I loved this book! It was the perfect combination of lightheartedness and emotional conflict. Many women will be able to relate to Emma's love/hate relationship with her favorite author, who gave the world male love interest that set the standard high, especially in modern times. I really connected with Emma and found myself laughing with and at her, but also sympathizing with her deep rooted pain at being left by her mother at such a young age.

Most of all, I loved the use of Jane Austen as not only a framing device for the trajectory of the novel, but also as someone Emma and other female characters looked to in times of joy and sorrow. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter were always pretty spot on in describing and foreshadowing what was to come.

I'd definitely recommend this book to any Jane Austen lover or anyone who has ever felt the frustration of people not living up to the ideals that authors set for us in print.

Jane Austin - villain or hero. Is she a liar or does she speak the truth?

When you meet Emma she is a career driven woman with a boyfriend you feel she is not too sure of but is almost fearful of being a spinster of the parish.
What transpires is a book that gives you laughs , tender thoughtful moments and most of all a big warm hug of unrequited love and romance.
I've never read a book by this author but this is one of those books that if someone speaks to you ,you don't want to engage ,you just want to carry on reading.
The characters have great strength.
I have my own vision of trish the fish and also Blakes blue pulling shirt.
Jane Austin had a great eye for charchters and so has Julie Wright.
A must read.
Thanks to Netgalley ,the author and publisher for this opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

What a fun read for Austen fans! I loved the references to the characters, themes & plots from Austen's works throughout the story. I enjoyed getting to know the characters as they revealed more of themselves to each other.I was rooting for for Lucas the whole story, so I was happy with the way the book ended. It wasn't just a fluff read. It is one I can easily recommend to my family & friends.

Thank you to Netgalley, Julie Wright and Shadow Mountain Publishing for allowing me to read and review Lies Jane Austen Told Me.

The Plot

Emma Pierce is a marketing executive for a firm called Kinetics and a fervent Jane Austen fan but sadly, she still hasn’t found her romantic hero although she is dating the rich and hot Blake Hampton.
Emma is invited by Blake to his family’s home but turns him down as she is busy at work. A friend of hers encourages Emma to be spontaneous and decides to visit Blake on a whim. Between them, they have decided that Blake must intend proposing to Emma by reason of the invitation.

Emma’s boyfriend, Blake, looks less than thrilled to see her when she arrives unannounced on his doorstep and she discovers that he is with another woman. Blake protests his innocence but Emma storms off in embarrassment. Whilst walking away, Emma is stopped by Lucas Hampton, who apologises for his brother’s behaviour and offers her a ride home.

Come Monday morning back at the office, Emma discovers to her mortification that Lucas has been offered a consulting position with her firm and they will be working closely together for the foreseeable future.

She finds herself drawn to Lucas and the more she learns about him, the more she likes him. But at the same time, he is singing his brother’s praises and seems like he is trying to get Emma and Blake back together.
Emma is initially confused about her feelings but then comes to realise that she only has “friend feelings” for Blake but is in love with Lucas. Where will this lead? Could he be her Mr Knightley?



Conclusion

I liked the idea that the heroine and hero of this story were flung together as co-workers so that they could get to know each other on several levels.

It was compelling to witness Emma’s realisation and understanding of her own feelings in contrast with how angry she felt about Jane Austen’s unrealistic expectations of love and finding Mr Right. She finally came to the conclusion that Jane Austen’s works were written to empower women and not to leave them with false expectations of romance. To live life to the full, we need to take risks in life and love.

I have always been a Jane Austen fan and I enjoyed reading this book immensely.

I think there is a bit of Emma in all of us.

This book deserves a fabulous 5 stars.

This is a great book for any Jane Austen fan. Our main character is a huge fan and is on the hunt for a man who can fulfill the expectations Austen has set up in her books. It's a fun read, easy and relatively quick. There is definitely a kind of romcom feeling to it which I loved and it kept me entertained all the way through. The characters are well developed and I was very invested in the story.

I loved this book! It was so hard to put down!! (and for me thats saying a lot!!)
This book will go on my permanent book shelf.

I received this awesome book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I really liked the story! It got a little slow in the middle of it bogged down by characters over thinking and not doing. Yet, I finished it and thought it was a good book. The characters are entertaining and likable.

I received this e-book Lies Jane Austen Told me published by Shadow Mountain. This is the first book I have read by Julie Wright and it wont be the last. I loved loved this book!! You cant help but route for the underdog Lucas and you want to kick Blake butt repeatedly. You cant help but love Silva and her spitfire and answers to the problems. I love Emma and her determination for love and how she gets there. How sometimes your past and life can knock you down but you can make you stronger by not giving up. I never wanted to put this book down, I wanted to keep reading until the end. Then when the end came I was happy for the ending but sad that it had ended. This would be a great book for any reader for anytime.

This was a cute bit of chick-lit. How reliable are the words of Jane Austen to a modern woman? We get to find out in this story about Emma who's dating one guy and in love with his brother. There's a decent amount of relationship development which is always a plus.

I felt like the Jane Austen aspect was the weakest part of the book--Emma's lengthy thoughts about how Jane wronged her and stuff just didn't flow so well for me. The other aspects of the book, with the love triangle and with the abandonment issues and stuff, were a lot more interesting--and it made me wonder if the book would have been better without trying to pull Jane Austen in. Obviously, the words "Jane Austen" pull in a reader...but I don't know that aspect of the plot was really that satisfying, and I got a little tired of Emma because of that. I liked Lucas, I wasn't sold on Blake even as a friend, and I felt like Emma should find a job where she was appreciated by her boss and not gossiped about by people who were supposed to work for her, which meant the job aspect wasn't that satisfying, either.
So, I liked it somewhat, but it wasn't one that had me eager to go back and reread it or to recommend it to others.
I would be interested to see what it looks like when it's actually ready for publication.

LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. THIS. BOOK! So fun! Remarkable writing!

Adored that Emma kept taking advice from Jane Austen but then would throw the book in the garbage can only to pick it up again :)

Very intriguing backgrounds of the characters made the book real and kept my interest throughout the entire book.

YOU WILL WANT A COPY OF THIS ONE FOR SURE!

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I will post on my blog, Facebook, and twitter closer to release date --

Emma is happy with her life. Everyone thinks her boyfriend is going to propose. Emma hasn't really thought about it. When she decides to surprise him, the surprise is on her. Now back at work, she finds that her boss has hired a consultant. Her boyfriend's (make that ex-boyfriend) brother. Emma thinks a lot. She worries about working with Lucas, she worries about her attraction to Lucas, she worries about the ex, Blake. There is quite a bit of dialog going on in her brain.

This is a clean, cute romance with plenty of references to Jane Austen and her books.

I would love to give this book a chance, however, the formatting made it nearly impossible to finish or get into in any meaningful way. I loved the title, and would give it another chance if I were to receive a correctly formatted manuscript.

Very good. Enjoyed it start to finish. Nice take on Jane Austen and the things she can teach us about life and love. Recommend.

I quite liked this book with its strong female MC caught in a love triangle between two brothers. Like Austen's heroines she got caught in misunderstandings, had her prejudices, and stood up for herself.
The Austen quotes at the beginning of the chapters were very fitting.

I understand that this is an arc and as such, grammar and formatting issues are often present. While this normally does not bother me, this is probably the worst formatted arc I have received and as such, it's making it very difficult to read. There is no way that it would not influence my opinion of the book so I am choosing to stop. I do believe I would really like this story so I will wait until it releases and purchase a copy then. I don't want the author to be punished with a review that does not reflect her work so I will refrain from reviewing until I can read a cleaned up copy. Thank you.

This novel was an enjoyable read. It is a modern day setting about a woman who loves the works by Jane Austen, but it disillusioned by her due to her own personal experiences, especially those involving love. This novel contains romance, but also about discovering one's self. I enjoyed how the author used difference aspects from Jane Austen's novels and incorporated them into the story line. This is written in first person point of view and is a clean read.
Emma Pierce was abandoned by her mother and has difficulty opening herself up to people. She is in a relationship with Blake Hampton, but is not in love with him. She works to keep herself from dealing with her issues. When she surprises Blake, convinced by others that he might propose, and discovers he was having dinner with a woman, she is upset and leaves. She runs into Lucas, who offers to drive her to the train station. Emma does not know who he is exactly. They need to make a stop someplace and Emma judges Lucas based on the situation without knowing all the facts.
Emma learns she will be working with Lucas Hampton, Blake's brother at her job. They travel together to the east coast to expand the company Kinetics. They learn about each other but Lucas keeps trying to push Emma back to Blake. However, Emma is stubborn and Emma begins to fall in love with Lucas. Both Emma and Lucas had difficulties during their childhood, but were able to open up to each other about it. This to me was a turning point for Emma, but she still misjudged Lucas, which impacted their relationship. Emma goes out with Blake, but is not in love with him. She realizes that she loves Lucas and realizes her and Blake are more like good friends. Emma wants to tell Lucas how she feels, but has trouble doing so. However, does Lucas feel the same way or will he continue to push into her brother's arms?

"Lies Jane Austen Told Me" is a predictable book about Emma, a 26 year old who has always loved Jane Austen. However, she feels like all Austen's stories are completely fake, because not only did Jane herself end up alone, but in her own life, men just don't seem to be that great. The book begins when she is CMO for a fitness company and working later than she should be on a Friday for someone who was supposed to be visiting her boyfriend's family for the first time (and maybe getting a proposal). Emma has been dating Blake Hampton, a wealthy and attractive man, who she cares about. At her coworkers' urgings, she leaves work to surprise him at the family mansion.

When she arrives, Emma is thrown for a loop, as not only is his family not at home, but he is cooking dinner for another woman. Angry, she leaves and is caught by his brother Lucas, who offers her a ride to the train station. She finally arrives home and returns to work on Monday only to learn that the CEO has hired a consultant to help her- and that consultant is Lucas. As she and Lucas work more and more closely, she begins to realize that she has feelings for him in a way she never did for Blake- but Lucas seems to only want to get her back together with Blake.

In a series of near-constant misunderstandings and frustrating fighting of the feelings, this book becomes a little tedious. Add to that, Emma's complex about her mother leaving when she was 5 (despite having a super-great dad) and which has subsequently taken over her entire life- and which she feels is entirely comparable to being homeless and abandoned by a single parent at a shelter, and it becomes somewhat harder to like her. She seems a little spoiled and self-involved, as is Blake.

That being said, I still read the whole book and enjoyed it overall. It definitely won't make my list of favorites, but Lucas was the sweetest and a really great character! I also wish we had gotten to know Silvia better, as she seems like an awesome person (even though she seems to exist primarily as a shoulder for Emma to cry on). It had its ups and downs but was overall a quick read and a predictable love story.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I tend to be skeptical about books with Jane Austen in the title--there are too many now that read like cash cows, without the wit, insight, or (in period) the feel of Austen.

But this one was not set in the past, and the heroine was a firm fan of Austen, so I went for it.

I loved the beginning--Emma, a marketing executive, has loved Austen for years, and wants a guy to match Mr. Darcy. Who doesn't? At first it seems that Blake Hampton is her Mr. Darcy; she turns him down for a weekend at his parents', then encouraged by her office team, takes the train down to surprise him.

She gets surprised--ends up with a ride from his scarcely mentioned brother, with a side trip to a squalid part of town, and when she thinks she's done with the entire family, she's not. The brother ends up as her partner for a huge company project, and sparks fly.

I had some misgivings during those early chapters, in spite of liking Emma, and loving how she thinks of Austen. But the book starts out with a Big Misunderstanding, which is not a trope I care for unless it's very well done, especially when the obvious question that should be first thing out of her mouth isn't asked for unconvincing reasons until nearly halfway through the book.

After it's asked, though, I was totally on board with the storyline, and the pacing zooms to the most satisfactory ending.

Things I liked:

Emma's job reads like a real job. I have never been interested in marketing, but Wright intrigued me with Emma's enthusiasm and with the realistic-feeling details.

I liked Emma's reading taste, but most of all (one of the highlights of the book) is a lovely bit of dialogue from Mrs. Hampton on Austen.

I liked Lucas a lot. He is a terrific character, and watching the two figure out how to get together made the journey fun.

Things I didn't like:

The seemingly long misunderstanding before Emma asked the obvious question.

Blake's personality changes. (view spoiler)

The very end, there is a short climactic scene that I think robbed the emotional climax a tad, and was unconvincing. (view spoiler)

Those glitches are simply that--Emma, the Austen connection, Lucas, and the voice of the novel were so engaging that I finished with a smile.

OK. Lets get real. Jane Austen. Those of us who love a good regency, are probably all besotted with anything Jane. How did she reach this status, in which all Austen fans feel this kinship to her characters and the author herself? I'm not quite sure. Each one of us feels like her stories are our own personal best friends. So, with that said, you put Jane Austen in a title of a book and I'm a sucker for picking it up. No questions asked, I didn't even read the description. If this had been a paperback on a bookstore shelf, I would have put it into the basket. Its that simple.

Thankfully Julie Wright left me with no regrets. This contemporary take on one person's love affair with all thing Austen novels, and the comparison to her life is amusing and enticing. I could not put this book down. Not only has she written a compelling story about one girl and her fight or flight relationship with two brothers, she has interwoven it with small quotes and instances from the books in just the right places.

Emma, is a successful Marketing Director and has what appears to be the perfect life. Perfect boyfriend who is about to drop the perfect proposal. Blake & Lucas are two brothers, who are different in almost everyway possible. Surprised at the situation she finds herself at the Hampton estate, and then thrown into even bigger revelations by Lucas, Emma swears off Jane Austen completely. She's done. Done with all she has hoped, believed and wanted, and she blames Jane for all of it.

This book has everything I love in a good book. Love. Betrayal. Travel. Surprises. Well thought characters with depth. I am not usually a fan of a 1st person retelling either, from only one perspective. However, this really worked for me. Not knowing the inner thoughts from Lucas or Blake for that matter, left an element of surprise. This is one book that I will be purchasing upon its release.

Thanks to Netgalley & Shadow Mountain for the complimentary copy. This is my honest review.