The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle - TLC Book Tour

The enthralling story of Pride and Prejudice's middle sister, Mary Bennet—an enchanting modern sequel to the beloved classic
For most of her life, Mary, the serious and unpolished third daughter of the Bennet family, has been overshadowed by her sisters—beautiful and confdent Jane and Elizabeth, and firtatious and lighthearted Lydia and Kitty. But with nearly all of her sisters married and gone from the household, awkward, unrefned Mary has blossomed into an attractive young woman with a quiet poise of her own.

When a very pregnant Lydia unexpectedly returns to the Bennet home and scandalously announces she's left Wickham, Mary and Kitty are packed off to visit Jane and her husband, Charles Bingley, in Derbyshire. Yearning for the solitude of home, Mary is dismayed to discover Bingley's handsome and eligible friend Henry Walsh everywhere she turns. Unschooled in the game of love, Mary fnds Henry's warm attentions confounding. Is his interest genuine or does she foolishly mistake friendliness for something more? With her heart and her future at risk, Mary must throw caution to the wind to fnd the truth—a journey of discovery that will teach her surprising lessons about herself and the desires of her heart.

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Be still my heart.  Oh my.  I wish I could find enough words to describe how much I loved this book.

Being a die hard Jane Austen fan, I approach books like this quite hesitantly, because honestly nothing comes close to Miss Austen. 

This one however, I enjoyed so very much that I couldn't put it down. 

The story follows the Bennet sisters.  Lizzy is happily married to Darcy and they have twin girls, Jane is happily married to Charles and they have little ones as well.  Lydia is as scandalous as ever, it's quite hilarious at times.  Kitty is a spoiled little girl hell bent on being a woman.  And then there's Mary, who is the main character in the book. 

I fell in love with her from the get go, she's this sweet, shy girl who seems to be forgotten by the rest of the family.  She has developed this complex that she is not pretty enough and not smart enough and good enough, and so tries to remove herself from everything.  Until she catches Henry Walsh's eye and the struggle begins within her whether he is truly in love with her, or whether he is just looking for a mother for his child.

But I won't say anything more, other than, if you are a Jane Austen fan, you NEED to read this story and catch up with all your favorite characters.  It's truly like a step back in time :)

Huge, huge thumbs up.  I'm only sorry the book ended because I wanted to continue reading and living vicariously through these characters.  Kudos to Pamela Mingle :)

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a review copy.