The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet

This delightful if somewhat predictable lesbian Regency from McLeod (Sunbather) takes the form of a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Four years after the events of Austen’s novel, Charlotte Lucas’s husband Mr. Collins dies. Charlotte tries to delay the inevitable return to her parents’ home by inviting her best friend Lizzie Bennet to visit. As Lizzie’s son is too ill for her to travel, she instead sends her sister Mary, who, still unmarried, has developed an interest in botany and scientific salons. Their quickly blossoming friendship leaves Charlotte realizing the reason her marriage felt so lukewarm: she’s attracted to women. Later, she meets Mary’s social circle in Canterbury and discovers that, despite society’s disapproval, she’s not the only one who feels this way. The prose skews contemporary, but McLeod still delivers all the Regency staples, including high-society gossip, unwanted suitors, and quippy dialogue. With Charlotte as the sole narrator, the mystery of whether she’s reading Mary’s signals correctly keeps the pages turning right up until the moment their passion erupts. The result is an unabashedly escapist, feel-good romance. (Apr.)