I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Blame It on the Brontes by Annie SerenoPublished by Forever on 2022-05-03
Length: 371 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2022, 2022 New Release Challenge, COYER 2022
She’s going to write her own happy ending.
English professor Athena Murphy is an authority on the novels of the Brontë sisters. But as they say in academia, publish or perish. To save her job, Athena decides to write a biography of C.L. Garland, the author heating up bestseller lists with spicy retellings of classic literature. Tracking down the reclusive writer and uncovering her secret identity, though, means Athena must return to her small midwestern hometown where Garland—and her ex-boyfriend, Thorne Kent—live.
Seeing Thorne again reminds Athena that real life never lives up to fiction. He was the Heathcliff to her Catherine, the Mr. Rochester to her Jane. Not only did their college breakup shatter that illusion, but they also broke each other’s hearts again a second time. Now she has to see him nearly every...single…day.
The only solution is to find C.L. Garland as quickly as possible, write the book, and get the heck out of town. As her deadline looms and the list of potential C.L. Garlands dwindles, Athena and Thorne bicker and banter their way back to friendship. Could it really be true that the third time’s a charm?
Athena and Thorne have a love story only a Brontë could write, and the chance for their own happily-ever-after, but first, they’ll need to forgive the mistakes of the past.
Cute, but extremely predicable second-chance romance. Blame It on the Brontes by Annie Sereno is about a woman who returns home to uncover the identity of an author who takes historical classics and turns them into highly-rated smut novels. I’ll be honest, I was intrigued by the premise of this story, however the execution fell through. The book opens on Athena Murphy finding herself back in her hometown after a harebrained idea became the only way to save her job as an English professor. Her goal while there is to write a story about the famed C.L. Garland who reportedly lives in her hometown. However what she finds instead may be everything she ever wanted.
I can’t decide if I like Athena or not, even after finishing the book. She’s supposed to be this well-read English professor up for tenure. However she reads like a fresh out of college twenty-something. In other words, she’s quite immature. I guess I noticed it more since she is supposed to be about my own age. I found myself disliking her rather than empathizing with her. I was indifferent to her plight and truly wasn’t interested in her keeping her job.
Thorne Kent recently made the little town of Laurel his home, buying a small cafe and leaving his job as a lawyer behind. I like Thorne, more than I like Athena. However his choices are questionable. The reason behind leaving Athena behind had more to do with his own pride than trusting her. It was hard to follow his reasoning.
The romance and chemistry between Thorne and Athena is the book’s saving grace. The banter is high quality, fun and flirty. I really enjoyed all of their interactions, even the ones that were slightly painful. This is truly a second (maybe third chance) romance. Overall, this one was ok. I enjoyed it enough to finish. I was curious about the mystery surround Garland and how Athena would react to Thorne’s secrets. If you enjoy contemporary romance, you may enjoy this one.
Hmm, this one is one that I’ll still keep on my TBR if I get a chance to read it, but I won’t go out of my way based on your review to get it right away. Thanks for sharing!
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