Rating: 4 out of 5.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that two hundred year old Jane Austen quotes and advice is timeless and no less relevant today. This is an adorable contemporary romantic comedy about love, community, and finding lost family history. Maddy Shaw is a Jane Austen fan and journalist that wrote a column called Dear Jane dispensing advice with a Jane Austen spin. She was unceremoniously fired by email and left with no job and no way to pay rent on her London flatshare.

Imagine her surprise when she’s contacted by a lawyer telling her that she’s inherited a huge house in the country by a cousin that was scorned and used as a cautionary tale by her family. With stars in her eyes she visits the house and plans to immediately sell it and go back to London. But, her plans are dashed when she’s told she has to live in the house for one year before she can sell. Before she knows it, she’s the chair of the local book festival and she’s got a hot, grumpy best-seller crime novelist and his adorable dog living as a lodger. What could possibly go wrong?

I loved Maddie’s character. She’s a realist and despite the bumps in the road still keeps her spirit up and lives the Jane Austen sayings she quotes. Using equal amounts of patience and persistence, she breaks through his gruff exterior to find a hurt man frustrated with his career and struggling to write his next book. They make a cute couple and the teasing banter is fun to read. This is a closed door romance so no steam here, but the story is so cute you don’t miss it. Of course, there is the obligatory third act miscommunication breakup, which I despise, but the way the duo get back together is swoony and I can forgive the trope. If you’re Jane Austen fan, this cute book is for you.

I received a complimentary ecopy from Austenprose PR and One More Chapter. All opinions are my own.