Lies Jane Austen Told Me

I loved this book & so would have Miss Austen. This is the first one of Julie Wright's I have read. Going back to find & devour her other titles.

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.

Perfect for Jane Austen fans, this book will give a taste of classic romance story she's famous for without directly retelling any of the classic stories. Emma is a bold, inventive marketing professional, and her surrounding cast of characters including her ex, her best friend, and her boss create a lively story together (her best friend is nicknamed "cyclops" and her boss doesn't wear shoes in the office). When Lucas enters the scene, we really get to know Emma as she works to create boundaries in her personal life, advocate for herself as a professional, and decide who she really has feelings for. Emma is likable, and while she strives to appear poised and calm, she lets her personality shine in relatable moments (usually after closing the hotel door has provided her with some privacy). Jane Austen quotes preface each chapter and will endear those who are familiar with her books.

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 --

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.

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.

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.

When I saw the premise of this book, and being a long time P&P fan, I was curious about this story - but being in the middle of a lot of books for work, it took me some time to get to it. Then I was very pleasantly surprised with how sweet and clean this romance was, considering the modern angle. That's not to say that it didn't get into some nitty gritty raw life with a more than a couple of the characters having being abandoned by parents when they were children, and suffering the long-term psychological effects of that desertion. But the love triangle with all it's twists and turns was delightfully tricky, although sometimes very predictable, and the resolution was much more satisfying than I expected! Delightful!

I received this as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley, thank you!!

Funny, and if you haven't read anything by Jane Austen, you will want to after reading this book. An enjoyable romantic romp.

This will post on my blogs, Blue Cat Review, tomorrow, Monday September 11, 2017
https://bluecatreview.wordpress.com and http:www.bluecatreview.us/

My Disclaimer:

I was provided a free copy of this book by the author’s representatives, NetGalley and Shadow Mountain. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.

~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

My Review: ✰✰✰✰✰

I loved this book the whole way through even though I knew how it was going to turn out from page 20 when Emma Pierce was kneeling on the floor next to April, Lucas Hampton’s niece, talking about lip gloss. I just knew her BFF, Silvia, had to have a guy she was keeping secret while she was trying to be supportive of Emma. I knew Emma would end up with the correct Hampton. And I knew Blake would be taken care of. I also knew Emma wouldn’t give up on Jane Austen in the end because Jane Austen would never lie.

I was really glad that Emma dealt with Debbie and the Facebook issue the way she did. I feel too much of what should be professional is not due to social media. And once a trust is violated, there can be no trust.

I loved Carolyn Hampton’s defense of Jane Austen at her birthday party when she read the inscription on Emma’s gift.

“But Caroline wasn’t having any of it. “No, society taught them that, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be in a healthy, functioning, loving relationship. What Jane taught women was that it was okay for them to read, for them to think, for them to not play the coquettish little games other women played. She taught them to be moral and smart and that their opinions mattered. And she did all that under the form of basic entertainment where the men would have no idea that a subversive revolution was happening right under their noses, where even the women had no idea that their minds were being enlarged and their prospects expanded. I had a professor tell me that Jan Austen took the pen out of the hand of man and proved it fit into the curve of a woman’s fingers as well. She opened the door for women to write their own stories and to not be afraid to own the task. Yes, she was a feminist. And don’t you dare badmouth her on my birthday.”

After that, Emma was really a part of the family. She and Carolyn had worked together to form the basis of the foundation Emma’s company needed and now they were like-minded women of the world-at-large. That just left her to sort out Carolyn’s sons and get on her way.

I loved the forthright way that Emma handled Blake. She didn’t play games. She didn’t prevaricate. She was honest with him and even offered alternatives to the situation that he really wasn’t considering fully. And I loved the ending.

This author has 23 novels to her credit, several of which are award winners of various kinds. I’m putting on my list of authors to keep an eye on and back list to check out. I strongly recommend this book to you and suspect you will add her to your authors list as well.

Release date for Lies Jane Austen Told Me Nov 2017.

In the meantime, some of her other books are:

Cross My Heart, My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life, Olivia, Eyes Like Mine, Loved Like That, Victoria’s Promise, Four Chambers, Spell Check, To Catch A Falling Star

Leave your Friday night open, this book is worth reading cover to cover. It has a perfect combination of romance, reality and drama (social media drama included!) I loved that the book balanced a love story while including plots that dealt with family, social issues and work. As a Jane Austen fan, I thought the book did a fantastic job of including Jane Austen in the work but also maintaining the author's own story- it's not a pride and prejudice retelling. It's a perfect 2017 romance and will have you soaking up each page.

Opening line:
"jane Austen is a horrific liar."

LOL!
That is a great opening line. And for Emma Pierce, the sum of her romantic relationship.
Emma is a Marketing guru in a successful health club company. Her boyfriend is hot and rich. Her BFF is supportive and funny. Emma's got a great life! Until she breaks up with said boyfriend because he was having dinner with another girl. Not wanting to hear his excuses, she stomps off only to be approached by the younger brother, Lucas.
They rest, as someone likes to say, is history. Lucas is hired as a temporary consultant to Emma's company and they are thrown together as partners. Of course, this leads to thoughts and ideas and both fighting the attraction because Emma is his older brother's girlfriend and Emma because she's on the rebound. But they push each other away more because they both feel inadequate with all the baggage they emotionally carry.
The Emma comes through her tough times is beautiful and she learns to trust and let someone close to her. It's a fun, romantic story with ups and downs and a bit of kissing.
This is a great read for anyone wanting a good, clean romance!

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

LIES JANE AUSTEN TOLD ME explores the rocky, unfair, and rather confusing search for love in a modern world. But often it is when you stop looking that you find it. A cute contemporary romance filled with high hopes, dark realities, and tough choices, this book will sweep you away and have all those stuck in the frustrating dating world nodding their heads in understanding.
-pooled ink Reviews

Did you grow up reading Jane Austen and dreaming of your own Mr. Darcy?
Or maybe you fell in love with the A&E miniseries starring Colin Firth.

Either way, lovers of Jane Austen and romance should give this book a whirl!

Emma is a bright gal. But, she isn't so great at finding her happily ever after. She and co-workers think her current beau, Blake, is the real deal. She discovers that he isn't which leaves her reeling a bit and pledging to never listen to Jane Austen again when it comes to relationships.

Soon after things end with Blake, there's a new guy in her life. Lucas is a consultant hired by the company she works for to launch locations on the east coast. She has to work intimately with him. The problem? He's Blake's brother!

Over the course of months, Lucas tries to get her back with Blake. Meanwhile, Emma starts to have feelings for Lucas.

Eventually, she has to decide whether to continue working on things with Blake or admit that is a failed relationship and pursue Lucas.

Overall, this was a fun read. A definite must for those who adore Jane Austen, especially if you are willing to have aspects of her classic stories be pulled into a modern tale.

Throughout it all there are plenty of references to Ms. Austen's work. And, like Pride and Prejudice, there are depths to each character's lives that come out in the process.

Emma Pierce is an avid reader of Jane Austen, she even carries a dog eared version of one of her books in her purse, just in case she needs something to read. This is a modern day story that captured me from the beginning. A triangle relationship that has Emma second guessing herself. A best friend that I loved, because of her no nonsense personality. A great read and one I will be recommending.

"I just want them to take me seriously. The problem with being twenty-six...and female is that no one considers you the boss; they think you're the one doing the Starbucks run."

Hi everyone, it's me, your resident Jane Austen super-fan. Lies Jane Austen Told Me claims to be an Austen-esque contemporary romance, but does it deliver? ......kind of. The short answer is kind of. This book really made me wish that Goodreads had half-star ratings, because I struggled with myself for a while on whether to give this two or three stars. I enjoyed it, but there were also some real problems I had with this book. But I'll get to those in a moment.

What I Liked:

1. Contemporary Romance isn't really my favorite genre, but I like Shadow Mountain because they continually publish good, clean romances that are sufficiently cute, and Lies Jane Austen Told Me was not a disappointment in that regard. Luke and Emma had really nice chemistry and I enjoyed seeing the ups and downs of their relationship. The whole air of this book reminded me of a cross between Letters to Juliet and While You Were Sleeping, two of my very favorite movies.

2. I loved the side characters in this book. Sylvia was the perfect best friend and a really good voice of reason. Jared was perfectly balanced between annoying boss and hilarious hippy. I laughed a lot while reading this book.

3. Despite it's faults, which I'll talk about later, Lies Jane Austen Told Me made some strides towards being a feminist romance that are rarely seen in Contemporary Romance nowadays. Here's one of my favorite quotes:
"'You deserve to be treated like you're special.'
No, I wanted to say. I deserve to be treated like I'm intelligent."

4. This book had some really good, and quite hilarious, descriptions. I love when authors create similes that can let the reader truly get the feeling of what's going on, and Wright excelled at that with such descriptions as "Dating felt like making caramel: a sticky mess where the chances of getting burned were likely," and, "His parents had moved their heads back and forth between their two sons as if they'd been watching a hypercompetitive ping-pong game."

5. I love how fish and Trish rhyme. I'll just leave it at that.

What I Didn't Like:

1. I felt that Emma's character was pretty flat. I liked what we saw of her, but I wasn't able to get a real read on her character. This book tended to over-describe, not really leaving anything to the reader's imagination, and it made the main characters not seem as real or three-dimensional as they could have been.

2. The main reason why I didn't like this as much as I could have is simple: for a feminist romance, there seemed to be kind of a lot of internalized misogyny going on in Emma's mind. There were a lot of times where I wanted to cheer for Emma, but an equal amount of times where I cringed because of stuff she did/said.

2.1. Emma called herself pathetic a lot. A. Lot. And for totally non-pathetic reasons. I did a quick search on my kindle and Emma uses the word pathetic to describe herself five times. One particular quote rubbed me the wrong way especially:
"For anyone to discover I was going back to the guy who liked me after a non-proposal would make me the most pathetic boss ever. No one could respect a woman who acted like a schoolgirl when it came to love. I couldn't respect myself knowing that I was such a hopeless closet romantic."
There isn't anything pathetic about being a romantic, and calling yourself a pathetic boss for something occurring in your personal life, when you continually tell your employees to keep their personal lives out of work, is really backwards-thinking. We should still respect women who "act like schoolgirls" when it comes to love. It's okay.

2.2.
"I tried not to feel superior to a woman who used terms like "vacay" and "hottie" when the words sounded so juvenile and empty-headed."
Lies Jane Austen Told Me unfortunately fell into the trope of women hating on women for no reason other than they are dating your crush, and though it wasn't as bad as other romances (Emma challenged her own feelings of dislike, though not often), I still wish a book claiming to be a feminist romance hadn't fallen into this trope. I need more women supporting women, some more non-toxic love triangles where everything isn't seen as a competition and the person in the middle isn't seen as a prize to be won.

2.3.
"An overweight suitcase is a sign of a seriously insecure woman."
This quote sounds worse when it's taken out of context, but in context it's still not very good. It's more bashing on a "stereotypical" woman, which seems feminist at face value, but, in fact, isn't. We should be celebrating our differences in personality, not hating.

2.4. A book with zero (0) diversity can't really call itself feminist. Strange how two of the main settings in this book are Los Angeles and New York City, two cities that pride themselves on diversity, and yet every single character is white. I would have liked to see a lot more diversity, especially in a supposedly feminist contemporary.


To conclude, I am not sure if I would recommend this book. If you are a fan of contemporary romances and don't mind having to read over some problematic content, then sure, give it a read. But if not, then don't.

It should definitely be noted that all my quotes are taken from an ARC copy of this book, and when the novel is published I will check them with the finished copy and adjust my comments as needed.

Emma Pierce isn’t perfect. She’s great at her job and a good friend, but when it comes to other relationships, she finds herself lacking. Then there’s the issue of her mother. One she hasn’t fully come to terms with even as an adult. Add in her small issue using her thoughts-to-verbalization filter, and Emma finds herself in some uncomfortable predicaments.
Julie Wright takes readers through Emma’s struggle with liking her ex’s brother—a matter only more complicated by the fact she now works and spends a lot of time with said brother. This woman also has a competitive streak that sometimes gets the better of her.
In the end, everyone involved gets a satisfying conclusion. Well, everyone except for Emma’s BFF Silvia, but I’m hoping that just means she gets her own story.
I’m thrilled that the Proper Romance line (Shadow Mountain Publishing) is branching out into contemporary books. Lies Jane Austen Told Me is a fantastic read to launch that line.

***I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I adored this story! I had mixed expectations for this one. On one hand I love Jane Austen. On the other hand I was not a fan of the cover. (To clarify, I like the concept of the cover but not the execution.) This is a new-to-me author so there’s always an element of the unknown in that, too.

Emma is so real. All the ladies out there have had those moments of “am I overreacting?” when we’ve been wronged. And we all have that friend like Sylvia that will knock some sense into us. I loved the vulnerability Emma showed in certain situations, but then she would be tough (not witchy) when it came to her professional life. So often, the strong and successful woman comes across as a not so nice person whose employees dislike them. Not so with Emma and I appreciated that.

Lucas is wonderful…except when he’s singing the praises of Blake. My goodness dude, let it go! Shows how well this is written when the author can get me so annoyed with a character that I otherwise love. Lucas is really a kind and compassionate guy and so non-judgemental. On the other hand, I really disliked Blake until the end. I’m sure I was supposed to, but at least toward the end I started getting the idea of why Emma fell for him in the first place. No matter, he couldn’t trump Lucas.

This is what I’ve seen referred to as a “sweet romance” or a “clean romance”. In fact, when it comes to the intimate scenes I could have given this a G rating. But there are other aspects (drug use by peripheral characters, losing a parent, etc.) of this story that may not be appropriate for a younger audience. Don’t be fooled though, there is definitely some wonderful chemistry between the characters that gave me plenty of warm-fuzzies.

Of course, after enjoying this story so much I had to check out what other books this author has out. Imagine my delight when I realized I have the first book of her Tangerine Street series. I hope to find time really soon to give it a read.

One last note: You don’t have to know the works of Jane Austen to enjoy this book. It adds a bit of extra depth but it’s not necessary. But I’ll warn you, you’ll probably want to give her a read once you’re done with this book.

4.5 stars

~~Reviewed by AnnMarie~~

Emma Pierce enjoys her job in marketing for Kinetics, a new elite gym franchise. She is very much a romantic and adores every book Jane Austen ever wrote. Sadly she lets Jane set the standard to what a proper romance should be like. After expecting her boyfriend to propose to her, only to be very very disappointed, she decides, as the title says, that Jane Austen has told lies. After a very embarrassing scene between Emma and Blake, where she realises that he had no intention of asking her to marry him, Emma can’t get away from the place fast enough. She has no idea how she’s going to get home, all she knows is that she has to get away. Fortunately, Blake’s brother Lucas comes across her during her flight and manages to convince her to let him drive her safely home.

Lucas is a man very different to his brother Blake, and even during their short drive to Emma’s home she realises that she could actually fancy him. Shocking though it is especially as he’s her soon-to-be ex’s brother. She also finds out something about him which she doesn’t like at all, but which she tries to reason with herself about.

It is a complete shock when the next day she learns that Lucas has been hired by the company she works for to help set up new franchises on the East Coast. Part of that work entails Emma travelling with him to the various places to find the perfect spot for the gyms and to put the wheels in motion towards buying the locations etc.

During their time together it’s obvious that they could both easily fall for each other, except for the fact that for some reason Lucas keeps trying to get her to make up with Blake and not give up on their relationship? Why would he do that when they are so obviously attracted to each other?

I absolutely adored this story, a modern-day romance but with quotes from the various Jane Austen books. I enjoyed the will they won’t they romance between Lucas and Emma, and learning the reason why he was so adamant that Emma should give Blake a second chance despite his own feelings. He definitely is the hero of the story, the very one that Emma has been looking for. The setting up of the Gym franchise was interesting to read, and all in all, there was never a dull moment in the book. To make it perfect I would have very much liked a little more kissing and canoodling between our new couple, but if you like a nice sweet romance this book will be just your cup of tea.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers’ copy of this book.

First of all, you must know one thing about me. It’s that I absolutely ADORE Jane Austen. I know it sounds cliché but she really is one of my favorite author. So obviously, the blurb of this book appealed to me. But I won’t lie and admit that I’m not fond of love triangles and when I read about Emma‘s love interest being the brother of her actual boyfriend, I was a bit skeptical. Turns out, it worked! And I wasn’t put off by it at all.

At the start I was a little confused about Emma talking about her break-up with Jane Austen but what is certain is that I was hooked anyways and I wanted to know more about her story. Emma is an endearing character. She has a painful memory about her mother which you could feel so strongly it hurts. She’s compassionate, hard-working, loyal and just so though, it’s admirable.

I love the bond she instantly forms with Lucas. You can feel their connection immediately. But most of all, I absolutely love her relationship with Blake, which is really surprising. At the start you won’t get why I just said that but as you keep reading, you’ll understand and please when you do, let’s just talk about it because I thought it was wonderful and I admired both even more for this. All the secondary characters were great, I loved the Hamptons, April, Silvia and Jeremy.

About the story, it was the sweetest contemporary romance. There’s no explicit intimate scenes and I normally don’t mind them but it’s been so long since I’ve read something just sweet and romantic like this story. You can just feel the love.

Also, special mention to Caroline Hampton and her speech about Jane Austen. I totally agree with her and if you’re a fan of this wonderful woman and author, you’ll love this book. All the references are a really nice touch.

My only tiny disappointment is that I felt the end was a bit rushed. I’d have loved it for it to be dragged some more. But, oh well, all good things must come to an end.

I thought this book was so much fun from beginning to end! Emma has broken up with Blake, but unfortunately is stuck working with Blake's younger brother Lucas...who turns out not to be so bad afterall. But with Emma starting to have feelings for Lucas, who has loyalty toward Blake, who is starting to realize that he was an idiot for letting Emma go--Emma's life gets very complicated, very quickly.

Emma's voice was fun and relatable, and I adored Lucas. I enjoyed seeing inside his life and what drove him to make the decisions he made. My favorite part was when Emma met Lucas and Blake's mom--and hearing what their mom said about Jane Austen. It made me want to stand up and cheer! I especially loved seeing all the connections to different Jane Austen novels (and even to Jane's life!) which were really fun for a Jane fan.

I tend to be a little skeptical on books that have Jane Austen in the title. There are so many books with Jane Austen that tend to be just okay. This book is the expectation. The book is fun with a great storyline.

I love Jane Austen - so many of us do - so it is probably no surprise that I enjoyed this story too.

As soon as I saw the back cover copy for this book, I knew I had to read it. It sounded so good!

Emma is a big Jane Austen fan---until she realizes that maybe happily-ever-afters aren't meant for everyone. Romance and dashing heroes seem to be the stuff of fiction, but Emma still has that sliver of hope. Her boyfriend, Blake, has invited her home to meet his parents and her friends and co-workers think that he might propose! Emma surprises him, but he gives her an even bigger surprise. The night ends with a slap across the face that even his great-grandchildren will feel! Emma walks away with her head held high, but fate isn't done with her yet. Her now ex-boyfriend's brother shows up at her office a few days later, hired to be a consultant at the company, and the bumpy journey to love truly begins. You won't be able to put this story down!

I loved Emma and how real she felt. She made wrong decisions, she overthought things, and yet she tried to stay true to herself. I enjoyed how there were so many nuances to the backstory for Emma and how she related not only to the men in her life, but also her co-workers and her best friend. I also loved Lucas. He was such a complicated hero and trying so hard to make a difference in the lives of the people he loved. But he had his own issues to work out, which made his story so compelling and kept the tension high, wondering how it would end! I won't give anything away, but I stayed up waaay too late to see how it all turned out, and it was so worth it.

I really hope the author writes the best friend, Silvia's story, so we can return to this world and all its characters again. It was so good!

Nice use of the Jane Austen references in this book. Good character development, although a little slow with the plot. I know a lot of our library patrons will enjoy this one.

I'm a big Jane Austen fan and a complete romantic at heart. I love the way that Julie Wright brings such a beloved classic to a contemporary light and gives this age-old story a slightly new twist. By doing so, my heart was happy because I could feel the comfort of an old familiar favorite but the exhilarating freshness was something new.

Have you ever taken someone's words as law and then been disappointed when it turns out they weren't as magical as you thought they were? That's kind of what happens to Emma. She is a great character, let me just say. On one hand, she's very competent and strong, but on the other hand, she only needs to be loved and when her boyfriend, Blake, disillusions her with his fishy ways, she goes as far as to renounce Jane Austen. *gasp!* The cast of characters is pleasurable and I loved getting to know Lucas, Blake's brother, better, especially as he's thrown together with Emma through their jobs. In fact, I daresay that Lucas's vague persistence nearly made me swoon a few times.

This story really resonated with me and I adored it all. The middle portion was slightly slower, but I honestly couldn't read it quickly enough. I especially loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Sometimes hard things happen to great people and I love how both Emma and Lucas are able to triumph over their pasts. This is a great read for any Austen lover.

Content: mild romance

*I received a copy, which had no influence on my thoughts and opinions.*

It wasn't what I was expecting based on the tiltle, but I was presently surprised. The Jane Austen elements of the plot are subtle, rather than 'in your face' and the main story focuses on Emma who is a modern business woman with a love for all things Austen. Despite the main characters name, this story is an homage to Austen's work and to modern Janeites, rather than a modern retelling. While this book is aimed at Janeites, you don't have to be a fan to enjoy this story.

Definitely a fun read that is perfect for Jane Austen fans!!

Such a fun story! I loved how Austen was brought into the contemporary world, influencing Emma (even after the "renouncement") and showing why her classics are so well-loved and still relevant. I'm not generally a fan of love triangles, but since I knew from the synopsis that Lucas and Emma are meant to be together, I was able to view the rest as providing conflict and obstacles to their relationship. I loved the friendship they shared and couldn't wait for them to figure things out and get together! While there is plenty of fun banter and snarky thoughts, there are also deeper themes that are explored and I finished the book with a happy sigh :)

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

You know how when you sit down and read a book and then suddenly you reach the last page and you wonder where the time went? I mean, I know that there’s hours invested in this book but where did they go? And how did it already end when you aren’t ready? I also have to admit a couple of things that may decrease my standing as a female reader in the bookish world. I’ve never been into Jane Austen. I’ve not actually ever read her books, that I remember. Is that bad? I didn’t fall for this book by the cover, it really didn’t do anything for me. The title was catchy but the synopsis was a winner for me. I have another confession. I’ve had this book sitting on my Kindle for months. Months! Earlier this year it appeared on my NetGalley feed and something screamed ‘pick me! pick me!’ so I picked it. Then it did the dreaded roll over to Older Than 3 Months before the release date ever came into view. It’s like a personal timer I have to beat ya know? How is that my fault? It’s not! Sometimes you just have to live with your silent personal shame of Older Than 3 Months.

Let’s talk about this amazing book. I was taken in the first few pages when Emma talked about how she was breaking up with Jane Austen. She was fed up with the lies that there was happily ever after and romance and love for everybody. I hear ya sister! Of course the ending of the first chapter sealed the deal and I needed Emma’s spunk. “That was when my palm connected with his cheek in a way that would leave a handprint on his great grandchildren.” Girl’s got spunk! It went downhill a little bit from there. The dreaded love triangle. Brother vs Brother. There are few worse than that particular triangle. I almost became cliche to watch the two fall for each other all the while the second brother was talking up the jilting other brother that Emma had chosen to dump. Too much. The best friend was a bit redeeming but I felt like she had her own set of baggage that needs it’s own story…just sayin’.

This book is so contemporary that it concerns me. There are truths in this story that have the potential to be timeless. However, the contemporary use of current social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even Indeed) means that in time, potentially even just a few years, becomes obsolete. That aside I loved this story. The imitating and imitated Emma. The Blake that is a complete soulless jerk that has the potential to find his soul. Lucas, who cares more about his own baggage and his brother’s feelings than is own. The whole messed up cast of characters. The time I spent with them was part yelling at the pages, part reading faster to figure it all out, yet part reading slower so it didn’t come to an end. There are definitely timeless truths in this book that would benefit any reader, even the fun parts. I’ll leave you with just one more quote from the book that I loved.
'You can believe in love, believe that it works. You can want love, want it with your whole soul. But you can't force it. You can't force it on yourself, and you can't force it on anyone else.'

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Emma Pierce, age 26, works for Kinetics which is a growing company that runs gyms. She is in a relationship with Blake Hampton, a wealthy man. Although he would like for her to meet his parents, she would rather spend the weekend watching a Pride and Prejudice marathon with her best friend. But her office friend encourages her to go to Blake’s and surprise him. Her surprise flops when she finds he has a stand-in girlfriend with him. He also laughs at her when she says she thought he was going to propose. As she makes her dramatic exit, Blake’s brother, Lucas, drives up and insists on seeing her home. Lucas is a nice guy and Emma appreciate his help.

Imagine her surprise when Monday at work Lucas shows up as the consultant hired by Kinetics who will be acclimating the company to gain business on the east coast. Emma is embarrassed that he knows what happened over the weekend, but he turns out to be very understanding and knowledgeable about his business.

A trip to the east coast finds them on a plane together showing Lucas as a white-knuckled flyer. Emma helps talk him through it and they are then on to business. During the trip, an assumption Emma makes about Lucas deeply insults him, so she has to really scurry to apologize.

Emma has always believed that the edicts set down by Jane Austen are spot-on, but she soon finds that maybe they aren’t.

Her attraction to both Blake and Lucas seems confused at times. Which man, if either, would be a good match for her?

For me, this ended up being a good book. At times, I thought that Emma seemed to be a bit flaky but I think that one has to read the entire book before making a judgment on that. I would be interested to see what other readers feel about this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Emma is a great fan of Jane Austen classics, and is looking for her own Mr Darcy. She thinks this is Blake, but ends up with his brother Lucas as a business partner in the marketing firm where she works. What I love about this book is it's fast-moving and innovative in plot and characters. The Jane Austen quotes are a delightful addition to each chapter. This is a story about getting ahead in work and love. There are romantic scenes and conflicts.

A different and refreshing alternative to other Jane-Austen-inspired books.

Thanks to Julie Wright and her publisher for my NetGalley ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great clean read. If you are a Jane Austen fan then this is right up your alley. I have read some other books based on Jane Austen’s writing and this did not disappoint me. I like how the chapters were referenced to different J.A. novels and how Jane is relatable to contemporary life.

This is a heart wrenching (at times), enlightening, empowering, charming, family friendly romance. The main characters were likeable and kind of who you would picture in a JA novel. Even Blake who is kind of a creep in the beginning is endearing in the end.

A couple of things that kind of threw me off from not giving it a 5 star rating is the fact that she was expecting an engagement ring from a man when she didn’t even know his family. She didn’t know his brothers name or all the little things that you would expect to know about someone before you said yes to marrying them. Also, that Emma had never asked Lucas about April and just assumed he was a dead beat.

All in all this was a cute romance. A contemporary take on Jane Austen’s writings and worth the read for those who love romance.

“This was all her fault. If I hadn’t spent half my life wanting to be Elizabeth Bennet, I wouldn’t have held my own prejudices so dear. I wouldn’t have taken pride in my own clever snap judgements to like and dislike at a whim.”

Emma has broken up with Jane Austen. Despite all the happiness her novels and movie adaptations have brought into her life, she has decided that Jane essentially was a fraud – being that she had ended up an old spinster in the end and not happily married to her own love of her life. Except Emma can’t just rid herself of Jane, and her personality that that has been derived from constant interaction with the novels can’t just go away – her pride, prejudices, assumptions, and expectations all get in the way of her life and quite possibly, her happily ever after. Emma is caught between Blake, who she thought was going to propose, and his brother Lucas who is doing his best to reunite the two all the while confusing Emma when she feels a connection to him.

The Story-I blew through this book in one day, and by the end all I wanted to do was pick up my Pride and Prejudice and devour that next. I definitely need a copy of this book to shelf next to the rest of my Austen novels and inspired novels. With inspirations from Jane Austen’s novels (and a quote, seemingly a lie Jane has told us all, to start each chapter) we are given a well-rounded novel that not only emanates the type of story Jane would give us, but also something modern and fresh. For me there wasn’t really much in wanting for this book, it delivered exactly what I expected – a story of a girl who had had enough of Jane Austen ideals, but still ends up having her own Austen style romance, full of misunderstandings and missed chances. Really, this was such a subtle combination of a lot of the best aspects of Jane Austen Novels.

The Characters- I am only going to talk about two of the characters (Emma & Lucas) despite the fact that Blake and her best friend are also great characters and the perfect amount of interaction to actually help the plot without taking away from the obvious main characters.

Emma-First of all, she loves Jane Austen, so she gets 100 points there. She exudes a strong character that still has wants and needs. She’s a successful and beautiful woman, but can still be a swoony romantic. So yes, you can be strong but still be incredibly vulnerable with your heart. I loved that she could be sure of herself, but at the same time question her own heart.

Lucas-To me, he was so much like Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility) – always doing right by his promises and for his brother. But then again, he just isn’t Edward either. I loved that everything we want to hate him for putting Emma through is nothing that we can really actually hate him for. He was noble without overdoing it. Which of course does nothing but make us expect men to be so valiant in our own lives, but who cares, that's why we read this stuff.

Summary:
Since she was little Emma has loved Pride and Prejudice and has regarded  Austen as the romantic expert.  The issue?  With this admiration comes huge expectations- such that are never met.  Could her guru be leading her astray?  Was it possibly time for the hardest breakup of her life- with Jane?  When boyfriend Blake invites her to the family home she expects meeting the parents, an engagement and all the trappings of happy ever after.  Instead she shows up late, having told him she had to work, only to find not family but one woman, Trish, enjoying a fish dinner with Emma's guy.  While Blake swears it is innocent, Emma's having none of it.
Caught leaving the home on foot, Emma is stopped and offered a ride by Blake's brother Lucas.  A ride to her destination is derailed and she sees more of Lucas' personal life than is normal for a first meeting, but whatever.  It isn't like they will ever meet again.  Except, they do, when Lucas is hired to consult for her company's expansion.  Forced to work side by side with this man, she finds more and more to admire in him.  He on the other hand, is determined to get her and Blake back together because he loves his brother.  When sparks fly between these two, it's complicated.  When a misunderstanding gets between the two, it could be the death of their connection.  Do these two really stand a chance? Could this be Emma's happy ever after?
My thoughts:
I loved these characters with their loyalties and idiosyncrasies.  Emma, still traumatized a bit from her mother leaving them long ago, finds it hard to be in relationships.  She gives too much to work a lot of the times even though she wants the committed, forever relationship.  Meeting Lucas is eye opening as he blows down every idea she ever had about him and his family, laying her prejudices bare and setting them aside.  I loved him as a character, but there were times where I was also angry with these two. So often things were overwrought- they assumed and never discussed forcing misconceptions like we were.... well, like we were in an Austen romantic drama.  Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it and found it perfectly written for the style of book that it is.  I give it four stars.  
My thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain publishing for allowing me an eARC of this book.  I have not been given any form of monetary compensation and the views in this review are wholly my own.  
On the adult content scale, there was some mild language and talk of drug addiction, but that is it.  It was more about their emotional relationship than anything physical making it my favorite type of sweet romance.  At worst I would give it a three.

I ADORED this book! It was sweet and beautiful and had some amazing messages. The characters were flawed just enough to be believable, but not so much they depressed me. This was a sweet and clean romance, I'd rate it PG.

Ever since Emma first read Pride and Prejudice, she has based all her romantic ideals on Austen and her advice and quotes. However, when she decides to do something spontaneous, and turns up to her boyfriend Blake's parent's house and sees him there with another girl Trish the fish. She decides it is time to break up with Jane Austen as she has been steered too many times in the wrong direction. Leaving Blake's, Emma realizes she is slightly stranded and ends up getting a ride to the train station with Blake's brother Luke Hampton. Weekend over and back at work, imagine Emma's surprise when her boss brings in the new consultant she will be working closely with aka Luke Hampton. As the book goes along, we see that Luke is Emma's perfect match but what will happen when Blake tries to win Emma back and Luke starts to back off as he doesn't want to get in between his brother's happiness, even if it means sacrificing himself. Now Emma must let Jane Austen go and take her love life in her hands and let Blake go and tell Luke just how she feels. Will Emma be able to sort her love life out without the help of Austen? Find out in this fun love triangle chick-lit novel "Lies Jane Austen Told Me" by Julie Wright. Perfect for any Austenite out there.