I am no expert on Jane Austen, and I have not read all of her books, but I have read “Emma”, “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and sensibility “ at least three times each. When I started reading this book, the use of language between the characters was frustrating due to the jarring differences of what I expected and when Jane remarked “that ship has sailed” in regard to a lost opportunity, I put the book down in exasperation. Everything felt too coy and cute and certainly didn’t have the eloquence of the Jane Austen novels I have read. After a month or so, I picked the book up again to give it another chance. I felt I slipped away to “Bridgerton”. Once I got in that headspace I accepted the novel as it was. Jane wasn’t what I perceived Jane Austen the writer to be, but what do I know. The mystery was clumsy, but the story did flow. Laura Martin has written a few books with Jane Austen investigating which I feel are more sympathetic to the writer’s books and style. I won’t be following up with this series, but I do appreciate the opportunity to have read it, and I thank netgalley and the publisher.

I think it's always interesting to see fictionalised portrayals of well-known historical figures, and I really liked the way Jane Austen was portrayed here. This was a beautifully written book - in my opinion, it felt similar to reading a classic, and I felt myself escaping into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I found the use of the present tense very distracting in this novel, and was not sufficiently enjoying the characterizations or plot to keep going beyond the early stages of the story. While present tense can add a sense of immediacy to a contemporary tale, it felt rather jarring in historical fiction.