Monday, September 28, 2009

Jillian Dare by Melanie M. Jeschke



Honesty up front: this wasn't one of my favorites. That said, I still found it somewhat enjoyable. It must be difficult to take a classic novel like "Jane Eyre" and modernize it, which is what I think Melanie was attempting to do.

Jillian Dare grew up in the foster care system, so she's never really had a place to belong. When the opportunity to be a nanny to a toddler comes along, she decides to take a chance and apply for the position.

The estate is owned by Ethan Remington, and what an estate it is! His daughter, Cadence, is a delightful cherub, and Jillian gets along well with the majority of the staff. Ethan is fairly easy to relate to, and Jillian seems to settle in well.

Except for the pesky threats she receives.

Part of Ethan's dynasty is film production, which requires him to travel to his castle in England. Jillian is thrilled to make the journey with toddler Cadence in tow. The staff there also takes a liking to her, and seeing the countryside is a wonderful experience.

Except for the mysterious phone calls.

With a few slips in character (the elder lawyer says 'Cool' and some other minor flawed word choices), the novel reads seamlessly. I just felt cold toward the romance in the story.

The judgmental older foster brother also got on my nerves. He reminded me too much of the church I grew up in and what I fought against for nearly half of my life. That too seemed a bit stilted and contrived.

In all, "Jillian Dare" wasn't boring...I actually liked her character. I would have liked more interaction with the toddler, as Jillian was the nanny. So, I'm willing to give this one three out of five bookmarks, with a bonus white tassel and a digital camera as a charm.

If you love the classics re-written, you'll love this book. I'm just not fond of that particular genre (is it a genre? or a style?). Published by Revell, "Jillian Dare" is available now, and is a quick read.

Happy Reading!

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1 comment:

Lori (sugarandgrits) said...

I've been wanting to read this book ever since it first came out. I'm not a big fan of Jane Austen, so maybe I will enjoy it more? I'll at least give it a try, whenever I get my hands on a copy. =)

~ Lori
http://sugarandgrits.blogspot.com