About the book:

Which is the key to love—passion or sensibility? Sensible Elly and romantic Maren are sisters trying to hold their family together in the wake of their father’s bankruptcy and death. As each unexpectedly encounters the madness and misadventures of love, will they ever find the true happiness they dream of? This modern reimagination of the Jane Austen favorite will capture your heart all over again.
Sense and Sensibility: A Latter-day Tale by Rebecca H. Jamison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am definitely a Jane Austen fan, and I have been pleased with modern adaptations of her well-loved books. I generally prefer reading the original before reading the update, but this is one book where I was unable to do so. Therefore, my review is based solely on Jamison’s novel. Others will have to comment on how well done (or not) the adaptation was done.

First of all, this is a clean book, and it is Mormon in nature. Don’t let that frighten you. I have enjoyed so many Mormon romances because there is never any profanity, no intimate scenes, and often the characters are more “Christian” than what might be considered mainstream Christian fiction. Any allusions to the Mormon faith are fairly innocuous and never preachy. Family values and doing the right thing are what is stressed within the story. This book can be relished by anyone who loves a clean romance.

The most difficult portion of the book for me was the constant switching of voices between Maren and Elly. In fact, I will admit that I was halfway through the book (at least) before I even started liking Maren. Elly made an instant connection with me. Although the book was slow to start, it finally began to pick up speed about halfway through the book. I cannot say that I was overly emotionally involved with the characters, but there were a few bumps and twists along the way to keep my attention.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

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About the author:

Rebecca H. Jamison has lived on a live volcano, excavated the bones of a prehistoric mammal, and won first prize at a rigged chili cook-off. She wrote novels just for fun until she made a New Year’s resolution in 2011 to submit a manuscript to publishers. Her first two published works are Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale and Emma: A Latter-day Tale. Rebecca grew up in Virginia. She attended Brigham Young University, where she earned a BA and MA in English. In between college and graduate school, she served a mission to Portugal and the Cape Verde islands. Her job titles have included special education teacher’s aide, technical writer, English teacher, and stay-at-home mom. Rebecca enjoys running, dancing, reading, and watching detective shows. She lives with her husband and children in Utah. You can learn more about her at www.rebeccahjamison.com.

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