The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay (2015)

When Lucy's secret is unearthed, her world begins to crumble. But it may be the best thing that has ever happened to her.

Lucy Alling makes a living selling rare books, often taking suspicious measures to reach her goals. When her unorthodox methods are discovered, Lucy's secret ruins her relationship with her boss and her boyfriend James—leaving Lucy in a heap of hurt, and trouble. Something has to change; she has to change.

In a sudden turn of events, James's wealthy grandmother Helen hires Lucy as a consultant for a London literary and antiques excursion. Lucy reluctantly agrees and soon discovers Helen holds secrets of her own. In fact, Helen understands Lucy's predicament better than anyone else.

As the two travel across England, Lucy benefits from Helen's wisdom, as Helen confronts the ghosts of her own past. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, where Lucy is reminded of the sisters' beloved heroines, who, with tenacity and resolution, endured—even in the midst of change.

Now Lucy must go back into her past in order to move forward. And while it may hold mistakes and regrets, she will prevail—if only she can step into the life that's been waiting for her all along.

Review 4/5 stars

A gently paced read with sprinklings of literary references thrown in. From the title, I was expecting a mystery somehow relating to the works of the Bronte sisters. I found that idea quite intriguing but I was completely wrong in making that assumption as that is not what the book is about. 

It is more to do with Lucy's journey, both physically and emotionally, towards self discovery. She comes to the realisation that her personal history doesn't have to define the type of person she becomes. Past mistakes can be made up for and forgiven.

I enjoyed reading this book. I particularly liked the parts where Lucy and James' grandmother were travelling around England and visiting different areas of literary significance. Each area and the people they meet along the way are described with such detail and charm that I found myself thinking about going on a similar trip the next time I visit England.

The characters are all very human in the respect that they are all deeply flawed. Lucy has some very dubious selling practices and it is only when she gets caught out does she decide to change and try to make amends. The little bit of romance concluded the story in a nice upbeat way.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.