What Would Jane Austen Do? by Linda Corbett on June 16, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Adaptations & Pastiche, Fiction / General, Fiction / Humorous / General, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Small Town & Rural
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
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It’s a truth often acknowledged that when a journalist and Jane Austen fan girl ends up living next door to a cynical but handsome crime writer, romantic sparks will fly!
This is a Jane Austen inspired contemporary romance that will put you in the mood to watch Downton Abbey again. It is has a Victorian slant that makes it seem cozy, but enough drama that it is very relevant to today’s world. I would definitely say this is a settle in and get cozy with this book and not a fast paced type of book. But this has a setting that makes you want to run off to live in idyllic country home.
This one starts with Maddy who is a writer for a “Dear Jane” column, but her column is cancelled and she looses her job the same day she meets crime writer Cameron Massey. They do an interview together for Valentine’s Day and instantly dislike each other.
Then her family informs her that the black sheep of the family, cousin Nigel, has passed away and she has inherited his large house in a remote village. The only stipulation is that she has to live there for a year. She is a bit upset because she has to leave behind London and….not much else it turns out.
Once settled in her country home of Meadowside, she gets a roommate with a dog that she wasn’t expecting. And you will never guess who he is. Also, she inherits the job her cousin Nigel had as the chair of the committee for the annual village literary festival. Can she make a success of this festival? Will she learn the truth about her cousin, Nigel? He wasn’t what everyone in her family thought he was. And her experience living under the same roof with crime writer Cameron Massey aka Luke might be more than she bargained for.
This was a cute romantic story. It was an enemies to lovers trope. It’s a nod to Jane Austen. It covers a quaint village literary festival. There is a cute dog! What’s not to like in this one?!? This was a quick read with a great setting and the characters were so cute. The secondary characters were also very interesting. It was fun to get to know them and I think the story ended too quickly. I hope we will get to come back to this town again soon. Thank you to NetGalley and Linda Corbett for the ARC and opportunity to read this book.