Brontë Lovers by Angela Pearse

 

I grabbed BRONTE LOVERS during a Stuff Your Kindle Day event. I am obsessed with the Brontes and even have a series of videos on TikTok about random Charlotte Bronte trivia and reviews of Jane Eyre retellings. The heroine of BRONTE LOVERS, Lizzy, is dating a guy named Klint, who is doing his thesis on 19th century steam engines. She wants to do hers on the Brontes but isn't fully sure where to begin, although being in the town of Haworth, where the Brontes grew up and were inspired to write their books, is sparking her imagination.

When she meets Dain, who works at the parsonage, she's immediately attracted to him. Not only does he dress up in period attire to do tours, he's just as obsessed with the Brontes as she is, and he has the emotional warmth and availability that her boyfriend lacks. Klint also is moody and temperamental and he has a parasomnia where he actually bites(!!) her in his sleep, causing bruises that she can't explain away. Even though she's still invested in her relationship with Klint, she can't resist the attraction she has for Dain. DRAMA ENSUES!

So I didn't realize when I picked this up that this was a cheating romance or I probably wouldn't have read it, since that's not really my thing. I loved the Bronte trivia, though, and I think the author did a great job of showing why Klint and Lizzy were wrong with each other without resorting to extremes. What made the book a little bit of a hard sell for me was the pseudo paranormal elements and the fact that the heroine freaks out over the hero being bisexual and says some really biphobic things. Up until that point, I kind of got why she emotionally cheated on Klint, and could see why she and Dain worked together, but the biphobia just felt like a total breach of his trust. I do think she felt remorseful about her reaction, and the HEA works... but it was hard to come back from that.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed BRONTE LOVERS and can't wait to read more from this author. There's a very 2000s-era chicklit vibe to this book that made me feel nostalgic, and she totally brought the small English village setting to life. It's hard not to love that, flaws and all.

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars