Finding Jane
Elizabeth Conte
Jane Writes Press (2022)
ISBN: 979-8985302240
Reviewed by Stephanie Elizabeth Long for Reader Views (11/2022)
After her heart is broken by the man she expected to spend her life with, Jane is reeling with anger and self-loathing. Still, she dries her tears, forcing herself to make the best of an upcoming work trip. Across the pond from California to England, Jane embraces the downtown, rich with history and the sprawling English countryside. Perhaps it’s the escape she needs. But when she encounters a bookstore with a peculiar woman who delivers a cryptic message to Jane about her fate, she cannot shake the eerie feeling. The woman was adamant about Jane traversing the terrain of past and future to find love, but what did that mean?
Then, she is found completely nude and taken to the Eaton Estate, where she realizes she has been transported back to the nineteenth century. Dr. Cummings, a kind-hearted doctor and a close friend of Henry Eaton, cares for her. He doesn’t even bat an eyelash when she voices her plight regarding the time travel and promises to help her get back home. Still, he warns her to tread carefully and keep tight-lipped as people will surely gossip.
Jane and Henry cannot deny the electricity between them. Still, scandal and honor seem to keep the couple apart, and, of course, the fact that Jane belongs in the future might confuse Henry. Will she willingly embrace her feelings for Henry and be stuck in the past forever, or will she return home lonely and brokenhearted?
“Finding Jane” is a fascinating historical fiction book with a little sprinkle of fantasy, and it reeled me in from the beginning. It’s not often that I come across a book that intersperses romance and magic. But isn’t love profoundly magical? The answer is a resounding yes; thus, I thought the mystical element of time travel added another layer of intrigue to the love story.
One of the many endearing qualities of the book was the sheer brilliance of taking a modern woman from the twenty-first century and transporting her back to the nineteenth century. Not only were her observations humorous and captivating, but they provided much insight into how the world has changed. I particularly enjoyed when her modern-day feminism shone through, often shocking the stuffy older men. Her feisty and adventurous spirit was truly my favorite part of the story.
I couldn’t praise this enchanting book enough or bring it the justice it deserves without gushing over the love story between Henry and Jane. It was passionate, heartbreaking, and time-bending all at once, and I couldn’t help but be swept up in the couple’s mass of emotions. But it didn’t start immediately; the author did an impeccable job highlighting Henry and Jane’s collective distaste for one another initially. Then, through clever character building, the tension between them slowly shifted and transformed into mutual respect, admiration, and finally, all-encompassing desire. As a reader, their romance completely transfixed me. It made it difficult to put the book down and go back to regular life (a sign that the author is truly gifted)!
“Finding Jane” has something for everyone—history, including vivid descriptions of nineteenth-century England, time travel, and a love story that will pull your heartstrings. Between the unique premise and expertly crafted characters, the book is worthy of five stars!
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