Welcome to my tour stop with Celebrate Lit! Find my review and the tour giveaway below...
Not Precisely Mr. Knightley
(The Silver Teapot #2)
By Carolyn Miller
Contemporary Christian Romance, Clean & Wholesome
Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback & eBook, 256 Pages
May 1, 2026 by Barbour Fiction
Summary
Can the Matchmaker Find True Love?
Emma-Jane (EJ) Bennett and Jordan Knight are longtime best friends who codesigned the immensely successful dating app, Dream Match. Success starts to go to EJ’s head when she gets caught up in the famous and money-hungry social circles and starts dating the son of a TV mogul. But Jordan’s feelings have grown from friendship to more. He determines to protect her by exposing Eric Churchill for the two-timer he is, finally agreeing to attend a function with her at the Sydney Opera House. But his best intentions go awry when EJ is embarrassed and runs for the security of home, small-town roots, and The Silver Teapot Café, feeling like Jane Austen’s chastised Emma—only without her Mr. Knightley.
Don’t miss book 1 in The Silver Teapot series, Not Exactly Mr. Darcy.
(Affiliate links included.)
My Review
NOT PRECISELY MR. KNIGHTLEY is about a woman determined to reach her dreams and the best friend who steps aside when it appears that's what she wants. It's about ambition and how sometimes a person can get lost in it, and about forgiveness, friendship and finding oneself. Readers will find relatable, imperfect characters, both city and small town settings, friendship, family and love with inspirational elements woven throughout. Recommended to fans of the author and genre.
I'm a huge Austen fan and always enjoy seeing how authors create their own stories based on hers. Miller definitely does an excellent job doing this! The nods to the original were fun and it was enjoyable seeing the original Emma retold in this story.
The characters were definitely relatable. I did have some issues liking EJ for most of this story, which did impact my enjoyment of the book. Part of that is that I've never liked girls like her in real life. Ones who will put others down to get ahead or will change their morals or themselves to fit in or be accepted by the popular or rich crowd. She thankfully had good roots and was herself a good person who eventually figured it all out. I loved Jordan! He was such a good friend and had EJ's back. He had his own struggles and had to figure out how what to do with plenty of prayer. Both EJ's and Jordan's families were fabulous! So much love and laughter and steadiness there. I also enjoyed the contrast between both the city and small-town settings. The romance was sweet and wasn't the main focus until a bit later into the book. I liked that it felt natural and wasn't easy. There was plenty of history behind the relationship as well. And it was a delightful aspect of this story.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an enjoyable read and a fun twist on Austen's Emma. I'm looking forward to seeing what Austen classic Miller tackles next!
Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Celebrate Lit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Other Books in the Series
(Linked to my review.)
About the Author
A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives.
Find the author here.
More from the Author
Do you know someone who has found love online?
I do. I have numbers of friends and even a family member who have found love and married thanks to dating apps and the like. This newer form of meeting people is something I’ve referenced in several of my books (including Only You Can Love Me), as several of my characters have used an app called Dream Match, a romance matchmaking app for Christian singles around the world. But when I first mentioned Dream Match years ago I didn’t realise at the time that I’d end up writing a story about how the inventor of Dream Match would finally meet her match.
And it seemed perfect to me that Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, known for her matchmaking skills, should be reflected in a modern day context as being the ultimate matchmaker, EJ Bennett, who is responsible for helping hundreds of people find love online. Even if she doesn’t think she needs or wants love for herself.
Playing with Jane Austen’s characters and putting them in a modern setting is a lot of fun. So not only does Emma Woodhouse become EJ Bennett, but George Knightley becomes EJ’s best friend and app co-designer Jordan Knight, the straight shooter she needs. And Frank Churchill, the man Emma starts to fall for, becomes Eric Churchill, son of a TV mogul squillionaire.
The first book in The Silver Teapot series, Not Exactly Mr. Darcy, also played around with some of Austen’s settings, placing the story in a small town in Australia called Wattle Vale. I had fun further developing the Australian connections by setting other key scenes in iconic places like the Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach, which naturally meant I had to visit for “research.”
So I hope readers enjoy this little taste of Australia, and all the fun references to Jane Austen’s Emma. Be sure to check out my website and follow me on social media for more Jane Austen inspiration and fun, and get ready to enjoy Not Precisely Mr. Knightley, a sweet and swoony best friends-to-more romance that shows the path to true love is never smooth – even for the professional matchmaker.
Happy reading!
Tour Schedule
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 28
Book Looks by Lisa, May 28
The Sacred Line, May 29
All-of-a-kind Mom, May 29
Pause for Tales, May 30
Life on Chickadee Lane, May 31
Stories By Gina, June 1 (Author Interview)
To Everything There Is A Season , June 1
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 2
Texas Book-aholic, June 3
For Him and My Family, June 4
Lyssa Loves Books, June 5
Wishful Endings, June 5
Fruitfully Planted, June 6
Happily Managing a Household of Boys , June 6
Cover Lover Book Review, June 7
Melissa’s Bookshelf , June 8
Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 8
Blossoms and Blessings, June 9
Holly’s Book Corner, June 10
Tour-Wide Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Carolyn is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a print copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Are you an Austen fan or a fan of modern twists of classics? Have you read other Austenesque books that you'd recommend?
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