This book is adorable and fun! I thoroughly enjoy all of the different love stories going on around the main couple and how they learned from their own choices to help others. The setting of a small midwestern down throughout fall and the early part of winter is charming, and I loved the quirky Cafe which is run by Thorne, the male lead.

I will say this was a little slow to get started, and it did feel like some of the big reveals were a little slow to be revealed. Also, this book is about a young English professor seeking tenure by tracking down an elusive erotica author, yet every potentially erotic scene was actually "fade to black." I don't need erotica to be interested in a storyline, but I was kind of expecting it with this novel.

Overall, this is a very cute, uplifting story and I would certainly recommend it!

I have not read many Second chance romances, so one with a bookish theme had me very interested, I did enjoy myself, and I really liked the characters, the side characters storylines, the small town setting, and the overall theme of better communication, not keeping secrets, doing things that make you happy and not following only your parents expectations. Things that took away from my enjoyment were a few logic issues, the chemistry between the characters was a little off and not as strong, the 3rd act conflict was solved a bit too fast and it was not talked though well enough. I also would have loved to have maybe some excerpts of the litwit novels.

A second-chance romance with a literary backdrop and a running mystery. I loved the concept, the cover, and the careful depictions of academia and small-town life. Many of the ancillary characters were delightful and felt fully fleshed out - to the point where I was eager for more about them, and less about the main characters. The main characters though, I really struggled with. Characters keeping secrets from each other as plot device is nothing new, but I just couldn't buy some of the deceptions and motivations in this story.

I would absolutely read more from this author, because I think her eye for comic, quirky characters is top notch.

This book fell a bit flat for me, unfortunately. I wanted to love it because the premise was so awesome and it sounded like the perfect book for book lovers. However, all of the characters read as very over-the-top almost caricatures. That made it hard for me to connect.
Additionally, I've never been a fan of second-chance-romance. However, in the case of Thena and Thorne, it felt at the beginning of the book like they were just falling for each other because they thought they had to in a weird way. But then by the end, I wasn't a fan of how hot and cold they were with each other. In the second to last chapter, they had a ridiculous fight... I just didn't like it.
I do love the spoiler of who the author is-- I mean, it was extremely, extremely obvious throughout, but I did love it!
Ultimately, I think this was an okay book, but not right for me.

I had high hopes for Blame It On The Brontes, but overall this book was a miss. The premise of literature obsessed English professor Athena returning to her small town to ferret out the secret identity of an infamous erotica author to save her career and running into and having to work with past flame lawyer-turned-café-owner, Thorne, had me mightily intrigued! Throw in a cute cover and I'm in.

Unfortunately after the first few chapters, my enthusiasm waned. The book felt overly long, the miscommunications became frustrating, and the story seemed to get bogged down in the many side characters, family members and too many plot points. The ending felt oddly rushed with a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions. The romance felt secondary a lot of the time with the MCs careers, family and town drama, and mystery aspect feeling more front and center.

Also to note - there is no spice in this book. Any scenes between Athena and Thorne are very fade to black. There is also a fair amount of off-putting diet culture/weight and weight-loss/body talk sprinkled throughout that bordered on fat-phobic to me and seemed unnecessary to the plot.

I'm sure there are readers who will enjoy this book, but I am unfortunately not one of them.

This was a fun, modern story for fans of classic literature, and the first time that I have read anything by this author.

Athena is an English Professor that is on the hunt to determine the identity of the updated classics LitWit series, partially in hopes of saving her teaching post. While getting settled in her hometown to begin the search, she runs into Thorne, her college boyfriend. While the chemistry between the two is undeniable, they have a difficult time being honest about certain aspects of their lives.

If your enjoy reimagined classics, second chance romance, this book may be up your alley! There isn’t a cliffhanger, which made it a nice change from other current releases.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This light second-chance (more like third) romance was sweet and entertaining. I didn’t have many expectations going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Thena returns to her hometown after taking temporary leave from work and runs into the man who broke her heart twice, Thorne. Even worse, she’s now working part-time for him while trying to save her career.

I really enjoyed the banter between Athena and Thorne even though the constant miscommunication did grate on my nerves. I just wanted to shake them both. I love second-chance romance especially with a dual POV because it makes the story so much more emotional for me. The heartache, things left unsaid, mutual pining, ugh!

The chemistry between Athena and Thorne felt authentic, and it flew off the pages. I loved Thorne’s characterization although he did upset me at times. It’s obvious that these two are meant to be, and their journey back to each other was so sweet and captivating.

If you love a light second-chance and small town romance with a little mystery, this book is for you!

Blame It on the Brontes releases May 3, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

For some reason, I just couldn’t ever fully get into this. I think a lot of that comes from Athena’s professional background being similar to my own, which meant it was also hard for me to ignore the many logical errors in her mission to learn this secret author’s identity. Not for me, but probably for someone else!

I would love to interview the author for my bookstagram account or for pop-culturalist!! Blame it on the Brontes is a title that instantly made me want to read this book. It doesn’t disappoint!! I loved the romance and the chemistry between the protagonists.

3.5 Stars rounded to 3. I really liked this story line and I loved the banter between the main characters. The quirky side characters were also a lot of fun and all the personality made me picture the story as a movie. I do wish there had been more spice written in. Also as a content warning there are several instances of diet culture language in the text (e.g. talking about weight or weight loss) it wasn't part of the plot so I wish those were not included.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. There were a few points I was confused with. I felt that it was breezed over that Thorne just decided to buy a business and settle down in Athenas hometown. Also I wish there was more of the book where they are together. I could tell they both longed for each other but just felt the end was rushed and left me wanting more. Also didn’t feel like the robin stuff was all tied up. Maybe an epilogue would’ve been good.

This book kept me on the hook because it was so cozy. It has Gilmore Girls vibes with the eccentric townsfolk and family members, the comfy cafe, and the small-town atmosphere. This book is slow-paced and the romance was a slow burn to the point where sometimes it was a little infuriating. But to be honest, the romance was not what I liked about this book, it was the atmosphere that felt like an autumn day, it was the moments in between that were crazy and cute with Athena and the side characters.

Blame it on the Brontes was such a fun book! It has so many elements I loved: a cozy cafe, a quirky cast of characters, a literary mystery and a second chance romance. I’ve never read Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, so I can’t say for sure how fans of those two would enjoy the tie ins, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this book and I actually found myself wanting to pick them up next! Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review of this ARC.

This was such a great, quick read. Exactly the type of Rom Com I love, not too raunchy, but a light/fun read full of lovable characters. Bonus was the fun mystery that kept me guessing up until the very end.

Athena Murphy has been given an ultimatum at her job as a professor in a small college in San Francisco: Publish or Perish. She's been a little too vocal about her dislike for a coworker and now has the task of unmasking the identity of the secretive CL Garland, author of the infamous LitWit series who resuscitates classic romances and reskins them as eroticas. If she figures out who Garland really is, she gets to keep her job. The twist? CL Garland just so happens to live in her hometown, where she soon finds her once fiance, still love of her life, Thorne Kent now resides. And bonus, he's bought the cafe where she's already got a job as a waitress to support her on her unpaid leave.

This book is fantastic. It gives a lot of Sweet Home Alabama vibes in terms of a self re-discovery via going home, and gives up a healthy dose of sass, comedy, and the feels as Athena makes positive impact after impact on the people who live in her home town. There are a wonderful number of sub plots brewing that are nicely wrapped up at the end of the story, and make it interesting to navigate right along with Athena as she figures out what she wants to do with her life. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

second chance, enemies to lovers...
Cute, quick read. I enjoyed their banter. Second chance romance isn’t my usual trope choice, but
I did enjoy the mystery of why things ended the first time. The Seattle Event kept me
intrigued, the hint at something Not Good kept me reading.
I could've done without the references to his "member"... Just my preference
though.

As a former literature student, I was intrigued by the title of this novel. And the author didn’t disappoint, providing a quirky, engaging read.
This is an enemy to lovers/second chances type story where an English professor finds herself back in her hometown on a writing sabbatical, hoping to solve a mystery. She is challenged by family dynamics, her ex-boyfriend, and professional discord, all while trying to search for answers and complete her book.
There are many references and quotes from the Brontë sisters, Shakespeare, etc. Personally, I thought these were distracting and detracted from the narrative. It seemed that the author was trying to create a common theme… but the narrative didn’t need it.
Despite this criticism, this book kept me engaged and I completed it in 24 hours. If you are looking for a lighthearted romance, this may be for you!
Many thanks to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for this electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really only finished this book to find out who CL Garland was (the allusive author of a best selling series that mashes up classics with erotica) and I was left disappointed at almost every turn.

Thena ventures back to her hometown to unearth the identity of a reclusive author and ends up working in her ex’s cafe. She waitresses while snooping very poorly around and attempting to write a book to save her academic career.

The back story on this was just a mess. I’m all for revealing past plot throughout a story, but this felt like a sprinkling of after thoughts and made the story less cohesive overall. For me, the chaos of the plot was due to lack of focus - one minute the story is going one way, we have a suspect, then another, then another, and like 10 other suspects, and suddenly you made about 5 giant circles and ended up right where you started…bored and not sure why you’re still reading.

A charming and witty romance novel that also reads like a love letter to the great historical romance stories. Blame it on the Brontes is a quick and cozy read and Sereno has managed to create characters that are warm, dynamic, and often times admirable in their strength and gumption. Athena and Thorne sizzle as both potential lovers and more often perfect foils like any good Austin or Bronte romance while still reading as very modern and relatable. Although not the spiciest of books this book is very romantic and will have broad appeal to fans of the genre. All around a wonderfully written book.

Loved loved loved! What a fantastic story, one with happy twists and turns and a REALISTOC heroine! Couldn’t put it down! Such a great visuals and lol funny at time! 5 stars!

3.5/5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! Athena Murphy, an English professor, returns to her hometown to research an anonymous romance author with the pen-name C.L. Garland who happens to be from her hometown in order to save her career at a university in San Francisco. What she doesn't expect is to run into her old flame, Thorne Kent, who broke her heart twice. She winds up becoming his employee at the cafe he now owns. Of course, this proximity brings up old feelings, unresolved issues, and the potential to rekindle things with the love of her life.

There was so much angst in this and I loved Athena's character. She's exuberant, outgoing, determined, and I especially appreciated that she is explicitly described as being a curvaceous woman. I am normally not a huge fan of second chance romances but this one was great. It was amusing, and I loved the interactions between Athena and Thorne who have great banter and between their present-day interactions and the reminiscences of these two characters, the relationship comes across as really believable between the two. There is, however, a lot of miscommunication between the two pretty much from beginning to end and I will say by the end of the book it became a little too much (hence the rating). Also, despite the chemistry, we have another sort of fade to black scene which is mindboggling to me since part of the plot is Athena's investigation into an erotica author! Like.....hello? There should be more smut. I also appreciated that we got both Athena's and Thorne's point of view in this.