Blame It on the Brontes
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
She’s going to write her own happy ending.
English professor Athena Murphy is an authority on the novels of the Brontë sisters. But as they say in academia, publish or perish. To save her job, Athena decides to write a biography of C.L. Garland, the author heating up bestseller lists with spicy retellings of classic literature. Tracking down the reclusive writer and uncovering her secret identity, though, means Athena must return to her small midwestern hometown where Garland—and her ex-boyfriend, Thorne Kent—live.
Seeing Thorne again reminds Athena that real life never lives up to fiction. He was the Heathcliff to her Catherine, the Mr. Rochester to her Jane. Not only did their college breakup shatter that illusion, but they also broke each other’s hearts again a second time. Now she has to see him nearly every...single…day.
The only solution is to find C.L. Garland as quickly as possible, write the book, and get the heck out of town. As her deadline looms and the list of potential C.L. Garlands dwindles, Athena and Thorne bicker and banter their way back to friendship. Could it really be true that the third time’s a charm?
Athena and Thorne have a love story only a Brontë could write, and the chance for their own happily-ever-after, but first, they’ll need to forgive the mistakes of the past.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sereno's sophomore rom-com (after Helen of Troy, Illinois), while predictable, delivers plenty of tongue-in-cheek literary witticism and small-town heart. It's publish or perish for San Francisco lit professor Athena Murphy, who takes a semester-long unpaid leave. While she misses her students, this is her final chance to save her job. So back home to Laurel, Ill., she goes, emboldened by her plan to uncover the identity of C.L. Garland, author of a popular series of erotic renditions of classic works. It's bad enough that she has to deal with her divorced parents and find a part-time job, but then she learns that her ex, Thorne Kent, with whom she shared an extremely tumultuous romance, has moved back to town and owns the local café. He's got his secrets, like almost everyone in town, but he also follows his passions—one of which is Athena. The plot plays out exactly as expected and Thorne and Athena's will-they-won't-they drags on a bit too long, but the novel's heart lies in its quirky, memorable characters. Readers will find themselves laughing through the familiar tropes—and dying for one of Thorne's delicious creations.
