Jane by the Book

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO RE-READ DAY!

BASHAM, PEPPER
JANE BY THE BOOK

A Jane Austen inspired novella

She's level-headed and ordered. He talks to imaginary characters. She keeps to the plan. He never has one.

Will true love find a way to color outside the lines but inside God's love to create a story they can write together?

Four years ago, Jane Warwick escaped the shame of being jilted at the altar by becoming a housekeeper at the secluded Inn at Simeon Ridge. Predictable and quiet, the inn and large Simeon family help Jane find a place to heal but also cultivate her natural strengths for order and planning. But an unexpected visit to Bath, England, upsets Jane's peaceful monotony and sends her out of her comfort zone, directly into the harrowing path of historical detective author, Titus Stewart.

The only plans Titus sticks to are family holidays and the ones that send him careening into his story worlds, but when an uptight innkeeper stumbles into his life -- and his latest novel -- nonfiction begins to take on a much more interesting gleam.

With the help of a mysterious journal, will they both uncover a romance that stands the test of time?

My Review:

published in 2018

This is me, swooning just as much the second time around. I was arranging all my Pepper Basham books on my author highlight shelf (doesn't everyone do that monthly? Or is my librarianishness showing? I just can't resist the urge to showcase books by theme or author even in my own little (or not so) home library.) Anyway, once I got my hands on Titus I couldn't let him go until we got reacquainted. :-)

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"If God can use a talking donkey and a group of disgruntled fishermen, I think He can inspire an author with the right heart and abilities to create a story that will touch people's lives." (p 86)

Love, love, LOVE!!!!!! In a giddy, tilt-a-whirl, heart-thrumming, cheeks-hurt-from-grinning kind of way. Short (novella length) but oh so sweet!!!! And God bless authors who go to the trouble of making their novellas available in paperback format! This cherished copy is going on my keeper shelf and every time I spy it's pretty cover I'm going to get all nostalgic and swoony. :-) And isn't it adorable?! Love that both the hero and heroine are sporting glasses. You don't see that every day.

If you enjoy a bookish love story -- you know, where there's tons of references to books and reading and the power of story you will be over-the-moon ecstatic with this novel. Hero Titus is an author -- squeeeeallll -- and getting a peek into his slightly crazed writer mind is so much fun! He's probably the most unique hero I've ever met and the banter between Jane and Titus still has me smiling. "He really was fun to spar with, and he didn't seem to mind her sarcasm at all. It bounced off his optimism with the ease of rain off an umbrella." (p 44)

Despite the short word count (123 pages), Basham delivers a riveting plot filled with drama and romance and lots and lots of laughter. And a genealogical mystery to solve! And -- surprise -- there's even a Christmas component to this story! "Milkshakes, mystery and kisses from Jane Cecily? Merry early Christmas to him!" (p 88) And to happy readers everywhere. Seriously good and not to be missed!

"God created romance. It makes sense that people who write from a Christian worldview would incorporate it into their books and show the God-given beauty of the love between a man and a woman." (p 67) 

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook, winner's choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Jane by the Book, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 25 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!