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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
This was a solid read for me. I read it relatively quickly. It's a second chance love for Athena and Thorne, who were together during college but then broke up under not-immediately-revealed circumstances.
My problems with this book were twofold.
1. It was clear that Thorne was the mystery author. Like really?
2. Their breakup/miscommunication was forced so the fact that it took so long to get back together seemed forced. I like a good breakup if it seems even moderately sensible but this was not.
My problems with this book were twofold.
1. It was clear that Thorne was the mystery author. Like really?
2. Their breakup/miscommunication was forced so the fact that it took so long to get back together seemed forced. I like a good breakup if it seems even moderately sensible but this was not.
Hmm this was just ok. No idea why I thought it's a rom-com (is it the dog on the cover? lol) because it definitely isn't! The banter is non-existent and there's nothing funny about this book. Unless you count me laughing with a friend over how awkward the writing is.
The writing felt really unnatural with lots of peculiar phrases, especially those describing outfits and sexual appendage (e.g. "triumphant penis" and "a blouse that draped her breasts like melting ice cream").
It did get slightly better and better as I progressed but overall, I wasn't feeling this much. The story is quite predictable, the characters aren't outstanding and I was mostly bored. I did like the cafe setting and food descriptions though!
Bronte fans might enjoy this one more as there are plenty of literary references.
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for an ARC of this book.
The writing felt really unnatural with lots of peculiar phrases, especially those describing outfits and sexual appendage (e.g. "triumphant penis" and "a blouse that draped her breasts like melting ice cream").
It did get slightly better and better as I progressed but overall, I wasn't feeling this much. The story is quite predictable, the characters aren't outstanding and I was mostly bored. I did like the cafe setting and food descriptions though!
Bronte fans might enjoy this one more as there are plenty of literary references.
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for an ARC of this book.
I’m automatically interested in any book with bookish themes,
In this one Athena goes back home and is thrust into a close proximity to the man who broke her heart, Thorne.
We have witty banter, second chance love, and small town charm.
Athena is attempting to uncover the identity of C.L. Garland an unknown writer writing scandalous versions of classics when she’s thrust back into contact with Thorne who is now her boss… cue the drama!
Recommend for those who love small town romance, miscommunication tropes, and the Brontes!
Full review to come!
In this one Athena goes back home and is thrust into a close proximity to the man who broke her heart, Thorne.
We have witty banter, second chance love, and small town charm.
Athena is attempting to uncover the identity of C.L. Garland an unknown writer writing scandalous versions of classics when she’s thrust back into contact with Thorne who is now her boss… cue the drama!
Recommend for those who love small town romance, miscommunication tropes, and the Brontes!
Full review to come!
hopeful
medium-paced
On leave from her job as an English professor, Athena returns to her hometown. She hopes to uncover the identity of a bestselling author who lives there and to publish a book on her findings to secure her own job. Little does she know, her college love has also relocated to her hometown, and she will be working with him.
Athena and Thorne seem like a great match for each other, and this is not just a second, but a third chance romance. Love abounded in this novel, as we met and watched romances among many of the others in the small town as well. I really enjoyed the scenes in Thorne's cafe.
Many of the characters sang during the book, and I found myself singing along as an accompanying soundtrack. I also really enjoyed all of the illusions to the Bronte sisters and their books (even if I will never see Heathcliff as a hero). Indeed, this book is an homage to all classic literature and an examination of what a literary hero is.
I was quite surprised this was a closed door romance. Given the search for an author of erotic novellas, that seemed an odd mismatch in tone. It was also quite a slow paced novel. I recommend it for those who love English literature.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.
CW: homophobia
3.5 stars rounded up
Athena and Thorne seem like a great match for each other, and this is not just a second, but a third chance romance. Love abounded in this novel, as we met and watched romances among many of the others in the small town as well. I really enjoyed the scenes in Thorne's cafe.
Many of the characters sang during the book, and I found myself singing along as an accompanying soundtrack. I also really enjoyed all of the illusions to the Bronte sisters and their books (even if I will never see Heathcliff as a hero). Indeed, this book is an homage to all classic literature and an examination of what a literary hero is.
I was quite surprised this was a closed door romance. Given the search for an author of erotic novellas, that seemed an odd mismatch in tone. It was also quite a slow paced novel. I recommend it for those who love English literature.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.
CW: homophobia
3.5 stars rounded up
What a disappointment! Started well and slowly folded in on itself. I pushed through and found myself cursing the length and boringness (a real word?) of the novel. Love the Brontës, this book made me sad.
I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
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.
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.
3/5
** Thank you to Net Galley for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review. **
'Blame It On the Brontës' threw me for a bit of a loop! Throughout the first half of the book, I was enraptured- I could not put it down! The second half, however, had some pacing issues for me, and some moments were a little too unbelievable. However, I still really enjoyed my time in Laurel, Illinois and getting to meet all of the regular clientele at the As You Like It café. This book had a very cozy, heartwarming, and melodramatic undertone (because of all the parallels to literary classics such as 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyre') and it worked!
I really loved getting to know the town of Laurel and its inhabitants; I thought Annie Sereno did a very good job at creating real side characters and not just characterizations of people; some were maybe a little bit over the top, but coming from a small town myself, it really isn't that far from the truth, so it didn't bother me. One thing that did bother me, however, was the way Athena and Thorne's relationship evolved (or re-evolved ?? because this is a third chance romance, haha). I wish there had been a smoother progression between the two of them instead of how it ended up. It felt a little rushed at the end to me, and I would have really liked to see them mature a bit more together instead of having all of their realizations suddenly all at once in the last few chapters.
At the end of the day, I ended up giving this book a 3/5 just because of the disconnect I felt between the pacing and some of the characters' choices in the second half, but all in all I thought this was a sweet read! Definitely would recommend to literary buffs or fans of lighthearted romance reads. :) Looking forward to reading another one of her books in the future!
** Thank you to Net Galley for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review. **
'Blame It On the Brontës' threw me for a bit of a loop! Throughout the first half of the book, I was enraptured- I could not put it down! The second half, however, had some pacing issues for me, and some moments were a little too unbelievable. However, I still really enjoyed my time in Laurel, Illinois and getting to meet all of the regular clientele at the As You Like It café. This book had a very cozy, heartwarming, and melodramatic undertone (because of all the parallels to literary classics such as 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyre') and it worked!
I really loved getting to know the town of Laurel and its inhabitants; I thought Annie Sereno did a very good job at creating real side characters and not just characterizations of people; some were maybe a little bit over the top, but coming from a small town myself, it really isn't that far from the truth, so it didn't bother me. One thing that did bother me, however, was the way Athena and Thorne's relationship evolved (or re-evolved ?? because this is a third chance romance, haha). I wish there had been a smoother progression between the two of them instead of how it ended up. It felt a little rushed at the end to me, and I would have really liked to see them mature a bit more together instead of having all of their realizations suddenly all at once in the last few chapters.
At the end of the day, I ended up giving this book a 3/5 just because of the disconnect I felt between the pacing and some of the characters' choices in the second half, but all in all I thought this was a sweet read! Definitely would recommend to literary buffs or fans of lighthearted romance reads. :) Looking forward to reading another one of her books in the future!
Thank you to Netgalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to read this book based off the description, but unfortunately this book fell flat for me. I tried several times to start it and continue, but it kept losing my attention, and I DNF’d less than a quarter way through the book. I just couldn’t do it. I don’t think the main character, Athena, was very likeable from the start. Something about her turned me off to her story, and I wasn’t very interested. I also struggled with the writing. It was stilted and awkward at times, and unfortunately I think it should’ve gone through a couple more rounds of edits. That being said, that doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy this book. It just wasn’t for me.
I was so excited to read this book based off the description, but unfortunately this book fell flat for me. I tried several times to start it and continue, but it kept losing my attention, and I DNF’d less than a quarter way through the book. I just couldn’t do it. I don’t think the main character, Athena, was very likeable from the start. Something about her turned me off to her story, and I wasn’t very interested. I also struggled with the writing. It was stilted and awkward at times, and unfortunately I think it should’ve gone through a couple more rounds of edits. That being said, that doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy this book. It just wasn’t for me.
I would give this about 2.25 stars. First of all, thank you NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an ARC. I really enjoyed the descriptions and backstories of the many minor characters who frequented the cafe. I also thought the relationship between Athena and her mother was very well written. However, there were definitely aspects of this book that I did not enjoy. I felt some of the romance was a bit forced. I also struggled to get through some of the banter between Athena and Thorne without cringing. I also found their ages and maturity levels to be a bit confusing. I kind of expected more insight and maturity related to relationships from two people in their early 30s. Some of the dynamics associated with Thorne and Athena's socioeconomic status also confused me. While I understood that Athena was raised in a lower SES household than Thorne, they did both attend a private well-renowned university and she later went on to earn a prestigious Ph.D. at Harvard. The descriptions of her family life also made me feel like they were not so bad off socioeconomically. This book was definitely a quick read and is relatively light despite the subtle air of mystery and dark themes.