You are invited to Charlotte’s Wedding – a contemporary reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the first book in the 21st Century Jane Austen Novel series.
Every mother wants the best for her daughters and Patsy Nicholson has particular reasons for wanting her three daughters – Rachel, Meredith and Shelley – to have secure futures.
When their plain, dull cousin Charlotte announces her engagement to a man with little going for him other than a huge bank balance, Patsy sets out a plan for her girls to raise their game and look for well-off, well-established men to marry.
Rachel, the smart and confident owner of a bookshop, is happily independent but keeping her business going is a financial struggle.
Meredith is kind and sweet-natured – too nice for her own good, really. She has had a string of relationships with men who take advantage of her kind nature.
Shelley is footloose and fancy-free, having a good time and not thinking about settling down any time soon.
Ben Forsyth is the heir to the manor house where Charlotte’s wedding reception is held. He and Meredith fall for each other but Ben’s best friend, the arrogant Daniel D’Abarnville, puts obstacles in their way.
Sparks fly between Daniel and Rachel. She hates him for preventing her sister’s happiness, and her antipathy increases when she hears he has also ruined the life of writer Gavin Jameson.
Gavin enters their lives when he does a book-signing in Rachel’s shop. There is definitely a spark between Gavin and Rachel, but then Shelley gets in the way…
Patsy has her own reasons for having remained a resolutely single mother for all these years, but secrets from her past emerge and threaten to damage the life she has carefully built for herself and her daughters.
Independent though she is, she finds a shoulder to lean on – and the unexpected prospect of a future not unlike the one she wants for her girls.
This is a lively and engaging spin on Pride and Prejudice, which explores the compromises and choices made by women as they negotiate their way through issues of independence and security, love and money in their complicated 21st Century lives.
Look out for further books in the 21st Century Jane Austen Novel series coming soon. For further details, go to www.maryrizza.com
