by Paula Byrne
First published 2025
Jane Austen collapses when she learns her family must abandon their country estate for Bath. The move brings one consolation: six weeks at the seaside resort of Sidmouth while their city lodgings are prepared. Jane throws herself into the coastal pleasures, swimming in the sea and walking with her sister Cassandra and friend Martha Lloyd. Her brother Frank arrives from his naval service fighting Napoleon, bringing Captain Parker, who courts Jane with suspicious motives. Jane helps the peculiar Reverend Swete find a home for his mixed-race granddaughter from the West Indies. She initially dislikes Samuel Rose, a visiting lawyer, but her feelings shift as she discovers his true character. The summer becomes a season of unexpected romance and self-discovery for the woman who created literature's most beloved love stories.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Bath, Sidmouth, West Indies
Period: Napoleonic Wars
256 pages · Kindle Edition · Pegasus Books