Pride: A Novel by Samantha Ryan

A modern queer take on the classic Pride & Prejudice. Pride is a low heat romance.


From the blurb:

Ben Bennett treasures the cozy rhythm of his life: running his beloved bookstore, curling up with his sassy cat Ziggy, and putting up with his spirited sister Mal. He’s not exactly searching for love—despite the occasional swipe on Grindr—and he’s definitely not interested in anyone messing with his hard-won peace, even if he could use an extra set of hands around the shop. But everything changes the moment he crosses paths with Avery Fitzgerald, Mal’s new boyfriend's infuriatingly handsome, ridiculously wealthy friend. Avery’s a business developer with a knack for getting under Ben’s skin—and when he buys the building next door, Ben’s world starts to unravel in ways he never expected.

As much as Ben tries to resist, Avery keeps finding new ways to weave himself into Ben’s life, challenging everything he thought he knew about love, business, and himself. In this modern, queer twist on Pride and Prejudice, sparks fly and hearts collide in a story that’s as cozy as it is unpredictable—a perfect exploration of love in a world that doesn’t always make room for it.


Molly Otto's review:

Immediately, you connect with Ben and want for him to have someone who truly loves and respects him for the beautiful soul thay he is. Beck, you have a harder time understanding, partly cause Ben's POV, partly cause how closed off he appears to be. It was hard to really feel their connection with his hesitation in trusting Ben, which you do understand when he let's him in. With that being said, for me, the story was not so much a love story in the characters, but learning to love yourself. Samantha's style of writing has a calmness to it that was highly appreciated and kept you enthralled from start to finish. Overall, a beautiful read just wanted more chemistry between the main characters.


SNik's review:

Standalone. Mature characters. Friends to lovers. Very slow burn/fade to black. Single POV. 

A retelling of Pride & Prejudice, bookstore owner Ben crosses paths with Avery, the wealthy developer friend of the man Ben’s sister is interested in. Ben is slowly drawn to Avery but believes Avery is straight and Ben struggles with their closeness and his deepening feelings which he is unsure that Avery shares. 

This was an entertaining read with Ben as a likable character and fun banter between him and Avery. Ben’s sister was a great supportive character, and there was a cast of secondary characters that kept the story interesting even with only superficial interactions. It’s always hard with single POV stories to grasp the second main character's motivations and feelings, but anyone familiar with Pride & Prejudice will know where Avery’s true feelings lie.

Pride is currently available as an e-book and paperback