I always loved these two quiet characters and love this retelling of them as those that don’t quite fit in socially but are romantically interested in each other.
Loved the awakening and just unknown world opened to Charlotte as she realizes there are different kinds of love. Mary has always been the intelligent one and she finds a kindred spirit in Charlotte or Mrs. Collins.
Really liked the slow burn and friends to lovers in this book.
Definitely recommend if you like historical or queer books of just going back into P&P world.

I will admit to having no prior knowledge of these characters as I haven't read any of Jane Austen's works. I did however really enjoy this book even without that previous knowledge so for anyone who hasn't read Pride and Prejudice, I don't think it would be necessary in order to enjoy this book.

The book starts off on a sadder note with Charlotte experiencing the loss of her husband. You can tell she is just going through the motions with her grieving and isn't taking the loss as hard as one might if the person were some profound love of their life. Through a series of letters at the beginnings of chapters you get a peek into the lives of Charlotte's family and friends and soon enough one of those letters promises to send Mary Bennet to Charlotte's home to comfort her in place of her older sister who cannot travel to be with her. Very quickly we see the bond between Charlotte and Mary form as they spend time together and share their interests. Charlotte's world is burst wide open as she has new opportunities she's always wanted given to her by Mary and her more free way of living granted to her by living with her more liberal aunt. It was a beautiful slow build to their relationship that I really enjoyed. The secret looks, the messages passed through the meanings of flowers and subtle conversations filled with hints and double meanings. Once they realize that they both feel the same way, the romance really accelerates and so does the spice. There was more than I was expecting for the time period of the book though nothing too wild.

The third act break up was a bit predicable and maybe a resolved a little too easily with options presented to Charlotte that resolved all her issues simply and maybe a little unbelievably. I didn't really buy that the gentleman that she was working for would simply give her his fortune after only knowing her such a short time for example. The resolution between Mary and Charlotte also came quite late in the book and I would have appreciated more time after their make up to be shown in the book.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys time period romances like these.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book through Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Look, I have always felt Charlotte Lucas deserves better than boring “excellent boiled potatoes” Mr. Collins. And I have always felt Mary Bennett deserves better than just being the “weird” sister. This book gives them both so much more by giving them each other! Thank you Lindz McLeod for righting both these wrongs in such an enjoyable sapphic story!

I needed this book. As much as I adore Pride and Prejudice, this sapphic sequel was an absolute joy to read and something younger Nat would've loved.

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet takes a character long dismissed by readers—Mary Bennet—and gives her unexpected depth and a slow-burning romance that’s full of restraint, yearning, and gentle transformation. Told entirely from Charlotte Lucas’s perspective, the story reimagines her life post-Mr. Collins and lets her unfold beautifully into someone who begins to want more, and then dares to take it.

Societal expectations come into play here, but they are then shunned for love. I loved the way this romance was developed — in the language of flowers, in moments of quiet companionship, and in Charlotte’s gradual realisation that she can live differently. The prose is elegant without being fussy, and I loved how rooted it stayed in Charlotte’s inner world as she moved through grief, social expectation, and newfound connection.

The queer awakening is so thoughtfully done, and the HEA felt completely earned. Yes, there is a slight suspension of belief due to the historical setting, but it's a romance book - I'll give it that grace. This novel was a really lovely read that honours its Austen roots while adding something new and moving. Definitely recommend if you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice or historical queer romance.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin - Romance | Carina Adores for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I had more to say about this novel because I love the concept of it. But it just never managed to fully capture my attention. I feel like the overall story would have been better had it not been tied to Pride and Prejudice.

Very much written in the style of Jane Austen, this story follows Charlotte Lucas after the death of Mr. Collins and her new friendship with a much more independent Mary Bennet than she had known before. Through their time together Charlotte begins to reckon with her feelings and her queer identity, finding her own way as an independent woman and a woman in love along the way.

This is an example of why historical romance genre will never die! Linda McLeod crafted a gorgeous sapphic romance following Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet years after the events in Pride and Prejudice. The writing flows very well and it's easy to get lost in the time period. The yearning is absolutely delicious, and reading the two of them slowly learn to trust each other was delightful. There's also a lovely found family supporting cast. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance (Carina Adores) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the free copy of this book for review.

I enjoyed this reimagining of Mary Bennet and Charlotte Collins as queer. Mr. Collins has died 4 years into their marriage and Lizzie cannot come visit her friend, so she sends Mary to visit in Charlotte's time of bereavement. Their relationship develops slowly but once they realize that they both want each other, they are pretty hot and heavy for a while. Charlotte is concerned about maintaining appearances and Mary has a much more free-spirit which leads to their conflict because while Mary is all in, Charlotte feels duty bound to just go back to Lucas Lodge and forgo her happiness.

They figure it out in the end, and I understood the 3rd act breakup and conflict. If you're feeling frustrated by it, let's just say there are people who give Charlotte a talking-to and let her know she should make it right and take a leap. All the characterizations from characters we know from Pride and Prejudice were true to the original in my opinion. Also this has quite a few epistolary features and some excerpts from a book within this book. It's lovely how the queer society in these parts of England in the historical setting were explored.

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet
Lindz McLeod
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I cannot say “no” to a Pride and Prejudice book. This one had me with a Sapphic HEA for Mary Bennet. The fact it’s with a recently widowed Charlotte Lucas Collins is icing on the cake. I love this concept.

This was a fun regency romance in a world I love. If you enjoy queer takes on regency romance this book will definitely be for you.


As an avid Austenite, I do wish the author had infused some of Austen’s tone into the storytelling, and that Mary and Charlotte were more complex in their characterizations than they are ( Mary is a little too confident and Charlotte too insecure) but if you are looking for a fun breezy read, this will likely hit the spot.

Thanks to @harlequinbooks and Audio for the free eARC and ALC via @netgalley.

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.