Jane Eyre Laid Bare by Eve Sinclair

Book Trailer:

Everyone is familiar with Charlotte Bronte's passionate, but restrained novel in which the plain, yet spirited governess Jane Eyre falls for the arrogant Mr. Rochester. It’s a novel that simmers with sexual tension but never quite reaches the boiling point. Which is to be expected. After all, the original was written in 1847. That was then. This is now. And in Jane Eyre Laid Bare, author Eve Sinclair writes between the lines to chart the smoldering sexual chemistry between the long-suffering governess and her brooding employer. 

When an eager and curious Jane Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall her sexual desires are awakened. Who is the enigmatic Rochester and why is she attracted to him? What are the strange, yet captivating noises coming from the attic, and why does the very air she breathes feel heavy with passion? Only one thing is certain. Jane Eyre may have arrived at Thornfield an unfulfilled and tentative woman, but she will leave a very different person…

Jane Eyre Laid Bare is Eve Sinclair's rendition of the classic story. The only problem with my reading of this version is that I read the original and watched the black and white movie starring Orson Welles when I was much younger and fell in love with Jane's strong personality and Mr. Rochester's brooding persona. I always thought of this story as a romantic Gothic novel, and loved the different scenes in Jane's life.

Everything seemed forced in this book, especially since the Sinclair is trying to sell an erotic tale. Jane's schoolgirl flashbacks, her 'alone' times, how the title came to be, and even the big surprise at the end of how Rochester lured Jane into marriage because of his dom (yes, he had one), seemed like the author made piecemeal of the events just to shock the reader with an erotic telling of the classic story. I wasn't shocked; I was disappointed from lack of likability of any of the characters.

Book Information:

• Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist 
• St. Martin's Press; 2012
• ISBN13: 9781250032706
• Paperback

Disclosure: This eARC was provided by the publisher and any opinions are my own.