2.5 stars

I was really excited to read this sapphic sequel to Pride and Prejudice, which features a romance between a widowed Charlotte Lucas Collins and Mary Bennet. I think I would have enjoyed much more it if it were just a romance separated from the original text. My biggest issue with this book is that Mary's character has absolutely no relationship to the Mary Bennet who we meet in Pride and Prejudice and we don't get enough of her backstory from her selection to make her transformation believable. Charlotte also seems to think that Mary is fascinating and magnetic, which also doesn't align, even if she was misunderstood. That dissonance distracted me enough through the entire book that I wasn't really able to enjoy the rest of the story.

Thank you to Harlequin Romance for an advance reading copy for for unbiased review.

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod is a Pride and Prejudice spin off starring the younger sister of Lizzy and Jane, Mary, and Lizzy’s best friend, Charlotte.

Charlotte has just been widowed. Lonely and seeking comfort she writes to her oldest friend Lizzy hoping for a visit. When Lizzy is unable to come, she sends her younger sister Mary instead. Charlotte remembers Mary as the somber and judgmental sister. But the woman who arrives has grown up, she's eccentric and interesting, she's funny and kind, and most surprisingly, Charlotte finds herself drawn to Mary in a way she hasn’t been in years. The attraction is obviously (maybe not to Charlotte) mutual.

As Mary and Charlotte spend more time together they become good friends. They talk often of Charlotte's love of flowers, Mary’s scientific community, and their mutual friends and family.

Eventually they travel together (only one room at the inn!), visit Mary’s lovely (and safe) home, and finally, act on their feelings.

Mary is much more independent and sure of herself than Charlotte. But still, Charlotte’s good heart and protectiveness outmatch even the most cynical of Mary’s circle and thoroughly impress the rest of them.

When Charlotte’s anxiety about reputation clashes with their relationship, she’s forced to make a choice and eventually apologize and beg for another chance, which she does beautifully.

I loved everything about this book, as a pride and prejudice fan, as a romance fan, and as a HisRom fan eager for more inclusive stories. The community, honesty, and joy in this book are palpable.

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is told entirely from Charlotte's POV but Mary’s take on their relationship is never lost.

This is the HEA I wanted for both Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet. I laughed for 5 minutes at the first line, but the rest was pretty dreamy and introspective. I felt like it had the right amount of character growth to get us from the Charlotte of P&P to the Charlotte willing to take risks.

This book took me sooooo long to get through, but it’s not because it isn’t good! I was raised on Pride & Prejudice, and I only read queer romance now, so this felt perfect for me. The only problem is that Lindz McLeod writes in a true historical fashion, which is incredibly difficult for me to read with my eyes. I typically listen to historical romances, but the arc I received was an ebook. But because I took so long, the book came out before I could finish it, so I switched to the audiobook and finished it within a day!

Charlotte Lucas married Mr. Collins in P&P, but he “sadly” passes away at the beginning of this story. Lizzie has a sick baby, so she sends her younger sister, Mary, so stay with Charlotte. Neither of them were expecting a whirlwind romance, but they bonded over their shared love of flowers and reading while traveling together. When Mary introduces Charlotte to a queer community she didn’t know existed, her eyes are opened to all kinds of possible futures.

I really loved this story. I felt like Charlotte was so true to character. Mary felt so different, but in a good way. No one would have wanted to read a romance about that obnoxious younger sister in P&P, but she grew up into a wonderful woman in this book.

I can’t wait to read (the audiobook of) the sequel!

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet has the kind of slow burn romantic tension that will have you shouting, "Just kiss already!" In the best way. And when the lovers do finally kiss, it's worth the wait!

When Mr. Collins passes away from an illness, Charlotte finds herself widowed young without the means to provide for herself. It seems as though she will have to chose between returning to her parent's home or finding a new husband. Neither option is particularly appealing to her, and she writes to her friend Lizzy to see if she might visit with her for a while while in mourning. Lizzy is unavailable, so she sends her sister Mary in her place.

Charlotte and Mary were never close growing up, and so Charlotte is surprised to find that not only is Mary much changed when they meet, but she also enjoys her company more than expected and perhaps a bit more than is proper.

The romance that unfolds between Mary and Charlotte is sweet, tender, and exquisitely slow, which feels appropriate given the social restraints of the time period. I found Mary and Charlotte to be rather uninteresting in Austen's original work, and McLeod breathed so much life and fullness into them that I ended up loving both of them, their love story, and this book.

1 star
——————

DNF @ 25%

I tried so hard to like this book, I just couldn’t get myself engaged in it at all. The writing and language felt clunky, trying too hard to be period. The pacing was soooooo slow and yet the romance felt really fast? I didn’t like Charlotte as a narrator and her chemistry with Mary felt so forced.

I won’t be reviewing elsewhere.

I absolutely loved this and it came into my life at exactly right time. Nobody deserves a true HEA like Charlotte Lucas. This was so well done and often felt like I was reading Jane Austen herself. I can't wait to recommend this to our customers!

Tropes:
Only one bed
Sapphic
Re-imagining
Sexual Awakening

This was everything I could’ve hoped for in a Pride and Prejudice retelling. Charlotte always deserved better and this tied everything up so nice and neat. I love that her and Mary FINALLY get to live their best lesbian lives!


Thank you Harlequin Romance for the eARC!

This book was totally fine, but it didn't really do anything interesting and it felt like it was using P&P just to use it, rather than to do something compelling about these characters.

The 150th anniversary of Austen's birth is the perfect time for a new Sapphic historical romance that takes place 4 years after the end of Pride & Prejudice and has a widowed Charlotte Collins (nee Lucas) falling for Mary Bennet. This slow burn was spicier than anything Jane would have ever written but I enjoyed it! Good on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Claudia Grey or Emma R. Alban. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the idea of this but I feel like it missed the mark . sexual over emotional. Really was not a fan of this one but I wanted to like it so bad. It just wasn't for me.

I've read many a Pride and Prejudice fanfic in time, some good, some bad, and this was thankfully one of the more enjoyable. I thought McLeod did a tremendous job keeping the same tone and writing style as the source material. The writing was so flowery and poetic. I was a little disappointed at first to see not many characters from the original story, but on second thought, I'm glad McLeod did not try to rely on the source material and its characters too often. Besides the inclusion of Charlotte and Mary, she really made this work her own. I enjoyed reading about a new setting and new characters, and was overall very pleased with the story. As a lesbian and an avid Pride and Prejudice enjoyer, this one gets a glowing review from me, and I thoroughly recommend "The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet."

With the backdrop of a Jane Austin novel to set the scene, The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is the sort of story that can't help but succeed. Throw in a sapphic twist to the traditional regency romance and you have a lovely courtship not usually depicted on the page.

Mrs. Charlotte Collins is a new widow being rushed to choose a new direction for her life. She has a month to vacate her home, and must either return home to her parents, or remarry. She doesn't want to do either, and while contemplating her future, her dear friend Elizabeth Darcy sends her unwed sister, Mary, to comfort Charlotte.

Whether dear Lizzie had designs on matchmaking, we'll never know, but when Mary Bennet arrives, the two ladies share a mutual attraction. Mary invites Charlotte to come with her back to Canterbury, where she lives among more open-minded friends and family, and shows Charlotte what life could be if she stayed with Mary and took a third, unforeseen path.

It is exactly the kind of tentative romance expected of regency romance, where incidental touches cause hearts to flutter, and desire burns low and long. Both Charlotte and Mary are sympathetic characters plagued by misunderstandings and unspoken words, and readers will ache for them to come together for a happily ever after.

I really liked the first half or so of this book. We get a very interesting set up where we start with Charlotte on the day of Mr. Collins' passing and dealing a little bit with that grief. I actually was expecting it to be from Mary Bennet's POV based on the title. It was more an unlikely pursuit by Charlotte Collins (nee Lucas). Anyway, once we have the introduction of Mary into the story, we get to see more of Charlotte dealing with emotions and urges that she thought we just a fancy of her younger self. I liked that it was a more tentative and unsure overture at times. Once they do couple up more things moved a little fast and Charlotte's personality became less tranquil that her typical self. I felt like their arguments were abrupt and never quite resolved enough for me. Mary's personality from the start was not quite what I got while reading P&P. Mary being a scientist of sorts was a little strange, when, honestly, I feel like if she did pursue scholarship, it would more likely be in philosophy. I could see where she would have come out of her shell once her sisters were all out of the house and she was able to move around freely with this aunt. I liked certain ways their relationship grew, and other stuff just didn't quite work. Overall, I think this was a cute romance. I do think it would have worked just as well, if not better, if this were not a reimagined continuation of the P&P story following side characters. I think we could have explored a little more if this story wasn't confined to the previous, iconic one. I would be interested to pick up another book set in this world that doesn't involve being a reimagining. I would love to see Aunt Cecily and her lovers' story. I think that would be fun! Or even some of Mary's friends.
3.5 stars :)

Upon Mr. Collins’s death, Charlotte is back to where she started four years ago. Without an heir or a benefactor, she is going to have to move back home and become a burden on her parents, unless she can remarry quickly. After writing to her best friend, Lizzie, Mary Bennet is sent to help support Charlotte in this transition. Mary ends up helping Charlotte more than she could have ever imagined.

I will admit that it has been over 10 years since I last read Pride & Prejudice, and I remember very little of Charlotte and Mary as side characters. The book does a good job introducing the original facets of the characters before adding its own spin on their personalities and lives four years post-original. Since both of these characters were only minor in the original, the author has a lot of room to work with to twist them both in any way she wants.

In some ways this is very enjoyable as it creates a three-dimensional person who you can care about and who you wish the best for especially in a world where women were treated more like commodities than real people. The author inserts a much more progressive world than Austen’s Regency with the majority of characters in the book belonging to the LGBTQ+ and the quiet acceptance or indifference of those who aren’t.

While I don’t mind progressive leanings as I prefer my historical fictions to fall more in the fiction side than the historical side, I feel this book went a little too far and was more on the side of fantasy or a fairy tale where everyone lived happily ever after without judgment. Even the ending of this book was more on the fairy tale side where Charlotte gets everything she ever wanted without much struggle or side-effects.

That being said, if you want a low-stakes, happily ever after spinoff of Pride & Prejudice, this is the best you will get.

Jane Austen but make it a sapphic Pride and Prejudice story between Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet, set four years after the original story! When Mr. Collins dies four years after marrying Charlotte, she is now lost, she's not sad, just kind of lost now that she's leaving the parsonage that is her home and needs help figuring out what to do next. So when she writes to Lizzie... the last person she expects to show up is Mary Bennet, the other Bennet sister. Mary is nothing that Charlotte remembers or expects. Mary has discovered academia and an interest in botany... and something else... something that captivates Charlotte.. and as their friendship grows... so does this new feeling inside of Charlotte. Charlotte may not have ever have the grand love that Lizzie has with Darcy... but for once she's beginning to see that maybe its happening now with the most unexpected Bennet of them all. Can Mary and Charlotte find a way to be together despite the ton's strict rules and expectations? This definitely was a unique read and as a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice I'm always looking for a fresh spin on the classic. Mary and Charlotte are both odd balls but I definitely see the potential, so when I read the premise of this one, I was so so excited. It starts off strong but kind of tapers off in the middle. I wish I was more invested and intrigued but I kind of fell off. It got a bit boring for me and kind of lacked movement in the story but it might be a me thing. I just struggled to read this and felt like it dragged on for me. Despite that, I do think fans of the classic should give this a go because it is a fun twist!

Release Date: April 29, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin - Romance | Carina Adores for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to Harlequin for my gifted review copy. My opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Mr Collins has died leaving Charlotte a widow at 31. Lizzie is unable to visit and sends Mary Bennet in her place. Mary is nothing like what Charlotte remembers.

My thoughts:
This is for the Jane Austen lovers, particularly those who love the idea of a queer bent to the beloved characters of Pride And Prejudice, who act within societal rules (there were an awful lot of close friends). I really enjoyed the slower pace of this story and the massive intense character shifts that Charlotte goes through as she figures out she’s not alone in her feelings. Mary was an absolute delight to read, I loved that she wasn’t subtle but Charlotte doesn’t pick up on the hints from anyone, and when Charlotte finally does, the relief that the reader and the other characters go through is palpable.

Highly recommend for Jane Austen lovers.

I think I liked this book as a retelling more than I liked it as a romance, which is quite a refreshing change for me, as someone who can get rather persnickety about retellings. While I wouldn't necessarily have written some of these characters the same way myself, I did believe the author's take, and I liked that it actually felt like the author loved Pride and Prejudice and the characters who exist in it. Mary, in particular, was a delight. I loved that she was allowed to flourish and find herself, while still being kind of an awkward and weird nerd, but happier now than she was at eighteen.

I also really loved the community aspect, both in the sense of Mary's public science society and in quieter ways, like how everyone can be themselves in Mary's aunt's house because everyone there is queer and will look out for you. All of the little moments of caring were really lovely.

My only real frustration with this book was the third act. I can't exactly say it was unrealistic or unbelievable, but it did feel like Mary was constantly trying so hard to meet Charlotte where she was at and Charlotte was so determined to self-sabotage, despite literally everyone telling her that's what she was doing. Because most of the conflict in this book followed that exact pattern, it made it a little difficult to believe next time won't be the same thing again.

Still, I found this to be a very promising debut, and I look forward to more from Lindz McLeod.

I love Jane Austen's novels so I am always up for reading a book inspired by her novels. This one had a fantastic sapphic romance which had me rooting for their success.

Lindz McLeod brings sapphic to the classic Pride and Prejudice. The middle Bennet sister Mary is brought forward in this book with Elizabeth's best friend Charlotte.
The story is 3rd person POV, but it is focused on Charlotte. I believe McLeod stayed true to the characters we know and evolved them well. The story is told 4 years after the original.
I truly believe that if you enjoyed Jane Austin's version, this will fulfill your curiosity about what happens to some of the remaining characters.
This was my first book by Lindz McLeod. I look forward to other romances she may come out with in the future. (Anne de Bourgh - hint, hint).

Thank you, Netgalley, for the chance to ARC.