Lies Jane Austen Told Me by Julie Wright

 McKenna Mendenhall in our ward is a darling young mother, just bursting with enthusiasm and charm. One day after church I was visiting with her, and she told me her mother, who lives locally in Santa Clara, is a prolific writer. She writes "proper romance" for Shadow Mountain, a spinoff, of sorts, of Deseret Book. I asked her which one was her favorite, and she mentioned "Cross My Heart" because "It's dedicated to me!" When I went online to look for it, I also saw this one and was enticed to order both.

This is a modern tale, where the young woman is thwarted in love, and continually reflects on what Jane Austen would do. Each chapter begins with an Austen quote. It's quite charming, and the conversations are lively. The plots are so predictable in this genre, but still it's fun. Sometimes the sheer goodness of the good characters are a little over the top. It was a little frustrating to have it be so lightweight, but this author writes better than most. 

I enjoyed the southern California setting, of the story, and the description of the brothers and their parents. All very wholesome and good... Still, not my genre of choice...