Sunday, September 3, 2017

Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge

I'm not a Austen fan but I enjoyed this novel. I loved the friendship between the sisters. I felt bad for them, having to make their own way because their father was a crook and marred the family name. I liked how they were determined to make a new life for themselves in Austin.

I did think Jane was a weak character. She seemed to naive for her age. She was swept up into love too easily. Perhaps that was the idea, so I'd dislike Sean. I thought Celia was the bravest of the girls. She was willing to forsake her own happiness for the man she loved. My favorite character, I think, was Callum. A returning veteran with a prosthetic leg, he has his own demons to face.

Jane and Celia are focused on tea. Having had a tea room in California, they want to open one in Austin. Tea is not my favorite but I really enjoyed the recipes for scones and other goodies included in the book. I also enjoyed learning more about tea plants, drying, and steeping the leaves.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a good romance. Austen fans will recognize plot and characters taken from Sense and Sensibility. Others will enjoy a good novel about sisters, romance, and the true character of people.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Hillary Manton Lodge is the author of several novels. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. She and her husband live in Memphis, Tennessee. You can find out more at http://www.hillarymantonlodge.com/.

WaterBrook, 322 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

No comments: