The Bennets: Providence & Perception

by K.C. Cowan

Either ignored or ridiculed by her family, Mary Bennet desires only happiness


Poor Miss Bennet—with three sisters married, she will no doubt be left “on the shelf” unless she takes steps to secure her own happiness. So, with the arrival of Mr. Yarby, a handsome new rector for Longbourn chapel, Mary decides to use her Biblical knowledge to win his heart.

Meanwhile, her recently widowed fatherfinds himself falling for the older sister of his new reverend. But Mr. Bennet is officially in mourning for his late wife—what a scandalous situation! Unfortunately, Longbourn’s heir, Mr. Collins, has the antennae for a scandal and makes blackmail threats.

Will an overheard conversation between the Yarby siblings break Mary’s heart? Or will it impel her to a desperate act that threatens everyone’s hopes for lasting love?

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2023

About the author

KC Cowan has spent her life working in the media, as a reporter for KGW-TV, KPAM and KLX-radio, and as original host and story producer for an arts program on Public Television. She is also the author of two books: “The Riches of a City” the story of Portland, Oregon, and “They Ain’t Called Saints for Nothing!” with artist Chris Haberman. She is married and happily lives in her hometown.


Sara Cole is an officer with Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, where she is the Crime Prevention Coordinator. Sara provides public outreach to citizens on topics such as Neighborhood Watch, ID Theft and Personal Safety. She also serves on many community coalitions, and is a board member of the Crime Prevention Association of Oregon. Sara is married and enjoys spending much of her free time with her two grandchildren.

Reviews

[wosedwew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The task of pastoral ministry, above all else, is to arrange contingencies for an encounter with the divine. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Our story opens as Mrs. Bennet departs for an extended visit with her youngest daughter in northern England. Mr. Bennet, Mary, and Kitty remain in Meryton since Mr. Bennet is seeking a rector for the church under his patronage.

He invites a likely candidate for an interview and quickly makes a decision. Mr. Robert Yarby and his widowed sister, Mrs. Amelia Withers, will move into the parsonage as soon as possible.

Then Mr. Bennet receives tragic news from the Wickhams: Mr. Yarby must prepare a funeral service for Mrs. Bennet.

Alas, Mr. Yarby is not the only cleric looking for a more favorable position.

Four years ago, Fitzwilliam Darcy chose to marry Elizabeth Bennet instead of Anne de Bourgh, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh blames the Rev. William Collins.

Mr. Collins no longer enjoys the closeness to Rosings — or the dinners — and he fears his patroness’s displeasure. Now his uneasiness has become horror with a letter from Lady Catherine: “For some time now, I have found myself ill at ease with your handling of Hunsford Parish. Your sermons are flat and uninspired, and I have observed many a dreary face in the congregation depart the church week after week. Clearly, you are not lifting any of the parish members towards a higher awareness of God. … I have spoken to the bishop, and he agrees that you are to be released from your post as rector of Hunsford at once.”

Mr. and Mrs. Collins must move into Lucas Lodge to live with her parents until Collins is able to find another church. He covets the job that Mr. Bennet just gave to Mr. Yarby. He is not above blackmail to get it.

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. ~ 1 Timothy 5:17

Collins creates the only conflict in this little love story — love for the first time and also love the second time around.

The book has strong religious themes, especially in discussions between Mary Bennet and Mr. Yarby. Mary must confront her failings for the first time in her life. I loved this realistic look at Mary’s inner dilemmas.

I had only one issue with the book: it was not that easy to remove a pastor from a church once he was installed. Lady Catherine’s note says the Bishop agreed, but I think a cleric would have had to commit a much more egregious error than merely giving dull sermons and failing to keep the roads in repair. However, that issue did not keep me from enjoying the story.

Much of pastoral ministry is simply reminding your people who they are in Christ, again and again. ~ Sinclair Ferguson

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this Pride and Prejudice sequel four years have passed, and soon many changes will occur. As in a new rector for Longbourn is needed, and Mrs Bennet dies while on a visit to Lydia. Still Mary and Kitty are at home and as usual Mr Bennet dismisses them both. But what of the Collinses. What changes will happen. What will the new and varied characters bring to Longbourn. Willthere be a happy ending for anyone.
An entertaining and well-written story with its cast of likeable and familiar characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth and Jane Bennet ride off into the sunset with their handsome, wealthy husbands and Lydia is off to the North unaware yet that her Wickham was no prize while a brief summary about the rest of the Bennets wrap things up neatly for the reader. But, many readers, myself among them, enjoy the prospect of more to the story. Hence, I was all eagerness to plunge into a new to me author’s offering of a sequel featuring Mary, Mr. Bennet, and oh yes, their Cousin Collins.

The Bennets: Providence and Perception is a gently-paced, thoughtful and tender tale. Mary Bennet has always been the ugly duckling and ignored middle sister among the five Bennet daughters and I happily love an underdog story so I was glad to see Mary getting the spotlight for much of the book.

Surprisingly, the other unwed daughter at home, Kitty, is not the other major storyline in the book. The indolent and sarcastic Mr. Bennet, on the loss of his wife, is given a sweet autumn romance of his own and a chance to change the habits that made him a poor husband and father.

Without drastically altering the basic characters of the people portrayed, the author weaves a new story with familiar faces and new original characters when a new vicar and his widowed sister enter the neighborhood. A new conflict rises when the Collinses, Mr. Bennet’s current heirs, are now homeless after losing Lady Catherine’s patronage and their own parish placement and Mr. Collins true nature comes out when he doesn’t easily get his own way. There was the hint of another villain and situation that I thought could have been teased out into a stronger plot thread and impact on the story- though it does have a pretty strong impact as it was.

While the Darcys, Bingleys, and Wickhams are occasionally present, the focus is very much the goings on with their relations back home and I loved that several points of view were given narration moments around Mary. There is growth of character and relationships that build in this character-driven piece. I was satisfyingly aghast when the surprise twist came and created the climax of the story before providing a generous and engaging denouement.

All in all, this was a neatly done sequel that those familiar with and fans of Pride and Prejudice will appreciate best. The romances are lovely, but I appreciated that they were equal or even lesser than the story of a daughter and father growing into better versions of themselves. Definitely an author I’ll be watching for future releases and one that Austenesque fans should try out.

I rec’d an eARC from Meryton Press to read in exchange for an honest review.


My full review will post at Books of My Heart on July 2nd.

[Suzan Lauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. Take a chance on this Mary and Mr. Bennet -centric dual romance and you won't go wrong. On the technical side, it had below average editing. A maximum of a half-dozen total errors were expected based on the publisher, and instead, nearly triple the normal non-Regency words were found as well as a number of Regency factual errors, as a sample of the whole. But the imaginative plot with its clever twists, the spot-on characterization including brand new characters that we easily love, and the novel's eye-catching cover make for the star count. Conflict of interest prevents a full review.

[Sam H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable Mary retelling

This begins years after 3 of the Bennet daughters marry.

Mrs Bennet dies in a freak staircase accident. At the same time a new rector begins at Longbourn parish.
The void at Longbourn is slowly filled by these new personalities.
Not all is smooth sailing, but everything works out in the end.

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

“… older people are often happier and more romantically attached than their younger counterparts.” –Psychology Today

>>Rating: Clean of sexual content:
>>Angst: a bit high at times due to frustrations
>>Source: I received a Promotional Copy from Meryton Press [3-21-23] with no expectations of a review. The thoughts and opinions are my own.
>>Religious Element: Heavy with scriptures and doctrinal references. These were Christian people utilizing their faith and prayers for guidance and in comforting each other. It did come across as preachy at times. Those not of the faith can skip over those elements.
>>Trope: [1] A Bennet dies [2] NSN [not so nice] Collins

After Mrs. Bennet died, Mr. Bennet was introduced to a widow that caught his eye. Her brother, the new vicar, had also caught the eye of more than one of Bennet’s daughters. Meanwhile, someone else had their eye on Bennet’s budding romance and tried to use it to their advantage.

Oh, this story hurt me as we watched Mary slip and betray her own principles and standards. I didn’t particularly enjoy that part of the story. The whiplash I experienced was due to outside forces trying to interfere with the budding romance on more than one level. I wanted a comeuppance but I suppose the author was kinder than I was and the punishment was appropriate.

[RTD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desperat people

A decent read.

SPOILERS
- Mary is flawed. Sometimes, it seems she is more a reader of the word than a doer.
- Poor Mr. Bennet. He has a daughter who tries to steal from him. A son-in-law who tries to kill him. A daughter that attempts to destroy his relationship with the woman he loves. Another daughter that isn't happy for his newfound love. A cousin tries to manipulate him, and a family friend who doesn't mind seeing Mr. Bennet six feet under because it would benefit her. Geez!

[Linda K Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bennets: Providence & Perception

A very unique variation they centers . Mary and Mr Bennet. I really enjoyed seeing, reading about Mary blossoming with love. Antagonist Collins behaving badly. Although he is not the only one. Recommend

[Terri Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much on secondary characters but this has just enough L& D to keep it interesting to me.
The story was good.

[Liz H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story of Mary Bennett

I just love historical fiction that mixes with pride and prejudice. I enjoyed this story and there were a few pleasant sur6 with reading!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy sequel to a favorite classic. I especially enjoyed the authentic prose and language. Thanks for a fitting end to a much-loved story!