This book grabbed my attention for a variety of reasons. First, the author's name alludes to Jane Austen's work, and she includes references to other Jane-isms in the text. There's Mr. Darcy, the heroine's cat, and Lord Sebastian Fairfax, one of the men that is a contender for her heart. Even the heroine's name, Bronte, alludes to other famous authoresses. Second, the cover of the book also captured my attention. There is the outline of a carriage, and the positioning of the people on the cover hinted a connection to historicals and regencies. Finally, I have seen another of Emma Bennet's books on the Amazon list for inspirational literature, although I have not read any of her work before reading, I Need a Hero. When I saw the book on Net Galley offerings, I decided to bite.
Despite all its literary allusions and cover, I Need a Hero, actually takes place in contemporary times. Bronte Huntington, a romance writer, has friend zoned her neighbour, Ryan Murphy, who Bronte perceives as average and uninteresting. Instead, her romantic attentions have been arrested by Sebastian Fairfax, a bona fide member of the nobility, who rescues her in a similar fashion to Mr. Willoughby's rescue of Marianne from Sense and Sensibility. He rescues her by horseback (he was riding on his property) after she tumbles down a hill and injures her foot. Sebastian is dark and mysterious, like the romantic heroes that Bronte writes about. In fact, he becomes the inspiration for the hero in the novel that she is currently working on.
Her non-Sebastian time is spent with Ryan, who wants to be more than friends with Bronte, but who can't compete with Sebastian. As Bronte spends time with both men, she discovers that Sebastian is not quite the romantic hero that she thought him to be, and that Ryan is not as boring and average as she thought. However, she is stubborn, and is unwilling to give up her hopes for a relationship with Sebastian, even though Ryan is looking better and more attractive as the days go by. Who will Bronte choose? Will she end up with the self-centered Sebastian, whose social circle is reluctant to accept her, or with Ryan, who is thoughtful, warm, and reliable, and whose mother would love to have Bronte as a future daughter-in-law?
This novel is secular in nature and Bronte is a gal who has been around the block a few times. She had been burned in a previous relationship in which the man who she had lived with, and who she expected to marry, bailed on her when she expected to receive a marriage proposal. She had always known that he wasn't the person for her, but stuck it out nevertheless. After getting dumped, she decided that she wouldn't take on any guy who didn't meet her expectations of what a hero would look like, and Sebastian seems to fit the bill. Unfortunately, for poor Ryan, he does not; he's a bit on the short side, he has red hair, and he's a boring dentist. It becomes obvious who the superior choice is, but Bronte is a bit head strong, and ironically, continues to stick it out for another inappropriate candidate, even though she thinks she knows what a real hero looks like.
For readers of this blog who are interested in knowing, there are no sex scenes in this book. The heroine is pressured to have sex with one of the men, but she refuses him. Bronte also shares a bed for a night with the other man, but does not get physically intimate with him.
The writing style of this novel didn't quite work for me at certain points of the novel; it felt like it could have used more dialogue and I thought that things could have been shown more to the reader than having it explained through the prose. However, the plot, although predictable, was quite solid. I liked how the relationship developed between Bronte and her final choice for a hero. It was cute how this choice also was reflected in the direction of the novel that Bronte is writing.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-copy of "I Need a Hero" by Emma Bennet from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
