Read if you like:
❁ Second chance romance
❁ Classic literature
❁ Small town charm
❁ foodie romance
❁ Closed door, yet mildly spicy

Summary: University English Professor, and Brontë sister aficionado, Athena Murphy is given an ultimatum by the Chair of her department. Either publish a book on the mysterious C.L. Garland, known for writing spicy takes on classic romance, or lose her job as Associate professor.

Determine to uncover Garland’s identity, Athena returns to her hometown of Laurel, Illinois where she’s shocked to discover her ex-boyfriend and love of her life, Thorne, is now the owner of the town’s favorite cafe. Before she knows it, she’s fully enthralled in the town’s antics, creating book clubs, matchmaking and reconnecting with Thorn.

Thoughts: I enjoyed Blame It On the Brontës, especially as a fan of classic literature. I love the way Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre references were woven into the story and the comparisons made between the romances in those tales versus the one in this.

The banter in this book was *chefs kiss. I really enjoyed the repartee, not just between Athena and Thorne, but also between Athena and a lot of the townspeople she came to grow close to during her time waitressing at the As You Like It cafe. There were times I even found myself laughing out loud at some of the hilarious interchanges between Athena and Eugene, the town grump.

The one criticism I have is that I felt the book could be shorter and more succinct. A lot of the substance of the book takes place in the first half and the last 1/4 and I think reducing the length of the book would have made it a 5-star for me. It began to drag a little bit in the second half and I think that might be what kept others from enjoying it more.

I would definitely recommend Annie Sereno’s charming sophomore novel to anyone who likes second chance romance or classic literature, specifically the Brontë sisters. I think they will really connect with it and love all of the references hidden within it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*Available now

I really wanted to love this one! I felt that at times, the story was a bit too slow. I also felt that the characters were very hard for me to get invested in. Thank you Netgalley and Sereno for allowing the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

Blame it on the Brontes by Annie Sereno. Pub Date: May 3rd, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟. Gosh I really wanted to love this one, but by the end it fell very flat and felt long and drawn out. The story starts off strong with a young accomplished college professor who is on a mission to uncover a mysterious author’s identity so she can save her career by writing a book about it. When she travels back to her hometown to start investigating, she runs into her ex-boyfriend who it turns out isn’t a lawyer anymore and now owns the local cafe. Throughout the novel, there are awkward moments, lustful encounters and longing scenes of a love once lost that may be found again. I enjoyed the spin on the classics, but it just read really long to me. Thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #igreads #blameitonthebrontes #netgalley #foreverpublishing

English professor Athena Murphy is back in her hometown after an incident at work puts her career on the line. She needs to write a book- and a good one, if she wants to salvage her job!



So why not unmask the mysterious writing creating erotic retellings of classic lit, whom also is supposedly living in her hometown!

In order to infiltrate the locals, Athena decides to take a job at the cafe… even though it’s now owned and run by her her ex-boyfriend Thorne!



Athena is here for business… nothing is going to make her try again with Thorne… even if he’s finally channeling the Heathcliff/ Rochester vibes she’s always dreamed of!

I enjoyed the mystery elements and hints of Brontë-isms included in the story.



Thorne was a good hero with a good mix of brooding but also a good, solid guy. As for Athena, she didn’t capture me as much. She was too insulated in her perspective. She played the poor me card a lot for someone not willing to be truthful to friends and family (or even herself!) about her real circumstances and what she truly wants in life.



Overall this was a cute second chance mystery caper, but I could have used a little more Brontë for my buck!

Blame it on the Brontës by Annie Soreno was release 3rd, 2022.

#BlameitontheBrontes #AnnieSoreno #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

Athena is a literature professor who's passionate about the Brontë sisters, and teaching their novels. She once thought she had her own literary hero, Thorne Kent, her college boyfriend and the love of her life. But when she moved to San Francisco and he chose a different path, it wasn't meant to be. Now Athena is stuck in a job she hates, having to publish something in order to keep it. With no other choice she takes a leave of absence, returns to her hometown, and sets about trying to find the identity of the reclusive C.L. Garland, a writer who eroticizes the classics, so she can save her job. What she finds is former boyfriend, Thorne, running the local cafe.

As a fan of Wuthering Heights, I enjoyed this one. Athena's brother was a great bonus to the story. Her dad, and mom? Not so much. I figured out the twist right away so it got frustrating having to wait for the reveal. But overall, a decent story with some great banter.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Too slow and the characters were unlikeable. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I thought that Blame it on the Brontes by Annie Sereno was a cozy romance in the cozy mystery style. Athena and Thorn, our main characters, were excellent with the grumpy-sunny theme. A second chance romance was also enjoyable. I loved the book about books aspect, but I am not familiar with classic literature and I had difficulty understanding the references.
It has been such a long journey for this couple, Athena and Thorn, and they have experienced so much together. There are secrets between them. Beautifully written, this is now one of my favorites.


Thank you to Netgalley and Forever the the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Annie Sereno for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Athena who comes home to small town Laurel, Illinois, on a (forced) personal leave from a job as an English professor in San Francisco to write her book. She hopes to uncover the real identity of the author of erotic novellas that transform literary classics into spicy erotica. It just so happens that while she does "research" for her book as a waitress for a local cafe, she has to work for her ex-boyfriend (ex-love of her life) Thorne Kent.

As a sucker for second-chance romances, I really enjoyed this book. The writing was witty and fresh. We also get some of Thorne’s point of view which I really liked as it livens things up. I enjoyed reading it and I definitely think I will be re-reading the classics mentioned here soon.

One, two, three tries at love in this wonderful Brontë inspired book. In this book we follow professor Athena and her college sweetheart, who she is no longer sweet on, Thorne. As a heads-up the miscommunication trope a huge part of the book so if this is not your thing then please be advised. The smut is little to non-existent this is just a cute romance. I would recommend this for someone who wants a cute light romance. Just please don’t expect steam because it isn’t there.

Release Date: May 3rd 2022

📖📖

Athena is a collegiate professor who is given the ultimatum of finish your novel and publish or lose your job. Athena’s novel is an expose on CL Garland. Garland is a nom de plum of the best selling erotic series that features classic literary characters. In her search Athena winds up in her hometown and confronting the one who got away, Thorne. Can they heal old wounds? Will Athena figure out who CL Garland is?

I did not like this book. I loved the idea and the story within a story. WHERE IS THE EROTIC BOOK SERIES FEATURING CLASSIC CHARACTERS?!? I’d much rather read that. The heroine was bordering on unlikeable and I thought Thorne was very one dimensional character. This is a pass from me.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. All options are my own.

#bookstagram #netgalleyreads #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #itsjessadarling22 #bookbloggersofinstagram

As a bookworm, I liked that this book was about books and that the main character was hoping to write her own book. While the book was intriguing enough that I finished it, the writing just didn't pull me in completely. Something was missing.

Athena heads back to her hometown to publish a book uncovering the author of an erotica series, otherwise she will lose her job as a professor. While there, she runs into her ex and the two eventually become friends again.

Unfortunately I didn't find either character very relatable. I wasn't a fan of how Athena acted at times, almost as if she had no regard for others. She and Thorne also seemed to lack chemistry despite at one time being each others soulmates.

Blame it on the Brontes Is a novel for anyone who has fallen in love with Mr. Darcy or any other literary hero…. Or tries to find their Heathcliff.

Athena is a faculty member on a deadline: Write a novel or get out of her job. Her writing has taken her to her hometown to expose the illustrious Garland. The only issue? No one has any idea who Garland may be. The bigger issue? Thorne: Her lover of many years, a tragic past left because of career choices. With Athena working at Throne’s cafe trying to uncover the mysterious identity, all she can do is blame it on the Bronte… especially with her deadline clock ticking away.

Annie Sereno packs a ton of Athena’s point of you throughout the story, trying to make you feel for her every step of the way. However; sometimes Throne’s point of view also gets mixed in as a second thought. Sereno could have been clearer by having a clear dual point of view structure. As a reader, I lost interest in who Garland was by the halfway point and wished either the romance or Garland would’ve take a front seat: not both.

This was such a fun, quirky read!

Athena, Brontë sisters aficionado, has to publish a book or will lose her Professor position. In the search for the elusive C. L. Garland, she returns to her hometown of where she runs into her own Heathcliff: Thorne Kent. Thorne carries a family secret with him that has altered the course of his life. Struggling to come to terms with this, he buys a local cafe.

Thorne and Athena have a sordid past and both are surprised to see each other again. To make matters worse, they’re forced to see each other often because Athena works at his cafe while working on her publishing pursuits. This close proximity causes old feelings to return and both have to take a hard look at themselves to overcome past mistakes.

Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite novels and, while I’m no Brontë expert, I could see the influence of their works throughout the story. Those readers who do not enjoy heavy influence of classic literature may want to skip this, but I adored it! I enjoyed the banter between the main characters and was rooting for them to work everything out. By the end, I felt all warm and fuzzy inside!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever-Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy!

When I read the description to this book I was instantly interested, but I found myself disappointed by the way the story was executed. The idea was excellent. Athena has always loved literature and after getting her PhD she is a professor who needs to publish or she (or at least her job) will perish. She heads home on an unpaid leave to visit her parent and bumps into the once love of her life who left her and the PhD track for a law degree. She is on a mission to discover who is writing an erotica novella series involving characters from great literature and I thought from the first second it was obvious and I didn’t like how it played out and how Athena was specifically lied to about it. The characters didn’t wow me and the writing was awkward at times. The idea had so much potential, but I had to force myself to finish this one up. I’m grateful to netgalley for the chance to read this one.

Full disclosure.. I've never read a Bronte book but that didn't stop me from enjoying this fun novel from Annie Sereno. The main characters were super likable and I love a good second chance love trope story! I enjoyed the mystery aspect with C.L, Garland and the funny situations that Athena got herself into while trying to figure out who was behind the LitWit stories. There were multiple scenes in this storyline that had me laughing out loud! The setting in the small town and the cute cafe made me feel like part of the community and I could easily picture the cafe regulars. I also thought the daily cafe sandwich special was a cute touch. At times, some of the literary references went over my head, but I think readers who enjoy those classics will appreciate seeing them in there. Overall, this was a cute romance read with a great setting and main characters you can't help but root for!

Blame it on the Brontes by Annie Sereno was such a fantastic read and I couldn’t stop thinking about it while I was at work, I just wanted to keep reading. Athena is a thirty-two-year-old, who is attempting to find the writer C.L. Garland so she can save her job. She goes back to her small town because the writer lives there. She ends up running into the love of her life and her ex, Thorne. Thorne journey was just as wonderful to read. He still loves Athena, but he has family secrets that he keeps to himself. He believes these secrets are only his to deal with, so he keeps her at arm’s length. The banter between these two was funny and just felt real while I was reading. I should state that I have never read any Bronte books, but I have watched two of the movies, but I still really enjoyed this story. I also really think the side stories and how it interweaved into Thorne and Thena’s story gave the story even more depth. You truly never know anyone, even your own family members because we all have things we are dealing with, and it isn’t always easy to open up to anyone. I’ll definitely re-read this story and buy the audible to listen to while at work.

the synopsis was very intriguing, but unfortunately the execution did not live up to it, as i did not manage to connect with neither thena and thorne. the story developed quite slowly and i found myself skimming.

The plot of the book was appealing to me as an English graduate student, but the writing was not overly gripping. I made it through but won’t read it again.

This book was ok. Not something I would read again. Sorry to the author and publisher. Thank you for this arc

DNF at 47 percent. I really wanted to love the story, but I just couldn't 😭😭😭 The beginning was so perfect, but I kept losing interest after the first few chapters. The bookish theme truly spoke out to me, and that's one of the few things I enjoyed about the story. Maybe I will pick this book up again a few months later to find out about the ending, but for now, I can feel the book pulling me into a reading slump. :(