I love absolutely everything Nikki writes. This was inventive, funny, heartfelt, and so sexy. As a Jane Austen lover, she does these retellings so, so well, while making them relatable, contemporary, and so romantic.

Please keep publishing everything from her because I would read her grocery list.

After Pride and Protest, I became the biggest Nikki fan. I think she balances romance and real world issues with care. Her writing grabs your attention and keeps it. I enjoyed watching Nora and Ennis come together and thought that their story was worth everything it took to get together.

This took me a little while to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. I’ve never read Sense and Sensibility so I’m not sure how this compared to the original

I loved the easy friendship that Bear and Nora developed and how it turned into more. I loved how they just seemed to click and how they cared for each other. I would’ve enjoyed more details about the home reservation. I loved Yanne. She was such a free spirit and full of life. She may not have helped as much with renovations but I greatly enjoyed her. I also really appreciated Bear and Nora discussing their heritages/cultures and how they preferred to be identified.

Some of the conflict with Bear, Lu, and the river came to be confusing from time to time/took away a little from the romance. I will definitely check out more books from Nikki Payne.

Sex, Lies, and Sensibility

Oh, my!

So, I am going to be honest, I have never read a retelling and I am a part of the 1% that has never read Jane Austin. I know, I know, this probably sounds criminal to you, but don't you worry, this made reading Sex, Lies and Sensibility like a first orgasm, yes, it was THAT good.. Am I allowed to say orgasm in a post? .yikes, I hope I don't get put in time out for that one.

Any who, back to the book...

This book right here hits every key element to deliver a bestseller. Family, friendship, sex... sex... sex oh and finding out you are your fathers secret love child.

Perfectly narrated, Nikki Payne skillfully thrusts you right into the Inn and into the lives of these sisters. Gosh, I need more . I loved Nora, and I know you will too.

Check out this teaser :

Two sisters roll up their sleeves to run a dilapidated inn but must learn to work with the locals in this deliciously spicy novel inspired by Sense and Sensibility.

There’s never a good time to learn you are your father’s secret child—especially not at the reading of his will. With their father’s affairs laid bare and Nora’s sensible reputation in tatters due to a viral video scandal, she and her free-spirited sister have nothing left but a rustic inn in the middle of nowhere and each other. What’s more, they need to revamp the inn before Labor Day or they lose it all. Nora hasn’t even knocked the traveling dust off last season’s designer boots when she’s confronted with three problems:

1. She really should have watched more HGTV.
2. She hasn’t seen another Black person for miles.
3. A tall, dark stranger has already staked a claim on their property.

Native Abenaki eco-tour guide Ennis “Bear” Freeman has seen hapless tourists come and go. When he spots two pampered city girls at his unofficial headquarters, he expects them to catch a flight out of the inhospitable coastal Maine backwoods within a week’s time. But Nora, turns out, is made of sterner stuff. And as she rolls up her sleeves to breathe new life into the inn, she unwittingly reignites a flood of emotions inside of Bear that he had very intentionally suppressed.

Their connection is electric, their desire palpable. But Bear’s silence about his mysterious past might turn out to be the one thing that sends Nora packing.

I love Austen retellings so of course I had to check out Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne. It's related to her prior book (Pride and Protest) but this works very well as a standalone (I haven't read that other one yet). Sex, Lies and Sensibility is out tomorrow! Thanks to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for the ebook.

✔️ Retelling
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Alikes Attract
✔️ Secret Past

-summary-
It's a retelling of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen set to modern times. Two sisters (Nora and Yanne) inherit a run-down beachside inn and have to figure out how to renovate and pay off its debt asap or lose it all. Ennis (aka Bear) had been using that abandoned land for years for his business and is caught off guard to see the two women there. To meet their financial goals, all decide to work together though the chemistry between Bear and Nora could get in the way of their more practical financial goals.

-my thoughts-
I adored Nora from the start - her strength was shown early on and you can't help but admire her guts. I stayed a fan of hers throughout, but I always root for the put-upon problem solving character.

Bear took a little longer for me to warm up too but it did get there. For those of you who are familiar with the source material, you know why I was wary and what shoe I was waiting to drop. Still, he won me over with how much he worked to take care of Nora. There was a particularly swoony scene where Nora opens up about her past and she had been bracing for a negative reaction. He responded to her vulnerability so well. I think that's where I became a Bear fan.

I also love the overall theme of "how long do you let past mistakes and past decisions shadow your life and dictate your future" and "do you let those things stop you from being happy?". It's a rough topic but I loved seeing both characters struggle with this and ultimately move forward.

Overall, a great retelling, keeping the spirit of the original book while at the same time taking the story to new places. It's also a perfect pick if you're trying to support Black authors this month and all year long.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕

As a long time Jane Austin Stan and a fan of Nikki' Payne's First book Pride and Protest I could not wait to get my hands on this.
I usually love Jane Austin retellings but I always forget about the one fact that Sense and Sensibility was not my favorite of hers because The Dashwood sisters had such bad luck AND our main male character is supposed to marry someone else even though he was obviously in love.

The retelling of the story in modern times...fell flat to me. It wasn't love triangle per say if the guy is already promised to a marriage of convenience. but Bear went and fell in love with Nora anyway and it was just a lot lol.

The story really is a beautiful retelling with wonderful characters ( i really loved Nora) and the ways that make it modern that I really loved.

But it wasn't for me.

3/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own

2.5 stars rounded up. Two books in a row with a Harry Potter reference? In the year of our lord 2024? What the hell.

I also didn’t really like the book either. That’s partially wrapped up in the fact that I don’t like Sense and Sensibility so I don’t want to drag the book because I read a retelling of a book that I don’t even like.

I really loved Pride and Protest (despite aforementioned HP reference) so I was very excited about this but alas, not the book for me.

✨ARC REVIEW✨

𝕊𝕖𝕩, 𝕃𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕊𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕓𝕪 ℕ𝕚𝕜𝕜𝕚 ℙ𝕒𝕪𝕟𝕖

HAPPY PUB DAY! 🎉

ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ: OKAYYY! Nikki Payne continues her OG Jane Austen retellings in her second novel. I’m a Jane Austen STAN…so there’s big shoes to fill. (Obviously) This was nicely written! Whenever a story includes a Black FMC, I’m down bad for it. Our MMC was an Abenaki Native, & he was HOT! The book itself was just plain ole HOT! I’d say it’s pretty true to the OG source material— with some creative liberties. Only qualm was that it was a bit confusing, lots of characters, lots of dialogue, & found myself having to go back & reread certain portions of the text but overall I think this was SOLID! Very happy I took the time to read it.

Also, can I just say I loved the authors note at the beginning of the book! Often times when writing about other POC in media causes issues & are inaccurately represented. Although I am not apart of this particular creed of people, I can tell this author wrote this story with care without oversimplifying & causing a harmful depiction of the Abenaki Native people. Thank you for that!

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleyromance @berkleypub & @nikkipaynebooks for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Pub Date: 13 Feb 2024 (OUT TODAY)

#SexLiesandSensibility #NetGalley #NikkiPayne #JaneAustenRetelling #ARC #BookReview

🏚️ 𝙎𝙚𝙭, 𝙇𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 🏚️
𝖭𝗂𝗄𝗄𝗂 𝖯𝖺𝗒𝗇𝖾
#BerkleyPartner #Berkleyromance

I am a Jane Austen fan through and through and I was thrilled to receive this free advanced copy from @berkleyromance of this modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility which releases on February 13th! I've already ordered her other retelling Pride and Protest based on my all time favorite Austen tale.

Nora Dash grapples with the shocking revelation of being her father's secret second family, a truth unveiled during the reading of his will. To compound matters, Nora's life was already on the rocks from an intimate video that went viral. Stripped of her reputation and left with nothing but a forgotten beach house, she and her spirited sister, Yanne, set out to revive the dilapidated inn, only to be immediately confronted by a bogus park ranger leading tours of their property. Ennis "Bear" Freeman, accustomed to unannounced visitors on his land, is surprised when this pretty city girl, produces the deed to his unofficial headquarters. When they decide that working together is better for both of them, things heat up quickly, but Bear's own secrets might just be their undoing.

This was a slow burn with things ramping up and then having to go back to the friend zone, before things getting extra spicy in an overnight camping trip in a wigwam. Nikki Payne starts the book with a note about the care she wanted to take in telling the MMC from a Native perspective and I enjoyed how she wove everything together.

Thank you to @prhaudio & @netgalley for the advanced copies of Sex, Lies, & Sensibility by the beautiful @nikkipaynebooks!! One of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint!

I have never read a single Austen book but I will forever read anything Nikki Payne writes.

Not only is this book a beautiful story of learning to be true to yourself so you can be true to those you love, there are so many laughs and heartbreaks along the way. You can truly tell how much research and care Nikki poured into writing this book and making sure all cultures were respected and honored as well!

Bear & Nora are messsssy. They can’t figure their shit out. They can’t figure themselves out. They are perfectly imperfect and I was rooting for them every step of the way! There is so much realness in this book, which is something I adored about Pride & Protest as well. Nikki’s voice is just so strong and I adore her.

Please pick this book up as soon as it drops on 2/13!! You will not regret it! Highly recommend checking out the audio as well because the narrators knocked it out of the park!

Funny moments, a renovation storyline, and an opposites attract romance make Sex, Lies, and Sensibility a blast to read. A fun re-imagining for Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility!

Reimagining the works of Jane Austen isn’t new, but books vary in how well they execute it. Some stick too close to the original book that their story lacks some cohesion in the re-telling. Others stray too far and it’s hard to tell what inspired it. I though Nikki Payne did a good job being in the middle of those two ends of the spectrum.

Nora Dash’s father dies and in the wake of her complicated grief (her father had cut her off after a sex tape of her leaked online) she is forced to confront two shocking reveals at his funeral. The first is that he had another family—Nora and her sister Yanne are not his only children. He had a wife of 35 years and a daughter from another marriage. As if that revelation weren’t bad enough, the sisters also learn they can’t stay in their home any longer but their dad willed them a dilapidated property off the coast of Maine that they will be forced to fix up and pay off the mortgage, or forfeit their entire inheritance.

The beginning honestly hooked me straight in! I would have been fine if this had just followed the fallout from the funeral, but also enjoyed that it took a turn towards romance. The book moves from the funeral to Barton Cove, the property they inherited in Maine. After scoping out the property (and stumbling across a group that they originally thought was a sex cult, but is actually a tour group), the sisters decide to turn the property into an inn.

The tour group is led by an Abenaki man named Ennis Freeman who goes by the nickname Bear. He recognizes Nora, but not for the reason people usually recognize her (which is from her sex tape and the memes made of her face at the end). Bear was an aspiring college track coach and he remembered seeing Nora run for University of Maryland before her scholarship was taken away in the wake of her scandal.

Bear and Nora’s chemistry was sizzling and it was fun to follow along with their partnership in business and their blossoming relationship. Bear helps Nora renovate the dilapidated inn to be fit for guests while Nora allows Bear to continue to host tours on the property. But things are not smooth sailing for them romantically. Bear is deeply in debt and has a messy relationship with another woman that he is working through. Meanwhile Nora has shied away from relationships after her sex tape has come back to haunt her and ruin every spark she has with another man.

The story is great and I really liked the opposites-attract vibe and chemistry between Nora and Bear. The renovation plot was fun—I’m an HGTV fan so it’s right up my ally! However, despite these selling points, the story can be somewhat confusing. It jumps around in time in an awkward way and there were a lot of plot lines to follow. I really enjoyed the book, but would have liked it more if it focused more on the central story between Nora and Bear and the inn.

Setting that criticism aside, this is a fun book! I enjoyed the relationship between Nora and Bear—both romantically and as business people. I actually liked that it has plenty of plot outside of just the building sexual chemistry. It made it much more engaging to read and I wanted to know how many different plot points would be resolved.

A funny, sexy interracial romance with lots of moments that made me laugh and others that warmed my heart!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
📚 Sense & Sensibility
🔺 Love Triangles
🏡 Home Renovations
🌶️ Sex Positivity

I really, really wanted to love this one but I am just not a fan of love triangles and on top of that, I feel like we missed a lot of the couple development that I wanted to love this more to care less about the love triangle that I disliked.

I do have to say, I loved the representation and the way that the Native American tribal discussions were inserted and how well researched they were and how they honored the tribe.

I really didn’t love how Bear was already falling for Nora but was going to marriage of convenience it up with someone else- I know it’s a retelling but I feel like maybe some liberties could have been taken there to help with my enjoyment since that part of the plot just didn’t work for me at all, and then it felt like *bam* they were together without any tension I was looking for?

All in all, I think this is just a case of personal icks not allowing me to enjoy a well written story that I know I would have otherwise loved.

Thank you so much Berkley Romance for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am always wary of Jane Austen references in marketing especially; few writers are up to fiction being in direct conversation with Austen's highly satirical comedies of manners. Many just hang a story on similar plot points, as is pretty much the case here.

So I'm ignoring the Austen part, and focusing on the story, which was enjoyable in many respects. Nora's issues made her an instantly relatable heroine. I LOVED the BIPOC representation in the book, and how other issues were built into characters.

Less appealing were the sex scenes, which I actually found somewhat cringey. It was the metaphors that sometimes struck me as...unfortunate. Mileage varies!

Thank you NetGalley & Berkeley Romance for this arc of Sex, Lies, and Sensibility. Having read Pride & Protest by Nikki Payne and loved it I was super excited to get a copy of her new book. I never read Sense and Sensibility so I wasn't sure what the inspiration was, however, I felt the story was very captivating. Some things I loved were the intent and research on the Indigenous characters in the book and I could tell Nikki took special care of representing these characters well. I was happy with how the story ended, however, the path to get there was rough for me. The dialogue lost me at times. There were times i was disinterested in the plot. This was a pretty okay romance to me with excellent cultural representation.

In this modern day retelling of Sense & Sensibility, Nora Dash learns she is part of her father’s secret second family at the worst possible time in her life, her private videos go viral, and she’s left with a run-down house in Maine that she needs to get up and running to earn her inheritance. When Norah and her sister meet a fake park ranger giving tours on their property, an unexpected partnership forms, challenging their plans to leave and discovering their combined secrets may be the key to their future.

Retellings of Jane Austen's books usually a miss for me, but I was intrigued enough to give this one a try. First off, I really loved the chapter titles and the deep complexity of each character. Nora's character was my favorite, but my least favorites were Nora's sister and Bear. Nora's sister seemed immature, and it felt like she didn't contribute much, flitting from one love interest to another while Nora did all the hard work. Bear was a bit more complex, and I wished he had more of a backbone, but I understood why the author crafted him this way to stay true to the original story. Nora and Bear's relationship was a slow burn and messy, yet it worked out wonderfully in the story.

Nora is already dealing with the aftermath of a leaked sextape when following her dad's funeral, she learns that she's been mostly cut out of his will -- save for a dilapidated inn in rural Maine that she must rehab ASAP or risk losing that, too. But when she finds a local Abenaki man illegally using her property for guided tours, the two figure out a compromise that's mutually beneficial. What they don't expect is the chemistry they feel for one another, or the messy trajectory of their relationship.

Sex, Lies and Sensibility is a vibrant, angsty, slow-burn, high stakes, multicultural romance novel and I really enjoyed it! Having never read Sense and Sensibility, I can't speak to the retelling aspect of this book, but as a romance novel in its own right, it's solid! Each character and side character is well developed, the writing is easy and flows, the small town drama keeps the pace, and the spice is off the charts. 🥵 The wigwam! IYKYK. Payne handled the writing of an Indigenous character with nuance and care, and I really appreciated the incorporation of Abenaki culture and customs. Having just read Pride and Protest, I really enjoyed seeing the growth in Payne's skill as a writer. I definitely recommend this one!

4.5 rounded to 5

Thank you Berkley Romance for my gifted ARCs.

While I think I might quibble about the Romance Genre designation, I very much liked this modern, BIPOC take on Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.

Now, there’s really only the barest whiff of the classic, but that didn’t diminish the work.

I loved the Maine setting, the renovation story, the depths of both the main and minor characters, and appreciated the acknowledgements of casual and not-so-casual racism (“You wanna touch my hair?”).

Really, the only thing I got tired of was the self-flagellation of both main characters.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this ARC.

This is my first Nikki Payne read and it definitely will not be my last. The book was so clever and there were a few spots that had me actually laughing out loud (which I honestly do not do often with bookS). Also: the angst, the tension, the banter, the growth??? So good.

I loved our main characters, Nora and Bear, but I also adored the side ones-- especially Yanne and Brandon. The growth of all them was so well written and believable. Nora and Bear have great banter, but Brandon and Yanne, Brandon and Bear, Brandon and Nora (holy shit is Brandon my favorite character somehow???), Nora and Yanne all have great chat and it made this book so fun to read. I was truly invested in every character.

There were some confusing time jumps, and I wish some things were made more clear, but overall a super enjoyable read.




Thank you to Berkley for this ARC!

A captivating romance novel that seamlessly blends humor, sensuality, and relatable characters. With its witty dialogue and engaging storyline, this book promises to keep readers entertained from start to finish.

3.75 ⭐️

this book was cute and fun!!! it did take me a while to really get invested (about 40ish%) but once I got to that point I was fully in it. I was loving bear and nora and their dynamic. I loved seeing how they were drawn to one another and let their friendship foundation grow first before moving onto anything romantic. I also loved the side characters so much mainly nora’s sister yanne. she was chaotic and all over the place but ultimately had a lot of growth and was supportive of her sister in the hard times.

this book had a cast of diverse characters and I loved seeing how the author incorporated native characters into the story while respecting their roots. I loved seeing how despite the changes in the town, bear wanted to stay true to his people and uphold their history.

the whole plot twist with lu had me shaking in my boots and I literally wanted to fight her so bad bc she was coming between bear and nora AND THAT WASN’T COOL. but I loved seeing how everything worked out in the end and seeing bear and nora get the HEA they deserve 🫶🏼

lastly, I loved seeing nora take back control of her life and use the situation she went through to help others. she found a home in the town and I loved that for her 🤭