Blog Tour: Keeping Kate by Lauren Winder Farnsworth

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Keeping Kate by Lauren Winder Farnsworth

Book 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.

Review:

Modern retellings can be quite enjoyable, and being a fan of Jane Eyre, I thought it would be fun to see what Lauren Winder Farnsworth did with her retelling. In some ways, retellings can be a little hard since most of the surprise is eliminated if you're familiar with the original. But, it can be entertaining placing all the modern day characters as you read along.

Farnsworth did a good job of sticking to the original story, so if you like Jane Eyre, I think you'll be happy with Keeping Kate. That said, I was reminded that parts of Jane Eyre drag on (the audio book is over 18 hours long). True to the original story, Keeping Kate goes on much longer than most modern romances. Granted, the part after the initial falling in love is a big chunk of what makes the story interesting, but if you are a bit of an impatient reader you might find yourself wishing Kate's situation would progress faster.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go into much detail, but I actually found myself hoping that the story would stray from the original as far as the love interest was concerned since I liked one of the men much better than the other. Also, there is a relationship that is severed during the story that felt a little heartless. I understood that keeping in touch could have complicated things, but I just thought the person left probably wouldn't understand why they were deserted.

Keeping Kate is a clean and enjoyable story. The main character is a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), and many of her decisions reflect her commitment to living the gospel. Although religion is a big part of Kate's life, the religious parts don't come across as preachy.

The setting is great, and I thought the author did a good job modernizing the story.

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…who somehow also finds time to indulge in her real obsession—writing. She obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Utah, and the only entity that holds more of her heart than her alma mater is her husband, Bryan. Lauren currently lives in South Jordan, Utah, where she spends entirely too time watching Gilmore Girls and looking for excuses not to clean.  

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Title: Keeping Kate
Author: Lauren Winder Farnsworth
Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing & Media
Published: January 2015
ISBN: 1462115632
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Purchase: Amazon | Kindle