The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet

Pride and Prejudice is a popular book to reimagine, but The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod is the first I’ve seen that draws a romance between Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet. To be honest, this actually seems like the perfect pairing! Here, Charlotte has become a widow after only four years of marriage to Mr. Collins. Now she’s back in the same position she was in before… but she’s not sure she can ever bringer herself to marry another man. Then she reconnects with Mary Bennet. They were never close before, but now Charlotte is noticing new feelings towards the younger woman. She’ll have to be brave to choose the right path forward.

What I Liked:

• Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet make so much sense together! I ship it. In looking at their original characters, it’s easy to read between the lines, and I enjoyed getting to follow them both in their unexpected romance. Mary is more aware of her own sexuality and has had experience with other women; for Charlotte this is all very new. The whole book is told from Charlotte’s point of view, so we feel her uncertainty as she slowly moves forward in her romantic feelings towards Mary.
• Gay awakening and queer found family. Charlotte has spent 31 years not truly knowing her own sexuality or of others like her. I love that she finally finds out about herself, a certain aunt, and of course Mary Bennet, and moreover, the community that Mary has fostered.
• Both are so true to character! Mary has changed more from her younger Pride and Prejudice self: she’s become more confident, worldly, and mature. And yet she still has that unique and loner quality we saw in her before; she’s only more self-assured now. By contrast, Charlotte is much the same as before, and ironically in the same boat as she was prior to marrying Mr. Collins. She’s still unsure of her self, a bit aimless, and ready to do anything to please her family. But does she have to be this way forever? Can she ever follow her heart instead?
• Flowers as a love language! Charlotte knows gardening and flowers intimately, and I enjoyed learning the meanings of different flowers… and how that becomes an important element later on in the story.

Audiobook:

Clare Corbett does a lovely job of narrating The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet. She captures the gentle charm of the novel as well as Charlotte’s full personality. It made for an absorbing and sweet listen.

Final Thoughts

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is a wonderful romance for anyone who enjoys new interpretations of Pride and Prejudice, more love to its secondary characters, and a queer love story. This is the first in Lindz McLeod’s Austentatious series, and I can’t wait to read the next one. Who will it be about? I’m not sure, but I’m eager to read it just the same!

Special thanks to Harlequin – Romance, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod
Series	Austentatious (#1)
Audiobook Narrator	Clare Corbett
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	304
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	April 29, 2025
Publisher	Carina Adores Press

Official Summary

Jane Austen meets Bridgerton in this sapphic romance between Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet that begins four years after the end of Pride and Prejudice.

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 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, and 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 a potential suitor appears, 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.