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Tamsen Parker
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If I Loved You Less: A Lesbian Romance Retelling of Jane Austen's Emma Kindle Edition

by Tamsen Parker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
Matchmaking? Check. Surfing? Check. Falling in love? As if.

Sunny, striking, and satisfied with her life in paradise, Theodosia Sullivan sees no need for marriage. She does, however, relish serving as matchmaker for everyone who crosses her path. As the manager of her family’s surf shop in Hanalei Bay, that includes locals and tourists alike.

One person she won’t be playing Cupid for is the equally happy bachelorette down the street. Baker Kini ʻŌpūnui has been the owner of Queen’s Sweet Shop since her parents passed away and her younger brother married Theo’s older sister and moved to Oahu. Kini’s ready smile, haupia shortbread, and lilikoi malasadas are staples of Hanalei’s main street.

However, Theo’s matchmaking machinations and social scheming soon become less charming—even hazardous—to everyone involved. And when she fails to heed Kini’s warnings about her meddling, she may be more successful than she ever intended. Theo has to face the prospect of Kini ending up with someone else, just as she realizes she’s loved Kini all along.
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  1. Print length
    228 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 20, 2018
  4. File size
    2.3 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07H3RGN22
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 20, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Tamsen Parker

Tamsen Parker

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Tamsen Parker is a stay-at-home mom by day, USA Today bestselling author of erotic romance writer by naptime. She lives with her family outside of Boston, where she tweets too much, sleeps too little and is always in the middle of a book. Aside from good food, sweet rieslings and gin cocktails, she has a fondness for monograms and subway maps. She should really start drinking coffee. You can learn more about Tamsen on www.tamsenparker.com, follow her on Twitter at @TamsenParker or Pinterest at TamsenParker, or Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tamsenparker.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
41 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Faithful but fresh retelling of Emma
    Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Things you should know about this book:
    1. From what I recall of the Gwyneth Paltrow movie (whatever, I remember it more vividly than the book), this it's a startlingly faithful adaptation of Emma in character traits and plot beats. I guess I'm used to the P&P adaptations where a contemporary setting requires more changes
    2. Despite the above, the Hawaiian setting and the diversity of race and sexuality make this an absorbing and sparkling new experience
    3. You will get so hungry, even if you're lazy like me and don't look up all the delicious-sounding food that permeates every single chapter, practically every page
    4. There is no sex on the page, which I did not expect given that I thought of Tamsen Parker as an author of erotic romance. This, I think, is one of her only books that is not in that category. Just FYI for setting expectations for this read and for others by her!
    5. This book is delightful and I'd encourage any fan of Austen or diverse romance to check it out!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • TM in PA
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2018
    I have mixed emotions when it comes to “retelling” stories. It helps a lot if you’ve read the source material, and if you haven’t, the “retelling” isn’t very meaningful. So there you go. In this case, I have not read Jane Austen’s Emma and that was okay. For me, that just made If I Loved You Less fresh, interesting and I didn’t spend any brain cells on comparing this to the original material. That’s why exactly why I liked if I Loved You Less.

    The story is set in Hawaii, which I don’t often see as a main location, and I loved the way Tamsen Parker included the culture of the islands in this tale. Right from the start this story felt original to me. Theodosia Sullivan runs a surf shop and teaches tourists how to surf. Everyone loves her, and she returns that love by playing matchmaker. She’s pretty good at it, or so it seems to Theo who has a high opinion of her own skills. She can be annoying. One of Theo’s favorite people is Kini, the town baker. There’s a fourteen year age gap between Theo and Kini, making Theo look to Kini for support and guidance at times, and Theo doesn’t realize at first that the way she feels about Kini is more than just about being supportive.

    I loved that this book left a lot to the imagination when it came to sex and because of that other emotions besides desire took center stage. I also appreciated the sexual fluidity of this title.

    Overall, an entertaining read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Abigail Crawley
    3.0 out of 5 stars 3.25 stars -
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Tamsen Parker describes 'If I Loved You Less' as a lesbian retelling of the Jane Austen classic 'Emma.' I have not read the said classic book, so if you've already read it, know that I cannot attest to this story's relation and faithfulness to it.

    First of all, I really appreciated how vividly and beautifully Parker crafted the setting for this story. It was set in the exquisite paradise of Hanalei Bay in Hawaii and featured Hawaiian delicacies that made me drool a little bit.

    However, I thought the story didn't really live up to its description of being a "lesbian" reinvention of the Jane Austen book, because (1) it mostly featured heterosexual relationships, and (2) the protagonist, Theo, claimed that she was only into women but she herself did not feel comfortable with the term "lesbian." And to me, that would have been fine had the author not used the term "lesbian" to describe her novel. Of course, it was immensely possible that Theo was still discovering and learning about her own sexuality. Now having said that, Theo obsessing over the idea of having Austin, a man, as her potential husband made things confusing and awfully problematic to me since, as I have said, the author associated the term lesbian to the narrative. To me, it could negatively feeds the idea that someone is a lesbian until they found the right man—hence it became problematic.

    Furthermore, I had a hard time warming up to Theo because I found her self-centered, too nosy and immature—albeit her good intentions behind her actions—and could be a tad slow on the uptake. Kini, her best friend, on the other hand, was astute and sophisticated. I loved her from the get-go. Alas, I didn't get much of her since the story was solely told from Theo's POV (3rd person).

    As for the romance part, it didn't work for me—sadly. It was supposed to be an age gap romance between Theo (25) and Kini (39), but given their profoundly different personalities and their considerably scarce interactions in the book, the romance between them felt less compelling to me—who is a big sucker for age gap romances. I can only see their relationship as something to be on a filial nature only. Although I still enjoyed the twist in this part. It was predictable but would have been really good had the romantic chemistry between Kini and Theo been there. Alas–

    In spite all of this, I generally had fun reading it. I never once thought of dropping it. And I think that was all down to the author's engaging writing style and dialogues. To me, this book is more of a small town adventure and not really so much of a romance. I still recommend a read if you're looking for a light and a scenic one.
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  • Brandie
    5.0 out of 5 stars So perfect
    Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Do yourself a favor and buy the audio version. When you hear "Kini" you will thank me. The book is great and Jill is amazing. Can't wait to read more from Tam and hear more from Jill.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Madofu
    3.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly Emma
    Reviewed in Canada on June 15, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    3.5*--I bought this book having never read Jane Austen's Emma, and based my decision solely on the book being about a f/f romance and a bakery, two things I love. That being said, I liked this book--I didn't love it.

    Theo is a very self-centered character, and her personality and attitude towards "matchmaking" annoyed me more than endeared me to her. I've been told this is consistent with Emma's character in the source material, but not knowing that first hand just made her a bit grating.

    That being said, the world felt very vibrant, the setting was well-developed and the mood of the book felt sunny and cheerful. The romance felt like the ending and not the journey, but that didn't detract from the sweetness of the ending.

    All in all, I think this one got taken out of the oven a little early, but it was still tasty.
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