This looked like the perfect summer holiday book encapsulating romance, Jane Austen and Lyme Regis and so I was really looking forward to reading it.
The plot follows Kay Ashton who, after the death of her mother and friend, decides to use her inheritance in order to buy a B&B on the seafront in Lyme Regis. She has barely started renovations when the unexpected happens and a film crew moves in, desperately needing lodgings.
The film crew happens to be the cast of an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Persuasion. This happens to be one of Kay's favourite novels which excites her immensely but more importantly than that, her ultimate crush, Oli Wade Owen is playing the lead character and staying in her house! ****Kay bends over backwards to ensure that Oli notices her and thinks that things may finally be going her way when he invites her out for lunch; however, it is clear to everyone else that he really is not good enough for her.
The other main male character within the novel is Adam Craig, the screenwriter who is in love with Kay. He is thrilled at the prospect of dinner with Kay but things do not go as he had hoped though when she tries to matchmake him with one of the actresses. Adam does not give in and still harbours a hope that she will realise how unsuited she is to Oli (a man who has never read any Austen) and how perfect she would be with him instead.
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| Victoria Connelly - the author |
Bizarrely, my favourite character within the whole novel was not a main character but a relation of Adam called Nana Craig. She is a lively old woman who loves colour which reflects her colourful personality and I think that it is this which made me warm to her so much. She obviously cares for her grandson but at the same time takes a no-nonsense approach when it comes to giving advice - honestly, I believe that everyone should have a Nana Craig in their lives!
Despite being a big fan of Nana Craig, I'm sorry to say that I didn't really enjoy this book, finding it dull, predictable and a little tedious. The plot was fairly clear from the start and seemed very cliché and even the mentions of the gorgeous Lyme Regis coastline and Jane Austen could not salvage the lack-lustre plot and character development. As a result of this, I think that it is pretty clear to see that I would not recommend this to a friend unless they were a particular fan of this type of cliché romance.
Let me know in the comments below what you thought of this book and whether it is just me that found it such a chore to read!
...x
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