Review: Keeping Kate by Lauren Winder Farnsworth

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Keeping Kate by Lauren Winder Farnsworth

Paperback, 320 pages

Published January 13th 2015 by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Description:
Orphan Kate Evans is determined to make a life for herself on a Utah ranch, taking care of a little girl named Addie. But when she meets her irritable employer, Kate is forced to confront the past she's been running from—and face a future she never dreamed possible. This latter-day twist on the classic Jane Eyre is a romantic and gripping read.

My Review:
I've read Jane Eyre several times and have absolutely loved it! The author did a great job in staying true to the original story, yet keeping it inventive, if that makes sense.  

Kate is an orphan, wanting to find somewhere to belong. She becomes a nanny for a sweet little girl, Addie, and finds her niche. Kate is strong because she has to be. Her parents death left her feeling unloved and unwanted, yet her faith never wavers. For as strong as she is, she sure is naive. There were times when I wanted to yell at her to wake up and take a look around. She missed some very obvious things.

Her employer, Addie's father, Tyler, is very gruff and grumpy at first and then he abruptly changed--I wish it would've been a smoother transition. Honestly, I had a hard time liking Tyler. He came off across as spoiled and selfish. Yes, he had good reasons to be grumpy and selfish, but that didn't change how I felt about him.

Tyler's best friend, Jonathan, suddenly decides he likes Kate and the pursuit  and love triangle is on! Things only get more complicated when someone returns from Tyler's past. I didn't like the way things resulted with that arrival.

The relationships were all complicated; the characters were flawed; the story was full of assumptions and misunderstandings, yet it worked. This version was harder for me to love. After much pondering on the reasons why, I decided that it's because this takes place in the here and now, which really personalizes it more, and I wouldn't be okay with these situations that seemed fine 200 years ago.

Content: no language or violence; heavy religious tones (LDS)--lots of details about faith, religion, etc.; mild romance (clean kissing). Clean.

 

 

About the Author:
 
Lauren Winder Farnsworth was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is an avid reader, a chocolate enthusiast, a musicophile and a CPA—which, yes, is somewhat unusual for a novelist, but don’t let that freak you out. She obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Utah, went to work as an auditor of various financial statements, and then decided that writing down the stories swimming in her head sounded like a good creative outlet on the side. Having obtained two degrees from the same institution has made Lauren somewhat of a compound collegiate fan, and the only entity that holds more of her heart than the University of Utah is her husband, Bryan. Lauren currently lives in South Jordan, Utah, where she spends entirely too much time watching Gilmore Girls and looking for excuses not to clean. She loves to hear from her readers at www.laurenwinderfarnsworth.com.

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