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Jane: A Retelling
A remote house, a dangerous man, more secrets than a gothic novel.
For three years Jane has struggled to distance herself from a tragedy that’s haunted her since she left foster care.
When she’s hired as the nanny in a remote mansion, she hopes for a fresh start. Instead she finds herself in a world of dark business and shady dealings. But it’s her boss with his brute strength and dark attraction that draws her in until one too many secrets are uncovered.
Will the secrets she learns destroy the new life she’d never hoped to find?
Jane is a Modern Gothic Romance retelling Jane Eyre with a strong young heroine and the older man who tempts her like no other. (less)
For three years Jane has struggled to distance herself from a tragedy that’s haunted her since she left foster care.
When she’s hired as the nanny in a remote mansion, she hopes for a fresh start. Instead she finds herself in a world of dark business and shady dealings. But it’s her boss with his brute strength and dark attraction that draws her in until one too many secrets are uncovered.
Will the secrets she learns destroy the new life she’d never hoped to find?
Jane is a Modern Gothic Romance retelling Jane Eyre with a strong young heroine and the older man who tempts her like no other. (less)
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2018
38 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 23, 2018
Jane Eyre is back! Jane: A Retelling is a modern day version of an old theme. Very moody and compelling writing, and the heroine is a "closet badass". Fans of updated versions of the classics will really enjoy this one. It has the same elevated, rambling style of writing as the original. There were several typo's that interrupted the flow and general tone of the story, which I found jarring, hence my 3.5 rating, but I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
December 31, 2018
I have really, really conflicted feelings about this story. It is my first download from #netgalley, so between that and Jane Eyre being one of my favorite stories, I was really excited to read and review it. The description of the retelling sounded appealing, with more potential to be enjoyable than most retellings of Jane Eyre I've tried to read.
So I was really happy to start reading and to realize that this felt like it could b a good retelling. The world it was set in and the characters who inhabited it felt like they COULD be modern, but yet fit into the original story structure. Jane as a quiet and self-contained young orphan escaped from the foster system felt like a modern parallel to the original orphan Jane. Both were quiet, composed, responsible survivors. and Thorneton (Rochester) captured the combination of wealthy confidence and unattractive attractiveness, as well as his acute judgement of character. I was a little confused by Micha, as he didn't resemble any character I remembered in the original Jane Eyre, but yet figured so centrally in the story. (Also, HOW do you pronounce his name? My-kah? Mee-cha? it bugged me every time I read his name.). But he ended up being a fairly likable character.
Most of the other characters, though? They felt like the cardboard cut outs in the movie Home Alone, used to enact part of the story, but very one-dimensional in those roles. Especially Sophia. For the entire story I was annoyed that all I seemed to know about this ever-present character was that she spoke Spanish and took care of Adelia. But Jane took care of Adelia. so why did Sophia stay? Was she old? Young? Beautiful? Friendly? I literally remember NO information about her. Adelia was a very one-note spoiled child--not only is there no nuance to her character, but her reason for being in Thorne's care is never actually directly explained (nor the resolution for her in the end). She's just there, with Thorne paying at least 2 people to take care of her. Even Saint, Laura, and Maggie were not very nuanced characters--they filled in their roles, and that was that. The relationship between Jane and Saint wasn't very well developed, and the reader is left hanging as to what sort of person or character he really is.
And then there's the grammar. OMG, the grammar. I was highlighting another glaring error at least every page. There were mistakes that could have been typos and/or autocorrect, such as replacing "is" with "a" or "shuttered" for "shuddered". In addition to incorrect or missing words, there were rampant examples throughout the book of incomplete thoughts/ sentence fragments, changes of tense within the same paragraph, etc. This seemed to increase in the last few chapters, with some sentences only making sense after two or more read-throughs. There were also significant info dumps in both the beginning and the end of the story. The second person narration of the beginning info dump was especially unrealistic and awkward. And there were a few places where the narrative seemed to jump ahead, without developing or explaining how we suddenly hit this next step in the story (in Jane and Thorne's relationship, especially. We were jumped from silent longing and inexplicable connection to hot and heavy, and it was disorienting.). The info dump at the end didn't bother to include the fates of several of the major supporting characters, either.
This book needs a THOROUGH editing by someone who understands grammar and can call out continuity issues and leaps in logic as well. Another 2-3 drafts of the story, to develop supporting characters, soften info dumping, and improve continuity and flow of the story would also really have helped make this a good book.
Because here's the thing: despite my distraction by and frustration with the obscene amount of errors and clumsy grammar, the essence of this story was engaging. I liked Jane Byrne, and bought into the chemistry between her and Thorne. Thorne was intriguing, and the mystery that made him who he was was and explained the set up of his estate and the security thereof was creative and fit into the framework of the original Jane Eyre surprisingly well. Micha grew on me, and I think several of the other characters would have done so as well, with a bit more development. Despite finding bad grammar, typos, and clumsy writing to be huge distractions, I still enjoyed the story. Had this book had the services of a decent editor, I think I would have whole-heartedly enjoyed it. Lark Watson has potential as a story teller. She just needs help with refining plot and characters and grammar and the mechanics of writing to become a good author and take her stories to the next level.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.
P.S. Lark, I may not write books, but I know grammar. If you need someone to help edit future works, I would honestly be happy to do so. Seriously.
So I was really happy to start reading and to realize that this felt like it could b a good retelling. The world it was set in and the characters who inhabited it felt like they COULD be modern, but yet fit into the original story structure. Jane as a quiet and self-contained young orphan escaped from the foster system felt like a modern parallel to the original orphan Jane. Both were quiet, composed, responsible survivors. and Thorneton (Rochester) captured the combination of wealthy confidence and unattractive attractiveness, as well as his acute judgement of character. I was a little confused by Micha, as he didn't resemble any character I remembered in the original Jane Eyre, but yet figured so centrally in the story. (Also, HOW do you pronounce his name? My-kah? Mee-cha? it bugged me every time I read his name.). But he ended up being a fairly likable character.
Most of the other characters, though? They felt like the cardboard cut outs in the movie Home Alone, used to enact part of the story, but very one-dimensional in those roles. Especially Sophia. For the entire story I was annoyed that all I seemed to know about this ever-present character was that she spoke Spanish and took care of Adelia. But Jane took care of Adelia. so why did Sophia stay? Was she old? Young? Beautiful? Friendly? I literally remember NO information about her. Adelia was a very one-note spoiled child--not only is there no nuance to her character, but her reason for being in Thorne's care is never actually directly explained (nor the resolution for her in the end). She's just there, with Thorne paying at least 2 people to take care of her. Even Saint, Laura, and Maggie were not very nuanced characters--they filled in their roles, and that was that. The relationship between Jane and Saint wasn't very well developed, and the reader is left hanging as to what sort of person or character he really is.
And then there's the grammar. OMG, the grammar. I was highlighting another glaring error at least every page. There were mistakes that could have been typos and/or autocorrect, such as replacing "is" with "a" or "shuttered" for "shuddered". In addition to incorrect or missing words, there were rampant examples throughout the book of incomplete thoughts/ sentence fragments, changes of tense within the same paragraph, etc. This seemed to increase in the last few chapters, with some sentences only making sense after two or more read-throughs. There were also significant info dumps in both the beginning and the end of the story. The second person narration of the beginning info dump was especially unrealistic and awkward. And there were a few places where the narrative seemed to jump ahead, without developing or explaining how we suddenly hit this next step in the story (in Jane and Thorne's relationship, especially. We were jumped from silent longing and inexplicable connection to hot and heavy, and it was disorienting.). The info dump at the end didn't bother to include the fates of several of the major supporting characters, either.
This book needs a THOROUGH editing by someone who understands grammar and can call out continuity issues and leaps in logic as well. Another 2-3 drafts of the story, to develop supporting characters, soften info dumping, and improve continuity and flow of the story would also really have helped make this a good book.
Because here's the thing: despite my distraction by and frustration with the obscene amount of errors and clumsy grammar, the essence of this story was engaging. I liked Jane Byrne, and bought into the chemistry between her and Thorne. Thorne was intriguing, and the mystery that made him who he was was and explained the set up of his estate and the security thereof was creative and fit into the framework of the original Jane Eyre surprisingly well. Micha grew on me, and I think several of the other characters would have done so as well, with a bit more development. Despite finding bad grammar, typos, and clumsy writing to be huge distractions, I still enjoyed the story. Had this book had the services of a decent editor, I think I would have whole-heartedly enjoyed it. Lark Watson has potential as a story teller. She just needs help with refining plot and characters and grammar and the mechanics of writing to become a good author and take her stories to the next level.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.
P.S. Lark, I may not write books, but I know grammar. If you need someone to help edit future works, I would honestly be happy to do so. Seriously.
July 18, 2019
YOU MUST READ
Talk about a book hangover! This was the best modern version of Rochester! I adored this Jane as well. This was full of highs and lows and ins and outs! I was so confused and intrigued as I was the first time I read Bronte’s Jane Eyre. What a great storyline and reimagining of this gothic romance! This is a re-reader novel for sure.
Talk about a book hangover! This was the best modern version of Rochester! I adored this Jane as well. This was full of highs and lows and ins and outs! I was so confused and intrigued as I was the first time I read Bronte’s Jane Eyre. What a great storyline and reimagining of this gothic romance! This is a re-reader novel for sure.
March 28, 2018
I loved this story - it's my favorite Jane Eyre retelling.
The balance of keeping the good parts and streamlining the story for modern readers was great. Jane stayed true to herself, as she does in the original, and still longs for her dark hero.
NOTE: I read the first 8 parts as the serial and got the last two in this full set as an ARC.
The balance of keeping the good parts and streamlining the story for modern readers was great. Jane stayed true to herself, as she does in the original, and still longs for her dark hero.
NOTE: I read the first 8 parts as the serial and got the last two in this full set as an ARC.
April 23, 2019
Horribly edited, which was very distracting. Jane felt very one-dimensional to me. Flat, not heroic in her struggle to just “be.” Interesting modern take, but Adelia was a cardboard character...just a prop...not even sure I remember reading how she came to be Thorne’s ward. Really wasn’t that interested to be honest. Just didn’t do it for me.
March 28, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what it was about but it was way more and way better than I expected. I loved the ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 7, 2018
I am not normally a gothic romance fan, but I really enjoyed this book. Faithful to Jane Eyre, the characters are great, the situations are interesting (love how Jane can watch Thorne and actually saves him at one point). Can't wait to read more by this author.
September 16, 2018
Started off slowly for me, the it picked up and was flipping the pages to see what happens next! It is supposed to be a modern retelling, but for me, I kept forgetting. The way she sets the scene, the way the characters spoke to one another, and the wording made me think it was set at a much older time. Then a cellphone would pop out here and there, or someone would look at their tablet. Maybe that was the only way it was changed to modern? By throwing in some electronics?
Nonetheless, the story itself was great. After the slow start, I was pleasantly surprised. I am glad I kept going, it was refreshing. I will read Micha's book, see how this will continue.
Nonetheless, the story itself was great. After the slow start, I was pleasantly surprised. I am glad I kept going, it was refreshing. I will read Micha's book, see how this will continue.
January 22, 2019
I loved this retelling , if you love Jane Eyre you will love this book. the author was very clever in her updating and modernizing this classic while still leaving the classic twists and turns that make Jane Eyre ... well Jane Eyre really good !
August 24, 2019
I have very mixed feelings on this one. I love the original Jane Eyre, so in my mind nothing measures up. This, as a modern retelling, is decent- probably one of the more enjoyable ones I’ve read.
*I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
*I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
April 9, 2018
I did enjoy read this book and is a modern day version of Jane Eyre’s. I like how this book keeps you hooked and you feel like you are in the story with the characters. There is homour, romance, smart sexy characters and great suspense that will keep you interested the whole way through. You will be in for a great suprise if you read this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 8, 2019
I like the retelling some of the same lines but with new twist
August 18, 2018
Lark Watson, above anything else, has mastered tone. This rang true to the original, while thoroughly updated. The pacing was a tad slow, but again, true to the original. I won't say that I couldn't put it down, but it drew me back again and again, even though, being well familiar with Jane Eyre, I knew what was going to happen. I think I wanted to see exactly how she would do it. What she would keep, what she would update.
Her characterizations were also good. I understood Jane, and she remained true to herself throughout the story. There was a depth of understanding that Watson showed in everything both Thorne and Jane said and did. Their attraction and interactions rang true.
Her side characters, while not deep enough to distract, still had their individuality, and I look forward to Micha's story.
Sadly, this book was in dire need of copyediting. Maybe even some light line editing, because sentences were often convoluted or difficult to understand. I understand that she might have been emulating 19th century prose to a certain degree, but she failed in places where she no longer succeeded in communicating.
Overall, a book I would recommend.
Her characterizations were also good. I understood Jane, and she remained true to herself throughout the story. There was a depth of understanding that Watson showed in everything both Thorne and Jane said and did. Their attraction and interactions rang true.
Her side characters, while not deep enough to distract, still had their individuality, and I look forward to Micha's story.
Sadly, this book was in dire need of copyediting. Maybe even some light line editing, because sentences were often convoluted or difficult to understand. I understand that she might have been emulating 19th century prose to a certain degree, but she failed in places where she no longer succeeded in communicating.
Overall, a book I would recommend.
May 6, 2018
Loved it!
This author was new to me and I’m glad to have come across this book in another author’s group. The heroine is fierce. I loved Jane. Such strength and depth. And Thorne was complicated just how you want a hero to be in a retelling of Jane Eyre. I can’t wait for Mischa’s story.
This author was new to me and I’m glad to have come across this book in another author’s group. The heroine is fierce. I loved Jane. Such strength and depth. And Thorne was complicated just how you want a hero to be in a retelling of Jane Eyre. I can’t wait for Mischa’s story.
September 16, 2021
I'd say it's a 4.5 rating for me. The story is compelling, and it develops well. But the typos and some errors here and there made it too much. I liked how the author tweaked the money part on the last section of the book, but otherwise, it just feels rushed. I remember the original Jane Eyre went a little more in depth with some characters and interactions, but here, they felt rushed, so much, that I didn't drew the parallels until well advanced in the book. Otherwise, it kept me reading.
April 10, 2018
she never expected her life to be a fairytale. things changed when she was to become a nanny. he was dark and handsome but things are hidden from her. the more she learns the closer she gets to him until one too many secrets come out. how will she deal with it all? will she run? see what she will decide
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 18, 2018
Unfortunately this is a DNF for me at 10%. I am just not sure what to make of this book... On the one hand, this is described as a gothic romance retelling of Jane Eyre, and I love Jane Eyre retellings and anything gothic. But this book just didn’t do it for me. It felt flat, there was little characterisation for anyone other than the MC, and it lacked the atmospheric imagery typically found in gothic novels.
The pacing at the start seemed off to me—there’s a lot of exposition for Jane’s background in the very first chapter, which does build her character well, but it just seems too much in one go, particularly as every moment of her interview is given to us, yet in the chapters that follow we’ve got whole months passing in a page. This really disrupted the rhythm, and I’d have appreciated it a bit more if we were given more time with Jane as she settles into her new job, so we can see what it’s like, rather than just being told what happens over the course of a month. (I did love the how Jane clashed with the interviewer though, but in a quiet way.)
Linked into this, I also found there was lots of telling and not much showing. Jane’s being employed as a nanny, yet when she meets Adelia and begins nannying, we aren’t given anything to tell us about the girl from Jane’s POV, her impressions of her, or any descriptions really. Whole days pass in a single paragraph, and a page later and a whole month has passed and we know little about five-year-old Adelia or Jane’s relationship with her. What we do know about the girl is told rather than shown, such as: “But, I realized nothing would save me if I didn’t have a gift in hand as Adelia was a very materialistic girl” and it was the first time I began to get a sense of who the little girl was/what her personality is—but it didn’t grab me as the writing just seemed flat and I would’ve liked to have seen examples that proved Adelia was materialistic rather than being told it. Things like this should’ve been integrated into the story more, and I’m afraid I just didn’t connect as there’s very little about Adelia’s personality.
Instead, the language used to describe Adelia at times “others” her. Before we even meet Adelia (and in fact, we don’t get to witness an introduction with the girl) another character calls her “odd” as she doesn’t speak English. This isn’t called out by the protagonist—not even internally, which first person narrative allows for—and is just left to pass as a normal comment which in itself is problematic. It places her nationality as inferior to the other characters’ nationalities, and almost suggests the only thing worth noting as she is introduced is her otherness. There’s nothing about her personality at this point—which could’ve easily been slipped in if we’d been given a scene where the two meet.
Yet even this portrayal of Adelia as Other is not consistent, as we are given her dialogue in English and there’s very little, if anything, about her Spanish culture, except for that she’s “odd”. The protagonist is supposed to also be conversing with Adelia in Spanish, but I just didn’t believe it. Coming from a household where one of my parents would regularly speak Spanish and I knew it growing up, we’d have little Spanish phrases we’d all use (even slipping them into conversations that were otherwise spoken in English) and it would’ve been nice to see something similar as it would’ve just made it more believable—and it would’ve *shown* a bit more, which there was very little of.
By the time we get to where the gothic tropes come into play—Jane seeing a person in a window of a house that she’s told is empty—I’d unfortunately lost interest. It also didn’t help that even these scenes were basically told to readers with the exception of one or two nice images. The author could’ve really made these into atmospheric moments with lots of evocative imagery and gothic language, and I was disappointed to find this wasn’t the case.
I’m also under the impression this is a romance, but 10% into the story, and we don’t seem to have met the love interest. To me, this is another pacing issue.
So at the moment this is a DNF for me. Unfortunately, it’s just not my cup of tea.
The pacing at the start seemed off to me—there’s a lot of exposition for Jane’s background in the very first chapter, which does build her character well, but it just seems too much in one go, particularly as every moment of her interview is given to us, yet in the chapters that follow we’ve got whole months passing in a page. This really disrupted the rhythm, and I’d have appreciated it a bit more if we were given more time with Jane as she settles into her new job, so we can see what it’s like, rather than just being told what happens over the course of a month. (I did love the how Jane clashed with the interviewer though, but in a quiet way.)
Linked into this, I also found there was lots of telling and not much showing. Jane’s being employed as a nanny, yet when she meets Adelia and begins nannying, we aren’t given anything to tell us about the girl from Jane’s POV, her impressions of her, or any descriptions really. Whole days pass in a single paragraph, and a page later and a whole month has passed and we know little about five-year-old Adelia or Jane’s relationship with her. What we do know about the girl is told rather than shown, such as: “But, I realized nothing would save me if I didn’t have a gift in hand as Adelia was a very materialistic girl” and it was the first time I began to get a sense of who the little girl was/what her personality is—but it didn’t grab me as the writing just seemed flat and I would’ve liked to have seen examples that proved Adelia was materialistic rather than being told it. Things like this should’ve been integrated into the story more, and I’m afraid I just didn’t connect as there’s very little about Adelia’s personality.
Instead, the language used to describe Adelia at times “others” her. Before we even meet Adelia (and in fact, we don’t get to witness an introduction with the girl) another character calls her “odd” as she doesn’t speak English. This isn’t called out by the protagonist—not even internally, which first person narrative allows for—and is just left to pass as a normal comment which in itself is problematic. It places her nationality as inferior to the other characters’ nationalities, and almost suggests the only thing worth noting as she is introduced is her otherness. There’s nothing about her personality at this point—which could’ve easily been slipped in if we’d been given a scene where the two meet.
Yet even this portrayal of Adelia as Other is not consistent, as we are given her dialogue in English and there’s very little, if anything, about her Spanish culture, except for that she’s “odd”. The protagonist is supposed to also be conversing with Adelia in Spanish, but I just didn’t believe it. Coming from a household where one of my parents would regularly speak Spanish and I knew it growing up, we’d have little Spanish phrases we’d all use (even slipping them into conversations that were otherwise spoken in English) and it would’ve been nice to see something similar as it would’ve just made it more believable—and it would’ve *shown* a bit more, which there was very little of.
By the time we get to where the gothic tropes come into play—Jane seeing a person in a window of a house that she’s told is empty—I’d unfortunately lost interest. It also didn’t help that even these scenes were basically told to readers with the exception of one or two nice images. The author could’ve really made these into atmospheric moments with lots of evocative imagery and gothic language, and I was disappointed to find this wasn’t the case.
I’m also under the impression this is a romance, but 10% into the story, and we don’t seem to have met the love interest. To me, this is another pacing issue.
So at the moment this is a DNF for me. Unfortunately, it’s just not my cup of tea.
January 17, 2019
I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Jane has been in and out of foster homes pretty much her whole life. So now that she is an adult and is on her own finally, she finds that being a nanny to kids is the best job for her. Especially since she tended to take care of the younger kids in her foster house, she's already had years of practice.
When Jane gets a job that requires her to move into their remote location in the middle of nowhere to help a little girl speak English rather than Spanish, she knows that it will be different than any other nannying job she's taken. Not only because the "house" is really a mansion, but because there is an air of mystery around the master of the house: Mr. Thorneton.
Jane likes to be invisible among the parents. She just wants to work with the children and then go off to her room when she's done. But for some reason, Mr. Thorneton intrigues her more than any other person has done in her life. She knows when he is in the area, and her senses go up in alert.
Then, with the mystery of the house and strange things happening, Jane is wondering what she got herself into when she accepted this simple nanny position. One thing is for sure, though. Nothing will be the same for Jane ever again.
So, I've never read Jane or seen movies of Jane, which means that this storyline was all new to me. And for the most part I really liked it! I loved the way Jane is so tentative in life - even though that was because of her terrible childhood - and how she grew to be the woman she is at the end of the book because of how well loved and accepted she became with the family and staff at the Tower House.
And even though there weren't too many moments, the times where Jane and Thorne were together were great! The suspense was so thick between the two of them, and when the moment finally came where they caved to temptation? Amazing. It gave me goosebumps and I didn't want it to stop.
The issues I had were about Thorne's secret life. I just didn't quite get what was going on and then BAM it was all there, but still no really good explanation of it. In the end, I got over that issue, but I think the book would have been superb if that was fixed/eliminated.
The ending was great. I loved this novel. And it looks like Micah might get his own novel, so I'll have to see if I pick that up or not. I know I loved the way Micah and Jane became friends and tested poor Thorne with their innocent flirting, but I'm not sure how Micah's own story will be.
I'm so glad I got a chance to read this novel, and maybe I'll have to find the original to see how it compares!
Jane has been in and out of foster homes pretty much her whole life. So now that she is an adult and is on her own finally, she finds that being a nanny to kids is the best job for her. Especially since she tended to take care of the younger kids in her foster house, she's already had years of practice.
When Jane gets a job that requires her to move into their remote location in the middle of nowhere to help a little girl speak English rather than Spanish, she knows that it will be different than any other nannying job she's taken. Not only because the "house" is really a mansion, but because there is an air of mystery around the master of the house: Mr. Thorneton.
Jane likes to be invisible among the parents. She just wants to work with the children and then go off to her room when she's done. But for some reason, Mr. Thorneton intrigues her more than any other person has done in her life. She knows when he is in the area, and her senses go up in alert.
Then, with the mystery of the house and strange things happening, Jane is wondering what she got herself into when she accepted this simple nanny position. One thing is for sure, though. Nothing will be the same for Jane ever again.
So, I've never read Jane or seen movies of Jane, which means that this storyline was all new to me. And for the most part I really liked it! I loved the way Jane is so tentative in life - even though that was because of her terrible childhood - and how she grew to be the woman she is at the end of the book because of how well loved and accepted she became with the family and staff at the Tower House.
And even though there weren't too many moments, the times where Jane and Thorne were together were great! The suspense was so thick between the two of them, and when the moment finally came where they caved to temptation? Amazing. It gave me goosebumps and I didn't want it to stop.
The issues I had were about Thorne's secret life. I just didn't quite get what was going on and then BAM it was all there, but still no really good explanation of it. In the end, I got over that issue, but I think the book would have been superb if that was fixed/eliminated.
The ending was great. I loved this novel. And it looks like Micah might get his own novel, so I'll have to see if I pick that up or not. I know I loved the way Micah and Jane became friends and tested poor Thorne with their innocent flirting, but I'm not sure how Micah's own story will be.
I'm so glad I got a chance to read this novel, and maybe I'll have to find the original to see how it compares!
January 6, 2019
This could have been soo good if the manuscript went through a few more re-writes!! Author captured the original setting very well. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t supposed to be set in the 18th century. However, you wouldn’t know it by the way all the characters spoke and acted. From time to time the author reminded us that this is in fact, modern time – Jane has Instagram account, uses internet, etc. But those reminders didn’t fit with how the book was written. In addition, it’s very hard to determine where the story takes place – Jane and Micha shop at Home Depot and Walmart and the price for the bus ticket is said to be 8 dollars, not pounds or euros, so you would assume that the story is set in the United States. However, every single character speaks in a very weird Britain-like language (if my explanation doesn’t make sense, trust me, it’s because it doesn’t make sense in a story either). Let’s talk about characters. All of them were cardboard and flat. A lot of things were left unexplained – who Adelia was and why was she in the care of Mr. Thorneton in the first place? What happened to her afterwards? Why was a full time nanny still employed if Jane was brought in full time as well? The whole backstory of Thorne’s so-called wife was ridiculous at best. It didn’t make sense whatsoever. Jane’s relationship with Saint also needed a lot more development so that a reader can fully understand why she felt compelled to go back to Thorne’s house instead of simply laughing in Saint’s face at his proposal. Now the writing…OMG, what happened there?? There were countless jarring grammar errors and sentences that didn’t make sense at all (because words were missing or they weren’t used properly). Some chapters were better than others and which made me wonder if multiple people wrote this book.
May 17, 2021
This was a very interesting read!
I really loved how Jane came off as a stronger, more impressionable character than the original (in my opinion, at least), and how the mirroring between Jane and Adelia was brought out more significantly. I also love that Thorne didn't feel as manipulative and victimising as Rochester from the original — this was by far the most redeeming and appealing part of thebook to me. Also, while reading, I found myself enacting some of the dialogues, and was very irritated by Ingram, at the edge of my seat at certain parts... very few books draw me in like that, so I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
To mention some drawbacks: as some other readers have mentioned, I found Adelia's place in the story odd though, as it's left unexplained throughout. Another inconsistency that threw me off for a bit was Leeanna — I felt there should have been more foreshadowing. Had I not read the original "Jane Eyre", I would have been very confused. There are also some grammatical and spelling mistakes in the book, along with Leeanna being called 'Bettina' at first, which dulled the experience a bit here and there (but that's only because I'm very particular, but I'm sure those mistakes can be forgiven in favour of the bigger picture).
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who'd like a fresher take on the "Jane Eyre" story!
I really loved how Jane came off as a stronger, more impressionable character than the original (in my opinion, at least), and how the mirroring between Jane and Adelia was brought out more significantly. I also love that Thorne didn't feel as manipulative and victimising as Rochester from the original — this was by far the most redeeming and appealing part of thebook to me. Also, while reading, I found myself enacting some of the dialogues, and was very irritated by Ingram, at the edge of my seat at certain parts... very few books draw me in like that, so I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
To mention some drawbacks: as some other readers have mentioned, I found Adelia's place in the story odd though, as it's left unexplained throughout. Another inconsistency that threw me off for a bit was Leeanna — I felt there should have been more foreshadowing. Had I not read the original "Jane Eyre", I would have been very confused. There are also some grammatical and spelling mistakes in the book, along with Leeanna being called 'Bettina' at first, which dulled the experience a bit here and there (but that's only because I'm very particular, but I'm sure those mistakes can be forgiven in favour of the bigger picture).
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who'd like a fresher take on the "Jane Eyre" story!
January 21, 2025
Ok, wow. This was a serious DNF and someone needs to slap a DNR on this book. This was the absolute WORST!
I am a Jane Eyre STAN so I’m always down to read a retelling, but this absolutely sucked like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
Who was the publisher of this? Better yet, who was the EDITOR? Was this self published? It must have been, otherwise this would have been absolutely eviscerated in the editing process.
And I know you’re probably thinking “but Mary Caroline, couldn’t you tell from the horrible cover that this book wouldn’t be that great?” Fair point. But in my defense, the kindle cover was totally different and a bit classier so I was completely deceived into thinking this would be a decent read.
This was such utter garbage that I’m not even going to go into the details of the plot because this honestly doesn’t deserve to be called a book and also I didn’t know what was going on a majority of the time. Honestly what the heck was this book?!?!
I think this might be the first time I’ve ever given a one star rating and this is definitely the appropriate time to pull that punch. Ughhh I want that time back that I spent reading this crap.
I am a Jane Eyre STAN so I’m always down to read a retelling, but this absolutely sucked like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
Who was the publisher of this? Better yet, who was the EDITOR? Was this self published? It must have been, otherwise this would have been absolutely eviscerated in the editing process.
And I know you’re probably thinking “but Mary Caroline, couldn’t you tell from the horrible cover that this book wouldn’t be that great?” Fair point. But in my defense, the kindle cover was totally different and a bit classier so I was completely deceived into thinking this would be a decent read.
This was such utter garbage that I’m not even going to go into the details of the plot because this honestly doesn’t deserve to be called a book and also I didn’t know what was going on a majority of the time. Honestly what the heck was this book?!?!
I think this might be the first time I’ve ever given a one star rating and this is definitely the appropriate time to pull that punch. Ughhh I want that time back that I spent reading this crap.
September 10, 2018
I'm still not sure if I should have given this book a higher rating. I struggled in the beginning of the story. Not because it wasn't interesting, but because of the pace. It seemed so slow....not much to hold my attention. However, I still wanted to know what would happen next so I couldn't just stop reading. Overall, I thought it was a good story, I liked the characters, I thought it was a bit strange that they spoke as if they were from a time long ago, but they were actually in modern times. That may have been one thing that made it difficult for me to read, but I'm pretty sure it was the pace of the story. Once I read about 60% it seemed to pick up and my interest increased. I would recommend the story and may even try to read the next book(s) in the series, but I feel like others may struggle in the beginning as well.
January 6, 2019
Extremely good
I absolutely loved this retelling if Jane Eyre. The story felt fresh, despite the fact that it’s a well loved favourite. The central characters felt true to the original and the new supporting characters were engaging. Overall, the plot flowed naturally and their motivations translated logically to the modern setting.
The book is unfortunately let down by poor editing and a number of plot holes. Normally such flaws would earn no more than three stars from me as I usually find such mistakes to be horribly distracting. I think that my familiarity with the story helped my mid automatically fill in most of the gaps since they hardly gave me pause but it’s a measure of how engaged I was that the rest was fairly easy to ignore.
The idea of a second book is intriguing but I suspect moving away from the familiar will expose the flaws unbearably.
I absolutely loved this retelling if Jane Eyre. The story felt fresh, despite the fact that it’s a well loved favourite. The central characters felt true to the original and the new supporting characters were engaging. Overall, the plot flowed naturally and their motivations translated logically to the modern setting.
The book is unfortunately let down by poor editing and a number of plot holes. Normally such flaws would earn no more than three stars from me as I usually find such mistakes to be horribly distracting. I think that my familiarity with the story helped my mid automatically fill in most of the gaps since they hardly gave me pause but it’s a measure of how engaged I was that the rest was fairly easy to ignore.
The idea of a second book is intriguing but I suspect moving away from the familiar will expose the flaws unbearably.
January 31, 2019
I never have read a JANE EYRE retelling so I was skeptical about this one but as i love Jane's story I give this book a chance.
The orphan stuff and been a nanny to a spoiled brat are all in there. Jane is a smart girl, she speaks her mind and is well educated even if she is a little mouse as Micha says.
I am not gonna lie before that she comes to the Tower House she narrative was slow and not so much.
And then she meets the other part of her soul Mr. Thorneton-why this name?
Mr. Thorne is a sarcastic man and really mean towards her and mostly ignores her but his heart could do the same?
Jane goes aways after the wife stuff and then there is this part that he is part of a organization that saves people, it was really rushed and not really explained.
There were some questions left like if Micha felt anything for Leeanna.
Will Thorne able to see again?
The orphan stuff and been a nanny to a spoiled brat are all in there. Jane is a smart girl, she speaks her mind and is well educated even if she is a little mouse as Micha says.
I am not gonna lie before that she comes to the Tower House she narrative was slow and not so much.
And then she meets the other part of her soul Mr. Thorneton-why this name?
Mr. Thorne is a sarcastic man and really mean towards her and mostly ignores her but his heart could do the same?
Jane goes aways after the wife stuff and then there is this part that he is part of a organization that saves people, it was really rushed and not really explained.
There were some questions left like if Micha felt anything for Leeanna.
Will Thorne able to see again?
June 4, 2021
Clever Recreation
The storyline was quite clever. The story was updated to fit the current era while remaining true to basic storyline written by Charlotte Bronte. I particularly appreciated how the author added sexual passion to the couple without being too graphic or lewd. There is another book that attempted what this author achieved - the other book I refer to was so explicit, I had to stop reading it. While I’m certainly not opposed to explicit sex, I found it most inappropriate in the story of “Jane Eyre”.
There were issues that probably should have been corrected by the editor - there were several (or more) grammatical errors, typos, and incorrect verbs.
I would recommend the book to “Jane Eyre” fans that would appreciate a modern perspective.
The storyline was quite clever. The story was updated to fit the current era while remaining true to basic storyline written by Charlotte Bronte. I particularly appreciated how the author added sexual passion to the couple without being too graphic or lewd. There is another book that attempted what this author achieved - the other book I refer to was so explicit, I had to stop reading it. While I’m certainly not opposed to explicit sex, I found it most inappropriate in the story of “Jane Eyre”.
There were issues that probably should have been corrected by the editor - there were several (or more) grammatical errors, typos, and incorrect verbs.
I would recommend the book to “Jane Eyre” fans that would appreciate a modern perspective.
December 12, 2021
It seems like a decent first draft.
The author made some really interesting modernizations of the Jane Eyre storyline. But there are two things that really bothered me. 1) Very poor editing. There seemed to be a couple of mistakes in every chapter. 2) She didn’t really build the relationship between the Jane and Rochester characters. Brontë has the two together, bonding, conversing, showing that they are of a mind. You don’t really see that here, rather you’re just told that in the end.
The author made some really interesting modernizations of the Jane Eyre storyline. But there are two things that really bothered me. 1) Very poor editing. There seemed to be a couple of mistakes in every chapter. 2) She didn’t really build the relationship between the Jane and Rochester characters. Brontë has the two together, bonding, conversing, showing that they are of a mind. You don’t really see that here, rather you’re just told that in the end.
September 28, 2018
I read this book without reading the blurb which is typical for me- having not read Jane Eyre previously I didn't realise this was a retelling until I'd finished and wouldn't know which points of the story are the same or different. I found the first two thirds of the book a little slow paced for my liking but the final third moved at a speed I could enjoy a lot more. Jane was a likeable character and I'm really taken with Micha and will definitley read his story.
December 6, 2018
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a retelling of this story but I really enjoyed this book. It was true to the original in how the characters were portrayed but was updated and different enough to keep things interesting. The writing style was easy to read and kept me engrossed the whole way through. I couldn’t put it down and I would love to read another book from this author.
June 3, 2018
Enjoyed reading Jane and Thorne story filled with suspense, danger, action and mystery. Jane has a new job as a nanny with a boss with secrets. As they try to fight their attraction to each other secrets from Thorne’s past puts both their lives in danger and threatens their future together. Engaging read. Recommended read.
September 24, 2018
I haven't read Jane Eyre so I can't really comment on that. So this review is just purely based on the book I've read.
It was a fun read. I just wish the mystery/suspense aspect of it was explored more. But that's probably just me. I just wish that the book was a little more polished.
I liked the characters and the writing style had me engaged. I'll probably re-read it after I read Jane Eyre.
It was a fun read. I just wish the mystery/suspense aspect of it was explored more. But that's probably just me. I just wish that the book was a little more polished.
I liked the characters and the writing style had me engaged. I'll probably re-read it after I read Jane Eyre.
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