. . . of most interest to Bennet was Mr. Darcy of Pemberley. When Fitzwilliam Darcy attends the Meryton assembly, he befriends a quiet, intelligent gentleman. In frequent visits to his friend's home, he becomes acquainted with the Bennet family of Longbourn. Yet Mr. Darcy is distracted by a strange feeling of having met some of them before. This is a different Bennet family from the cleverly crafted one in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. This Mr. Bennet is a responsible gentleman who takes an active role in the education and upbringing of all five of his daughters, manages Longbourn to be prosperous, and displays loving guidance toward Mrs. Bennet-a gentle, caring mother and wife. There is a mystery lurking at Longbourn-a secret unknown even to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy is entangled in its extraordinary revelations. Who is Thomas Bennet? —- Notes: This is a "what-if" variation on Pride and Prejudice: What if Mr. Bennet's personality were entirely different than in canon? What events would change in Austen's original, leading to fresh, new plot points? How would it affect Elizabeth and Darcy and the other characters? There is a second story line to tell how Mr. Bennet's personality became different, and that's the heart of the mystery! This book contains sexual scenes and violence, including one brief scene of non‑explicit sexual violence that may be concerning to sensitive readers. The sexual violence does not include Elizabeth Bennet.
Author
Somehow the bio is boring. I don't want to talk about me, I want to talk about books. So if you need to see the bio, the same one as on my Meryton Press blog and my Facebook page, scroll down. But to really know a bit about me, check out my "Loved It" list. It says a lot. Of course, I have about three times that many books rated at five stars, and they are all very special to me, each in their own way. Some are books others would just rank as "meh" but worked for me, and others are classics that everyone would agree are fantastic. That's what I love about Goodreads: we all get our opinion on something very personal as reading choice. These days, I read very little other than Jane Austen Fan Fiction, Regency Romance, and nonfiction reference for writing. Part of the reason for that is that my health doesn't allow me to read for more than about an hour a day, and I have many books in that genre to catch up on, not to mention the online serial stories that can be even better than some of the published books. My reviews are honest and impartial and won't include any for Meryton Press (my publisher) published books for obvious reasons. Well, unless I'm weak and have to give kudos where kudos are due. You won't get newsletters from me, since I hate getting that sort of stuff clogging up my email. You will get chances at freebies and swag every so often through other channels because I love giving stuff away. In fact, I have a free gift for anyone who reads this bio. Email me at suzanlauder at gmail dot com to claim it, and say where you saw the offer. I'd love feedback of all sorts on my writing, but especially stuff that tells me what I can do to please you, as a reader. Thanks! Biography: Saucy opinions like "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has no pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid." won Suzan Lauder, who thought, "I have to read more by this woman who writes with such snarky humour!" And another Jane Austen fanatic was captured in the clever dead author's net. Austen figures prominently in Lauder's writing, as Pride and Prejudice has inspired all her published fiction. Her publisher is Meryton Press. Lauder is currently editing a Regency romance series called "Cecilia's Mismatches." She released the mature novel "The Barrister's Bride" for publication in May 2022. It has elements of that longtime JAFF favourite style, the FMS. Prior to that, she released the introductory book in the novella series "Scandal and Skirmish" called "Schemes of Felicity." "The Mist of Her Memory," was rated a top book of 2019 and is a Regency romantic suspense and mystery novel. Suzan's Regency romantic comedy "A Most Handsome Gentleman," nicknamed #HOTCollins was among three reviewers' top-rated Jane Austen Fan Fiction books for 2017. Cover Wars Book of the Week and Amazon #1 bestseller "Letter from Ramsgate" was released in October 2016. It's a Regency romance with nail-biting drama. Both these books are teen-rated, aimed at anyone old enough to have enjoyed Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." They followed Suzan's unique adult-rated Austen-inspired Regency romance with a mystery twist, "Alias Thomas Bennet," which was published in 2013. A chapter from "Alias Thomas Bennet was a finalist in the Sexy Scribbles contest under Historical Fiction in 2019. Her short modern romance "Delivery Boy" was featured in Meryton Press' 2015 Holiday anthology, "Then Comes Winter." The anthology was included on "Best of 2015" lists by three influential book review bloggers, and is suitable for readers of all ages. Lauder's is fascinated with Regency fashion and editing and blogs about it. She lives with Mr. Suze half time on Vancouver Island and in Mexico and their cat joins them in both places.
