Charlotte Lucas is a single woman who’s been “stuck on the shelf”. William Collins is visiting town solely to pick out a suitable wife. Seizing the opportunity just days after they meet, they agree to wed. Their marriage of convenience soon grows into something more, but can it survive when Charlotte’s ministry to a group of fallen women splits their parish community and sets them against each … other? A clean Regency historical romance with Christian themes, the story takes place within the timeline of Jane Austen’s beloved classic, Pride and Prejudice. Against a backdrop of prejudice, religious hypocrisy, and moral vice, it will take compassion, love, and the power of faith to rescue Charlotte’s prostitute friends from the grip of their evil employer and restore happiness to Charlotte and William in their Marriage and Ministry.
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I won a copy of this book from an online giveaway, not realizing that it was a Christian book, which I am not. It has also been a long time since I have read Pride and Prejudice, so I can’t remember if the style is reminiscent of Jane Austin. Nevertheless, I did like the way the author write and took two minor characters, William Collins and Charlotte Lucas and gave them their own love story. William grew a backbone thanks to Charlotte and finally found that the ministry was his true calling and not just a last resort. I found it interesting that most of the bible passages used, were translated accurately from the original Hebrew, though they missed the boat on the allegorical meaning of Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs), which is actually expressing the love between our Creator and the Jewish people.
This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
For fans of Jane Austen, Marriage & Ministry by Amanda Kai is a must read. The author excels in making her writing style feel like a natural flow-on from Austen’s beautiful book Pride & Prejudice. Did you ever wonder what married life was like for Charlotte and William? Well wonder no more. Amanda Kai has woven together a beautiful Christian story, not only reflecting on historical attitudes but on Christian values.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the moral behind this story is how do we, as Christians, see other people who may currently test our grace and mercy? This book is so well written and beautifully edited. With wonderful characters, a great story line and values to boot, I can honestly recommend this as a great book. Also, I find a lot of Christian ebook novels really over priced, and I can’t afford to buy them. I am pleased to say that this is very reasonably priced at only $3.99 – a steal for such a beautiful book. Why not encourage this author by buying her book today? I’m sure you’ll love it as I did.
I just finished reading the book Marriage and Ministry: a Pride and Prejudice Novel by Amanda Kai.
Honestly, I didn’t expect any writer will ever write about Charlotte Lucas & Mister Collins.
Thanks to this book, I realized the many good qualities of Mr. Collins and the soft heart of Charlotte, which I condemned earlier in the book Pride and Prejudice.
Also, I didn’t expect brand-new characters to appear in this book, and Amanda described those characters just as Jane Austen would have done.
Skillfully designed dialogues lead to complete immersion at a time when the manner of speaking was paramount.
The problem of prostitution, which is a problem of social status of all time, fits perfectly into this story, because Jane Austen’s books in the first place speak precisely about the distorted relationships due to social status.
What thrilled me the most was that thanks to Amanda’s book, in my head Mr. Collins got a completely different character. He no longer looks as funny as in Jane Austen’s book. Now he has a completely new character of man whose psyche can be penetrated in detail. The lesson is that it is too early to judge those we do not know well enough and that every man, even the funniest one, is still capable of loving!
The most exciting part is the very end of the book. Reading this interesting story was a real pleasure for me. The opportunity to dive once again in the period of 200 years earlier was realized in an absolute sense.
I recommend this book to everyone who loves books from the Regency period, a good drama, and story about real love and beauty of relationships in marriage.
I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world. ~ Mother Teresa
“You do not make allowance enough for difference of situation and temper.” So says Jane Bennet upon learning of Charlotte Lucas and her engagement to the Reverend Collins.
Many JAFF stories search for a villain and often authors will settle on two characters that Jane Austen intended as comic relief: Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins.
“Marriage and Morality” is a story about Mr. Collins as Jane Austen wrote him. He is a suck-up. He is certainly not clever (to put it kindly). Is he capable of learning? Can he overcome his worship of Lady Catherine and cleave to his wife as the Bible tells him?
Our story begins at the Netherfield Ball where Charlotte and Mr. Collins are introduced. As in canon, the couple is betrothed days later and marries quickly.
Charlotte’s challenges begin with her introduction to Lady Catherine. Charlotte channels her inner Elizabeth and is not cowed by the great Lady, to her husband’s distress.
Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him. ~ Albert Schweitzer
In the Hunsford village, Charlotte Collins encounters a young woman and later learns the woman is “fallen” and serves customers in the town bar. Charlotte’s interactions with the woman are quickly reported to Lady Catherine. Despite the interference, Charlotte does not give up the relationship and works to help several of the young prostitutes.
What will it take for Mr. Collins to see that his wife’s vision of Christian charity is superior to Lady Catherine’s … and his own? Strong Christian themes are explored. What really does a person of God do for his fellow beings? Anne de Bourgh plays a surprising role.
The story is clean, well-written, and proofread. I enjoyed this look at the Collins’ marriage and would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys JAFF.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~ Anne Frank