Bestselling author Staci Hart is back with a brand new romantic comedy and clever spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Meet the Bennet brothers, get to know Longbourne, and fall in love in this steamy forbidden romance.Falling in love with a Bennet is not an option.My mother has summoned me home to take my place at Bower Bouquets, and as the heiress, I’m expected to do as I’m told. I’m … do as I’m told. I’m expected to sit by her side as she does her best to decimate the Bennet family and their flower shop, Longbourne. I’m expected to play by her rules, or she’ll ruin me too.
But the day I crash into Marcus Bennet changes everything.
And the kiss seals the deal.
If my mother finds out, I’ll lose everything—my family, my life, my security. Worse, she’ll make sure the Bennets pay for my mistakes.
Falling in love with a Bennet is not an option.
But I might not have a choice.
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Unbelievably pretty.
This forbidden lovers story is so passionate and romantic, it made me sigh like a lady from a bygone era.
The writing style is yearning and earnest. All the supressed feelings of two forlorn lovers from opposite sides of a feud run rampant in every paragraph. I could feel the pull of fate in their first connection.
Marcus and Maisie are struck by a powerful emotion when they meet in a serendipitous and unerasable way. It’s cute and sweet, yet also deeply meaningful by its erratic occurrance, its fleeting permanence till they must break apart again. There is this old-fashioned quality to the words and heartfelt sentiments reminiscing of Austen times. The insta-love feels more like it is meant to be to change the world. At least, the world of the Bennets and the Bowers.
These two families couldn’t be more different. Warm and joyful against cold and vindicative. Yet Marcus and Maisie make so much sense together. I loved these wonderful characters.
He is a rock in difficult times. His pride and comfort is to help his family. Whereas she is goodhearted, but her only source of love has been her father as oppossed to her conniving mother. I was moved by her relationship to her dad. He is a good man and the scenes they shared are so sweet. On the other hand, the exchanges with her mum are vicious and left me staggering with disbelief that there could be a mother like that.
I absolutely loved the intense relationship the couple develops in secrecy, always struggling with their selfish feelings in the face of the war their families are waging over flower shop domination and some devious past. However, love prevails and they fight to save Longbourne and their own freedom. These characters shine with their own personality, especially Maisie as she finds her own courage and goals in life under the atrocious spell her mother has cast her entire life.
Love and support lie at the foundation of this story, in the trust they have and is tested in one final swoop of drama at the end of a long chain of challenges and threats.
The Bennets stand out too with their unwavering affection, good will and light-hearted tease. I can highlight the beautiful writing that paints such a gorgeous romance, and the author’s sensibility to address a daughter’s journey to overcome conditioning and distress to claim her own persona.
I loved everything, including the little outburst of heartbreak that led to a historical comeback for this most favourite couple of mine in the series.
Loved this book!
Staci Hart’s Bennett series is a nod to classic Jane Austen, and Mum’s the Word is the third installment, focused on star-crossed lovers Marcus and Maisie.
This book was a little different from the first two, but wonderful. There is a lot of tenderness and devotion between Marcus and Maisie. Marcus is more reserved than this brothers Luke and Kash, but he is still extremely caring and compassionate, and he is so protective of Maisie, her soul and their love.
Maisie seems so docile and meek at times depending on with whom she’s interacting, and with Marcus’ support, she really flourishes and stands up for herself to get her happily-ever-after with Marcus.
While this book is a little different from the first two, it still has all of the fun Bennett family hijinx and dynamics, and you just love the interactions with the three Bennett brothers.
As for writing, Staci Hart has given us a thoroughly developed plot that keeps you intrigued, romance and whimsy, and humor and witty banter. She also gives us such expressive leads that their love is evident and genuine.
This is a thoroughly satisfying end to the Bennett family saga, and I’m sure I’ll reread this series from time to time when I want to revisit these men.
First off, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Bennet brothers. Mum’s the Word was a fantastic read and I could not out it down. The moment Marcus and Maisie meet there’s that instant spark that neither can deny. However, what are they to do when they realize who each other are and what it means when their families figure it out. This story takes you on a fun, flirty, and figuring out who you are journey. Marcus and Maisie will pull you in and you will devour this book until you find out how their journey will go. Marcus and Maisie made me want to find that spark they had with someone and I want more of these two! Read this book!!!
This is my third read by Staci Hart and it was absolutely adorable. I thought it was a cute, fast paced, sassy, and fun enemies-to-lovers story (well they were raised to think they were enemies but they weren’t really). I enjoyed reading about Longbourne again and how important it is to the Bennet family. The Bennet family has made so many sacrifices for the flower shop and they were at risk with losing it all because of a contract that should have never been signed and a silly feud between two women. It was interesting to finally learn why the Bower’s and Bennett’s disliked one another so much. I won’t give it away, but it was really rather silly. Ah, the ways of the heart though. I also really loved being able to read about Longbourne from a different angle. I got to learn more about what it takes to make a flower shop work in a big city and against bigger companies. It’s not just about the beautiful flowers, but the behind the scene work too. This story was a great way to end the Bennet brothers series.
Marcus is one of the most fascinating Bennet’s to me. He’s much quieter and more reserved than his siblings. He doesn’t easily show his emotions, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care or doesn’t feel as much as others. He just tends to be much better at controlling/concealing what he feels. He’s the middle child of five siblings and has always taken on a protective and caregiver role over his parents and siblings. I admire that in Marcus. I also admire that he’s never held it against any of them. He loves his family and they love him, unconditionally. They may not always understand one another, but the Bennet’s are always willing to go to bat for one another. It’s admirable that when Marcus found out Longbourne was in trouble, he bought the place from his parents with the goal of turning it around. He brought all of his siblings back together in order to do that. The Bennet’s are stronger together. Marcus may not love to work in the flower shop like his siblings do, but it’s just as important to him as it is to them. He grew up in that flower shop and it’s his home. He will do whatever it takes to save it, even if that means going up against the Bower’s.
Maisie Bower’s character was sweet, kind, unexpected, and utterly delightful. I was not expecting to like Maisie as much as I did. I was expecting her to be more like her mother and I was delighted to find out that she’s the exact opposite of her mother. She truly cares about helping people and does not care one iota about money and ruining other people’s lives. I truly wondered how she could be so kind and considerate with a mother like hers (her mother is really mean, holds a grudge like no other, money hungry, and all about appearances) raising her. And then you meet her father. She gets all of her goodness, kindness, thoughtfulness, consideration for others, and just all around good qualities from that man. He showed her what it means to truly love another person. That in the end money doesn’t matter, but who you are as a person and how you treat others. I truly adored her and her father. They had a fantastic relationship. I loved when Maisie finally got a backbone and stood up to her mother. Maisie allowed her mother to push her around and make her feel terrible for far too long. I was totally cheering her on at that point. I couldn’t imagine having a mother like that though. Putting you down all the time when she should be raising you up. Maisie is an amazing character.
Marcus and Maisie were truly adorable together. I’m not a huge fan of instant love, but I think Staci Hart did a really good job with it. At some points in the story, I thought they were moving just a little too fast and expecting a little too much of each other. A new romance shouldn’t be so heavy in the beginning, but they are a Bower and a Bennet so it kinda makes sense why the romance would progress so quickly. I personally would have liked to see it progress a little slower. I’m all about the slow burn and buildups of romances. Anyway, the romance between these two was really adorable. Maisie got to see a side of Marcus that no one else had ever seen. He was vulnerable and more emotional with her. He let her see inside of his heart more than he let his own family. They told each other their hopes, dreams, expectations, and fears. Both of them truly let the other see exactly who they are. It was refreshing to read. They truly fell in love with one another for who they are as people. Marcus and Maisie have a minor hiccup near the end, but they work through it and became stronger because of it.
Overall, I rate this story a 4/5. It was a sweet and adorable instant attraction/love story. I would have liked more of a buildup towards the romance, but it was still a very enjoyable read. Mum’s the Word was a great way to end the Bennet Brothers series. I loved getting to see some of my favorite characters again and learning the fate of Longbourne. I’m excited to learn more about Jett and Laney as well. I didn’t learn enough about them in the previous books. I can’t wait to see where Staci Hart takes us next.
“It was crazy. Reckless. Illogical. And I didn’t care. Because I loved her, and that truth become the only one in my life that mattered.”
Mum’s The Word is exactly the escape romance fans need right now. Whimsical, intimate, romantic, with intrigue, wit and humor it’s hard not to feel fully immersed in Marcus and Maisie’s story as the feud between the Bennets and the Bowers continues to unfold in this delightful series.
And it’s so nice to have something to look forward to with a preview of the first chapter of Laney’s story Pride and Papercuts !
4.5 stars
‘Mum’s The Word’ is the third book in the ‘Bennet Brothers’ series by Staci Hart, and I have been waiting desperately for this book to be released after reading the ending of ‘Gilded Lily’. Hart did not disappoint! Her quirky characters, deep family ties and style of writing romance is what keeps me coming back for more.
If you fell in love with Luke and Kash Bennet, then brace yourself because Marcus is equally as divine. He is organised, methodical and strong, and his main focus is taking care of his family -especially when they need saving.
When his mother signs a binding contract that could blow their business into the ground, Marcus is determined to go down fighting. With the support from his equally determined siblings, they decide its all or nothing. They know it all could end badly, but at least they will always have each other.
On his way to one of the hearings, Marcus bumps into an incredibly beautiful woman who he can’t help but instantly fall for. Their chemistry is instant, they feel connected and familiar and it has to be one of the best ‘instant attraction’ scenes I have read in forever. But when they both show up at the same meeting, and Marcus realises that his perfect woman is the daughter of his family’s rival, his heart shatters. Knowing all too well that they can’t pursue whatever they felt could happen.
But all is not what it seems for the Bower family, and Maisie is fighting a battle of her own. After returning home from England on the promise of one day taking over the Bower family empire, Maisie is struggling to adapt to her mother’s cruel and petty negotiations. She wants to be happy, to help people and to feel a part of a normal family. Marcus is handsome, confident and above all he has what she could only dream of having. If only they were two different people, from two different families where a rivalry didn’t exist. But what happens if they could find a way?
This book is full of so many good moments, I absolutely loved Marcus and Maisie from the get go. Maisie is sweet and endearing on the outside, but inside she is like a bubbling inferno just waiting to explode, and her mother is the one pushing to make it happen. Marcus is strong, determined and his relationship and protective instinct over his mother and siblings is admirable, and charming. He is ruthless when he wants to be, and feels very much like the glue that binds his family. So when he observes Maisie it makes sense that he would want to try and rescue her. But could he lose his business and his heart?
This book was utterly addictive and I read it all in one sitting! The connections of the characters are realistic and relatable, and you can’t help but adore Mrs Bennet. The twists in this book kept me on edge, and the romance was off the charts. I am completely and utterly smitten with Marcus and Maisie, and I can’t wait to read Laney and Jett’s stories.
This book is perfect for all romantic comedy lovers, and those looking for an incredibly series to become completely addicted to. The characters feel like family, the women are all strong and incredible in their own little ways, and the men are just completely to die for. What more could you want?