** Please note: This is not a Charlotte Lucas marries Thomas Bennet story.** It is a full length novel of 100,000+ words.** ** At the end of the eBook, one of my previous stories is included for free.**
Thomas Bennet, the master of Longbourn for a little more than a year, is hunted by Fanny Gardiner. She has set her cap for him and he has shown no interest in her at all. Not used to being denied, his disinterest is what pushes Fanny to plan to entrap him.
With the aid of her older sister, and to a lesser extent her father, Fanny compromises Bennet at an assembly. Although he tries to make it as unpalatable as possible to be his spouse, in order to induce her to refuse to marry him, she demands that they become husband and wife anyway, believing she will get her way as she always has in the past. Fanny and those who assisted her learn that there are consequences to be paid for their actions, in some cases, rather a heavy price is exacted.
Thankfully, Edward Gardiner does not agree with his father and sisters. As such he is the only Gardiner welcomed by the Bennets. Fanny has a rude awakening when she thinks her brother is there to advocate for her when instead he berates her for her dishonourable behaviour and actions.
Due to the fact Bennet needs an heir because of the entail which will leave the estate to a Collins if no son is born, as distasteful as it is for him to consummate the marriage, and couple with his wife beyond that, Bennet holds his nose and does so. The need for a male child becomes all the more important as he is already in receipt of a letter written for the illiterate Clem Collins in which the latter boasts of the birth of a son named Clem William after his father.
Bennet is greatly relieved when Fanny falls pregnant very soon after the wedding so that he can cease going to her at night. She insists she will bear a son; more marital relations are not any more palatable to Fanny, but a daughter is born. Two days later Fanny succumbs to childbed fever.
A year or so earlier Netherfield Park is purchased by the Devons. Little is known about them by the locals, and to date, they have not resided at their estate near Meryton.
That all changes when they arrive not long after Fanny’s passing. They have a son and two daughters. The son is a little younger than Bennet and is married so he is not present, one daughter is about 22 and the other 16. It does not take long before romance blooms between the master of Longbourn and the eldest Devon daughter.
When things get serious between the two, certain disclosures are made. If they marry, will they only have daughters, or will they be blessed with a son or sons?
At some point, the story shifts to 1811 and the usual suspects arrive in the Meryton area. Will Darcy be his arrogant and rude self? Will Bingley be the irresolute man he can be? Will his sisters be supercilious? What of Lady Catherine, Collins, Wickham? Will they impact this tale and if so, how.
The answers to the above questions, as well as many other things, will be revealed as the story unfolds.
The Next Mrs. Bennet caught my eye when I read the blurb about the first Mrs. Bennet compromising her husband to get married and the real romance coming when he meets the next Mrs. Bennet. I love the variations in which the older generation get their story leading into the more familiar characters of the new generation including Darcy and Lizzy.
The Next Mrs. Bennet started out fine for me and I could go with the more passive voice telling me what happened between Fanny Gardiner and Thomas Bennet and that ugly, sad situation. But, this didn't change for the rest of the book. So much telling happening. I enjoyed the fairytale-ish fun of everyone the Bennets were connected to (other than the Gardiners) being illustrious Dukes, Marquesses, or Earls and their wives with insane fortunes at their disposal and it was kind of fun to see how Wickham was dealt with.
But, after a while, the frothy richness of it gave me a toothache. And, the Caroline and Charles Bingley characters were so over the top that they didn't even make sense. Ditto for Collins and Lady C.
There were romances for each of the three oldest Bennet daughters given in detail, but there were no hurdles or actual romantic development. It was sweet and I truly enjoyed who ended up with whom, but it was tough to be vested when it was simply stated not shown.
I also got thoroughly discombobulated trying to untangle the extended family names and connections past the immediate grandparents and parents.
So, its most definitely low-angst which I tend to appreciate more and very full of family love and togetherness which I also love juxtaposed with the passive and often over the top aspects. I liked it, but didn't love it.
The Next Mrs. Bennet edition I purchased came with a second unrelated book from the author, a P&P vagary that has a whole different tone based on the blurb so I'm curious to try this other and see how it goes at a later date.
SPOILER ALERT: This review may contain *** SPOILERS ***
>>Rating: Mature in both books due to language and adult themes. The vile thoughts of a maniacal villain were horrid and disgusting. >>Angst Level: Stressful, especially in the 2nd book. >>Source: KU 4-23-25: 31 chapters, plus Epilogue: Ends at 47% Bonus Book: Her Grace: Prologue, plus 39 chapters, plus epilogue. >>Trope: [1] 2nd Mrs. Bennet [2] Higher connections and wealth [3] FMS [Forced Marriage Scenario]
Fanny Bennet née Gardiner, Caroline Bingley, Wickham, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh are perfect as evil characters. There is so much that authors can do with them. They showed their stuff big time in these two stores.
In book one, Fanny Bennet left the stage rather quickly after giving birth to Jane. Bennet remarried a woman he loved who possessed class, was from a higher station, and had wealth. They raised additional children, including sons, much to Mr. Collins’ disappointment. Then Netherfield Park was let, and the fun began. I love it when Caroline shows out before someone who is truly above her.
Granderson included a bonus book: Her Grace. I had read it when it was first published, but enjoyed rereading it. Mr. & Mrs. Bennet were truly vile in this story. Elizabeth, at fifteen, was forced to marry a duke old enough to be her grandfather. He needed an heir. Mrs. Bennet attempted to push Jane into his path, but he didn’t want the bland girl. He wanted the Spitfire. His thoughts were vivid on how he would break her. Mrs. Bennet clamored, ‘We’re saved.’ No one in the ton would let their daughters near him. He had already buried two wives under suspicious circumstances, and was prepared to bury another; after she gave him a son, of course. See my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Too much deja vu for me. Too many plot points were taken from her other books. I feel like I’ve read that scene where Richard saves Georgiana at Ramsgate and calls out Darcy for his lack of care with checking Mrs. Younge’s references at least once before if not twice. Other plot points repeated as well (Who inherits Rosings, how Fanny became the first Mrs. Bennet and how she died). I was frustrated that a 400 page book was mostly content that I’ve read before in her other books. Content warning for forced institutionalization.
Firstly, even though I read a lot of Shana Granderson books & they are often similar, I swear I've read this exact one before, so I think I must have read it as fanfiction at some point.
Otherwise the story was good, though I had a hard time keeping the OCs straight at times. This one also used one of my least favorite conventions - calling Darcy something other than Fitzwilliam or William.
I just didn't love this book for a reason I can't quite put my finger on. However, it included a copy of Her Grace which I read again and absolutely loved again.
Most of the story was entertaining, if repetitive.
The early chapters were disturbing. This author always has the villians punished, but Mr. Bennet's treatment of his first wife was abusive. He could have curbed her self-centered behavior without imprisoning her in her bed chamber.
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. This is not a Charlotte Lucas marries Thomas Bennet story. At the end of the eBook, one of the author’s previous stories is included for free.
Thomas Bennet, the master of Longbourn for a little more than a year, is hunted by Fanny Gardiner. She has set her cap for him and he has shown no interest in her at all. Not used to being denied, his disinterest is what pushes Fanny to plan to entrap him. With the aid of her older sister, and to a lesser extent her father, Fanny compromises Bennet at an assembly. Although he tries to make it as unpalatable as possible to be his spouse, in order to induce her to refuse to marry him, she demands that they become husband and wife anyway, believing she will get her way as she always has in the past. Fanny and those who assisted her learn that there are consequences to be paid for their actions, in some cases, rather a heavy price is exacted.
Thankfully, Edward Gardiner does not agree with his father and sisters. As such he is the only Gardiner welcomed by the Bennets. Fanny has a rude awakening when she thinks her brother is there to advocate for her when instead he berates her for her dishonourable behaviour and actions. Due to the fact Bennet needs an heir because of the entail which will leave the estate to a Collins if no son is born, as distasteful as it is for him to consummate the marriage, and couple with his wife beyond that, Bennet holds his nose and does so. The need for a male child becomes all the more important as he is already in receipt of a letter written for the illiterate Clem Collins in which the latter boasts of the birth of a son named Clem William after his father.
Bennet is greatly relieved when Fanny falls pregnant very soon after the wedding so that he can cease going to her at night. She insists she will bear a son; more marital relations are not any more palatable to Fanny, but a daughter is born. Two days later Fanny succumbs to childbed fever. A year or so earlier Netherfield Park is purchased by the Devons. Little is known about them by the locals, and to date, they have not resided at their estate near Meryton.
That all changes when they arrive not long after Fanny’s passing. They have a son and two daughters. The son is a little younger than Bennet and is married so he is not present, one daughter is about 22 and the other 16. It does not take long before romance blooms between the master of Longbourn and the eldest Devon daughter. When things get serious between the two, certain disclosures are made. If they marry, will they only have daughters, or will they be blessed with a son or sons?
At some point, the story shifts to 1811 and the usual suspects arrive in the Meryton area. Will Darcy be his arrogant and rude self? Will Bingley be the irresolute man he can be? Will his sisters be supercilious? What of Lady Catherine, Collins, Wickham? Will they impact this tale and if so, how? The answers to the above questions, as well as many other things, will be revealed as the story unfolds. 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.
Mr Bennett's first marriage is a nightmare caused by a compromise by Fanny Gardiner, and she dies giving birth to Jane. Thomas Bennett immediately falls in love with his very intelligent neighbor, who also happens to be the daughter of the incognito Duke of Devonshire. Known in the Meryton area only as Mr and Mrs Bennett, they have a happy marriage, and three more daughters and two sons are born eventually. The word soon gets out that the Bennetts are very wealthy and well connected, which has both positive and negative repercussions.
I like this author, and she's an automatic purchase for me. Her very forthright characters are always fun to read about, and she has once again populated this book with names which have become familiar, and somehow beloved. I'm not sure why I keep loving these stories, as they're all so similar with only a little shuffling of the deck of situations and circumstances to make them different. I guess it's that the bad guys get the most satisfying comeuppances, and these Regency era characters actually speak their minds rather that beating around the bush or speaking in riddles.
The book is very well written and well edited. I recommend it highly.
A very optimistic variation by Shana Granderson. What would happen if a very young conniving, compromising, non empathetic Fanny Gardiner Bennet died in childbirth after giving birth to a daughter, Jane? Might a relieved Mr Bennet find true love with none other than the daughter of a peer and go on to father more children, including three more daughters and two sons?
That’s exactly what occurs in this version where the Bennets raise a genteel family and prosper due to good estate management and investments. The Bennet offspring also happen to be cousins to the Fitzwilliam brothers. Only good can come of that.
Speaking of cousins, before Darcy meets Elizabeth in this version he is given a set down for the ages from Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam about his conceit and pride. He is threatened with the loss of Georgiana’s guardianship if he doesn’t change his ways. He is a new man when he meets Elizabeth, much to the enjoyment of both when they are immediately attracted to each other. No misunderstandings to deal with.
All villains get what they deserve in this version. This book looks really long because Granderson has included another full length novel, “Her Grace” with this release. I read this on ku but think getting two books for the price of one would be a really great deal.
I started reading this and kept going back to the info section on Amazon to make sure it wasn't an updated version of a story I already read. It doesn't appear to be, so I DNF'd this.
This author is formulaic, her stories are all quite similar in one way or another. Rich, connected, coupling up and the children they all had. Usually one or two baddies, nearly always insane, bundled off to bedlam.
Here it seemed near identical. Is it possible old text got uploaded accidentally?
This is one of those stories where the Bennets are perfect. They have the perfect life, have exemplary connections and more money than possible. Heck even the Queen thinks Lizzy is adorably impertinent and calls her the Diamond of the season. I found it hard to keep up with all the characters because everyone shared the same name. There were too many Williams that Darcy was renamed Liam. Too many Georgiana’s.
A Pride and Prejudice variation where unfortunately for Thomas Bennet, owner of Longbourn he is compromised by Fanny Gardiner. But she dies giving birth to Jane. Very soon after Bennet meets and falls for Becca, daughter of a Duke. How will this affect Jane and any future children of the Bennets. An entertaining story
I truly love the retelling a by Shane Granderson this was an amazing retelling. All my senses are put to task when I read this book. That I believe is my compass for knowing a wonderful read. There is,always that fear that on of our villains will finally succeed. Again thank you for the pleasure of this read.
Many of the original character this author weaves into many of her tales were less present in this one, and we got some new originals who we hadn’t met before. Good, still worth reading, but felt a little more out of character, maybe than some other offerings by this author.
The closeness between the families is beautifully described and, even if it's loosely based on Pride and Prejudice, it maintains the traits of most of the characters.