Escaping Mr. Rochester
-
-
4.5 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $22.99
Publisher Description
2025 Rainbow Book List
In this fresh reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel by acclaimed author L. L. McKinney, Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason must save each other from the horrifying machinations of Mr. Rochester in this intrigue-filled, empowering young adult romance.
Jane Eyre has no interest in a husband. Eager to make her own way in the world, she accepts the governess position at Thornfield Hall.
Though her new employer, Edward Rochester, has a charming air—not to mention a handsome face—Jane discovers that his smile can sharpen in an instant. Plagued by Edward’s mercurial mood and the strange wails that echo through the corridors, Jane grows suspicious of the secrets hidden within Thornfield Hall—unaware of the true horrors lurking above her very head.
On the topmost floor, Bertha Mason is trapped in more ways than one. After her whirlwind marriage to Edward turned into a nightmare, he locked her away as revenge for withholding her inheritance. Now his patience grows thin in the face of Bertha’s resilience and Jane’s persistent questions, and both young women are in more danger than they realize.
When their only chance at safety—and perhaps something more—is in each other’s arms, can they find and keep one another safe before Edward’s dark machinations close in around them?
Customer Reviews
Thrilling
Stars: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Narrators: Machelle Williams (Birtha) and Nneka Okoye (Jane)
Series: Stand Alone
Steam Level: Not Steamy
I read this for the 2026 A to Z Book Challenge for the letter E.
Quick Thoughts:
- I have read Jane Eyre so many times over the years and have enjoyed retellings of it. This one is in my top three favorites
- Absolutely adored how diverse the characters are in this. If you’re going to do a retelling of a story why on Earth would you make everyone straight and white?
- I thought it was amazing how L. L. McKinney wove in elements of the original story in such a way that now I look at the book Jane Eyre a little bit suspiciously now
- At first I wasn’t sure about the use of letters to push the story forward in the last third of the book, but it was in a previous reread that I realized it was actually the perfect way of showing how fast time was moving and how their connection was developing without bogging down the pacing of the book
- That ending was so twisty and perfect. Even though this was my fourth time rereading this, I still found myself staying up late to finish the book
- I will never look at Mr. Rochester the same way again
- Machelle Williams and Nneka Okoye both did excellent jobs narrating this book. They really brought the story to life and captured the personalities of their characters. I will be keeping an eye out for them in the future
Overall I love this book more each time I read it and I will absolutely be rereading it again in the future. On the strength of this book alone, I have picked up the whole Nightmare-verse trilogy by L. L. McKinney after seeing that it is another retelling (and I don’t even like Alice in Wonderland.)