Pride and Prejudice at the Bennet Bakery: A Sweet Contemporary Gender-Swapped Retelling of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice

The Bennet Bakery #1

by V N Murray

A modern Pride and Prejudice retelling with gender-swapped leads.

When Fiona Darcy finds herself in the wilds of Yorkshire to launch her new wedding dress collection, she’s only got one aim; get back to Bath as quickly as possible. What she doesn’t need is her best friend falling for their cupcake supplier, forcing her into the proximity of the crass Bennet family. Worst of all is Elliot, the tall, handsome Yorkshireman who has not only taken an instant dislike to her, but seems to be pushing his brother into a relationship purely for financial gain.

Baker extraordinaire Elliot Bennet is pleased when his brother finally finds love, but less happy playing third wheel with Fiona Darcy, a woman who clearly despises him and his family. But the Darcy contract could be the big break their struggling bakery needs, even if it doesn’t show his messy, overcrowded family to their best advantage. And besides, even if she doesn’t like cupcakes, maybe Fi isn’t quite as icy as she seems…

North meets south as sparks fly between Elliot and Fiona. Will their undeniable connection survive meddling families, misunderstandings and their own prejudice?

Genres: Romance

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2022

Reviews

[abmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title says it all. It really is a sweet story. My favourite character is James Bingley the story's version of Caroline Bingley, not because I liked him but because he fit the idea of Caroline to the T. The next best is Andy Bennet, Mrs. Bennet's equivalent, except for the nerves, he's a great characterization. Quite enjoyable!

[Teresita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but...

Not really believable. I found the gender swap interesting, but not well written. The relationships are not realistic nor have a good foundation.

[Barbara K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read Jane Austen variations set in our era, as they usually seem disappointing and I think Austen wrote stories that for the most part don't translate that well into modern culture. However, I made the exception here based on a recommendation, and on reading the blurb I realized that this might be interesting, especially with the gender swapping of characters from what we're familiar with.

I must say I'm pleased to have read it. It's definitely not a favorite in the genre, for me, as someone who is enamored with Regency Britain, and because it's low-angst as far as romance. But it is a rather clever story. The author builds a modern story around the familiar plot line and characters of the original in a way that's impressive. It makes for a plausible story-line that doesn't rely on people behaving in overly traditional or old-fashioned ways. It does rely on economic class, and one must admit that does still exist today. I have to say that Andy, the father of this story's Bennet clan, comes the closest to Mrs. Bennet that I can imagine any modern male doing, and it made for some humorous moments. I also like that LGBTQA inclusion was accomplished without anyone, the author or the characters, making any big deal out of it. It was accepted as perfectly normal, and folded into the whole mixture the way a good baker would do with any ingredient. Well done!

[Lucetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is really fun to have the genders swapped in this cute retelling of pride and prejudice. It’s also set in todays world, which threw me off a few times, but not in a bad way. For those sensitive to swearing, this has a few words in it, but not a lot. The story is romantically clean too. Not a steamy romance. I really enjoyed it. The story was engaging and I found myself comparing characters to the original throughout the story. V N Murray kept the temperaments and character traits of the originals pretty well. Thanks for the fun read! (Received free for a review, by voracious readers)

[Shelly Lindsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story very much. It’s a light read that nicely follows the original story in a modern setting. I found it interesting and a fun twist that the author reversed the families.

The characters were well developed and believable. They revealed depth and humor throughout the story. Andy Bennet was amusing and annoying with his family’s best interest at heart.

Our main characters kept me interested and entertained. The story is completely predictable and
I wasn’t disappointed with the ending

[Rachel b00ksrmagic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute Jane Austen fanfic retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I loved how the author fit all of the pertinent details of P&P into a modern setting. And the gender-swap twist was so much fun. It was obvious the author loves Pride & Prejudice. It shone through in her careful retelling. She really captured the personality of each character.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers for review. All opinions are my own. This book is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

[Leesa Sterner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jane Austen and everything "Pride and Prejudice" so I didn't even have to think when offered a free copy for review. I did think it did a good job with gender swapping and showing how the characters would have likely reacted in situations that were only hinted at in the original text. It seemed to do a better job catching the concept of the story better than any hallmark movie ever had. The ending, however, seemed rushed and had more of the hallmark feel to it than I wanted to see. I would recommend if you like adaptations though.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. I haven’t read the original recently to take issue, but enjoyed it on its own terms. It was , frustrating, sweet, and touching in its own rights, and I enjoyed the gender switch. Vague ending but clear enough implied. I’d certainly be interested in the follow-up.

I received a free copy through voracious Readers only, with no demand for a review. All options are mine.

[Kshitija · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars!! I love P&P retellings & I LOVED the gender swapping aspect of the story .. This was so cute. but I wanted it to be longer.. The author's writing is really good and I am excited to read the books of other brothers..

[Rach3l · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good retelling of a classic. I enjoyed the story as well as the different points of view.

Side note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review

[Faustine]

DNF because I couldn’t get into the story.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since Pride & Prejudice is one of my favourite books, I'm always curious when a new retelling appears. This one was slightly different. For a start, we have gender swapping with Darcy as Fiona, and Bennett as Elliot. It even goes so far as swapping Mr. & Mrs. Bennett (he's the one trying to marry off everyone), the Bingley's and Miss Collins. I was very impressed with this interpretation. Instead of simply swapping roles, there are also subtleties in character development that stretch beyond the original. While a very modern tale, it doesn't get so bogged down in the retelling that it's own plot gets lost in the mix; at least not to badly. I'm very curious now about the sequels and what they have in store. Copy provided by the author via Voracious Readers.