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A Red Coat: A Pride & Prejudice Continuation

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Mary Bennet’s heart has done the unforgivable… it has allowed her to fall in love with a red coat like her sister Lydia!

Falling in love with an officer is certainly worthy of Miss Mary Bennet’s displeasure. Discovering it is her lack of dowery which stands in her way and not her own character or connections to trade is truly insupportable. Yet, how is such an obstacle to be breeched? And how is the Bennet family’s wallflower to find love?

Join Mary Bennet and her red coat colonel as they overcome many obstacles on their way to finding true love in this Pride & Prejudice inspired sequel, A Red Coat!

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2024

45 people are currently reading
10 people want to read

About the author

Katelyn Rae

9 books4 followers
A lover of stories, Katelyn Rae enjoys watching, reading, listening to, and creating tales of her own. No matter if it is retelling a classic or writing a story from scratch, one of Katelyn's favorite things is holding a pen or sitting behind a keyboard and letting the words flow.

To learn more about Katelyn Rae and her upcoming releases you can go to KatelynRaeBooks.com or find her on various social media sites by searching KatelynRaeBooks

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5 stars
56 (49%)
4 stars
34 (30%)
3 stars
16 (14%)
2 stars
4 (3%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Susan.
7,281 reviews70 followers
September 3, 2025
In this Pride and Prejudice sequel Mary Bennet starts to understand her faults and then at the double wedding of her two older sisters she sees a red coat, and falls. But will she see him again and is he anything like Wickham. Mary takes a journey but will she fail or take a leap. And what of the Colonel.
An entertaining sequel featuring my favourite JAFF couple. .
Another re-read as there are not enough books concentrating on this delightful couple.
Profile Image for Melanie.
206 reviews16 followers
October 7, 2025
At the wedding of her sisters Jane and Elizabeth Mary Bennet's live changes for ever. She spots a red coat there and instantly falls for him, without even knowing his name.
While staying with her aunt and uncle Gardiner she encounters him again. When she overcomes her first shock of being in love with a red coat like her silly sister Lydia, she soon discovers that it is not her lack of accomplishment or appearance that is an obstacle to her blossoming feelings but her lack of dowry. Will she be able to convince her red coat of her love? Will they be able to overcome the obstacles in their path? Or is he not willing to give up his current life?

The book is very well written by the author Katelyn Rae. It dragged me in, I was not able to put it down and felt deeply with Mary and her red coat. Definitely a wonderful story that will be remembered. I must confess I have a soft spot for stories where Mary is one of the principal characters or the main character and finds her own happiness. Mostly she is overlooked because she is the middle child. She has no confidante, she is sometimes silly, sometimes wise, but mostly rather dull and somewhat of a spinster already. I love that, in this variation she is the shining star and the center of attention. I like that she falls in love and needs to find her true self to gain happiness, love and a fulfilling life.

You may have already guessed, Mary's red coat is none other than Colonel Fitzwilliam. I like stories in which the Colonel finds happiness - therefore this story is definitely to my liking. Unfortunately he is, at first, a bit too stubborn to change his opinion about marrying an heiress and also a bit afraid of fully giving his heart away. It takes some drastic events and his family and friends to make him see what is really important in life.

The story takes place right after the events of Pride and prejudice and changes nothing of Jane Austen's story. As a fan of Pride and prejudice I like that Darcy and Elizabeth are also a great part of this story and that I can catch a glimpse into their married life.

There are no villains in the story, Mary and the Colonel are entirely capable of creating their own obstacles to their beginning relationships. There is really some drama in this story due to some events and lots of tension between and longing of the main characters.

The book is narrated by Caroline Fantozzi. I really liked her performance. There was always a bit of melancholy and brokenness in her voice. I really find her perfect for this narration, she perfectly represents Mary, her search of her true self and her first tentative encounters with the overwhelming power of love.

If you like to follow Mary Bennet on her way to happiness with all its ups and downs you should definitely read this book and listen to this audiobook.

I highly recommend it. The audiobook is on audible, the book on KU.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Lady Mercury.
243 reviews4 followers
January 16, 2025
First off, thank you to the author for the ARC of the Audiobook Version.
And I‘m so sorry it took me so long to finally listen to the book.

I‘m rating it around 3,5 Stars.
Honestly, I love Mary BUT I have a love/hate relationship with Colonel Fitzwilliam. (Yep, our Heroine‘s love interest and also Darcy‘s cousin 🎉)

Their lovestory could have wrapped up little bit sooner and without a useless guy stealing pages. It seemed a bit long winded or it is just me bc of my love/hate rs with the Colonel.



Otherwise I really liked the story.

As for the narration, the different voices kind of sounded the same to me, always female. But otherwise it was smoothing and good.
Profile Image for Gratia.
228 reviews6 followers
September 19, 2024
The value of love

3.5* rounded up

Mary is one of my favourite secondary characters to have her own story told, and I like it even better when she is matched with Colonel Fitzwilliam. In this book, her introspection, improvement, and romance were lovely to read. I took off a * because a couple of things didn't quite sit right with me, e.g., Georgiana calling her brother Darcy, Mary referring to Elizabeth as childlike, and Georgiana taking on the role of Mistress in her married brother's home. Overall, this is an enjoyable, low-angst story. The audiobook is also well done.
Profile Image for Teresita.
1,230 reviews12 followers
December 23, 2024
I love Mary and Colonel Fitzwilliam pairings!

An enjoyable read taking Mary's point of view that allows us to watch her grow and be her own person. While the Colonel could have done with some sense slapped into him at some point, he recovers nicely and a lovely romance ensues, not without some accidents along the way. A worthy use of time.
156 reviews2 followers
October 19, 2024
Enchanting

I have always loves when Mary is the center of the story she reminds me of me. Even though I am the oldest co was always the plain one. But I did in up with my own Colonel. This story is very v well written and fun to read
401 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2024
Lovely!

This story is told in a lyrical style that does a particularly wonderful job of expressing Mary's thoughts in all the fragmented and sometimes emotionally charged ways humans think. The style makes Mary's and Richard's dialogue poetic in more than one conversation between the two.

This story isn't overly stuffed with new characters. It is Mary, the Gardeners, the Darcys, and the Matlocks, which consist of Richard, an older brother, Henry, and Lord and Lady Matlock. Finally, there is another Earl--a friend of Darcy's. Kitty is included through letters.

The story begins at Elizabeth and Darcy's wedding and concludes with Mary and Richard's HEA.

I love this Mary. She is kind, very literal, very earnest. Whatever she feels, she feels quite deeply. There is a story Mrs Gardener tells her towards the beginning of 4 year old Mary standing at the side of a stream for a full 5 minutes deciding whether it would be better to jump in or stay dry on the bank. When she had decided, she jumped into the water joyfully and wholeheartedly. This story tells us perfectly of who Mary is during a time she's trying to figure it out for herself.

This story is much more character driven. It is Richard figuring out what is really important, and Mary figuring out what she wants and what she is and is not willing to do about it. While there are events, they do not move the story along so much as create situations (i.e., forced proximity). Therefore, the story focuses on the couple more than any other variation (or extension, really) I've read.

It's lovely.
Profile Image for Kim Power.
Author 4 books12 followers
June 3, 2024
A charming story

My first book by this author but I hope it won’t be the last. Told from Mary’s POV we gain insight into her fears and anxieties, her courage, and her desire to grow emotionally and spiritually. The twist created by Richard’s desire to marry an heiress is handled well and perfectly consistent with Austen’s portrayal.
36 reviews
May 6, 2024
Mary Bennett as you have never known before

I always thought that not much attention was paid to the characters Kitty and Mary Bennetts.
In fact I would say that Austen added them so there would be five sisters rather than just the more well known Lizzy,Jane and Lydia.
I to confess that I felt I could not like Miss Mary Bennett she seemed to be a less courageous person in both behaviour and belief.
I know she is young the most plain in her gaggle of sisters. She attempts to draw attention to herself by presenting as a good Christian who loves music for which she had little talent and even less enjoyment of.
In this she falls in love at first sight with a guest at her sister's wedding breakfast who arrived late and departs very soon after.
This is the story of how love 💘 transforms her and sends herself on a journey discovering who she really is. Loves decidedly yet like my favourite character in Literature Jane Eyre that she cannot be with someone who feels they are not free to be with her.
It is amusing in places.
There was something with it that I couldn't quite love it. Hence four stars. It is a well crafted story but I just couldn't love it
57 reviews
June 21, 2024
Really enjoyed this one. Could've been a few pages shorter but JAFF writers do enjoy their excessively saccharine happy endings. It was one of my favorite JAFF tropes too. I'm always partial to Mary Bennet.
Profile Image for Meiri.
55 reviews
February 18, 2025
4.5 stars
We know from the Memoir of Jane Austen, written by James Edward Austen-Leigh, that Jane told her family what happened to Mary and Kitty after the end of Pride and Prejudice. Kitty married a clergyman near Pemberley and Mary married one of her uncle Phillips's clerks and became a star in Meryton society. Although these are the canonical endings, stated by the author herself, I sometimes wondered what it would be like if Mary had fallen in love with the charismatic Colonel Fitzwilliam, so I was ecstatic when I discovered the premise of this book.

Most books about Mary Bennet paint a dark picture of her life, making her a misunderstood Fanny Price type, being negleted and even mistreated by her whole family just because she is not as beautiful and engaging as her sisters, when in fact Mary was an unpleasant young woman, full of a know-it-all attitude, who never expressed her own opinions, but only repeated snippets of advice from morality books. Although Mary was to some extent negleted she was far from a martyr, from P&P we know that the Bennet household was happy, all the sisters were interested in Bingley's arrival, they were all excited at the prospect of a ball at Netherfield, they all liked to read novels, yes, even Lydia. TV adaptations tend to show Mary completely detached from her family and uninterested in what was happening around her, when in the book it wasn't quite like that.

In A Red Coat, Mary has been self-reflecting since Lydia's incident, realizing her own flaws for the first time Mary perceives she needs to change. With the marriage of her older sisters, Mary also begins to fear for her future, as she thinks it is unlikely that she will ever get married, being the plainest in the family. But as Mary improves internally she also improves externally, showing more care with her appearance. At the wedding breakfast in Netherfield, Mary sees a handsome stranger in a red coat enter the room and then her fate is sealed!

Mary trying to be better was such a good thing, we feel her emotional struggles, they are so believable! She talks with sharpness sometimes but not like another Lizzy, Mary is still her, reserved, thoughtful and although no longer moralizing, she still has her faith. Now that Mary is sincere, caring and honest in her opinions it's no wonder she steals the heart of the most eligible bachelor after Mr. Darcy.

Colonel Fitzwilliam is exactly as I imagined, half jester and half serious, he was drawn to Mary at first sight and his feelings for her only deepened on further acquaintance, still he denies courting her because of his claims of lack of fortune, their quarrel about this matter was fire! Their chemistry was undeniable and their interactions very satisfying, I highlighted many quotes. Richard's family was a pleasant surprise, in many variations they are a supercillious family of the same pattern as Lady Catherine de Bourgh but in this novel the Lord and Lady Matlock are a loving couple, unconventional considering their rank, and Richard's brother who at first seemed like a scoundrel, was also a good person.

A Red Coat is a book that fulfilled all my expectations, I'm just not giving it a full five stars due to some small errors such as the misspelling of Georgiana's name, her introduction to the Gardiners, which she had already met in Derbyshire, the way Mr. Darcy is sometimes addressed in a very informal manner and some errors regarding the way the characters addressed people of rank. These small flaws bothered me a little, but they didn't affect the quality of the story. I recommend A Red Coat for those who, like me, desired Mary's pairing with Colonel Fitzwilliam and for everyone who likes a sequel that doesn't need to demean Elizabeth or Jane for Mary to shine. I will definitely reread it!
Profile Image for Allison Ripley-Duggan.
1,807 reviews14 followers
May 18, 2025
I loved it!

It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation. Mary Bennet’s heart has done the unforgivable, it has allowed her to fall in love with a red coat like her sister Lydia. Join Mary Bennet and her red coat colonel as they overcome many obstacles on their way to finding true love in this Pride & Prejudice inspired sequel.

Falling in love with an officer is certainly worthy of Miss Mary Bennet’s displeasure. Discovering it is her lack of dowery which stands in her way and not her own character or connections to trade is truly insupportable. Yet, how is such an obstacle to be breeched? How is the Bennet family’s wallflower to find love? So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone.
659 reviews
June 8, 2024
Okay

I was ecstatic to find a Mary Bennet story. Outside of Elizabeth and Darcy, Mary is the next female character that holds my interest, followed by a Lydia-less Kitty. It was nice to see an HEA for both Bennet girls.

My takeaway:

- Mary stayed true to canon. I guess that's a good thing, but since the story began with Mary looking to improve herself inside and out, I admit that after the beginning chapters, I saw no change, except the sermons had ceased.

- Mary and the colonel spying one another at Netherfield was cute.

- I like the writing, but the story became dull. For me, I quickly tired of Mary's inner thoughts since they were repetitive, negative, and far too many. Add to that Mary was constantly frowning.

- I believe I would have enjoyed the story more (4 stars) if it was shorter. There wasn't much happening to draw me in.
2 reviews
May 15, 2025
This is the first time I have read a P&P continuation story. The original was so well done, I was both excited and nervous to read a continuation: Would I like it as much as P&P itself?? I give a resounding YES!!! This was such a fun read! I thought it was so well done, characters that were consistent to the original work, language and conversations that felt consistent with and honoring the original work. The twists and turns kept me guessing and reading on! I loved it! I would heartily recommend Katelyn Rae’s book A Red Coat!
5 reviews
July 18, 2024
If the original Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice left you wanting for more, this is an excellently written continuation featuring Miss Mary Bennet, the unmarried middle sister of the Bennets.

I love the Jane Austen writing style echoed throughout in this novel. It was a refreshing read and certainly worth my time.

Well worth the read!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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