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Sex, Lies and Sensibility
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.
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.
428 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 13, 2024
383 people are currently reading
19171 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 729 reviews
February 25, 2024
Nikki Payne is writing Jane Austen retellings like no one else. Her writing is witty and so damn smart and sexy, emotionally raw one moment, lough out loud hilarious the next, and don't get me started on how well she writes sexual tension and longing (*fans face*). I loved this audiobook and thought both narrators did a phenomenal job, bringing Bear and Nora's perspectives (as well as all the secondary characters, especially Yan who had me in stitches she was so outlandish and perfect!) to life. Highly, highly recommend.
December 27, 2024
$4.19 @ Libro.fm
$5.99 paperback at Book Outlet
I loved PRIDE AND PROTEST. So much so I waited on this one so I would have something to savor. This was disappointing, to say the least.
I will forever love the Nora character from the original, and that remains unchanged here. A lot of you appear to love Bear, but he, and that Lu situation, could use some work. I've never liked Yanne's character, or her love interests, so her story I care less about.
I thought I would enjoy the Native love interest. Filipino Darcy, he was not. Speaking of Filipino Darcy, I didn't even enjoy the cameos from our PRIDE AND PROTEST peeps. Sad.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley
$5.99 paperback at Book Outlet
I loved PRIDE AND PROTEST. So much so I waited on this one so I would have something to savor. This was disappointing, to say the least.
I will forever love the Nora character from the original, and that remains unchanged here. A lot of you appear to love Bear, but he, and that Lu situation, could use some work. I've never liked Yanne's character, or her love interests, so her story I care less about.
I thought I would enjoy the Native love interest. Filipino Darcy, he was not. Speaking of Filipino Darcy, I didn't even enjoy the cameos from our PRIDE AND PROTEST peeps. Sad.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley
February 7, 2024
So it turns out the plot of Sense and Sensibility was written to be my enemy, but I sure did love Bear and Nora. The problem was that they simply weren’t together enough. Like the entire second half of the book. I’m obsessed with them, but wow the last three hours of that book were made to test me. As for the audiobook, I really enjoyed both performances!!
**Spoilers below! It probably just spoils the plot of Sense and Sensibility more than anything but just be warned.**
I’m weaaaaak. I just wanted to see his hair braided without the suffering (Bear’s, Nora’s, mine)😩. The way the book was written at the beginning included a LOT of time jumps that I wish didn’t jump. A lot of the renovation content and even some foundational parts of their relationship were skipped and then summed up for us. This made space for the drawn out second half of the book, which just kind of hurts.
I think it’s a case of the book being too tied to the source material or too focused on being something else. (And me not remembering the source material enough to know that I would be epically pissed off.) Like Nikki created such beautiful characters in Bear and Nora that this didn’t need every Sense and Sensibility plot element added. I mean I think if you like Sense and Sensibility you’ll love this, I’m just selfish and want this book without whatever the hell Jane was on.
Like call me crazy but when the hero is so close to getting married to ANOTHER woman that he said the vows, I’m GOING to be angry. He was going to do it, a technicality got in the way. Self sacrifice just isn’t romantic to me. He needed to be the one to fully end it. He said all the vows!! Someone objected that’s the only reason he’s not married!!
Tell me why marrying a woman he didn’t love for the inheritance made more sense than at least marrying the woman he did love for the money???? I get why they ~wouldn’t~ have done that, but why wasn’t it even an option?? Don’t even get me started on the rest of the Lu plot because I legit can’t handle it. (Whispers *I did enjoy their scene at the pharmacy though.*)
I can handle the “good boy” though like more of that please!!! It was a lot hotter than Pride & Protest. My only gripe was that they kept getting interrupted. They were soooooo hot together I just want more of them being happy!! I also loved her giving back that dress at the funeral and telling the town to fuck themselves at that pharmacy over the intercom. Bucket! List! Item!!! I was always on Nora’s side, Bear just made it a liiiittle hard for me to love him which in turn made it EASIER to love him because he was such a nice guy. He just needed to say no sooner.
✨
It’s hard because, duh, I wasn’t duped or anything; this is very clearly marketed as a Sense and Sensibility retelling! But I also can’t change the fact that I didn’t enjoy a good deal of the plot. It was frustrating seeing one path for the characters and then knowing they were going down another because that’s what S&S did. But again, if you love S&S or don’t mind weird non emotional but severely toxic and transactional love triangles (????) then I bet it’s for you and I’m jealous.
Given the fact that this was beautifully written, includes a Black heroine and an Abenaki hero, and was hot hot HOT, I’d pick this up to reread any day before the original. I originally rounded down for Goodreads, but the more I sat and thought about the book, the more I valued what it added to S&S. So I’m rounding up for Goodreads because it did improve on the original for me, which is the hope for any retelling I pick up I think??? It just had the issue of retelling a plot that I was never going to love—that’s on me though I should’ve Sparknoted S&S to prepare myself.
To sum it up, apparently there was a reason I failed my Sense and Sensibility quiz in college. Nikki’s writing remains wonderful, and I’m excited to see what she does next. Her take on Emma will SLAP. Like if Bear was this much of a simp…Knightley will cause me bodily harm. And the humor!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.75/5
Thanks so much to PRHaudio for an ALC and to Berkley Romance for a finished copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
**Spoilers below! It probably just spoils the plot of Sense and Sensibility more than anything but just be warned.**
I’m weaaaaak. I just wanted to see his hair braided without the suffering (Bear’s, Nora’s, mine)😩. The way the book was written at the beginning included a LOT of time jumps that I wish didn’t jump. A lot of the renovation content and even some foundational parts of their relationship were skipped and then summed up for us. This made space for the drawn out second half of the book, which just kind of hurts.
I think it’s a case of the book being too tied to the source material or too focused on being something else. (And me not remembering the source material enough to know that I would be epically pissed off.) Like Nikki created such beautiful characters in Bear and Nora that this didn’t need every Sense and Sensibility plot element added. I mean I think if you like Sense and Sensibility you’ll love this, I’m just selfish and want this book without whatever the hell Jane was on.
Like call me crazy but when the hero is so close to getting married to ANOTHER woman that he said the vows, I’m GOING to be angry. He was going to do it, a technicality got in the way. Self sacrifice just isn’t romantic to me. He needed to be the one to fully end it. He said all the vows!! Someone objected that’s the only reason he’s not married!!
Tell me why marrying a woman he didn’t love for the inheritance made more sense than at least marrying the woman he did love for the money???? I get why they ~wouldn’t~ have done that, but why wasn’t it even an option?? Don’t even get me started on the rest of the Lu plot because I legit can’t handle it. (Whispers *I did enjoy their scene at the pharmacy though.*)
I can handle the “good boy” though like more of that please!!! It was a lot hotter than Pride & Protest. My only gripe was that they kept getting interrupted. They were soooooo hot together I just want more of them being happy!! I also loved her giving back that dress at the funeral and telling the town to fuck themselves at that pharmacy over the intercom. Bucket! List! Item!!! I was always on Nora’s side, Bear just made it a liiiittle hard for me to love him which in turn made it EASIER to love him because he was such a nice guy. He just needed to say no sooner.
✨
It’s hard because, duh, I wasn’t duped or anything; this is very clearly marketed as a Sense and Sensibility retelling! But I also can’t change the fact that I didn’t enjoy a good deal of the plot. It was frustrating seeing one path for the characters and then knowing they were going down another because that’s what S&S did. But again, if you love S&S or don’t mind weird non emotional but severely toxic and transactional love triangles (????) then I bet it’s for you and I’m jealous.
Given the fact that this was beautifully written, includes a Black heroine and an Abenaki hero, and was hot hot HOT, I’d pick this up to reread any day before the original. I originally rounded down for Goodreads, but the more I sat and thought about the book, the more I valued what it added to S&S. So I’m rounding up for Goodreads because it did improve on the original for me, which is the hope for any retelling I pick up I think??? It just had the issue of retelling a plot that I was never going to love—that’s on me though I should’ve Sparknoted S&S to prepare myself.
To sum it up, apparently there was a reason I failed my Sense and Sensibility quiz in college. Nikki’s writing remains wonderful, and I’m excited to see what she does next. Her take on Emma will SLAP. Like if Bear was this much of a simp…Knightley will cause me bodily harm. And the humor!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.75/5
Thanks so much to PRHaudio for an ALC and to Berkley Romance for a finished copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
December 25, 2024
i’ve been loving romances that aren’t too focused on tropes lately and this definitely delivers. this was actually such a good love story, not sure what i expected going in but i definitely didn’t think i’d come out loving it. i loved all the characters so much like best and nora were everything!! also the smut was actually soo sexy like maybe because there was so much build up to it or the author was just that good. this book had everything i love. it’s about so much more than the romance and i don’t even feel like this was too long, actually i wish it was a bit longer! i’m going to miss bear and nora so much.
February 29, 2024
I was hopeful for this, since my main issue with Pride and Protest was that Darcy was an ethical billionaire, which made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief. Was excited for the Indigenous Abenaki love interest in this one, but sadly... it didn't work for me. It didn't work as a Sense and Sensibility adaptation (I felt like all the financial/ estate something was convoluted and dated), and it also didn't work as a standalone love story.
First of all the writing - it felt like most of the sentences were short and trying to hard to be witty and outwit each other, which felt self-conscious and guarded, lacking in emotional vulnerability and earnestness. And so I had trouble connecting with the characters. On paper, this should have been great, but the execution felt awkward and messy and superficial.
Also got annoyed that Yanne is bisexual (she flirts with a woman in the beginning of the book) and yet both her love suitors are men (Jon from Willow Bee and Brandon), like what's the point then? It feels like just trying to get diversity points without actually having queerness in the narrative, and the Yanne makes some comment about hetero sex that I rolled my eyes at.
And, just like Pride and Protest, this felt more in the neoliberal / entrepreneurial / girlboss feminism spirit, which I usually find very difficult to get into. There's a lot of telling and not showing - a lot of timeskips over what I would consider significant moments. Heck, this whole framing device is a year renovating this Cottage, yet we get very little in description or atmosphere of the project and these blank spaces in the relationships on show.
This was for me a sunk-cost-fallacy moment, even if I realized in the beginning I was not having fun, I made myself keep going with this. My bad! Perhaps this is my last book by this author for a while.
First of all the writing - it felt like most of the sentences were short and trying to hard to be witty and outwit each other, which felt self-conscious and guarded, lacking in emotional vulnerability and earnestness. And so I had trouble connecting with the characters. On paper, this should have been great, but the execution felt awkward and messy and superficial.
Also got annoyed that Yanne is bisexual (she flirts with a woman in the beginning of the book) and yet both her love suitors are men (Jon from Willow Bee and Brandon), like what's the point then? It feels like just trying to get diversity points without actually having queerness in the narrative, and the Yanne makes some comment about hetero sex that I rolled my eyes at.
And, just like Pride and Protest, this felt more in the neoliberal / entrepreneurial / girlboss feminism spirit, which I usually find very difficult to get into. There's a lot of telling and not showing - a lot of timeskips over what I would consider significant moments. Heck, this whole framing device is a year renovating this Cottage, yet we get very little in description or atmosphere of the project and these blank spaces in the relationships on show.
This was for me a sunk-cost-fallacy moment, even if I realized in the beginning I was not having fun, I made myself keep going with this. My bad! Perhaps this is my last book by this author for a while.
February 21, 2024
3.5⭐️ There is a lot to love in Nikki Payne’s latest retelling, this one based on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. While I have not yet read Austen’s original, I think Payne lays out her story in such a way that knowledge of the original, while perhaps a bonus, is not necessary. Which of course is a sign of a good retelling.
I have to say that the standout character for me would be Bear, our cinnamon roll hero with a heart of gold. I loved the inclusion of an indigenous mmc (from the Abenaki tribe) and the interplay between characters of different cultures and how that influenced their values and views on the world. This is a romance, yes, but it goes so much deeper than that; it’s an exploration of grief, of overcoming adversity and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps when all hope is lost.
While there is a lot to love about this one, I struggled with the formatting and stylistics; especially in the first half. There was quite a bit going on with each of these characters themselves and then together, and it felt confusing at times. And though I did enjoy the inclusion of some heavier themes, and the focus on family, I also wish we could have had more Bear and Nora and their swoon worthy romance.
🎧 Of note - this was fun on audio and have to give a shoutout to Kacie Rogers and Phil Ava for their dynamite performance. They definitely enhanced the reading experience for me.
Read if you like:
•Jane Austen retellings
•friends to lovers
•forced proximity
•workplace romance
•indigenous rep
Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for my gifted copies.
I have to say that the standout character for me would be Bear, our cinnamon roll hero with a heart of gold. I loved the inclusion of an indigenous mmc (from the Abenaki tribe) and the interplay between characters of different cultures and how that influenced their values and views on the world. This is a romance, yes, but it goes so much deeper than that; it’s an exploration of grief, of overcoming adversity and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps when all hope is lost.
While there is a lot to love about this one, I struggled with the formatting and stylistics; especially in the first half. There was quite a bit going on with each of these characters themselves and then together, and it felt confusing at times. And though I did enjoy the inclusion of some heavier themes, and the focus on family, I also wish we could have had more Bear and Nora and their swoon worthy romance.
🎧 Of note - this was fun on audio and have to give a shoutout to Kacie Rogers and Phil Ava for their dynamite performance. They definitely enhanced the reading experience for me.
Read if you like:
•Jane Austen retellings
•friends to lovers
•forced proximity
•workplace romance
•indigenous rep
Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for my gifted copies.
December 17, 2023
Payne continues her truly-faithful-to-the-orig Austen retellings in her second novel, in a deeply layered romance between a Black woman and an Abenaki man set on Mount Desert Island in Maine. This is a HIGH stakes, HIGH drama tale, but what impressed me most was how, in between all the interacting plot lines, Payne was simultaneously able to develop the bone-deep romance and attraction between Bear and Nora. I loved their early morning runs and green smoothies and bonding over basketball metaphors most of all. This was such a truly special read.
(Also, Payne somehow writes erotic scenes with this, like, INTENSITY that makes my jaw drop.)
(Also, Payne somehow writes erotic scenes with this, like, INTENSITY that makes my jaw drop.)
January 8, 2024
Interesting telling of this story. Definitely conflicted here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was looking for a love-soaked read from the reviews that I scrolled through before diving in, but what I found was a woman’s fiction with a lot of romance build-up.
The author created main characters who are as different as can be but are strong and balanced. Nora is a warrior, tough and independent. Capable of so much and falling for Bear.
Bear is a pillar of the community; stubborn, not perfect, and completely head over for Nora. Together they make a great team, but the issues that divide them are huge.
While the main plot of the story was captivating, I had issues with some of the plot. There are jumps in the story that confused me. One minute they are meeting and then, in a few pages, they are going into business together. It took me a long time to figure out what Bear even did. I must be dense, but the was it was described was not clear to me.
Also issues with the entire renovation that was occurring along with the love story. While it was the main reason Nora and her sister were there, it was not the focus of the story. Time jumps were a killer.
Nora’s sister was such an issue. While she was fun and added great energy to the story, she was flakey and selfish. Other supporting characters were strong and helped round out the entire book, although there is one I could not stand!
Overall, Sex, Lies and Sensibility offered interesting characters and a strong insight to family problems, untold secrets, and love. I did not care for Bear’s character that much by about 3/4 of the way through. And Nora has some serious weak spots too.
The ending was super rushed with the overarching problem solved within a few pages, out of the blue. The story has some wonderful, sexy romance, but most of it builds up to one steamy scene at the end.
~~~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/sex-lies-and...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was looking for a love-soaked read from the reviews that I scrolled through before diving in, but what I found was a woman’s fiction with a lot of romance build-up.
The author created main characters who are as different as can be but are strong and balanced. Nora is a warrior, tough and independent. Capable of so much and falling for Bear.
Bear is a pillar of the community; stubborn, not perfect, and completely head over for Nora. Together they make a great team, but the issues that divide them are huge.
While the main plot of the story was captivating, I had issues with some of the plot. There are jumps in the story that confused me. One minute they are meeting and then, in a few pages, they are going into business together. It took me a long time to figure out what Bear even did. I must be dense, but the was it was described was not clear to me.
Also issues with the entire renovation that was occurring along with the love story. While it was the main reason Nora and her sister were there, it was not the focus of the story. Time jumps were a killer.
Nora’s sister was such an issue. While she was fun and added great energy to the story, she was flakey and selfish. Other supporting characters were strong and helped round out the entire book, although there is one I could not stand!
Overall, Sex, Lies and Sensibility offered interesting characters and a strong insight to family problems, untold secrets, and love. I did not care for Bear’s character that much by about 3/4 of the way through. And Nora has some serious weak spots too.
The ending was super rushed with the overarching problem solved within a few pages, out of the blue. The story has some wonderful, sexy romance, but most of it builds up to one steamy scene at the end.
~~~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/sex-lies-and...
August 7, 2024
Nikki Payne is a goddamn revelation.
March 20, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
Jane Austen retellings can be a hit or miss but I really enjoyed this one! A sexier, contemporary take on Sense & Sensibility centering Black and Indigenous characters, it's fun but also clearly knows the source material well enough to make intentional changes.
Sisters Nora & Yanne (short for Maryanne) find out at their fathers funeral that their mother was his mistress and they are left with nothing but a run down cottage in Maine that's about to go into foreclosure. They decide to try refurbishing and running an inn to save their inheritance, but they find Ennis "Bear", a Native tour guide, squatting in the abandoned building with a tour. Yanne has sickle cell, which I think works well for the health issues in the original, and she is into things like tarot. Which is a fantastic update to the character. Nora is the practical one who feels like she needs to be a strong Black woman no matter what she's dealing with internally. Overall, I think the way this modernizes the characters and central conflicts is really smart. I would have liked to see a bit more of what was going on with Yanne's love life, but I also get that because Nora is the main character that's hard to do. A very solid update to a classic and this makes me excited to read Payne's take on Pride & Prejudice!
Jane Austen retellings can be a hit or miss but I really enjoyed this one! A sexier, contemporary take on Sense & Sensibility centering Black and Indigenous characters, it's fun but also clearly knows the source material well enough to make intentional changes.
Sisters Nora & Yanne (short for Maryanne) find out at their fathers funeral that their mother was his mistress and they are left with nothing but a run down cottage in Maine that's about to go into foreclosure. They decide to try refurbishing and running an inn to save their inheritance, but they find Ennis "Bear", a Native tour guide, squatting in the abandoned building with a tour. Yanne has sickle cell, which I think works well for the health issues in the original, and she is into things like tarot. Which is a fantastic update to the character. Nora is the practical one who feels like she needs to be a strong Black woman no matter what she's dealing with internally. Overall, I think the way this modernizes the characters and central conflicts is really smart. I would have liked to see a bit more of what was going on with Yanne's love life, but I also get that because Nora is the main character that's hard to do. A very solid update to a classic and this makes me excited to read Payne's take on Pride & Prejudice!
February 20, 2024
I should have known this would be the outcome by the absence of the Oxford comma in the title.
✧ DNF 15%, cringe cringe cringe. so upsetting because I loved the vibrant representation.
✧ DNF 15%, cringe cringe cringe. so upsetting because I loved the vibrant representation.
June 25, 2024
I wanted to like this book so badly! It has everything it needed to make a great story - the backbone of Jane Austen and a great collection of diverse characters...but unfortunately that's literally all it had. That and maybe a few nice descriptions.
The plot in this book is terrible. Nothing makes sense, and nothing is very well explained.
Why couldn't the girls pay off the foreclosure with their inheritance? Did they HAVE to fix it up to pay off the bank? What lender cares, so long as they get their money?
That bothered me all the way through...
Then there was just too much going on. The Dam problem, the video problem, the ex issue, the sister problem, the sister's health, the ex's health, the tour business, the foreclosure, the sister love triangle, then cousins and elders and old friends got involved and everything was so tangled at the end that I seriously didn't care anymore.
Finally, this author should be writing closed door romances. The spicy scenes literally had me saying ick out loud.
First of all, she uses the phrase "milking him" multiple times. *gag*
There's no rhyme or reason to the physical scenes. One second, they're talking, and then they're randomly naked/ attacking each other. It felt very forced and out of character for both of them. No chemistry at all.
Then I find this little gem..."He was a thick plug in a hot socket, and the air seemed alive with his power." 🤢
What the hell is that?!
All in all, I kept reading in the hopes that it would get better, but it just kept getting worse. Save yourself some time.
The plot in this book is terrible. Nothing makes sense, and nothing is very well explained.
Why couldn't the girls pay off the foreclosure with their inheritance? Did they HAVE to fix it up to pay off the bank? What lender cares, so long as they get their money?
That bothered me all the way through...
Then there was just too much going on. The Dam problem, the video problem, the ex issue, the sister problem, the sister's health, the ex's health, the tour business, the foreclosure, the sister love triangle, then cousins and elders and old friends got involved and everything was so tangled at the end that I seriously didn't care anymore.
Finally, this author should be writing closed door romances. The spicy scenes literally had me saying ick out loud.
First of all, she uses the phrase "milking him" multiple times. *gag*
There's no rhyme or reason to the physical scenes. One second, they're talking, and then they're randomly naked/ attacking each other. It felt very forced and out of character for both of them. No chemistry at all.
Then I find this little gem..."He was a thick plug in a hot socket, and the air seemed alive with his power." 🤢
What the hell is that?!
All in all, I kept reading in the hopes that it would get better, but it just kept getting worse. Save yourself some time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2024
“I want forever with you, starting today. This is the beginning of the rest of our life together. I want to marry you.”
This took me a while to read but I think it’s a cute read. I liked the main characters and the romance. The main character Nora and her sister inherited a run down estate and are set to restore it to get their inheritance and avoids foreclosure. She meets Bear the mmc who helps her and her sister and they develop feelings for each other. I haven’t read any Austen classics so I don’t know about the reimagination aspect but I thought this was solid with a good plot and side characters. I wanted the romance to move a little faster but overall it was cute with a couple steamy scenes!
Tropes/tropes:
- Interracial romance
- Opposites attract
- Found family
- Renovation fun
- A smidge of angst
- Native American mmc/African American fmc
This took me a while to read but I think it’s a cute read. I liked the main characters and the romance. The main character Nora and her sister inherited a run down estate and are set to restore it to get their inheritance and avoids foreclosure. She meets Bear the mmc who helps her and her sister and they develop feelings for each other. I haven’t read any Austen classics so I don’t know about the reimagination aspect but I thought this was solid with a good plot and side characters. I wanted the romance to move a little faster but overall it was cute with a couple steamy scenes!
Tropes/tropes:
- Interracial romance
- Opposites attract
- Found family
- Renovation fun
- A smidge of angst
- Native American mmc/African American fmc
February 14, 2024
Happy pub day to @nikkipaynebooks 🥳
And a huge thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio
for my gifted copies. 💕 #berkleypartner #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG
Sex, Lies and Sensibility
By Nikki Payne
📖 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 plan is the chemistry they feel for one another, or the messy trajectory their relationship is about to take.
💭Sex, Lies and Sensibility is a reimagining of Sense and Sensibility. It's angsty, slow-burn, and high stakes, again covering socially relevant themes. Each character and side character is well developed, the writing is fluid and reads easily, the small town drama keeps the pace moving, and the spice is off the charts. 🥵 The wigwam! IYKYK. The sisterly relationship between Nora and Yanne was my fave. And Payne handled the writing of an Indigenous character with nuance and care, and I really appreciated the incorporation of Abenaki culture and customs.
🎧 I read most of this with my eyes, but listened to the last part on audio over the weekend. Once again, the folks at PRHaudio cast fantastic narrators. I was pleased to see (hear) Kacie Rogers on this one as well. What a talent! I love the way she had such drastically different voices for Nora and Yanne. She and Phil Ava compliment one another beautifully.
4.5 rounded up 💕
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And a huge thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio
for my gifted copies. 💕 #berkleypartner #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG
Sex, Lies and Sensibility
By Nikki Payne
📖 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 plan is the chemistry they feel for one another, or the messy trajectory their relationship is about to take.
💭Sex, Lies and Sensibility is a reimagining of Sense and Sensibility. It's angsty, slow-burn, and high stakes, again covering socially relevant themes. Each character and side character is well developed, the writing is fluid and reads easily, the small town drama keeps the pace moving, and the spice is off the charts. 🥵 The wigwam! IYKYK. The sisterly relationship between Nora and Yanne was my fave. And Payne handled the writing of an Indigenous character with nuance and care, and I really appreciated the incorporation of Abenaki culture and customs.
🎧 I read most of this with my eyes, but listened to the last part on audio over the weekend. Once again, the folks at PRHaudio cast fantastic narrators. I was pleased to see (hear) Kacie Rogers on this one as well. What a talent! I love the way she had such drastically different voices for Nora and Yanne. She and Phil Ava compliment one another beautifully.
4.5 rounded up 💕
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February 16, 2024
I really loved every minute of this very wild ride. Nora and Ennis were such a deserving couple, not entirely perfect, sometimes struggling, but they gelled and worked so well together. I was rooting for them to just KISS. I love the secret child plot, the obstacles to inheritances, Bear's indigenous eco-tour group, the river, the side stories. This was such a strong second book that Nikki obviously took so much care to write. I'm a Nikki Payne fan for life and can not wait to see what Jane Austen she brings into the 21st century!
August 14, 2024
this book lost the plot for me and I just couldn’t follow it. every time a new character was introduced I was like … wait who. and any time a new plot line that seemed to be the main plot line dropped I was like … wait what. but you could never make me hate jane austen I’d read any reimagining till the day I die and this definitely was not the worst
October 14, 2023
I adore Nikki Payne. I loved Pride and Protest so much I wanted to make T-shirts, mixtapes, skywrite about it over my town. But nothing prepared me for the absolute obsession I would develop for Ennis "Bear" Freeman. Bear is a man of substance. A man full of dreams. A man dedicated to doing what is right. And a man who f*cks like that! (IYKYK)
This book was an absolute, no-holds-barred, hysterical delight from start to finish. Rich with deeper themes of family, community, and how we show up for the people in our lives when we feel like we've done them wrong, make no mistake about it, Sex, Lies, and Sensibility is pure joy on the page. I wish I could go back and read for the first time so I could root for Nora and Bear all over again.
I received an ARC from the author but this review is all me. GET THIS BOOK!!!
This book was an absolute, no-holds-barred, hysterical delight from start to finish. Rich with deeper themes of family, community, and how we show up for the people in our lives when we feel like we've done them wrong, make no mistake about it, Sex, Lies, and Sensibility is pure joy on the page. I wish I could go back and read for the first time so I could root for Nora and Bear all over again.
I received an ARC from the author but this review is all me. GET THIS BOOK!!!
February 15, 2024
I don’t know shit about sense and sensibility but I do know that this is one of my favorite romcoms, full stop. This book was chaotic and hilarious and layered and so swoon-worthy. Love is real and Nora and Bear are deep in it!!
February 7, 2024
Well, I’ve been dragging ass on reading Nikki’s previous book and somehow I got to this one first and it was a damn delight.
I loved Nora and Bear. She appears crunchy, but is all heart. He appears to be the golden boy, but is struggling. Together they have chemistry for days and a glorious slow burn relationship that goes from business partners to friends to so much more. Of course, I loved Yanne and how free she was to be unapologetically herself.
Plot wise, it’s good. There’s a slow unfolding of secrets and full stories and even with all of the open conversations, I still wanted to take these two and mash their faces together at every scene. The way they yearn for each other is some of the best that I’ve read (and while I can’t remember much of S&S, I have to believe Jane would be proud.)
Overall, this was a delicious story with characters who were easy to root for. My only “complaint” is that I wanted more of them at the end, but I know I’m just being greedy.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
I loved Nora and Bear. She appears crunchy, but is all heart. He appears to be the golden boy, but is struggling. Together they have chemistry for days and a glorious slow burn relationship that goes from business partners to friends to so much more. Of course, I loved Yanne and how free she was to be unapologetically herself.
Plot wise, it’s good. There’s a slow unfolding of secrets and full stories and even with all of the open conversations, I still wanted to take these two and mash their faces together at every scene. The way they yearn for each other is some of the best that I’ve read (and while I can’t remember much of S&S, I have to believe Jane would be proud.)
Overall, this was a delicious story with characters who were easy to root for. My only “complaint” is that I wanted more of them at the end, but I know I’m just being greedy.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
February 29, 2024
Well, HELLO Nikki Payne!
I read this contemporary romance despite my general aversion to Austen retellings (they can limit good writers!) because of the good reviews, and I'm glad I did. I had some minor issues with pacing, but overall this was fun and hot and had great characterization.
I'll definitely be going back to the first book of the series, Pride and Protest, at some point.
I read this contemporary romance despite my general aversion to Austen retellings (they can limit good writers!) because of the good reviews, and I'm glad I did. I had some minor issues with pacing, but overall this was fun and hot and had great characterization.
I'll definitely be going back to the first book of the series, Pride and Protest, at some point.
January 31, 2024
I enjoyed this! I’ve never read Sense & Sensibility but found the plot quite engaging. It’s got community drama, emotional twists and turns, and a compelling cast of side characters. It was also very refreshing to read an interracial romance where both characters aren’t white. Nora is Black and Bear is Indigenous and it’s clear the author took a lot of care in making sure that representation was careful and meaningful within the story. Some aspects of the dialogue didn’t work for me but overall I thought this was a pretty good romance novel.
February 3, 2025
Wow, I loved this. Would you believe I’ve never watched or read Sense & Sensibility, don’t know how that would’ve changed my opinion of this book, but I’m obsessed. Can’t wait to read Pride and Protest.
dnf
March 7, 2025DNF ... I just couldn't find the desire to keep reading this lol
March 3, 2024
This is going to my DNF shelf. I hit 121 pages and weirdly the thing that did me in was the designer dress. Right at the beginning of the book, the MC was given a designer dress by her father. When he died many years later her half sister claimed it as part of their father's estate; big dramatic scene. Ummm....okay...it was a gift and something she owned for several years...let it go, I said. But then at page 121 her half sister tries to collect $400 for dry cleaning the dress. I absolutely hate when books have stuff that are just outright kind of dumb. I get the point of the dress but it was overkill and that would not have happened in the real world. Also, it is hard to figure out if the MC and her sister are spoiled or living in poverty. They act spoiled but the MC talks about living with her mother and couch-surfing at friends' places. Have either of them ever held a job? Then when they are remodelling Barton Cove the MC buys a $300 duvet. Why? You don't have any money. TBH though, I am not really liking any of the characters and there are a lot of inconsistencies in the storytelling. The parallels to the Jane Austen book this is retelling are loose at best and miss the heart of the original novel--as the original is a sly, well-written social commentary of those times. I am not quite sure why this is missing so badly for me but I am done. I wrote this review to remind myself why I didn't finish if I pick it up again later.
February 21, 2024
3⭐️ This is a tricky book to review because I’ve never loved Sense and Sensibility. While Payne adds a lot of unique twists to the original, this retelling is still very closely aligned with the plot, meaning plenty of things that I didn’t like in S&S still occurred here. There’s nothing wrong with that; I totally knew what I was getting myself into!
Also, I probably should not have done the audiobook. There were a lot of time jumps that screwed with the pacing for me which might have been better processed with my eyeballs. I occasionally felt like I was dropped in the middle of a conversation or event or had missed a chapter.
The characters are great, albeit frustrating at times (especially Bear), but they spend a lot of time apart which made it hard for me to totally fall in love with their romance.
Overall, this was enjoyable and one of the most unique retellings I’ve read. It won’t go down as a favorite and I personally think the ending wrapped up way too quickly, but it had a lot of fun moments and great representation!
Also, I probably should not have done the audiobook. There were a lot of time jumps that screwed with the pacing for me which might have been better processed with my eyeballs. I occasionally felt like I was dropped in the middle of a conversation or event or had missed a chapter.
The characters are great, albeit frustrating at times (especially Bear), but they spend a lot of time apart which made it hard for me to totally fall in love with their romance.
Overall, this was enjoyable and one of the most unique retellings I’ve read. It won’t go down as a favorite and I personally think the ending wrapped up way too quickly, but it had a lot of fun moments and great representation!
February 14, 2024
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!
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!
February 19, 2024
So stinkin cute 🥰 love me some Bear and Nora
January 29, 2024
“I’m yours, Nora. Body and soul, I’m yours. If you’ll have me.”
I love Jane Austen retellings, but every once in a while you read one that is particularly remarkable. Nikki’s retellings are god tier. Pride & Protest was one of my top reads last year, so reading this one, I was nervous I wouldn’t like it as much. But truly, this is a masterpiece from start to finish.
Nikki has this incredible ability to weave intelligent, complex, love stories that are not only socially relevant and tackle important topics, but they stay true to the original story they are inspired by, and have all the butterfly inducing moments that we all love in romance books. And her smut? Idk how she does it, but it’s always so intense in the best way.
I will be thinking about this book for a long, long, time. Absolute perfection.
*I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
I love Jane Austen retellings, but every once in a while you read one that is particularly remarkable. Nikki’s retellings are god tier. Pride & Protest was one of my top reads last year, so reading this one, I was nervous I wouldn’t like it as much. But truly, this is a masterpiece from start to finish.
Nikki has this incredible ability to weave intelligent, complex, love stories that are not only socially relevant and tackle important topics, but they stay true to the original story they are inspired by, and have all the butterfly inducing moments that we all love in romance books. And her smut? Idk how she does it, but it’s always so intense in the best way.
I will be thinking about this book for a long, long, time. Absolute perfection.
*I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
February 14, 2024
This was good! Rtc
May 4, 2024
My first Nikki Payne Book and I’m in love! There’s so much about it that was enjoyable: the slow burn the representation, the angst, the pining, the steam!!! I was on pins and needles but honestly …love love loved!
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