Review: Jane by April Lindner

Title: Jane
Author: April Lindner
Series: None
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
(Goodreads)

Published by: Poppy
Release Date: October 11th 2010
Challenge: 2011 A-Z Reading Challenge 

Summary:

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.

Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers

Review:

When Jane’s parents died, her already dysfunctional family has fallen even more apart. Her vain sister moved in with her fiancé, while her no-good brother disappeared right after selling their house. When the money that Jane’s parents left for her appeared to be worthless, Jane had to drop from school to take the job as the nanny of an infamous rock star’s daughter.

One of the reasons why I read Jane is because the summary says that it’s a ‘forbidden romance’. And if you’ve read some of my reviews, you’ll know that I’m a sucker for forbidden romance. Having an affair with your rock star boss who’s more than 10 years older than you seemed like a forbidden romance to me, so I was really excited to get started on this book.

Jane Moore is a very honest character. I liked that she’s very practical and knows where she stands. She’s not the most confident character, but she’s not insecure either. She thinks she’s not pretty - and it could be true. She’s not exactly proud of her appearance, but she has learned to accept how she looks like. Jane is also a very mature character. It bothered me quite a bit how she’s so matured compared to Nico. Actually, I was bothered by how their age gap wasn’t given emphasis. I was waiting for somebody to point that out, so I was slightly disappointed when nobody did. Like I said, I’m a total sucker for forbidden romance; but how the other characters reacted or did not react (for that matter) on their relationship didn’t scream forbidden to me. They were rather ‘free’ to love each other without being judged by their friends. Nico’s fans did not approve of their relationship. However, this disapproval was short-lived, and did not even become an issue to them. Also, one of the biggest disappointments in this book is that; the Jane and Nico love team did not click. To me, that is. What good is a romance when the couple does not suit each other?

Jane is a very smart girl, so it totally beat me how fast she accepted Nico’s marriage proposal. That was the other thing that totally ruined this book for me. I became so close to banging my head on the wall when she accepted it without second thoughts. The events that transpired after that were even less enthralling. I didn’t buy the mystery that surrounded Nico Rathburn. I think the book would’ve been better if it focused on their relationship and omitted the mystery instead.

I haven’t read Jane Eyre yet, and it would rude to base my opinion on this book to the original one. I’d love to read Jane Eyre some other time, and hopefully, the expectations I had for Jane would be filled by Jane Eyre.

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Review: Jane by April Lindner