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The Bennet Fury

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Thomas Bennet had married Olivia Darcy, sister of Mr Gerald Darcy of Pemberley. The couple were deeply in love, and soon had two beautiful daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. Tragedy struck when Olivia Bennet was killed in an accident, returning home from visiting her brother’s estate. Mr Bennet becomes bitter, losing the love of his life and blaming the Darcy family for the accident. Years later, after having remarried and fathering three more daughters, Thomas Bennet is still harboring anger towards the Darcys. When he learns of Bingley’s connections to Fitzwilliam Darcy, the situation ignites into an inferno. Will the eldest Bennet sisters be able to reunite with their mother’s family?

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2016

53 people are currently reading
30 people want to read

About the author

Melanie Schertz

47 books59 followers
I am a retired crime lab/crime scene technician, having worked for a local police department for 15 years. Since then, I have become disabled. Forgot to get the extended warranty on the body. In my spare time, I make jewelry, am a photographer, and a full time mom and grandma.
My daughter by birth is Catie, and she is the dearest part of my life. Through her, I have 2 daughters by heart, Heather and Kristina. Through Heather and her awesome man, Stan, I have 4 amazing grandchildren, Purgi, Penne, Myles, and Persephene.
Besides my human family, I have a canine son, who is my service dog, Darcy. I also have 4 feline daughters (Salem, Lizzy, Dagonet, and Freya ). I now have 5 grandpuppies, 2 grandkitties.
Two days after I received my first ever royalty check, I adopted Darcy and Lizzy. Fitting names, I thought. And they resemble the characters. Lizzy is mischievous, yet loving, climbing up high as if she were in a tree. Darcy is extremely protective and loving. He has his shy side, which is clear when around some people, until he comes to know he can trust them.

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5 stars
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76 (38%)
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49 (24%)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for J. W. Garrett.
1,736 reviews139 followers
April 8, 2021
“He was a silent fury who no torment could tame.” –Jack London, White Fang

Rating: MA: mature-reader on several levels: violence, attempted murder, madness/insanity, murder, descriptions of a death scene, trigger warnings for violence/abuse, sexual references and descriptions: Angst level: medium-to-high: teenage angst [LA! deliver us from teen angst], tearful segments: tissues required: Source: borrowed from KU 4-4-21: This review may contain *** spoilers ***

Bennet: “Anger swirled in him, a tempest readying her strike. And like a helpless vessel caught in her fury, he felt himself dashed against the rocks without mercy.” –V.S. Carnes

Bennet’s first wife Olivia died [along with her unborn child] when she visited her brother Darcy in Derbyshire. Bennet would NEVER forgive them for requesting her to come to them. They sent her home in their carriage with the Darcy crest and highwaymen thought her to be a rich woman worthy of robbery. This resulted in an overturned carriage and the death of its occupant along with the coachman. In Bennet’s grief, he forbids any Darcy to ever darken the door at Longbourn again. Nor are they to have any contact with his two young daughters Jane and Elizabeth.

Fast forward many years and Bingley leased Netherfield Park. As he was making a return visit to his neighbor Bennet, it was mentioned that his good friend would soon arrive in the area. When Bennet learned it was a Darcy he went into a blind rage and suffered apoplexy.

Darcy: “The finest fury is the most controlled.” –Christopher Hitchens, Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays

Darcy's hands were full of conniving, scheming relations. Everyone was attempting to force his marriage to his cousin Anne de Bourgh. The houses of Matlock and De Bourgh were relentless in their quest to join the estates. Anne was a nasty self-centered heiress and wanted Darcy no matter how many times he refused to marry her. There was only one cousin that Darcy intended to marry and she was not in Kent but in Hertfordshire.

Georgiana: This young miss was Darcy’s recalcitrant, spoiled, and coddled younger sister. Her Matlock relations had overindulged her and filled her head with her self-importance. She had spent way too much time in Kent with her aunt Lady Catherine and her cousin Anne. Talk about a younger version of Lady Catherine. OMG! This little miss was such a snot and every word from her mouth was condescending and disdainful. Everyone was beneath her and her idea of style was gold, glitz, and gaudy. She was taught by her Aunt Lady Catherine what was expected from people of wealth. You demonstrated your wealth in the manner in which you dressed and in how you decorated your house. Georgiana completely bought into the notion that Anne would be her sister and her brother should marry her as soon as possible. Her Bennet relations were beneath her and she turned up her nose at meeting them. Nothing suited her. She wanted her way or would know why. She was a child of sixteen and thought herself a woman, fully grown. She knew what she wanted and that SBRB [scum-bag-rat-bastard] played her like a fiddle. She would never forget the day she took a wrong turn in her life’s path.

It all came to a head when Mrs. Bennet went behind her husband’s back and welcomed cousin Collins, the heir to Longbourn, to Hertfordshire. She had planned well, no one knew he was coming. After meeting the odd man, Mary quickly figured out her mother’s plan. She would marry her troublesome second daughter to the sycophant, thus securing her future, and that of her younger daughters, at Longbourn. When Bennet discovered the plan, his fury would be his last. Mrs. Bennet’s worst nightmare was about to be realized. She would need to move and move quickly.

Jane and Elizabeth were delightful. Charles would, of course, fall for the blonde beauty, and like in canon, Caroline would rage against the Bennet connection. She too would reap a consequence for her actions.

Note: Jane was green-eyed at the beginning of the story but then blue-eyed from then on. I loved the Darcy and Elizabeth characters. They loved each other as children and then as adults. The dialogue was tedious at times and repetitious. It could have been trimmed. Everyone was ridiculous and outrageous. I still enjoyed it as I love seeing what Schertz comes up with next. I needed a break and recommend this if you can stand the errors and just want to read something different.

“She was fury, she was wrath, she was vengeance.” –Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows

Profile Image for Madenna U.
2,160 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2020
Mr Bennet lost his dear wife as she returned home to Longbourn from Pemberly after helping her brother. In his grief, Bennet has forbidden all interaction between his family (Jane & Elizabeth) and the Darcys. As time passes, he remarries and has 3 more daughters.
As time passes and the Bingley family moves into Netherfield, when they reveal that they are awaiting their dear friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Bennet gets so mad he has a stroke! When Darcy does come to town he is happy to see his cousins again and finds himself attracted to his cousin Elizabeth.
Evil comes into play via a very stuck up Georgiana Darcy, Wickham, the 2nd Mrs Bennet, Lady Catherine and other Darcy relatives. Darcy must hold to his ideals while defending his family and his love.

This story had a LOT of over emotional over the top characters that came all at once. I found it to be overwhelming. I loved the way it ended but for a bit I wanted people to stop whining.
Profile Image for Bronwen Chisholm.
Author 11 books35 followers
December 19, 2016
Overpriced, under edited, and a bit too unbelievable. The author started with a good idea, but shortly after the sample pages ended, parts became a bit hard to swallow. The characters seemed entirely too extreme with many of them headed for bedlam. Point of view changed frequently in mid scene and simple editing mistakes became more frequent the closer I got to the end. There was a lot of repetition, especially regarding Darcy's insistence that he would not be marrying Anne or Caroline--which was made worse when other characters "thought" about how Darcy insisted he would not marry either woman. The price is definitely too high for the length and quality of this book.
Profile Image for Gail Frisby.
471 reviews13 followers
October 26, 2023
Great love story

I loved it, sorry for Mr Bennet who had a sad life of his own making. What can I say about MS Bennet, Caroline and Wickham. Anne debourgh she was off the chains ! Good ending!!!
Profile Image for Teresita.
1,232 reviews12 followers
January 10, 2022
Entertaining, but weird

I found this story interesting, but strange because of Darcy and Elizabeth being related. Some of the situations feel a little convoluted, but in general I liked the tale.
Profile Image for Talia.
971 reviews4 followers
December 18, 2016
The library is open! Elizabeth and Caroline throwing shade. Attempted murder. Crazy ranting. What is not to like? This is the Dynasty of JAFF.
Profile Image for Craftyhj.
1,229 reviews
July 2, 2023
2.5*

This is a classic Schertz story with insane amounts of action / treachery / insanity / general chaos. The basic plot idea is a good one but the execution is weak. I would love to see this author working with another writer who could help her to turn her plots into a better structure. The results could be fantastic.
545 reviews21 followers
March 15, 2025
As norm for this author, lots of horrible villains and deaths and a fast pace. I wonder why most of the characters in this book namely, Lady Catherine, Anne, Caroline, Mrs. Bennet, Collins, Wickham, Georgiana or the Matlocks never understand the word NO however many times it was uttered. And I was flabbergasted by the Darcy logic revealed near the end.

Spoiler ahead.

Darcy learns that Anne and Wickham are having an affair but tells no one except his father. So, the elder Darcy decides that a man who is using his niece should be denied a monetary inheritance but qualifies for a living? And when he has access to an entire estate, why Wickham pursues Georgiana for a meagre thirty thousand? And why Anne is so set on marrying Darcy when she could marry a man she loves? And why would Darcy not do anything to stop his sister when he learns of her elopement with a man who's his cousin's lover? I understand Georgiana was difficult but a responsible, honorable brother will let his teenage sister to elope with a known scoundrel and do nothing to stop her is quite difficult to swallow. And though we might accept it, which three year old remembers her cousin who she didn't meet for nearly seventeen years and when the seven year old meeting his cousin after that period, decides immediately that she's all the qualities he requires in his wife? So, a three year old child's character speaks for that of a twenty year old?

So many questions, but the pace of the book makes up for most of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rachel.
653 reviews
October 6, 2017
I really tried with this one but Mr Ben net and Georgiana were so out of character that I had to stop reading for my own sanity! I was mentally editing as I went along and skipped passages of awkward exposition that had already been explained several times (example - how Olivia died)
I keep swearing off Schertz novels but always end up intrigued by the blurb. Shame they are so badly executed.
659 reviews
August 19, 2020
On my...where do I begin?

I admit while I was reading this story it was unclear for me if the author actually wanted me to take this story seriously or was it just a crazy, unbelievable farce. I went back and forth with this throughout the book depending on what was happening.
What I found unbelievable was Elizabeth's childhood recollections and her keen observations at the age of four. When Elizabeth was four her Aunt Anne died. Since the age of four Elizabeth has not seen, heard or discussed the Darcy family until she was twenty. When Elizabeth came across Darcy's sixteen years later, she is able to tell Georgiana (from what four year old Lizzy observed) that her parents would be disappointed in her behavior. She can relate how parents carried themselves. She also mentioned how Georgiana nose, mouth and eyes are like Aunt Anne's. WOW that is some memory considering you were four, didn't love in the same house and most likely Lizzy time was probably spent more time in the nursery during visits. She also remembers Aunt Catherine's behavior and Anne being spoiled.
I'm also trying to wrap my mind around Lizzy being four when her mother died, and Darcy being eight ( I guess he's 24 in this story), but both developed such a strong connection for one another that sixteen apart couldn't stop the admiration that Liszt held for eight year old Darcy and Darcy held for the four year old Lizzy. Elizabeth was so remarkable that when Darcy's mom died three year later, seven year old Elizabeth found out about it from reading the newspaper, because what else would a seven year suppose to do to keep up with current events.
Then there's Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, Caroline, Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine, Anne de Bourgh, Lady Matlock, Lord Matlock, Wickham and Georgians all fit to be tied. I grew tired of the constant, over the top insults and threats. The same thing over and over. Then there was Darcy's response that was no better. He would repeatedly say "this is the final time", but it wasn't, he would say it again.
Then there is Mrs. Bennet who hates Elizabeth so much and would love to get rid of her, decides the best way to accomplish that is to make Elizabeth marry Mr. Collins...uh?
I can go on and on about the crazy outlandish behavior of these characters. I wouldn't call it a romance even with the HEA.
I'm still willing to try other books from the author since some reviewers said this is their least favorite. I also know that every book isn't going to be a four or five star, there will be some duds.
9 reviews
April 21, 2019
Tragic Comedy

This writer is very good as I have read her other works but this novel really disappoints.

Insane characters, pathologically deaf to any reason and foolish beyond imagination.
No consistency within characters, eg Georgiana despises Bingleys for trade and Bennets for being bit poor to Darcys yet she elopes with Wickham, son of a steward. So I assume she was insane as well.

Mr. Collins - Insane, Anne De Bourgh - Insane, Lady Catherine - Insane, Lord and Lady Matlock - Borderline, Caroline Bingley - Insane, Mrs. Bennet - Borderline, Mr. Bennet - Only insanity which had genuine explanation.

Beginning and premise of book was good but then after few chapters it turned in to sort of dreadful comedy.

I read it as it is in Kindle Unlimited but my advise will be to save your time and money and skip this one.
Profile Image for Susan.
227 reviews7 followers
July 19, 2022
ugh…

This author typically has lots of drama in her stories and this one definitely follows that pattern. It makes for interesting plot lines even if our favorite characters don’t show growth during the telling.

What irritated me most about this story, however, wasn’t the lack of character development, but how stupidly obtuse the villains (which was pretty much everyone) were. How many times did Darcy have to tell the same people he was not to marry Anne? And why did almost everyone have to be so vile?

I forced myself for finish this.
1 review
February 6, 2017
How anybody can rate this drivel with 5 stars is absolutely beyond me! The characters are neither likeable nor do they act in any way believable. Yes, even Darcy! The book started off okay and with an interesting premise, but unfortunately did not live up to its promise at all.
2 reviews
January 2, 2019
New approach

Loved the plot. This new take on a P&P classic was entertaining. Although their were a few typos, the whole of the story was great.
Profile Image for Michelle David.
2,561 reviews13 followers
June 15, 2019
Wonderful

Yet another wonderful variation inspired by author Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice by Melanie Schertz. Thoroughly enjoyable as usual
1,391 reviews4 followers
March 16, 2021
Emotional, intriguing,

Loved the connection between the Bennet and Darcy's families, but intrigued by what and why separation of the families. The Fitzwilliam relation are extremely pompous and ridiculous at times. Georgianna is just as bad as her relatives. Wickham succeeds in the elopement with George, but loved what they find out afterwards. Mrs Bennet and Mr Collins are horrible, but loved how Mary was. Ending of the story is filled with such emotional content it makes the story even better. Highly recommended for all audiences
42 reviews
January 19, 2017
Bennett Fury

It is different. The character twists are slightly bizarre. However, the book has its required happy ending. The author is known for her variations of Jane Austen's original Pride and Prejudice. This novella was very "busy".
Profile Image for Tamara Thompson.
11 reviews5 followers
December 4, 2016
She did it again!

Ms. Schwartz shows her usual imaginative approach to HEA in the world of Pride and Prejudice. A book for anyone who loves a good romance.
Profile Image for Tracy Bloomfield.
23 reviews2 followers
January 6, 2019
Loved it

Another perfect book by a great author great read Melanie I loved Georgiana I didn't expect that can't wait for the next book
133 reviews
April 19, 2017
A middle of the road offering.

I've always enjoyed this author's work, but in places I felt this book fell a bit short of her usual standards. She did once again offer a unique but a bit choppy plot, with certain character development showing how mental instability can get out of control. Elizabeth was fairly strong, and I especially enjoyed this loyal, strong, sometimes playful and even cunning Darcy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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