You know how when you sit down and read a book and then suddenly you reach the last page and you wonder where the time went? I mean, I know that there’s hours invested in this book but where did they go? And how did it already end when you aren’t ready? I also have to admit a couple of things that may decrease my standing as a female reader in the bookish world. I’ve never been into Jane Austen. I’ve not actually ever read her books, that I remember. Is that bad? I didn’t fall for this book by the cover, it really didn’t do anything for me. The title was catchy but the synopsis was a winner for me. I have another confession. I’ve had this book sitting on my Kindle for months. Months! Earlier this year it appeared on my NetGalley feed and something screamed ‘pick me! pick me!’ so I picked it. Then it did the dreaded roll over to Older Than 3 Months before the release date ever came into view. It’s like a personal timer I have to beat ya know? How is that my fault? It’s not! Sometimes you just have to live with your silent personal shame of Older Than 3 Months.

Let’s talk about this amazing book. I was taken in the first few pages when Emma talked about how she was breaking up with Jane Austen. She was fed up with the lies that there was happily ever after and romance and love for everybody. I hear ya sister! Of course the ending of the first chapter sealed the deal and I needed Emma’s spunk. “That was when my palm connected with his cheek in a way that would leave a handprint on his great grandchildren.” Girl’s got spunk! It went downhill a little bit from there. The dreaded love triangle. Brother vs Brother. There are few worse than that particular triangle. I almost became cliche to watch the two fall for each other all the while the second brother was talking up the jilting other brother that Emma had chosen to dump. Too much. The best friend was a bit redeeming but I felt like she had her own set of baggage that needs it’s own story…just sayin’.

This book is so contemporary that it concerns me. There are truths in this story that have the potential to be timeless. However, the contemporary use of current social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even Indeed) means that in time, potentially even just a few years, becomes obsolete. That aside I loved this story. The imitating and imitated Emma. The Blake that is a complete soulless jerk that has the potential to find his soul. Lucas, who cares more about his own baggage and his brother’s feelings than is own. The whole messed up cast of characters. The time I spent with them was part yelling at the pages, part reading faster to figure it all out, yet part reading slower so it didn’t come to an end. There are definitely timeless truths in this book that would benefit any reader, even the fun parts. I’ll leave you with just one more quote from the book that I loved.
'You can believe in love, believe that it works. You can want love, want it with your whole soul. But you can't force it. You can't force it on yourself, and you can't force it on anyone else.'

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Good morning,

I just wanted to advise that I could not read this book. I was very interested in it and was keen to read it, but the file is just unreadable.

There is no capitalisation of names or at the start of sentences. I am sure it is a good read, but I couldn't read past about 5 pages.

Emma Pierce, age 26, works for Kinetics which is a growing company that runs gyms. She is in a relationship with Blake Hampton, a wealthy man. Although he would like for her to meet his parents, she would rather spend the weekend watching a Pride and Prejudice marathon with her best friend. But her office friend encourages her to go to Blake’s and surprise him. Her surprise flops when she finds he has a stand-in girlfriend with him. He also laughs at her when she says she thought he was going to propose. As she makes her dramatic exit, Blake’s brother, Lucas, drives up and insists on seeing her home. Lucas is a nice guy and Emma appreciate his help.

Imagine her surprise when Monday at work Lucas shows up as the consultant hired by Kinetics who will be acclimating the company to gain business on the east coast. Emma is embarrassed that he knows what happened over the weekend, but he turns out to be very understanding and knowledgeable about his business.

A trip to the east coast finds them on a plane together showing Lucas as a white-knuckled flyer. Emma helps talk him through it and they are then on to business. During the trip, an assumption Emma makes about Lucas deeply insults him, so she has to really scurry to apologize.

Emma has always believed that the edicts set down by Jane Austen are spot-on, but she soon finds that maybe they aren’t.

Her attraction to both Blake and Lucas seems confused at times. Which man, if either, would be a good match for her?

For me, this ended up being a good book. At times, I thought that Emma seemed to be a bit flaky but I think that one has to read the entire book before making a judgment on that. I would be interested to see what other readers feel about this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Julie Wright’s Lies Jane Austen Told Me is fun but unlikely look at romance

LIES JANE AUSTEN TOLD ME, by Julie Wright, Shadow Mountain, Nov. 7, 2017, Softcover, $15.99 (young adult/new adult/adult)

Based on its popularity, it should come as no surprise that Shadow Mountain Publishing is continuing to build up its Proper Romance line. So far the line includes historical, steampunk, Regency, Victorian and Western slants. Today, contemporary joins the catalog with Julie Wright’s Lies Jane Austen Told Me.

At the center of Lies Jane Austen Told Me is Emma. Emma is in love with everything Jane Austen, and she expects life in the real world to mirror Austen’s books. But Emma’s about to get a rude awakening.

When Emma falls for the handsome and wealthy Blake Hampton, she can’t help but think her life is on a positive trajectory. Especially when Blake invites her home to meet his parents. It only seems natural that an engagement is the next step.

Except it’s not. Blake doesn’t want a wife; he wants a hookup. Emma can’t believe she was so blind. Angry, hurt and embarrassed, she throws herself into work as the CMO of Kinetics, the fastest growing gym franchise in the nation. But even there, she can’t escape the Hampton family.

Enter Blake’s younger brother, Lucas. Emma returns to work from her disastrous weekend only to find her boss has hired a consultant — Lucas — to help organize the company’s expansion on the East Coast.

Emma is determined to finish the work and get rid of Lucas as fast as she can. After all, he is Blake’s brother and is bound to be a cad. That couldn’t be further from the truth, though, and Emma realizes she actually likes him. But things in Jane Austen novels are rarely tidy and neither is Emma’s love life.

Lies Jane Austen Told Me is not a retelling of a specific novel, which is nice. It has the feel of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler, and Austenland, by Shannon Hale, while standing completely on its own.

As is the case with the other Proper Romance books, you enter Lies Jane Austen Told Me knowing the basic outcome. It’s the path getting there that makes it comfortably predictable rather than boring and trite. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but it does make for a fun read.

I’ve never known someone so obsessed with a book or author that all his or her decisions are based around it. I have, however, known people who have had to let go of impossible expectations. Emma is so wrapped up in Austen; she forgets to look at Blake and Lucas through her own eyes. It’s only when she lets go of her “playbook” that she finds what she truly wants.

Lies Jane Austen Told Me is not the best Proper Romance book. That honor goes to Josi S. Kilpack’s All That Makes Life Bright with Julianne Donaldson’s Edenbrooke a close second. However, Lies Jane Austen Told Me is an enjoyable contemporary novel that will likely appeal to young adults and up.

~~Reviewed by AnnMarie~~

Emma Pierce enjoys her job in marketing for Kinetics, a new elite gym franchise. She is very much a romantic and adores every book Jane Austen ever wrote. Sadly she lets Jane set the standard to what a proper romance should be like. After expecting her boyfriend to propose to her, only to be very very disappointed, she decides, as the title says, that Jane Austen has told lies. After a very embarrassing scene between Emma and Blake, where she realises that he had no intention of asking her to marry him, Emma can’t get away from the place fast enough. She has no idea how she’s going to get home, all she knows is that she has to get away. Fortunately, Blake’s brother Lucas comes across her during her flight and manages to convince her to let him drive her safely home.

Lucas is a man very different to his brother Blake, and even during their short drive to Emma’s home she realises that she could actually fancy him. Shocking though it is especially as he’s her soon-to-be ex’s brother. She also finds out something about him which she doesn’t like at all, but which she tries to reason with herself about.

It is a complete shock when the next day she learns that Lucas has been hired by the company she works for to help set up new franchises on the East Coast. Part of that work entails Emma travelling with him to the various places to find the perfect spot for the gyms and to put the wheels in motion towards buying the locations etc.

During their time together it’s obvious that they could both easily fall for each other, except for the fact that for some reason Lucas keeps trying to get her to make up with Blake and not give up on their relationship? Why would he do that when they are so obviously attracted to each other?

I absolutely adored this story, a modern-day romance but with quotes from the various Jane Austen books. I enjoyed the will they won’t they romance between Lucas and Emma, and learning the reason why he was so adamant that Emma should give Blake a second chance despite his own feelings. He definitely is the hero of the story, the very one that Emma has been looking for. The setting up of the Gym franchise was interesting to read, and all in all, there was never a dull moment in the book. To make it perfect I would have very much liked a little more kissing and canoodling between our new couple, but if you like a nice sweet romance this book will be just your cup of tea.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers’ copy of this book.

3.5 stars. I'm sometimes a bit skeptical with books that count on Ms. Austen to carry them. I must say though, that I did like this. I thought the characters were pretty well rounded out. I especially liked Lucas (who wouldn't?). He is sweet, kind, good looking and intelligent - all good qualities.
Emma' s job is one that I myself did for over 30 years, so that was interesting to get the author's take. There were of course, a couple of childish moments, but I still felt this was a good read. I am inclined now to check out more books by Ms. Wright.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Summary:
Since she was little Emma has loved Pride and Prejudice and has regarded  Austen as the romantic expert.  The issue?  With this admiration comes huge expectations- such that are never met.  Could her guru be leading her astray?  Was it possibly time for the hardest breakup of her life- with Jane?  When boyfriend Blake invites her to the family home she expects meeting the parents, an engagement and all the trappings of happy ever after.  Instead she shows up late, having told him she had to work, only to find not family but one woman, Trish, enjoying a fish dinner with Emma's guy.  While Blake swears it is innocent, Emma's having none of it.
Caught leaving the home on foot, Emma is stopped and offered a ride by Blake's brother Lucas.  A ride to her destination is derailed and she sees more of Lucas' personal life than is normal for a first meeting, but whatever.  It isn't like they will ever meet again.  Except, they do, when Lucas is hired to consult for her company's expansion.  Forced to work side by side with this man, she finds more and more to admire in him.  He on the other hand, is determined to get her and Blake back together because he loves his brother.  When sparks fly between these two, it's complicated.  When a misunderstanding gets between the two, it could be the death of their connection.  Do these two really stand a chance? Could this be Emma's happy ever after?
My thoughts:
I loved these characters with their loyalties and idiosyncrasies.  Emma, still traumatized a bit from her mother leaving them long ago, finds it hard to be in relationships.  She gives too much to work a lot of the times even though she wants the committed, forever relationship.  Meeting Lucas is eye opening as he blows down every idea she ever had about him and his family, laying her prejudices bare and setting them aside.  I loved him as a character, but there were times where I was also angry with these two. So often things were overwrought- they assumed and never discussed forcing misconceptions like we were.... well, like we were in an Austen romantic drama.  Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it and found it perfectly written for the style of book that it is.  I give it four stars.  
My thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain publishing for allowing me an eARC of this book.  I have not been given any form of monetary compensation and the views in this review are wholly my own.  
On the adult content scale, there was some mild language and talk of drug addiction, but that is it.  It was more about their emotional relationship than anything physical making it my favorite type of sweet romance.  At worst I would give it a three.

A modern love story with Emma Pierce throwing herself into her job when her boyfriend doesn't live up to the fictional Mr. Darcy. Then she falls for his brother. Her life becoming more complicated than Jane Austen or any of her works means she must sort out her own problems.
Just kept interested enough to read to the end but really didn't care for much of the characters.

“This was all her fault. If I hadn’t spent half my life wanting to be Elizabeth Bennet, I wouldn’t have held my own prejudices so dear. I wouldn’t have taken pride in my own clever snap judgements to like and dislike at a whim.”

Emma has broken up with Jane Austen. Despite all the happiness her novels and movie adaptations have brought into her life, she has decided that Jane essentially was a fraud – being that she had ended up an old spinster in the end and not happily married to her own love of her life. Except Emma can’t just rid herself of Jane, and her personality that that has been derived from constant interaction with the novels can’t just go away – her pride, prejudices, assumptions, and expectations all get in the way of her life and quite possibly, her happily ever after. Emma is caught between Blake, who she thought was going to propose, and his brother Lucas who is doing his best to reunite the two all the while confusing Emma when she feels a connection to him.

The Story-I blew through this book in one day, and by the end all I wanted to do was pick up my Pride and Prejudice and devour that next. I definitely need a copy of this book to shelf next to the rest of my Austen novels and inspired novels. With inspirations from Jane Austen’s novels (and a quote, seemingly a lie Jane has told us all, to start each chapter) we are given a well-rounded novel that not only emanates the type of story Jane would give us, but also something modern and fresh. For me there wasn’t really much in wanting for this book, it delivered exactly what I expected – a story of a girl who had had enough of Jane Austen ideals, but still ends up having her own Austen style romance, full of misunderstandings and missed chances. Really, this was such a subtle combination of a lot of the best aspects of Jane Austen Novels.

The Characters- I am only going to talk about two of the characters (Emma & Lucas) despite the fact that Blake and her best friend are also great characters and the perfect amount of interaction to actually help the plot without taking away from the obvious main characters.

Emma-First of all, she loves Jane Austen, so she gets 100 points there. She exudes a strong character that still has wants and needs. She’s a successful and beautiful woman, but can still be a swoony romantic. So yes, you can be strong but still be incredibly vulnerable with your heart. I loved that she could be sure of herself, but at the same time question her own heart.

Lucas-To me, he was so much like Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility) – always doing right by his promises and for his brother. But then again, he just isn’t Edward either. I loved that everything we want to hate him for putting Emma through is nothing that we can really actually hate him for. He was noble without overdoing it. Which of course does nothing but make us expect men to be so valiant in our own lives, but who cares, that's why we read this stuff.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great clean read. If you are a Jane Austen fan then this is right up your alley. I have read some other books based on Jane Austen’s writing and this did not disappoint me. I like how the chapters were referenced to different J.A. novels and how Jane is relatable to contemporary life.

This is a heart wrenching (at times), enlightening, empowering, charming, family friendly romance. The main characters were likeable and kind of who you would picture in a JA novel. Even Blake who is kind of a creep in the beginning is endearing in the end.

A couple of things that kind of threw me off from not giving it a 5 star rating is the fact that she was expecting an engagement ring from a man when she didn’t even know his family. She didn’t know his brothers name or all the little things that you would expect to know about someone before you said yes to marrying them. Also, that Emma had never asked Lucas about April and just assumed he was a dead beat.

All in all this was a cute romance. A contemporary take on Jane Austen’s writings and worth the read for those who love romance.

I adored this story! I had mixed expectations for this one. On one hand I love Jane Austen. On the other hand I was not a fan of the cover. (To clarify, I like the concept of the cover but not the execution.) This is a new-to-me author so there’s always an element of the unknown in that, too.

Emma is so real. All the ladies out there have had those moments of “am I overreacting?” when we’ve been wronged. And we all have that friend like Sylvia that will knock some sense into us. I loved the vulnerability Emma showed in certain situations, but then she would be tough (not witchy) when it came to her professional life. So often, the strong and successful woman comes across as a not so nice person whose employees dislike them. Not so with Emma and I appreciated that.

Lucas is wonderful…except when he’s singing the praises of Blake. My goodness dude, let it go! Shows how well this is written when the author can get me so annoyed with a character that I otherwise love. Lucas is really a kind and compassionate guy and so non-judgemental. On the other hand, I really disliked Blake until the end. I’m sure I was supposed to, but at least toward the end I started getting the idea of why Emma fell for him in the first place. No matter, he couldn’t trump Lucas.

This is what I’ve seen referred to as a “sweet romance” or a “clean romance”. In fact, when it comes to the intimate scenes I could have given this a G rating. But there are other aspects (drug use by peripheral characters, losing a parent, etc.) of this story that may not be appropriate for a younger audience. Don’t be fooled though, there is definitely some wonderful chemistry between the characters that gave me plenty of warm-fuzzies.

Of course, after enjoying this story so much I had to check out what other books this author has out. Imagine my delight when I realized I have the first book of her Tangerine Street series. I hope to find time really soon to give it a read.

One last note: You don’t have to know the works of Jane Austen to enjoy this book. It adds a bit of extra depth but it’s not necessary. But I’ll warn you, you’ll probably want to give her a read once you’re done with this book.

4.5 stars

The title of this book intrigued me from the start. I love Jane Austen so I tend to gravitate towards books that have her name on the cover or that are retellings from her books. I have to be honest and say this book was good but not great. I didn’t fully connect with Emma and I found some of the interactions between the characters to be a little childish. Sylvia, Emma’s best friend on the other hand was amazing and I loved her!

This book was clean, which I really don’t mind but I know some people like their books to have some spice.

Overall this was an entertaining read but I was expecting a little more.

This was a bit sappy but I still really liked Emma - she didn't fall into a lot of obvious traps that I kept expecting and there was something very refreshing about this romance. Yes, there was lots of drama and stops and starts but it also felt very real to me. My one criticism would be a lot of focus on Emma's career - as in the day to day, not just broad strokes - and that bored me a bit. But still, it also made her a real person and added depth to her character.

Jane died an unmarried woman, which in her day was something disastrous. In my current modern-day America, married or unmarried didn't matter much. But to be unloved . . . that was disastrous, and I'd spent so much of my time being unloved that I knew something had to change if I wanted a different ending from the one my once-hero author had. I had to stop believing her. The bad thing, the secret I carried with me all through my liberal education and feminist discussions with my friends as i worked my way to the executive levels in my company, was that I loved love. I wanted to be loved and to give love and to fight and make up and smile across the room at the one my heart raced for -- smile because he was mine.

Both of these books have Austen in the title but only one involves an MC obsessed with Jane from the very beginning - in a way, both of the MCs of these books are trying to throw off Jane at all directions and end up more immersed than ever. Both The Austen Escape and Lies Jane Austen Told Me will be released next week on November 7, 2017, and I would definitely recommend reading some Katherine Reay, I've loved everything she's written including this one!!

Emma is a great fan of Jane Austen classics, and is looking for her own Mr Darcy. She thinks this is Blake, but ends up with his brother Lucas as a business partner in the marketing firm where she works. What I love about this book is it's fast-moving and innovative in plot and characters. The Jane Austen quotes are a delightful addition to each chapter. This is a story about getting ahead in work and love. There are romantic scenes and conflicts.

A different and refreshing alternative to other Jane-Austen-inspired books.

Thanks to Julie Wright and her publisher for my NetGalley ARC.

Lies Jane Austen Told Me kind of blew me away. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading, but whatever it was, I got much more!

Has its charms but is rather ridiculous

I would like to thank Julie Wright, Shadow Mountain, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had its moments but overall wasn’t impressive or unique. I did like that Blake wasn’t a superficial cookie-cutter villain. Well, not cookie-cutter, anyway. We didn’t get to know him much at all, so as a character he was superficial. But he wasn’t the cliche cheating boyfriend villain, he was just a good guy miscast in Emma’s life, and once he’d found a role that fit him, everyone was happier. So that was refreshing.

The real antagonist was Emma herself. Forget her abandonment issues; in true Lizzie Bennet fashion, her greatest flaw was seeing what she wanted to see and not so much as entertaining the notion that she was wrong. Clearly her dad never taught her the adage that assuming makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me.” Every thought that passed through her mind was an assumption, and it was infuriating enough to keep me from really liking her. She walked in on a situation for which she had no context and which involved people she didn’t know and drew a conclusion she had no right to make. I cannot believe she never once thought of any other explanation. Her ignorance, arrogance, and the resulting prejudice exasperated me.

It was made all the more ridiculous when you consider the fact that she’d been dating Blake long enough to plausibly expect a marriage proposal—I got the feeling it had been several months, if not longer—yet she knew very little about his family, from whom he was in no way estranged. The Hamiltons were actually very tight-knit and loving. But in all that time, she’d never met his parents or his brother—she didn’t even know his brother’s NAME, much less that he was adopted and had a (half-?) sister and a niece in a bad situation. That makes not one lick of sense. She didn’t even know his brother’s name. His NAME. I can’t get past it. It’s just absurd.

Silvia was the cliche spunky best friend, though Wright tried to convince us otherwise by giving her a glass eye and quirky traits. Sorry, one eye or two, she’s still the best friend seen in every romcom. I don’t feel that everything was resolved with her character. I don’t remember an explanation for her sadness and distraction—but I admit, I was skimming pages by the end and may have missed it. I got the vibe that she and her old boss at Mid-Scene had a thing that wasn’t working out, but I don’t remember the topic being pursued.

Blake served his purpose, but as I said, we didn’t learn much about him. Lucas was meh. Quite meek, which isn’t an attractive trait. I didn’t care much about him.

Something I had a major problem with: about halfway through, Emma finally asks Lucas about the situation with April, and when he figures out that she thought he was a neglectful father, he gets mad—justifiably so, for the most part. After several days he suddenly acts like everything’s okay and he’s over it. When she asks why he’s not mad anymore, he says, “…[T]he fact that you cared enough about my niece to call me out shows a lot of strength on your part.” I can’t say exactly how much time, but several weeks had passed since she witnessed the scene with his sister. If she’d really cared about that little girl’s safety, she would have brought it up a lot sooner. Like, in the car on the way to the train station that very night. Sure, there’s a little strength at play, because she didn’t pretend she hadn’t seen anything disturbing and eventually spoke up, but let’s not get carried away. She sat on that information and stewed for weeks before finding the courage and motivation to broach the topic (saying she “called” him on it gives her more credit that she’s due), and she wanted to talk about it for her own sake, not April’s. But regardless, if she and Blake had been serious about their relationship, she would have already known all about it!

Also, this is one of those romances set in a world where sex doesn’t exist. It was never mentioned or even thought about. Perhaps very, very, VERY subtly implied. Furthermore, Emma never really thought of either Lucas or Blake as sexy. Others said they were hot, and Emma noticed Lucas’s fine eyes—ha—but their bodies and physical appeal weren’t discussed. Is it necessary? No, but it bothered me, because it’s just so unrealistic, and it was one more factor that kept me from taking the narrative seriously.

The writing, mechanically, was okay; neither impressive nor amateurish. The tone was light, and there were humorous bits that I appreciated. The narrative did lag a bit in the middle, between Lucas getting mad at her and them going to his mom’s birthday party. It was somewhere in there that I started skimming, impatient to resolve the conflict and be done.

Overall, I don’t feel that I wasted time reading it, but I definitely won’t be reading it again for any reason.

She didn’t know the name of her long-term boyfriend’s brother. For god’s sake. I’m surprised Lucas didn’t take the opportunity to throw in her face the fact that she’d done exactly what Lizzie did to Darcy, assumed the worst of him without having the authority to do so. I would say it was ironic, but I’m pretty sure it was done on purpose.

noapologybookreviews.com

This contemporary romance, with a nod to Jane Austen, finds main character Emma confronting her own 'pride and prejudice' in this lighthearted story. Will the aptly named Emma learn anything from the novels of Jane Austen that she loves so much?

Having "broken up" with Jane Austen in college, Emma Pierce does her best to live an a practical, grounded way-- always surpassing her inner romantic. When her long-time boyfriend, Blake Hampton, invites her to his family home for a weekend, Emma lets her friends convince her that Blake intends to propose. When Emma finds Blake dining with another woman, though, her romantic dreams come crashing down once again. Determined to focus on her fast-paced job as the CMO of a growing gym franchise, Emma finds it difficult to forget Blake when her boss hires Blake's brother, Lucas. Though a deep friendship develops and sparks fly between Emma and Lucas, Emma can't understand why Lucas continually tries to convince her to give her relationship with Blake another chance. Will Emma decide to follow her heart and embrace her inner Jane Austen, or will she continue to maintain that romance itself is a lie?

Julie Wright tells an entertaining contemporary love story in Lies Jane Austen Told Me. While I appreciated the concept of the plot and enjoyed Lucas and Emma's love story, Wright's writing was a bit casual and scattered for my taste. I grew tired of the almost schizophrenic ramblings of Emma's mind. Additionally, the conclusion of the story itself was satisfying, but it took an unreasonable amount of time to get there. Too many characters made too many mountains out of molehills to be really believable. I genuinely liked the book, but never really lost myself in it.

Emma Pierce isn’t perfect. She’s great at her job and a good friend, but when it comes to other relationships, she finds herself lacking. Then there’s the issue of her mother. One she hasn’t fully come to terms with even as an adult. Add in her small issue using her thoughts-to-verbalization filter, and Emma finds herself in some uncomfortable predicaments.
Julie Wright takes readers through Emma’s struggle with liking her ex’s brother—a matter only more complicated by the fact she now works and spends a lot of time with said brother. This woman also has a competitive streak that sometimes gets the better of her.
In the end, everyone involved gets a satisfying conclusion. Well, everyone except for Emma’s BFF Silvia, but I’m hoping that just means she gets her own story.
I’m thrilled that the Proper Romance line (Shadow Mountain Publishing) is branching out into contemporary books. Lies Jane Austen Told Me is a fantastic read to launch that line.

***I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.