What If Mr. Bingley Had Side Quests?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

TYPE OF NOVEL: Alternate POV, Secondary Character

THE PREMISE: There is more to Mr. Bingley than being the affable, gentlemanly, and easily-influenced. He has secrets, he has skills, and he is on a mission. This story depicts Mr. Bingley’s actions off-page before and after the Netherfield Ball, and as we find out, his departure and his distance from Jane Bennet are not for the reasons we have been led to believe…

WHAT I LOVED:

• Bingley is Badass: *swoon* He is dashing, he is fierce, he is strong and skilled. This is a Mr. Bingley like we’ve never seen him before. While this Mr. Bingley is still the open-hearted, amicable, and easy-going gentleman we meet in Jane Austen’s P&P, this Mr. Bingley is also shrewdly observant, dangerously cunning, and determined to banish evil. He is definitely badass-dangerous-to-know hero material in this book, and perhaps gives our Mr. Darcy a run for his money. ...Darcy who? I’m just kidding… 😉

• Bingley’s Team: Throughout Mr. Bingley’s mission, readers will encounter his trusty companions who assist him with his endeavors. I loved seeing the relationship between these men – especially their respect for each other and the harmonious way they work together. Whether their relationships is long-standing or relatively new, Mr. Bingley surrounds himself with estimable men of honor, perseverance, and bravery. I liked that we got to know a little more about each of these men and see their characters’ develop.

• The Cabal: Mr. Bingley was already in the midst of his mission at the beginning of the story, but the reader quickly catches on that there is a web of perpetrators and Mr. Bingley is immobilizing them one at a time. This made for a most gripping plot – unlike one Austenesque readers have ever seen. The sinister acts of this group were horrifying to read about, but conceivable. And their connections to established Jane Austen characters was clever and believable. Each new revelation during this mission was thrilling to witness.

• Secondary and Tertiary Characters: I won’t spoil any surprises here, but I will say how much I enjoyed Mr. Dragan’s use of Jane Austen’s silent and seemingly inconsequential tertiary characters. In this tale they were given exciting new purposes, and again, it was all done so skillfully and plausibly. I may never look at some of these characters the same way again. And that also goes for more familiar and prominent characters such as Mr. Wickham and Mr. Hurst.

• Audacious and Adventurous: No gentle comedy of manners here, this is a suspenseful action-adventure through and through. A great choice for readers who are wanting something a little less gentle and staid. I enjoyed the exhilaration, the drama, and all the moments Mr. Bingley took fierce, fearsome, and flawless action.

NOTE: Some scenes describe violent acts and death, and the plot touches upon murder and harm to women (although that never happens on page).

WHAT COULD’VE BEEN BETTER:

• Bingley’s How: I loved this Mr. Bingley and I loved that he was involved with this mission. But it felt a little unclear how he came to be the man he is and how he became involved avenging these victims. Mr. Bingley’s skillset and demeanor are so vastly different from what we know of him, I wish we learned more of his past and how he developed into this different version of Jane Austen’s character.

• Jane and Darcy: Some small quibbles might be that while we are seeing the story from Mr. Bingley’s POV, nothing much new develops between Mr. Bingley and Jane. He still is primarily attracted to her because of her beauty and kindness, and their relationship receives a small portion of page time. In addition, with Bingley rising up to hero status, there sometimes felt like an odd dynamic reversal between him and Mr. Darcy – we see Mr. Bingley aware of Darcy’s feelings towards Elizabeth very early on and Mr. Darcy being the one displaying all sorts of morose and out-of-character moods. Of course, it makes sense for Mr. Bingley’s star to shine a little brighter in his own tale, but at the same time it was maybe a little challenging to reconcile this version of Mr. Darcy with the one we are used to seeing.*

FINAL THOUGHTS:

😇  Jane Bennet may be an angel, but Mr. Bingley is an avenging angel.

🎩  From impulsive and easily-influenced to intimidating and ruthlessly intrepid – Mr. Bingley is fully revealed.

🔪 While it might be more gritty and grim than typical Austenesque fare, this tale is sure to delight readers who want “more shade,” more drama, and more danger.

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*It looks like there is a prequel short-story published – A Gentleman’s Rescue: How Bingley Met Darcy – that may fill in these gaps. But unfortunately, I didn’t know about this prequel until after my review.