Not Jane Austen Worthy

If you’ve read very far into my book reviews, either on my blog or on Goodreads, you know that I am a huge fan of Jane Austen’s books. I read Pride and Prejudice yearly and do not tire of that story. I was excited when I saw all of the endorsements for Jessica Dotta’s first book in her “Price of Privilege Trilogy”, Born of Persuasion. I mean, comparisons to not only Austen but also the Bronte sisters, what more could a girl ask for?

At seventeen, Julia Elliston’s world is falling apart. With both of her parents dead and no other family, she is following orders of an unknown guardian who wants her to go to Scotland and be a widow’s companion. Determined to stay in England, Julia’s first plan of action is to marry the man she has not heard from in three years even though they were secretly betrothed. When she learns that plan will not work, she agrees to an arrangement with a dowager who promises to find her a husband. Shortly after this arrangement is made, Julia and her friends are swept away to the estate of a powerful man who promises to keep her safe from her guardian. But all is not what it seems and Julia must try to uncover the truth before it is too late.

I feel like the description on the back cover of the book is a little misleading as Julia doesn’t really unravel any secrets, she just believes what she is told for the most part. I also felt like the main character was very wishy-washy. She flitted from one decision to the next without really thinking through all of the consequences. Now, because this is the first book in a trilogy (all about Julia Elliston), I am going to give it a little leeway. I definitely see the Brontes in this book but not my beloved Jane Austen. I struggled with the book for the first 150 pages which were comprised of a lot of background and foreshadowing comments. It was hard to get interested until all of that was over and the mystery actually started to unravel a little quicker. That said, I will probably pick up the second book of the trilogy next summer to see what happens to Julia next.

I would give the book three and a half out of five stars.

*****Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a positive or a negative review.