Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
Athena must publish or perish if she wants to be tenured as an English professor. To save her job she needs to write an expose about an erotic literature author, who is rumored to live in her hometown. Athena takes a position as a server in the local cafe. It will be the perfect way to snoop & find the author. Only downside is that she in forced proximity with her ex, Thorne, the love of her life. With many twists and turns this book made my head spin. The main character was overly dramatic to a fault, which made it hard to root for her. This book had a crazy cast of characters & would be enjoyed by those who are sonnet and Jane Eyre obsessed.
Thank you to NetGalley & Forever Publishing for the DRC. This is my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley & Forever Publishing for the DRC. This is my honest review.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: Really Enjoyed It, 4 stars
This book was a lot of fun! It is a second-chance romance that follows Athena and Thorne, a couple who met while studying literature in college in St. Louis and had grand plans to marry and go to grad school, but things fell apart when Thorne decided to go into law, leaving Athena to pursue her PhD alone, on the opposite side of the country. Now Thorne owns a bakery in small-town Illinois, which turns out to be the hometown Athena escapes to in order to try to write a book to save her academic career. A well-known writer of erotica who spoofs famous literary couples is rumored to reside in her town, and she is determined to unmask CL Garland for the world.
I loved Athena and Thorne's dynamic as well as their individual characters. I do think that Athena was much better fleshed out and characterized as compared to Thorne, but we also spend a lot more time in Athena's head. She is a witty and sassy character who is very straightforward, which I really appreciated about her. She made me chuckle a lot. I thought that Thorne was a perfectly serviceable hero, if a little flat. He seemed a bit more characterized by archetypes, but my appreciation for Athena outweighed that.
Overall, this book was just a good time. We get POVs from both characters, and I greatly enjoyed the story. It was fun to see a book set in small-town Illinois as many are set more picture-esque places, but my midwest heart loved it. I think that there were some twists that were fairly obvious but they didn't take away from my enjoyment at all.
This is a mostly closed-door romance. There are some teasing imaginative scenes that made me expect some more spice, but I still thought the romance was sweet. The ending did feel a bit rushed, but the third-act conflict made sense and was handled sensibly, even if it seemed like a rush to the end.
Overall I definitely recommend if you're looking for a fun romance with lots of reference to literary characters and books. Blame it on the Brontes releases May 3, 2022. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a lot of fun! It is a second-chance romance that follows Athena and Thorne, a couple who met while studying literature in college in St. Louis and had grand plans to marry and go to grad school, but things fell apart when Thorne decided to go into law, leaving Athena to pursue her PhD alone, on the opposite side of the country. Now Thorne owns a bakery in small-town Illinois, which turns out to be the hometown Athena escapes to in order to try to write a book to save her academic career. A well-known writer of erotica who spoofs famous literary couples is rumored to reside in her town, and she is determined to unmask CL Garland for the world.
I loved Athena and Thorne's dynamic as well as their individual characters. I do think that Athena was much better fleshed out and characterized as compared to Thorne, but we also spend a lot more time in Athena's head. She is a witty and sassy character who is very straightforward, which I really appreciated about her. She made me chuckle a lot. I thought that Thorne was a perfectly serviceable hero, if a little flat. He seemed a bit more characterized by archetypes, but my appreciation for Athena outweighed that.
Overall, this book was just a good time. We get POVs from both characters, and I greatly enjoyed the story. It was fun to see a book set in small-town Illinois as many are set more picture-esque places, but my midwest heart loved it. I think that there were some twists that were fairly obvious but they didn't take away from my enjoyment at all.
This is a mostly closed-door romance. There are some teasing imaginative scenes that made me expect some more spice, but I still thought the romance was sweet. The ending did feel a bit rushed, but the third-act conflict made sense and was handled sensibly, even if it seemed like a rush to the end.
Overall I definitely recommend if you're looking for a fun romance with lots of reference to literary characters and books. Blame it on the Brontes releases May 3, 2022. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've read a lot of love Brontë inspired works and was excited for this one (plus second chance romance is one of my favourite tropes) but this book was as disappointing as Branwell Brontë.
This book is dual POV, which I always enjoy in a romance novel, but I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Athena and Thorne. Athena felt very one-dimensional, as did many of the other characters in the book. I felt like I didn't know anything more about her as a person at the end of the book than I did at the beginning. (What was driving her? Why was keeping her current job so important?) Thorne was a bit more interesting but I also wished that I learned more about his internal struggle. Maybe first-person would have worked better for this book.
In terms of the surrounding characters, I felt that many of them were unnecessary and didn't add much to the story. I would have liked it better if the author had included fewer characters and given them more important roles rather than using them as extras.
The mystery around the identity of CL Garland could also have been more developed and helped to drive the plot forward. Additionally, I found it surprising that the book had very little steam considering Garland's stories are supposed to be erotic retellings of classic novels. I definitely wanted more there!
Lastly, as I was reading I kept noticing odd expressions and turns of phrase that seemed very out of place for 30-somethings (my age demographic) or were just plain cringe (for example "Horny Thorny in the morny").
Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending me an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This book is dual POV, which I always enjoy in a romance novel, but I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Athena and Thorne. Athena felt very one-dimensional, as did many of the other characters in the book. I felt like I didn't know anything more about her as a person at the end of the book than I did at the beginning. (What was driving her? Why was keeping her current job so important?) Thorne was a bit more interesting but I also wished that I learned more about his internal struggle. Maybe first-person would have worked better for this book.
In terms of the surrounding characters, I felt that many of them were unnecessary and didn't add much to the story. I would have liked it better if the author had included fewer characters and given them more important roles rather than using them as extras.
The mystery around the identity of CL Garland could also have been more developed and helped to drive the plot forward. Additionally, I found it surprising that the book had very little steam considering Garland's stories are supposed to be erotic retellings of classic novels. I definitely wanted more there!
Lastly, as I was reading I kept noticing odd expressions and turns of phrase that seemed very out of place for 30-somethings (my age demographic) or were just plain cringe (for example "Horny Thorny in the morny").
Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending me an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I adored this romance that ticked off so many of my boxes. Witty banter? Check! Bookish characters? Check! Small town setting? Check! Second chances? Check! This was a last minute read when I couldn’t resist the invitation. I found lots to love in this charming rom-com set in a mid-west café in the fall.
We meet Athena at a low point in her life. She’s an English professor in San Francisco on the verge of tenure, except she’s been told to publish something soon or find a new job. So she’s arrived back in her hometown with a promise to write a book that will reveal the identity of a local author writing under a pseudonym who writes successful erotica romance novellas based on classic literary tales.
She’s not thrilled about returning home to stay with her father, who’s been stuck-in-his-ways since divorcing from her mother, OR reunite with her opinionated mother. Which is why she allows them to believe she’s on a paid sabbatical. She’s also arranged to waitress again at a local café where she worked while in college. She’s hoping to pick up some gossip about her illustrious subject while serving sandwiches and coffee.
However, she soon discovers her ex-best friend Thorne, better know as the man who broke her heart—twice!—now runs the café. And he’s keeping secrets of his own.
This charming book is full of the back and forth I love in my romances. From the beginning I could feel Thena and Thorne’s history. A deep friendship and a deep love. And even though something (which the author gradually reveals) has pulled them apart, they can’t fight falling into friendship again. And maybe even into love…
I also adored all the side characters we get to meet in the small town of Laurel. And yes, even though many of them were conveniently literary, giving Thena plenty of possible erotic-writing authors to sleuth, I had fun going along for the ride.
If you’re a fan of the Brontës and Shakespeare, there’s a mishmash of both in Blame it on the Brontës, with plenty of references to keep you smiling. And if there’s not really an erotic series based on classic literature, there should be! I cheered for Thena and swooned for Thorne in this book that reminds us it’s never too late for a second (or third) chance at love!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Books Forward for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
We meet Athena at a low point in her life. She’s an English professor in San Francisco on the verge of tenure, except she’s been told to publish something soon or find a new job. So she’s arrived back in her hometown with a promise to write a book that will reveal the identity of a local author writing under a pseudonym who writes successful erotica romance novellas based on classic literary tales.
She’s not thrilled about returning home to stay with her father, who’s been stuck-in-his-ways since divorcing from her mother, OR reunite with her opinionated mother. Which is why she allows them to believe she’s on a paid sabbatical. She’s also arranged to waitress again at a local café where she worked while in college. She’s hoping to pick up some gossip about her illustrious subject while serving sandwiches and coffee.
However, she soon discovers her ex-best friend Thorne, better know as the man who broke her heart—twice!—now runs the café. And he’s keeping secrets of his own.
This charming book is full of the back and forth I love in my romances. From the beginning I could feel Thena and Thorne’s history. A deep friendship and a deep love. And even though something (which the author gradually reveals) has pulled them apart, they can’t fight falling into friendship again. And maybe even into love…
I also adored all the side characters we get to meet in the small town of Laurel. And yes, even though many of them were conveniently literary, giving Thena plenty of possible erotic-writing authors to sleuth, I had fun going along for the ride.
If you’re a fan of the Brontës and Shakespeare, there’s a mishmash of both in Blame it on the Brontës, with plenty of references to keep you smiling. And if there’s not really an erotic series based on classic literature, there should be! I cheered for Thena and swooned for Thorne in this book that reminds us it’s never too late for a second (or third) chance at love!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Books Forward for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a very cute second-chance romance about two college sweethearts whose careers didn’t turn out how they expected as they find themselves living once again in small town Illinois. I found the characters very lovable and the townspeople charming. Would recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’d like to thank Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book. The cover and title captured my attentions right away. This book had lots of potential, but for me it fell a little flat. The storyline and plot are unique, which I appreciated. Also the fact that the main characters were in their 30s was also refreshing to read. There are many nods to classic literature throughout the story, and I really liked how that was incorporated into the book. This story follows Athena and Thorne and their journey back to each other. This is a forced proximity second-chance romance that is packed with sexual tension. If you’re looking for spice, there wasn’t much. Most of it was fade to black or closed door. For me the story had a lot of dialogue which, while fun and well-written, was a lot. I felt like things were talked about rather than explained in context. For those reasons, I gave it 3/5 stars. Overall, this book was okay- a light fun read. This is an adult romance, 18+ language and sexual content.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book to read and review. I thought this was a cute story. I loved the second chance and slow burn romance tropes. I also really enjoyed the mystery aspect that was here. The characters were fun, spirited and supportive and having the Cafe as the central setting was cute. What bothered me was how long secrets were kept in the book. It took to long for the characters to be honest with each other and I think it hindered parts of their romance. I also thought some parts of the book felt random and didn't really fit in with the overall story. Athena was hard to like and I felt her ego got in the way at times. I did enjoy all of the book puns literary talk and references. It was a fun little love story though.