Publisher: Forever Publishing, May 3, 2022

Format: ebook

Pages: 384

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

She’s going to write her own happy ending.

English professor Athena Murphy is an authority on the novels of the Brontë sisters. But as they say in academia, publish or perish. To save her job, Athena decides to write a biography of C.L. Garland, the author heating up bestseller lists with spicy retellings of classic literature. Tracking down the reclusive writer and uncovering her secret identity, though, means Athena must return to her small midwestern hometown where Garland—and her ex-boyfriend, Thorne Kent—live.

Seeing Thorne again reminds Athena that real life never lives up to fiction. He was the Heathcliff to her Catherine, the Mr. Rochester to her Jane. Not only did their college breakup shatter that illusion, but they also broke each other’s hearts again a second time. Now she has to see him nearly every…single…day.

The only solution is to find C.L. Garland as quickly as possible, write the book, and get the heck out of town. As her deadline looms and the list of potential C.L. Garlands dwindles, Athena and Thorne bicker and banter their way back to friendship. Could it really be true that the third time’s a charm?

Athena and Thorne have a love story only a Brontë could write, and the chance for their own happily-ever-after, but first, they’ll need to forgive the mistakes of the past.

My Review:

Thank you Forever Publishing for the copy of this book!
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Read if you like: second chance romances.
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Athena goes back to her hometown to uncover the identity of a writer that retells classic books as erotica. While there, she runs into her ex who has given up his law career to open a cafe. While home Athena starts to question her life as a professor at her university.
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This book was fun but it was very predictable and a bit long. I figured out the author pretty quickly so some of the middle of the plot seemed silly once I finished! But overall super cute!
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CW: sexual content, death of a parent, mental illness, homophobia, sexism, misogyny.