A review by rosannelortz
Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron

5.0

When Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra go to Cheltenham to take the waters, they find that not all is as it seems in the little spa town. As the gray, cold summer rolls over England, an eccentric preacher predicts the end of the world, a trio of young ladies conceal their past, a debonair Captain pays his addresses, and an abandoned husband comes looking for a wife he does not seem to want. A dangerous fire at a masquerade leads to murder done. With wit, courage, and the help of her admirer Raphael West, Jane unravels the secrets surrounding her, only to realize that the secret nearest to her soul is the one she must conceal.

When I signed up for this blog tour, I was not aware that this was the fourteenth book in the Jane Austen Mysteries, a series I’ve never encountered before. In the initial chapters, I found it a little difficult to comprehend the backstory surrounding Jane’s family, but once she reached Cheltenham and met the cast of characters at the boarding house, it was smooth sailing. Cassandra with her outrageous love for gossip and Jane with her incisive wit and perspicacity both sparkle. The murder mystery rivals an Agatha Christie plot, and the unfolding of Jane’s personal life was believable and authentic. Recommended.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.