Mr. Bingley: Just As a Gentleman Ought to Be

by Brandon Dragan

"Finally, a novel that reveals the true Bingley! Heartily recommend to all Bingley-philes!" — Crispin Bonham-Carter, Mr. Bingley in the BBC Miniseries, Pride & Prejudice

For centuries Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, has been dearly loved the world over. However, few people know the hidden truth about Mr. Darcy's closest friend, the affable Mr. Bingley—who is much more than he appears on first impression.

Mr. Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be is the previously untold story of a young man who unwittingly uncovers an evil cabal among the British Empire's aristocracy. Bingley finds himself confronting an enterprise so nefarious, he cannot help but act to redress it, even if it costs him his own reputation and the love of his life, the angelic Miss Jane Bennet.

Follow Mr. Bingley down a rabbit hole of intrigue and corruption, as he fights to protect the country's most vulnerable alongside friends old and new. Can he set things right before he loses Jane forever?

Genres: Audiobook, Romantic Suspense

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2024

About the author

Brandon Dragan is an attorney in Tennessee and winner of the American Bar Association Journal's 2021 Ross Writing Contest.

His writing draws on a wide array of influences from modern novelists such as Cormac McCarthy and Richard Yates to classic writers like Fyodor Dostoevsky and Jane Austen.

He enjoys a good cigar, road cycling, and is an avid supporter of the Arsenal Football Club.

Visit: BrandonDragan.com

Reviews

[Joana Starnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devotees of Pride and Prejudice know Mr Bingley as a charming gentleman whose only fault seems to be his lack of confidence in his own judgement. If you’ve been waiting for a variation where he takes charge and rises to the challenge, this is the book for you. From the very first pages, this fast-paced novel takes us straight to the heat of the action. A master storyteller, Brandon Dragan immerses us into the highs and lows of Regency life as he weaves a very original plot that reaches all the way to the upper echelons and far across war-torn Europe. I loved the ease with which he takes us from genteel salons populated with familiar faces to ill-lit taverns where clues are found and the mystery begins to unravel. New and intriguing characters come to life, skilfully portrayed alongside Jane Austen’s own characters as Brandon Dragan explores their hidden depths and motivations. This is especially true of Mr Bingley, who definitely takes centre stage in this gripping novel. I won’t give details for fear of spoilers, but I think I can safely say that you’ll find him deeply observant, mature, and far from a pushover. Yet Mr Bingley is not the only one who keeps us on the edge of our seat. Surprises abound in this roller coaster novel, so hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

When innocent blood is shed and their deaths go unpunished, a young man will not ignore the evil that caused it. Brandan Dragan was a new to me author, but he made me sit up and take notice when he penned a darker, emotionally-taunt, and suspenseful tale with one of Jane Austen’s minor characters, Charles Bingley from Pride & Prejudice, as the key figure.

This Mr. Bingley: Just As a Gentleman Ought to Be story is not a typical Austen variation though I suppose it loosely falls into that category. Rather, I see it as a parallel story to Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Basically, Brandon Dragan offers up the extra details of Bingley’s life of what he was doing before he arrived at Netherfield Park, after he left for several months, and what he was thinking and feeling through it all.

While at quick glance, Bingley seems to be some yahoo vigilante like a certain dark caped crusader of comic hero fame. Brandon Dragan is careful to portray this Bingley as a thinking man who carefully determined his own motive for killing these evil men rather than presenting his case to the legal system and also made it clear that killing even for righteous reasons was never easy and was tearing Bingley apart. That said, Bingley had a team of men bringing him proof of perfidy and then they planned their missions and Bingley was quite the clandestine avenging angel of action. Oh, the nail-biter moments as Bingley went into action each time.

I appreciated getting the insider’s view of what drew Bingley to Jane Bennet and it wasn’t just a pretty face and figure. My pitter-pattering romantic heart would have liked to have seen their romance development happen more on the page, but I get that the romance was a side dish at this meal. I’m a terrible person, but I gasped with delight over the verbal comeuppance Bingley dealt his sisters about their snobbishness and snide remarks about the Bennets.

What I enjoyed as much as the suspense and romance was the fraternal bonds that were emphasized throughout the story between Bingley and Darcy, Bingley and his brother in law, Hurst, but also Bingley with his steward and the addition of Maitland his advance scout. The camaraderie he had with these men of his social and familial circle was another rich layer to a well-written story. And, also I must shout out for the side story of a hardworking cobbler constable diligently tracking the evidence Bingley left behind.

All in all, I was as captivated as I hope when I first picked up this book. Move over Mr. Darcy, you have competition as a heroic, romantic figure. Mr. Bingley: Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be is for those who love historical suspense with a strong element of sweet romance set in Jane Austen’s P&P world.

I rec'd an eARC via The Quill Ink to read in exchange for an honest review.


My full review will post at Delighted Reader (facebook page) on Oct 3, 2024 for the tour and reprised at The Quill Ink.

[CherylBCz · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC read and reviewed before October launch.
I decided to read Pride and Prejudice simultaneously to refresh my memory, given that one of my favorite musicals is Bride & Prejudice and I wanted to be reminded of the original characters, specifically Mr. Bingley.
Dare I say I like the modern background take of Bingley’s Sherlock Holmes meting out justice, even better than the original? Definitely, I do declare!
Well done, Mr. Dragan, very well done.

[Kim Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bingley as Vigilante

This is a boy’s own adventure that pays lip service to relationships and romance. Any genre of fiction requires some suspension of disbelief, but I simply couldn’t see Bingley as a self appointed executioner. It just stretched the canon too far. And how his role as the hand of God’s justice began is never elucidated. Add to that regular misuse of words and many typos and I simply was never immersed in the author’s world.

[Lydia Dragan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid Jane Austen fan, I felt like I stepped right into another Pride and Prejudice novel! Brandon Dragan writes with such ease, developing his characters with heartfelt emotion, taking his reader on a journey of lots of twists and unforeseen turns. Another wonderful novel. Bravo Brandon Dragan!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ben Fensome. He is so talented and fun, it was an absolute pleasure to listen to him tell this intense, much darker version of Pride and Prejudice. The timeline is the same as Jane Austen's, but told through Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy's POV. Find out what Mr Bingley was actually doing when he wasn't hanging out with the Bennett sisters. Clue: it involves intrigue and vigilante justice.

[Brittany Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Brandon Dragan for this ARC.

When Brandon reached out to me asking me to read his Pride and Prejudice retelling from Mr. Bingley’s POV, I was instantly intrigued. I love anything Austen has written, so I was skeptical but excited. Ultimately, I am so glad I got the opportunity to read this beautiful story.

First off, the writing is impeccable. Dragan somehow channels Austen in every sentence, and I felt like I was reading HER retelling her own story from Bingley’s POV.

However, this is not only a retelling. The story starts with a gruesome killing, and as the body count starts rising, I start to wonder if our beloved Mr. Bingley has something to hide. 🤔

🖤What to expect:
😏 Mr. Darcy appearances
🔪 Vigilante justice
👀 Behind the scenes at Bingley’s estate
🥰 Bingley’s feelings for Jane
✍️ Incredible writing, perfect for this regency tale

The pace is very steady and reminiscent of the original P&P tale.

If you love Pride and Prejudice, READ THIS BOOK. It is honestly one of the best retellings of P&P I've ever read. You can tell the amount of work Dragan put into carefully crafting the prose and setting, and overall, this fresh spin has left me appreciating Bingley even more.

4.5/5

[Sophia-Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

“MURDER! MURDER!” A murder starts this book off, and soon the chase is on, through early Regency London’s streets. The plot is shadowy and Bingley gets embroiled in a conspiracy of the most evil! Can Bingley, alongside of friends old and new, solve the mystery of the heinous murders of aristocrats, preserve his reputation and win the love of Miss Jane Bennet? I was quite surprised at the plot, the darker aspects of it, and the gruesome details of the murders throughout, and last but not least the nervewrecking suspicion that Bingley may be the killer…
The suspense had me on the edge of my seat throughout, and the book finally gave a more detailed picture of Mr. Darcy’s often time amiable friend, Mr. Bingley.

[Kirk]

Brutal, although necessary, were the actions and reasons for the actions.

[Ree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery, suspense and intrigue
★★★★½ rounded up

It’s rare to see a book devoted entirely to Mr. Bingley of Pride and Prejudice fame, so it was with great anticipation and extremely refreshing for me to see him in the spotlight and given more depth than just being Darcy’s usual easygoing friend. If you’ve wished for a Mr. Bingley with more spine, Mr. Bingley: Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be definitely fits the bill, yet it may not be what you might expect.

Mired in mystery and intrigue, this story gives us a fascinating glimpse into what Mr. Bingley might have been up to before he leased Netherfield and what he did when he left. I enjoyed seeing a more complex side of him, but I was a bit conflicted about how the author balanced Bingley’s good-natured personality with the vigilante role he takes on against an evil cabal. Some of his actions are shockingly brutal, and while the book does show him struggling with his choices, I wasn’t entirely convinced he could do such things and still be the same affable Mr. Bingley we know and love.

Dragan has given Bingley a strong supporting cast—a group of steadfast allies who aid him in different ways. Darcy is, of course, present, and his friendship with Bingley is well done, showing both loyalty and the occasional tension between them. But there are also other men who surround him and recognize him as a man worthy of their loyalty. Each of them contributes something worthwhile to the plot.

The storytelling is strong, but the writing isn’t flawless. There are quite a few errors—missing words, grammatical slips, and incorrect word usage—that could have used another round of editing in the ebook version. They didn’t ruin my enjoyment, but they were distracting at times. That said, I loved getting a story that focused so much on Bingley, and despite my reservations, I feel the author did a great job making this particular portrayal compelling.

I read the book as I listened along with the audiobook, which is narrated by Ben Fensome. His performance is fantastic—definitely a five-star narration in my view. He captures the charm and affable personality of Bingley beautifully and handles the darker, more intense moments with gravity. His character voices are distinct and engaging. His pace is a little fast for me, but I easily fixed that by slowing down the playback, and once I did, it was perfect.

I hate to give a spoiler, but I feel the graphic suicide which takes place near the end of the book warrants a trigger warning (one of the bad guys).

Recommend.

Mature rating due to the sometimes graphically violent nature of the content.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I must confess how I came upon this book. I love Jane Austen’s writing, especially P&P. I am also a fan of the modern movie and TV adaptations of her books. My all-time favorite is the 1995 BBC mini-series of P&P starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. I still delight in watching it from time to time. Add to that the recent Lip Sync Instagram episodes of that production by Ben Fensome (called somebenfen on Instagram) that are hysterically funny. I saw him promoting this book written by Brandon Dragan with the audio version narrated by Fensome himself and I put it on my TBR list right away.

I had no idea what to expect, but I have come away happy with their collaboration. Dragan gives us the same timeline of Austen’s P&P but following Bigley and Darcy’s POVs with a rather daring and incongruous picture of the amiable Mr. Bigley. One would not expect the vigilante justice being carried out by the Mr. Bigley of the original novel. But Dragan creates a somewhat plausible set of reasons for his actions. Here we also get a different, inside view of Bigley and Darcy’s friendship. There are some gruesome murder scenes and cat and mouse evasions of the law – resulting in a very entertaining adventure story.

Dragan is adept at interspersing the Bennett family known by P&P readers, but they mostly remain in the background. He also recreates the Regency period’s use of language in the manner of Austen’s writing style perfectly. Ben Fensome does a marvelous job of offering up the voices of all the characters. Because I listened to the audio version, I was unaware of some of the editing mistakes that irritated some of the other reviewers here. I consider it a really fun book, perhaps best appreciated by those of us who love all things Jane Austen.

[OhWowAlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️Bingley discovers an evil enterprise which involves in powerful and high-ranking people. He is determined to eliminate the enterprise from its root, even if it means that he has to put his life and the love of his life, Miss Jane Bennet, at risks.

⭐️While Pride and Prejudice puts its focus on Elizebeth and Darcy, this book creates a storyline in parallel with the timeline in Pride and Prejudice but focuses on Bingley’s perspective and his journey. Here are what I think extraordinary about this book:

1️⃣Amazing coverage on Bingley during the time when he is “missing” from Pride and Predjucie. Bingley in P&P is very mysterious - he just disappears and leaves Jane and her family in frustration. This book makes sure that readers understand that Bingley has something more important on his calendar and the coverage explains his whereabouts when he is absent.

2️⃣Exciting overlapping with P&P! While it is unecessary to reiterate what happens in the original story, a reasonable amount of crossovers is what makes readers excited. Many very memorable ocassions in P&P are brought up with new details. For me, this was what I looked forward the most before opening up this book!

3️⃣The new identity for Bingley. We don’t really know much about Bingley from P&P so giving him a new identity is a fantastic idea. Vigilante is probably the last thing you could picture Bingley to be, but it somehow magically suits this gentleman. I love this idea because it creates an interesting story and makes this novel very addictive to read.

[K.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Jane Austen, then you should definitely treat yourself to Mr. Bingley: Just As a Gentleman Should Be.
Have you ever wondered about Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, and what their lives were like when the Bennetts were not there creating drama and romance? Did they simply dress well, attend parties, visit friends, ride horses, hunt pheasants? Was Mr. Darcy really so terse and aloof? Was Mr. Bingley always so affable and kind? Or did they have something to hide? Or to do? What do we really know about these two men who captured our hearts and imaginations years ago in Austen’s classic?

I’ve read some other fan fiction based on Pride and Prejudice, but author Brandon Dragan’s prose is so authentic to the Regency narrative that you’d swear he lived and moved in the early 19th century literary circles with Jane Austen, et al.

Let this talented author take you on a wild adventure that captures the imagination, the heart, and opens a new world for you to enjoy.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Trigger warnings 😉 *

An unexpected viewpoint from Mr Bingley’s hooded crusade for justice. This regency Scarlet Pimpernel and his associates, are hunting down a secret society responsible for kidnapping young ladies.

The plot of Pride and Prejudice weaves in and out of the story in the peripheries of this dark and seedy Austen spin-off.

I’ve distinctly noticed a DISTINCT lack of trigger warnings in other reviews. I’m always suspicious of raving reviews. Readers should be aware, this is NOT a cosy feel-good Austen story. It perfectly highlights the injustice and the precariousness of the time!
☠️ Violent death
☠️ Threat of Rape
☠️ Sex trafficking

My star rating is for the plot pace, development and intrigue.

[Knitterpated · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun take on P&P fan fiction.
I listened to this novel due to being a fan of the narrator's Instagram page.
I did find the narrator to not be as polished as others but still enjoyed his performance. The various effects he gave the characters were distinct and not over the top ... unless the character themselves is already over the top in which case the narrator was spot on.
The author was very true to Austen's original story but it felt as though he pulled the curtain back on all these characters we've come to know but maybe not think about too much.... like stripping the pretty paint off of some hideous wallpaper.
A great blend of some true crime and regency period.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a creative and unique twist to the familiar Pride and Prejudice world. I would recommend to anyone who is a P&P fan who wants a new take on a familiar character, and even those who are less familiar with P&P but love literature set in the 19th century that feature action, mystery, comradery, and a touch of romance.

Find my full review here: https://likelystory.blog/2024/10/12/r...

[wosedwew · Rating 5 out of 5]

People identify with the swashbuckling individuals, not polite little men who field their position well. Sir Galahad had a big following — but I bet Lancelot had more. — Bill Veeck

At last. we know just what a gentleman ought to be! Charles Bingley — investigator, team leader, avenger — at your service.

Do you have any swashes that require buckling? Bingley is your man!

I am not going into detail on this one. You only need to know one thing: you have never seen Bingley like this. Loved him!

A wild idea. A swashbuckling attitude. An escape from the humdrum and prosaic. — Stan Lee

[Carolyn Drake-terwilliger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hold on to your hat!

Clever plot, but you really have to suspend disbelief on this one! The writing style is superb, but has many grammatical errors (mainly repeated or left out words). Really did not care for the many times it was stated someone was "divinely appointed" to do heinous things, but all in all an entertaining read.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a book that may sway you to be Team Bingley!! I love Pride & Prejudice variations and this was a fun parallel story where you discover what Mr. Bingley was up to all those months after he left Netherfield. Def recommend the audiobook as the narrator (well known from his P&P sketches) was perfect.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent!!!! if you loved pride and prejudice, whether you watched it or you’ve read it 100 times you will love this!!! And Ben Fensome (look him up on Instagram) is incredible. He does such an amazing job with every single character. He’s almost as good as Jim Dale, who did Harry Potter.

[Lizzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars mainly because of Ben Fensome (reader). I am all for fan fiction or tribute stories but the main premise for the main character of this book is seriously unbelievable for anyone who has read Jane Austen.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars
Interesting premise. Mr Bingley vigilante.
Story happens before and in between the original Pride and Prejudice.
He could have given Jane hope, instead of waiting until his investigations were done

[ana darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, hold on to your bonnets! Bingley is the Regency James Bond. Fabulous read by first time Austenesque author Brandon Dragan. I always knew that there must be more to Charles Bingley than what Austen gave us. I love how he is still recognizable as the amiable Mr. Bingley we all adore but with a much more exciting private life. Swoon!