Jillian Dare in May

Jillian Dare by Melanie M. Jeschke is a contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre which will be published next May by the Baker Publishing Group:

Jillian Dare: A Novel
Melanie M. Jeschke
Price: $12.99
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3316-2
ISBN-10: 0-8007-3316-9
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
Number of pages: 288
Publication Date: May. 09
Formats: Paperback

Jillian Dare leaves her Shenandoah Valley foster home behind and strikes out on her own as a nanny at a large country estate in northern Virginia. She is delighted with the beauty of her new home, the affection of her young charge Cadence Remington, and the opportunity for frequent travel to the Remington castle in England. She is less certain about her feelings for her handsome but moody employer, Ethan. In spite of herself, Jillian realizes she is falling for her boss. But how can a humble girl ever hope to win a wealthy man of the world? And what dark secrets from the past is he hiding?

This contemporary story, inspired by the well-loved classic Jane Eyre, will capture readers' hearts.

We read on Publishers Weekly the following advanced review:

This contemporary romance by Jeschke (Oxford Chronicles series) echoes the classic Jane Eyre with some modern parallels. That 19th-century governess easily becomes today's nanny, as the titular character—an orphan—is employed as nanny to the toddler daughter of Ethan Remington, a wealthy corporate executive and film producer who owns a considerable ancestral home in England. Like Rochester, the lord of the manor falls for his employee's youth and freshness, but plans for the future are blocked by a complication from Remington's past. Many elements from Jane Eyre are cleverly translated: the earlier novel's sternly moral and unloving parson St. John Rivers has a convincing analogues, as do key plot elements at the book's end. The author needs to work harder on minor characters, some of whom—like Remington's lawyer friend Calvin Cole—merely turn the plot wheel. The narrative tone is also uneven, at times formal, almost grave (“The very name can still conjure up in me...”), while at other times it's slangy and modern (“ 'I'm fine. Just a little creeped out.' ”) But reader, if you liked Charlotte Brontë's novel, you'll enjoy revisiting it here. (May)

Categories: Books, Jane Eyre, Sequels