Review: Blame it on the Brontes
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2013
Becky Lower's contemporary, Blame it on the Bronte's does not disappoint. Based on the lives of three sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, it follows their path to romance in a small coastal town in Maine. Now you may be saying to yourself, seen and done that before, but STOP and let me tell you why this story is worth the read. First, all three sisters are in their forties - refreshing, right? They are looking for love after missing the mark earlier in their lives.  I don't know about you, but the last time I looked at the US census the average age for woman was not 25, so why are the majority of heroines in their twenties?Second, the sisters don't get along so their story is also about reconciliation and the healing of old wounds. And the tension is ratcheted up even more when they are forced to live together as a condition of their mother's will. Third, the heroes are actually interesting characters! Two run a lobster boat and the third is a cop whose wife was killed in the line of duty. How can you not fall in love with an `everyman' character and in this book we get three of them!Fourth, the small coastal town, Puffin Harbor is described in a way that it almost becomes its own character. These people live and breathe the salt air and look out their window to the sea below. The author does a wonderful job of using `magic places' to further the romance in the book. The first magic place is the widow's walk on the house. All three heroines are drawn to this special spot. Charlotte and Emily watch their men come home from the sea and Anne watches her man jog along a trail next to their house. The other magic place in their stories is the `kissing cave'. A place where teens in the town go to make out, it plays an important part in all three love stories, whether as a reminder of the past (Charlotte & Gray) , a wish of a love-smitten boy, now man (Emily & Liam), or the chance of a new future (Anne & Jesse).The final reason why you should read this book is the heroine's themselves. All three sisters are unique and yet they all want a second chance at love. Charlotte, the artistic east-coaster gal who drinks beer; Emily the successful business woman who thinks she can plot out her life and loves using lists; and Anne the tempestuous actress whose fiery temper and love for designer shoes gets her into trouble.  How can you not want to know their story? I know I had to.