Jane by April Lindner

Following her parents' death, Jane must drop out of the respected East coast college she been attending because she is broke.  Nearly homeless, Jane makes a desperate attempt at becoming a nanny through a rather reputable agency.  Surprisingly, Jane is just what the agency has been looking for.  Rock-star phenomenon Nico Rathburn needs a nanny for his six-year-old daughter while he launches his huge come back album and tour.  Practical and calm, Jane fits into her employer's life smoothly.  Drawn to the ominous force of Rathburn's character, she reluctantly discovers a depth of love she never dreamed possible wrapped in a forbidden romance.  Secrets are woven into the fabric of life at Thornfield  Park, dark secrets that may destroy any happiness Jane has found.
Openly based on the Gothic romance,  Jane Eyre, Linder's Jane sets the main character from Bronte's masterpiece smack in the middle of modern day America, cell phones, Internet, American Idol and all.  The premise is interesting, and Linder executes the transition beautifully.  Fully engaged, I moved through the story (even though I was familiar with the plot) rapidly .  Jane was endearing and Rathburn magnetic.  One of the problems was the lack of suspense or thrill that Bronte created in the original, perhaps because I was so well versed in the story or maybe because Linder explained things a little too thoroughly.

Some may love Heathcliffe, I love Rochester because of his faults and Rathburn is equally intriguing.  The romance of the forbidden, the love for someone so imperfect is captured fully in Jane.  An excellent entry novel for the more complex original, this novel is recommended for anyone interested in the classic tales of love, loss, and redemption.

Soulless, An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Miss AlexiaTarabotti has no soul.  She lives in an alternative 19th Century where vampires, werewolves and ghosts live -nearly- side by side with daylight beings (humans).  Generally, she goes unnoticed and frequently ignored as she is also a spinster whose father was Italian. Then, she is attacked by an unusually rude vampire in the library of the Snodgrove's home. She accidentally kills the vampire which brings the powerful, handsome, loud, and werewolf, Lord Conall Maccon into her story. Although he loudly argues with Alexia, he also efficiently cleans up the mess and makes it all disappear.  In spite of his best efforts, Miss Tarabotti is now the central suspect of everyone (vampire queens, werewolf alphas, and strange wax creatures) as more socially gauche vampires appear and other rogue vampires and werewolves disappear.

Thinking that this novel would fall heavily in the steampunk fiction genre, I anticipated more intrigue, more gadgetry, more sci-fi.  Still, I seriously enjoyed Alexia's character.  Her complete loyalty to self, her curious mind, her random observations, and even her insecurities made me laugh, made me like her.  The constant banter between Miss Tarabotti and Lord Macoon was charmingly written.  Their lack of self awareness and control was the central propulsion of the plot. I loved it, just the way I loved Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy; Beatrice and Benedict, and Rhett and Scarlet.

If you are expecting a suspenseful, action dense novel, you may be disappointed.  Part urban fantasy, part romance, part mystery, and a splash of steam punk, Soulless is an excursion into a fascinating alternative world, with delightful characters and plenty of touchy, kissy, descriptive, romance stuff.  Myself, I am anxious to read the second novel, Changeless (a NY Times Best Seller).