Sex, Lies and Sensibility is a Jane Austen remix you won't be able to put down

Sex, Lies and Sensibility is one of those titles you can’t get out of your head. I don’t know how Nikki Payne came up with it but it immediately sucked me in. 

As revamped and refreshing retellings of Jane Austen, Nikki Payne burst onto the scene with Pride and Protest. Everyone loves a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but honestly, I was nervous about picking up Sex, Lies and Sensibility. 

As someone who has read and enjoyed Jane Austen in the past, I didn’t know anything about this story and frankly, Nikki Payne had me on the edge of my seat. Truly, the drama was there from the start and it felt like a rollercoaster ride. 

I’d like to thank Berkley for sending me an ARC and getting me hooked on a story I had never read before. 

Sex, Lies and Sensibility is a captivating romance. 

As far as Jane Austen's retellings go, I have yet to read one that starts as dynamically as Sex, Lies and Sensibility. After Nora and Yanne find out that they’re their father’s “other family” at the funeral, they’ve bequeathed an inn in Maine that are tasked to fix up. If they fix it up, they can pay it and get 3 million. If they don’t, it goes to their wicked stepsister, and from there, it’s on. 

The only problem is that once they arrive, the two are greeted by Native Abenaki cousins who are putting on a tour. While they don’t get along at first, it’s clear the sparks are flying for Bear and Nora. Eventually, the two agree to make the inn a mutually beneficial partnership and begin renovating. 

As you might imagine, the inn needs many repairs, causing Bear to end up at the inn and be forced to be around Nora. While it takes a while for them to warm up to each other, the tension between them is so hot. I don’t know how Nikki Payne did it but those long looks and random kisses were enough to get me invested and want them to be together. 

As with most romance, everything that can go wrong for these two does. Whether it’s repairs at the house, Bear being tethered to his duties, or Nora trying to do everything on her own, it feels like we’ll never get to see them happy. While the plot didn’t go the way I imagined, I will say that it was well worth the journey to get there. 

Even though I’ve never read the source material, I can imagine that the drama is dialed up in the original. Regardless, Nikki Payne made it her own and put such a unique spin on a classic that you need to add it to your TBR. Whether you’re pulled in by the cover, the title, or the pitch, Sex, Lies and Sensibility will surprise you in more ways than one. 

 Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne is out now where books are sold.