. The Mary that arrives is not who Charlotte expected and makes her feel things she should not feel (or so she believes).

"The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet" is a beautiful story of coming out to and accepting oneself. The time they spend together at the parsonage and later at the house Mary shares with her Aunt Cecily opens Charlotte's eyes to feelings and ideas that she did not realize could be reciprocated or accepted. Mary and Charlotte have feelings for each other, but Charlotte is not sure how to express those feelings, and Mary, having been emotionally burned in a past relationship, does not want to push too hard, especially as she is uncertain how Charlotte feels. Charlotte's love of flowers, and the meaning of specific types of flowers, colors of flowers, and combinations of flowers, becomes the way they are able to "test the waters", so to speak. I enjoyed watching (reading) as their feelings for each other developed, and as they explored those feelings, especially witnessing Charlotte opening herself up to new and unexpected experiences.

Although Aunt Cecily does not appear in the story until near the end, her influence is felt much earlier in the story in the household she has created. For the times, she has a rather "unconventional" lifestyle, and she has made her home a safe haven for staff whose romantic interests and lifestyles are deemed unacceptable by much of society. I was particularly pleased that the staff included a transgender character.

Of course, the story is not without its fair share of turmoil, as Charlotte does not see a viable way forward for her and Mary, believing that it is her duty not to bring any scandals upon the family, and having resigned herself to returning to live with her parents, remaining a widow. She does not want to marry another man but yet lacks the financial independence to live alone. Her gardening knowledge and inquisitiveness will present her with an unexpected job opportunity which would be perfect for her, except that it would be considered unseemly for her to pursue a trade/join the working class. She will have to decide whether she is willing to risk going against convention.

For lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Anne Lister, The Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence, Bridgerton, The Duke’s Sister & I, and on…Mary Bennet and Charlotte Lucas get their own delicious queer true love story.
I adored this book. I was sent the copy yesterday and devoured it immediately - all of the beautiful flower language references and the way Charlotte used that to share her feelings for Mary - the sweet acceptance of those around them, the complications of grief and widowhood and propriety. I was drawn in by the longing, yearning, and simple want of it all - how Charlotte let herself truly want something and have it - in this case, Mary’s self and love.
This book made my heart sing. And the ending was just SO exquisitely happy.