The Brontë Plot
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“Katherine Reay is a remarkable author who has created her own sub-genre, wrapping classic fiction around contemporary stories. Her writing is flawless and smooth, her storytelling meaningful and poignant. You're going to love
The Brontë Plot
.”
âDebbie Macomber, #1
New York Times
bestselling author
“A delightful story of failure and success, of facing the truth about the past and present. Katherine Reay takes readers on a lyrical journey with sights, sounds, and colors that make her story come to life.”
âRachel Hauck,
USA Today
bestselling author
“Katherine Reay has done it again!
The Brontë Plot
is a literary delight with characters every bit as layered and captivating as the story itself. A deep, poignant tale that explores the importance of searching for truth in order to find healing and facing the past in order to move forward.”
âKatie Ganshert, award-winning author of
The Art of Losing Yourself
“In
The Brontë Plot
, Katherine Reay weaves a contemporary storyline with the threads of Victorian-era literature. The present and the past intertwine as her characters unravel truth from lies, attempting to undo choices with far-reaching consequences. The novel builds, and Reay layers profound life truth into a powerful and satisfying ending.”
âBeth K. Vogt, 2015 RITA
®
finalist, author of
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Lizzy & Jane
“It's poignant, it's witty, it's got romance and drama and complex characters and dialogue and it's clever and it makes you think and sigh and, yes, even swoon and the food, oh the food. It's the kind of book that makes you want to start again from the beginning as soon as you've reached the end because it has so many layers, subtleties, and depth, it's impossible to absorb it all in one mere read.”
âNovel Crossing
“Reay treats readers to a banquet of flavors, aromas, and textures that foodies will appreciate, and clever references to literature add nuances sure to delight bibliophiles. The relatable, very real characters, however, are what will keep readers clamoring for more from this talented author.”
â
Publishers Weekly
, starred review
“Reay's second Jane Austenâinspired tale is a layered and nuanced story of faith and hope, enriched by complex but relatable characters. Recommended for lovers of character-driven women's fiction.”
â
Library Journal
“Deeply moving and intensely meaningful, Reay's latest gives readers an intimate look into the lives of sisters. Elizabeth's character is raw and realâher desire to live a meaningful life and her authentic fear of rejection will help everyone identify closely with her journey. Delicious descriptions of food and the closeness that it provides to others gives the novel even more depth.”
â
RT Book Reviews
, 4½ stars
“What a wonderful book! Katherine Reay's
Lizzy & Jane
is a beautifully written, deeply moving novel that is a feast for the senses . . . An homage to a famous moment from Austen's
Persuasion
satisfied one of my dearest Janeite fantasies. And the food! Every description of Lizzy's masterpieces in the kitchen will make your mouth water and have you dying for a taste. It all adds up to a poignant, romantic, culinary delight that will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your heart.”
âSyrie James, bestselling author of
Jane Austen's First Love
“Filled with food and literary food references, this book will appeal to literature aficionados, foodies, and any lover of a good romance.”
â
CBA Retailers + Resources
Dear Mr. Knightley
“This delightful debut novel about how one young woman learns to become the person she was meant to be will resonate with fans of New Adult fiction and with readers who enjoy Jane Austen spin-offs.”
â
Library Journal
, starred review
“Katherine Reay's
Dear Mr. Knightley
kept me up until 2:00 a.m.; I simply couldn't put it down . . . If you've read Jean Webster's charming epistolary novel,
Daddy Long Legs
, you'll know where this is going. Webster wrote her book in 1919;
Dear Mr. Knightley
is a brilliant update. I absolutely loved the story of a rigidly bookish young woman who comes to know herselfânot to mention the real Mr. Knightley.”
âEloisa James,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Once Upon a Tower
“[
Dear Mr. Knightley
] is an intriguing story told through letters the heroine writes to her benefactor. It is enjoyable to watch her learn about life, gain maturity, and, in the end, find love. A lesson readers will learn from this engaging novel is that it's not so much where you come from, but where you're going that matters.”
â
RT Book Reviews
, 4½ stars, TOP PICK!
“Book nerds, rejoice!
Dear Mr. Knightley
is a stunning debutâa first-water gem with humor and heart. Using Samantha's painfully forthright, often humorous, and increasingly vulnerable letters to her mysterious benefactor, author Katherine Reay invites readers into each moment of a young woman's discovery that real heroes are fallible, falling in love isn't always better in books, and literature is meant to enhance lifeânot to serve as a substitute for living. I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next novel by this gifted new author!”
âSerena Chase,
USA Today
's Happy Ever After blog
“A heroine Jane Austen herself would be proud of!
Dear Mr. Knightley
is an emotional, haunting tale of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity. With depth and honesty, Katherine Reay's debut novel will grip your heart in the very first pages and not let go.”
âSarah E. Ladd, award-winning historical novelist of
The Curiosity Keeper
and the Whispers on the Moors series
“Katherine Reay's touching debut novel made me cry in all the right places. For joy.”
âLaurie Viera Rigler, author of
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
“A lovely debut novel from Katherine Reay! A wonderful story told in letter form,
Dear Mr. Knightley
was easy to read (and love) and a delight the whole way through, with plenty of Austen and Brontë sprinkled throughout. This book is going on my keeper shelf!”
âAustenitis, austenitis.blogspot.com
“Reay's debut novel,
Dear Mr. Knightley
, is a fun story told in a compelling voice that kept me up way too late. Highly recommended!”
âColleen Coble,
USA Today
bestselling author of
The Inn at Ocean's Edge
and the Hope Beach series
“Sprinkled with classic literary references and filled with poignant characterizations, Katherine Reay's modern retelling of Jean Webster's
Daddy Long Legs
is both reverently crafted and delightfully surprising.”
âLaurel Ann Nattress, Austenprose.com
O
THER
B
OOKS BY
K
ATHERINE
R
EAY
Dear Mr. Knightley
Lizzy & Jane
Copyright © 2015 by Katherine Reay
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Author is represented by the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, www.alivecommunications.com.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-4016-8976-6 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reay, Katherine, 1970-, author.
The Brontë plot / Katherine Reay.
pages ; cm
Summary: “When a rare-books dealer goes to England, she discovers more than just the famous writing haunts--she discovers how to love and be loved in today's modern world. Victoria Seward makes a living finding rare books through means that aren't always on the up-and-up. But if it makes the clients happy, who is she really hurting? After all, everything always turns out all right in the end. At least it does in her favorite books, the ones her absent father sends every year on her birthday, no matter where he is. When her unorthodox behavior ruins her relationship with her boyfriend James, Victoria knows something has to change--she has to change. Enter Helen, a wealthy client seeking a companion for her trip to England to purchase antiques, and who just happens to be James's grandmother. Helen has secrets of her own, secrets that help her relate to Victoria more than anyone can guess. As Victoria and Helen travel across England, Victoria suspects there is more to this trip than Helen lets on. When Helen's health falters, Victoria reaches out to James, reigniting feelings that were never truly extinguished. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, when hidden offenses rise to the surface. Victoria's happy ending is within reach--if she can step out of the literary world and into the life that's been waiting for her all along"--Provided by publisher.
Summary: “When a rare-books dealer goes to England, she discovers more than just the famous writing haunts--she discovers how to love and be loved in today's modern world"-- Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4016-8975-9 (softcover)
1. Booksellers and bookselling--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3618.E23B76 2015
813'.6--dc23
2015022374
15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
For all of us, and the choices we make every day.
Contents