The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet

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What to expect

'A triumph of a book, and an utter delight from start to finish' Thomas D. Lee, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Perilous Times

Jane Austen meets Bridgerton in this slow-burn sapphic romance between Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet, taking place four years after the end of Pride and Prejudice.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that love always blooms in the unlikeliest of places.

When Mr. Collins dies after just four years of marriage, Charlotte is lost. While not exactly heartbroken, she will soon have to quit the parsonage that has become her home. In desperate need of support, she writes to her best friend, Lizzie. Unable to leave Pemberley, Lizzie sends her sister, Mary Bennet, to offer support in her stead.

To Charlotte's surprise, Mary Bennet is nothing like she remembers. Mary's discovery of academia and her interest in botany (as well as getting out from under her mother's thumb) have caused her to flourish. Before long, Charlotte is enraptured - with Mary, and with the possibilities that lie beyond their societal confines. With each stolen glance and whispered secret, their friendship quickly blossoms into something achingly real.

But when her time at the parsonage begins to dwindle and potential suitors appear, Charlotte must make a choice - the safety and security of another husband, or a passionate life with Mary outside the confines of the ton's expectations.

Set in the beloved world of Jane Austen, The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is the swoony sapphic regency romance that readers have been waiting for.

Critics Review

'It's a triumph of a book, and an utter delight from start to finish. A very clever expansion on Pride and Prejudice, full of joy and humour and romantic tension. Charlotte and Mary both leapt off the page and I loved all of the supporting characters... I had to read the conclusion twice as fast as I usually read, just to find out what happened!'
Thomas D. Lee, the Sunday Times bestselling author of PERILOUS TIMES
'With Charlotte as the sole narrator, the mystery of whether she's reading Mary's signals correctly keeps the pages turning right up until the moment their passion erupts. The result is an unabashedly escapist, feel-good romance'
Publishers Weekly
'From the brilliantly witty opening line, this sparkling tale of love between two of Jane Austen's beloved characters had me captured. It makes perfect sense that Mary Bennet, the studious, piano-playing younger sister of Elizabeth Bennet, would one day fall in love with Charlotte Collins, a woman who married for practical reasons, but has never known real love. This was the sweetest of delights!'
Emily H. Wilson, author of The Sumerians trilogy
'I was hooked from the first sentence. I envy anyone who has the self-control to read this in more than one session. So full of wit! I am SO pleased that Mary and Charlotte have finally been given their time to shine!'
Holly McCulloch, author of The Ick
'McLeod includes a thoughtful look at same-sex relationships in regency-era England and refers lightly to characters from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, while focusing on Charlotte and Mary and how they use the language of flowers to convey deep feelings as their romance delicately blossoms. For fans of regency romances and of the contemporary friends-to-lovers stories created by Talia Hibbert and Casey McQuiston'
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