Mr Collins in Love by Lee Welch
- Merissa
- Aug 1
- 4 min read
@leewelchwriter
@leewelchwriter
The year is 1811 and the new rector of Hunsford, Mr William Collins, must be above reproach. He must be respectable, pious, good at losing at quadrille, and disapproving of popular novels. Above all, he must obey his terrifying patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
When William’s boyhood friend Jem arrives, looking for safe harbour from the press-gangs, William’s ‘perfect clergyman’ disguise begins to slip. A farm labourer’s son, Jem is gentle and loyal, and being with him is all William wants. Soon, Jem and William renew their youthful intimacies—until Lady Catherine’s demands come between them.
Can William find a way to navigate the Regency marriage market without losing his beloved Jem?
This m/m historical romance was inspired by Pride and Prejudice and features characters from the original novel by Jane Austen alongside original characters.
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"A deeply kind retelling. I loved the warmth, the wisdom, and the way it offers a realistic but profound happy-ever-after to people who rarely get such a thing in romance." –KJ Charles, author of The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen.
“I didn’t think anyone could make me love Mr Collins, but Lee Welch has done it with this beautifully written story. Jem’s Blackbird comes to life in all his sweet awkwardness, and I couldn’t love him more if I tried.” –Lily Morton, author of My Darcy, On Circus Lane, and the Finding Home series.
4 out of 5 (very good)
MR COLLINS IN LOVE is a genteel story that begins a few months before the better-known story of Pride and Prejudice. In here, we learn more about Mr Collins and his patroness, Lady Catherine. He is not one of the nicest characters in P&P, so I was a little dubious about reading this.
I'm happy to say I was wrong! Lee Welch has written his character in a way that makes you sympathise with him. He is basically cast adrift in a world he doesn't fully understand. The insinuation that he is on the spectrum comes across loud and clear, and trust me, it does make sense!
Charlotte (Miss Lucas) and his childhood friend, Jem, are both there to help him find his way and give him the life he needs. It's not exactly a romance, so don't expect too much. Instead, it shows a deep and tender love that Mr Collins is not even aware of, even though he fears its loss.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Can you tell us about your new book, Mr Collins in Love?
It’s a m/m historical romance novella, inspired by Pride and Prejudice. It’s a retelling of some of the events of the book from the point of view of young clergyman Mr Collins. You might know him as one of the most odious characters in English literature. My take is that Jane Austen completely misunderstood him.
Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?
My books are always a bit of both.
I’ve never been a Regency clergyman, so I did a lot of research and then used my imagination. But I also used life experiences as a way to connect with the characters. For example, I know what it’s like to feel a connection with someone, only to discover that when you meet them later, they barely remember you. This happens to Mr Collins.
In my book, Mr Collins could be described as neurodiverse or autistic. I don’t think I’m neurodiverse, but I often find social rules and norms bewildering. “This is cool, but that is ridiculous. This is insincere, but that is rude. This is harmful, but that is fun. This is delicious, but that is vile”. Such rules often seem very arbitrary to me, but other people don’t seem to see them that way. I used my puzzlement as a way to get into Mr Collins’ head.
Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
Write something you feel strongly about. To take Mr Collins in Love as an example, I think the world needs more empathy, more kindness, more tolerance. I dislike it when people are mean-spirited and judgemental about others. I wanted to say to the world “what if you’re wrong about Mr Collins?” because the corollary is “what if you’re wrong about those other people you’re judging and laughing at?” Wanting to convey all that helps gives me the motivation to write and rewrite.
My other top tip would be to type out several pages of some books by writers you admire. I learned so much by doing this about how writers actually put words together. Close reading isn’t the same – type it!
Do you read your reviews?
I read the first few positive reviews because I might want to ask the reviewer if I can use a quote for marketing purposes. Also, I’m often not quite sure what I’ve written myself until I’ve heard what a few other people think. Other people are way better at picking out tropes and so on. After that, if people tag me in positive reviews, I sometimes read them before boosting them on social media.
Beyond that, I try not to look at reviews, good or bad. I want to concentrate on the next book!
Lee Welch lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with her family, two cats and a dog. She likes escapist fantasies, long walks in the hills and reading children’s books in bed. When not writing her own stories, she works in a large government department, writing and editing reports.Lee has a degree in Ancient History from the University of Auckland, and a certificate in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London.
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