Seeking Mansfield, by Kate Watson

Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson is sort of like Jane Austen re-telling Mansfield Park. It's been such a long time since I read Mansfield Park that I can't really comment on how faithful it is to the source material. I do know that the basic structure of it is similar and reading this made me really want to go back to re-read Mansfield Park.

I really liked both Finley and Oliver.  I loved their friendship and how they always supported each other. I loved the slow burn romance between them, too. We get both of their points of views throughout the story. Normally when we get both perspectives, we end up finding out that both characters have feelings for each other. I really enjoyed getting both perspectives here. I think that I could have ended up disliking Oliver a bit without his thought process of how he was justifying his actions. Instead I thought he was pretty adorable, even if he frustrated me at times.

I loved "uncle" Thomas and how the parents in this book were present. There were consequences for bad behavior and guidance when needed. I thought the other side characters - Harlan and Emma Crawford (Hollywood actors and new neighbors) and Tate and Juliette (Oliver's brother and sister) were all fairly well developed, though I would've liked a little more of Oliver's siblings. From what I remember of the Crawfords from Mansfield Park I thought Harlan and Emma were really well done though maybe a little more likable here.

Overall, I really enjoyed Seeking Mansfield. I liked the characters and the romance and the message of self-worth and standing up for yourself. It was an easy and addicting read. Though I thought the middle of the story dragged a little but it did pick right back up and I really enjoyed it. *JK*