The Heart of Bennet Hollow + Giveaway

An Appalachian farmer’s daughter and a wealthy businessman find a surprising love but must reckon with what divides them in this retelling of Jane Austen’sPride and Prejudice by the award-winning author ofThe Lady and the Lionheart .

New River, Virginia. 1904. Lizbeth Bennet longs to preserve her family’s farm, securing a future for her and her sisters, a difficult task in their Appalachian coal mining town. Money is scarce, and Lizbeth is determined to find a way without giving up treasured pieces of her family’s legacy. But when the mine is put up for sale, it’s clear change is approaching. A contingent of coal barons descends on the town to investigate whether the mine is worth their investment, among them a young man rumored to be a very rich, eligible bachelor.

William Drake arrives focused on business and keeping his distance from the townspeople, especially those living on land entangled with the mine, including a farmer by the name of Bennet. As William digs through legal issues, his struggle to weigh the potential financial gain against what is right for the community grows more complicated when he meets one of the Bennet daughters.

Despite an awkward first meeting, Lizbeth and William continue to cross paths, and soon Lizbeth questions her first impression of the man she believed to be proud and indifferent. But just as their friendship begins to evolve, a revelation shakes Lizbeth’s tenuous trust, and she learns all may not be as it seems. To determine what is true, and step toward a love she’s barely dared dream of, Lizbeth must confront her own prejudices . . . and decide whether the future she’s always imagined is the one her heart truly wants most after all.

My Review:

Joanne Bischof DeWitt always provides an immersive reading experience and ‘The Heart of Bennet Hollow’ is no exception. In fact I’m a little tongue-tied (or finger-knotted?) over trying to write this review. Yes, it’s that good!

First off, DeWitt’s wordsmithing captures the essence of each character, fleshing them into living, breathing people a reader can happily either love or…dislike strongly! And the way she brings the Appalachian culture and setting to life is delightful. I really grasped the sense of community in the coal mining town. Admired it too! So, I was already transported into an otherworld kind of fictional charm, and then to add in all the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ twists, well that just elevated the storytelling that much more.

Here’s where I should say that, while I am not an ardent Austen fan, I have read most of her books, watched multiple movie adaptations and have definite opinions on who played the ‘true’ Mr. Darcy. However, I’m not the avid reader who can spew quotes, name every secondary character in every book and match previously mentioned quotes to the right characters. Even so, I thrilled to the clever ways DeWitt melded her unique story with the familiar twists of this Austen classic. And that’s one of the things I love about reading a retelling! Because, despite knowing the ultimate outcome of the story, I know it will be an interesting reading time getting there!

You might think the world didn’t need another ‘Pride and Prejudice’ reimagining but you’d be wrong. My library is definitely better for adding ‘The Heart of Bennet Hollow’ to its shelves. A wonderful blend of familiar and distinctively new made this an unputdownable, keeper shelf kind of read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy — winner’s choice

Canada ebook (in form of an Amazon gift card) or audible.ca audio book – winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Heart of Bennet Hollow, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday December 13 2025

38 thoughts on “The Heart of Bennet Hollow + Giveaway”

  1. Your review really draws me in, and I’m definitely interested since it sounds like she has a lot of depth. I thought for sure that I had read at least one of her books but according to my Goodreads tracking I haven’t. But recently Goodreads has been failing me.

    perrianne ( DOT ) askew (AT) me ( DOT) com

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  2. Lovely review, Kav! I’ve loved all of Joanne’s books that I’ve read. This one sounds wonderful! I’m not an ardent Austen fan, either, but I have enjoyed reading her books, and I’ve seen most of the movies.

    whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

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  5. This book already had me on line with the era and location of the story. Add your review and I’d say I’m more of a hook, line and sinker in my desire to read this amazing sounding book.

    Thank you so much for the amazing chance to win a copy of THE HEART OF BENNET HOLLOW!

    Have a fabulous day and a blessed week. Our temperatures are once again up. Plan on enjoying it while I can because by the weekend the bottom is to fall out worse than the last time.

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. There’s just something about an Appalachian setting, isn’t there? We’re in for a wintery mix of weather this week so I’m heading out to pick up a few necessities in case we lose power or the sidewalks are too tricky for me to navigate. Lots of great reading hours ahead, me thinks. 🙂 Good luck, Kay!

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  6. What an amazing review! Wow! Not a fan of Jane Austen’s books, but I’ve never read one so that makes sense. LOL! However, I have watched movie adaptations from her books & read retellings. Enjoyed them all! I’ve only seen the end of Pride and Prejudice so now I’m anxious to watch the entire movie. Joanne Bischof did such a fantastic job on this novel! BTW I hope you had an awesome, enjoyable day yesterday! 😃

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    1. Ha, you can play the game in reverse — spot Joanne’s P&P references in the real thing. 🙂 And yes, thank you, yesterday was sublime. I’m exhausted though. But the musical evening — whoa — felt it right to my soul. A lovely set up for the next two weeks before Christmas. (Yikes! two weeks!!!!) But we’re supposed to get freezing rain tomorrow and Wednesday so I need to scurry around today to get some chores done. Top of the list is picking up Not Exactly Mr Darcy!!!!! And going to the post office and the library and, oh, yeah, pick up a few things at the grocery store. So off I go into he snowy cold! Happy Reading, Diane!

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      1. Wow, gf! I prayed for you just like I said I would, but I believe God answered above & beyond! Goodness! Speaking of exhausted, I got that way just reading your “to do” list for today. I think I’m going to have to pray for you again for tomorrow. But at least you’ll be able to rest tomorrow. Be careful out there!

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    1. Bwhahaha! The random wheel of names doesn’t care about line up placement. She just spins and spins until she gets too dizzy and has to stop and then, voila, a winner! 🙂 Good luck, Kathleen!

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  10. I’ve not read or watched any movie of “Pride & Prejudice” or any work of Jane Austen, so I can’t give an opinion of the “true” Mr. Darcy (though Colin Firth is pretty dreamy 😘)! Here’s my true confession, I have never had any desire to read Jane Austen. I know that comes as a shock, but we can still be friends right, lol! 😂

    That being said, I’ve had this book on my want-to-read list ever since I’ve seen it simply because of the author. Joanne spins a wonderful story and I’d love to experience “The Heart of Bennet Hollow”

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. True confession: I never want to reread Jane Austen so…shhhhh, we won’t tell anybody. I read all the books in my teens — feeling oh so grown up reading ‘literature’ and then watched umpteen screen variations so I think I’ve had my fill now. I’m much happier reading Austen retellings. 🙂 Good luck, Trixi!

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  11. This one has been on my want-to-read list for a while now, and if you call it keeper-shelf material, Kav, I’m definitely in on this one 🙂

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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  15. This book has been on my TBR list from the beginning, but your review makes me want it even more! Thanks for the chance!

    Connie

    cps1950ATgmailDOTcom

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  17. Joanne’s books are always very special. I loved The Heart of Bennet Hollow. The cover is well done also. This is a book that will be on my keeper shelf after my daughter returns it. No need to put my name in the giveaway.

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