Pride & Pressure: A Classics Retold Romance

by Candace Owens

Charlotte Lucas is a thirty year old, self proclaimed crazy cat lady, who is tired of being single. Unfortunately, her experiences with dating have only brought her heartache and extreme pessimism when it comes to finding "the one." Between the pressure of her parents and society at large, she's at her wits' end. It isn't until her best friend, Lizzy Bennett, brings a crazy proposal to her that she begins to let her heart beat again.

William Collins is a thirty year old, super successful pastor of a mega church, with just one he's not married. Or at least his boss, Cat De Bourgh, thinks its a problem and gives him an ultimatum. He has one year to find a wife or he's fired. Desperate to keep his job and carry on his father's legacy, he's willing to give any woman who'll have him a chance, even a total, cat loving, stranger.

This novel is a spicy romance retelling of Jane Austen's classic, Pride & Prejudice.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2025

About the author

Candace Owens is an American conservative commentator and political activist. She is known for her pro-Trump activism and her criticism of Black Lives Matter and of the Democratic Party. In October 2018, Owens launched the Blexit movement, a campaign to encourage African Americans to abandon the Democratic Party. She worked for the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA between 2017 and 2019. She hosts the Candace Owens Show on PragerU's YouTube channel.

Reviews

[bookish.eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
This book was very different to what I usually read. I happened to see a post the author made on Threads about her new release; a modern reimagining of Pride & Prejudice. I love going into books blind so I picked it up not realizing it was a Christian romance. (I clearly didn’t inspect the cover closely though 😂). Even though I am a Christian myself, it’s not a genre I’ve ever thought to reached for. I was pleasantly surprised! At first, there were parts of the plot that gave me the ick, but it turns out that those same things gave the FMC the ick too which gave me so much relief 🤭 By the end, the things that made me uncomfortable about how some religious people and places can be were put on blast, and the MMC was redeemed to me.

Through this book I also learned that Christian romances can also be spicy! I naively thought they are always closed door. This one most definitely is not, and I loved that. It highlighted that humans can have a close relationship with God *and* still have healthy sexual desires and kinks. It was refreshing. Honestly a solid read overall. I would recommend ☺️

[Candy Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, the author page for this book is wrong. That's not the right Candace Owens. That one would never right a spicy romance novel. LOL I messaged C.J. Owens about it and she said there was a mixup when she was publishing it so this one is under a different name, but it is her book.

I really like how, even though this is a Pride & Prejudice retelling, it's not about Darcy and Lizzy. There are so many books about them, so this is refreshing. In the original, they do get married, but it's not really a happy marriage, so I'm glad this contemporary marriage of convenience gives them the happily ever after Charlotte deserves.

This Mr. Collins is a hot, nerdy mega church preacher worth millions. He has to get married to keep his job and be a good example to the congregation of a "family man." Charlotte is tired of being single and just wants to be married already and not bother with the dating nonsense anymore. So, they agree to get married to help each other out, and, as all marriage of convenience plots go, they end up falling for each other (with spicy times along the way). The theme of Christian faith is present in the book, but it's not being preachy or trying to convert anyone. The characters just happen to be Christian, so that's part of their character development and plot of the book.

As a Christian myself, it was nice to read a romance book where I felt represented. It was also nice how part of the plot involves taking down or putting hypocritical "Sunday Christians" in their place. Reading a romance book with Christian characters who have spicy times, especially dom/sub kink, was really refreshing and kind of empowering. William is not only hot, but he's a good guy, one who takes care of her when she's stressed and overworking herself. Charlotte is a relatable anxious girly and I love that about her, and the fact that she's not tiny.

Overall, highly recommend this book if you like romance stories with marriage of convenience as the main trope.

[Alba Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

✝️Sir William & Lady Charlotte🛐👫🏻

Such a great story. I really enjoyed reading about Sir William & his Lady Charlotte, they came together very unexpectedly and their relationship was anything but conventional. But after getting to know each other they quickly became friends and slowly grew to love one another. They both had their own troubles/issues but together they overcame them. There’s not much I can say without giving the plot away but I really recommend reading this book. It’s not your average “churchy” romance story! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

[Rachel Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This spicy Pride & Prejudice retelling is everything you didn’t know you needed! Charlotte Lucas is a relatable, witty, and refreshingly flawed heroine, and William Collins yes, that Mr. Collins is given surprising depth and charm in this modern update. With laugh-out-loud moments, steamy chemistry, and just the right amount of emotional vulnerability, this book is a romantic rollercoaster with heart. A must-read for Austen lovers who crave a fresh, bold take.

[Calo123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute retelling of classic