A Small Town Holiday-Inspired Romance with some Jane Austen Mixed In!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

TYPE OF NOVEL: Emma-Inspired, Contemporary Romance

SETTING: Crystal Corners, Minnesota

SYNOPSIS:

Emma Westwood and Austin Knightley grew up in the same small town, but as children they were never really close. Austin, who still to this day is quiet and reserved, long ago prejudged Emma as a spoiled busybody who is used to having her way, and has purposefully kept his distance, even though he is secretly drawn to her. And Emma, after having her overtures of friendship rebuffed byAustin Knightley has always assumed he is rude and disapproving. But with less than two weeks before Christmas, Emma, desperate to save her special Christmas project for the community, turns to Austin for some much needed help. Will Austin agree to help Emma in her time of need? What happens when Austin realizes his initial judgements of Emma were greatly mistaken?

WHAT I LOVED:

• Emma Inspired: I love that this is a contemporary holiday romance inspired by Emma. I adore Emma and Mr. Knightley, and I love the idea of seeing Jane Austen’s characters in holiday stories! This story isn’t a modern-day retelling of Emma, it is a story that follows its own plot, with a few allusions and parallels to Emma along the way. I loved spotting the nods to Jane Austen’s Emma, like Emma feeling a little separate from the rest of her community and not much desiring a relationship for herself.

• The Knightley Siblings: I loved this family! Readers meet Austin’s 3 younger siblings, his parents, and his sister’s husband, Reggie. (No cranky John Knightley here!) And all these characters had distinct differences in their personalities. I loved that the Knightley family was so large and dynamic – their boisterous snowball fight, their ribbing Austin over his time spent with Emma, and their family jokes about Reggie’s spice addiction were amusing and endearing to witness. It feels like these Knightley siblings would make excellent protagonists for any future books that might take us back to Crystal Corners…

• Modern-Day Highbury: I’ve said it a thousand times now, but here I go again – I adore Highbury and want to live there! And I loved Crystal Corners, a fictitious small-town in Minnesota, (fun fact: Marilyn Brant was first inspired to write this story while traveling in Minnesota!) that represented Highbury in this story. I so want to visit Adele’s Bakery and sample everything, to meet Emma’s neighborly and kind friends, and to live in a place where there is such a heartwarming sense of community. And seeing the town gather together to celebrate Christmas only enhanced these wonderful feelings of warmth and connection.

• Emma Westwood: If you are not a fan of Emma Woodhouse, stick around…because Emma Westwood is much more likable! Emma is much more generous and altruistic in her efforts to help people, and she doesn’t an unbalanced friendship with a Harriet Smith-like character or a Jane Fairfax/Frank Churchill situation for her to display poor judgement over. Instead we witness Emma care deeply and work tirelessly for her community and fight her own loneliness during the holidays, which easily earned her my support and admiration.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Austin/Romance: I’m sad to admit that I was not very enamored with Austin Knightley in this tale. There are some alterations with his personality (which is fine, I like an introverted Mr. Knightley!), but I also felt there were some pieces missing and that his character arc needed to be fleshed out some more. In addition, while I loved seeing a sweet romance develop between Austin and Emma, it did so rather quickly and I wouldn’t have minded a slower and more satisfying progression of their relationship.

CONCLUSION:

Fans of holiday-inspired romances and small-town settings will find plenty of good cheer and holiday spirit in this festive and merry tale! And Janeites will enjoy the virtual trip to a modern-day Highbury! I hope Marilyn Brant takes us back to Crystal Corners soon!

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