Book Description 

Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. It’s not just the role of a lifetime, but it’s also her last chance to prove herself as a serious actress (no easy feat after being fired from her last TV gig) and more importantly, it’s her opportunity to honor her mom, who was the biggest fan of Jane Austen ever. But one thing is standing in Tess’s way—well, one very tall, annoyingly handsome person, actually: Hugh Balfour.

A serious British method actor, Hugh wants nothing to do with Tess (whose Teen Choice Awards somehow don’t quite compare to his BAFTA nominations). Hugh is a type-A, no-nonsense, Royal Academy prodigy, whereas Tess is big-hearted, a little reckless, and admittedly, kind of a mess. But the film needs chemistry—and Tess’s career depends on it.

Sparks fly, but not in the way Tess hoped, when an electrical accident sends the two feuding co-stars back in time to Jane Austen’s era. 200 years in the past with only each other to rely on, Tess and Hugh need to ad-lib their way through the Regency period in order to make it back home, and hopefully not screw up history along the way. But if a certain someone looks particularly dashing in those 19th century breeches…well, Tess won’t be complaining.

A wickedly funny, delightfully charming story, The Austen Affair is a tribute to Jane Austen, second chances, and love across the space-time continuum.

My Review 

Oh my gosh, what a fun book! Regency-era time travel romances are nothing new, but I can’t recall any wherein both the hero and heroine travel back in time together. That’s exactly what happens to Tess and Hugh, and luckily, they are both actors who are already wearing period garb when they get zapped back to the Regency.  

It does not help matters that Tess and Hugh are not exactly on friendly terms, despite starring opposite each other in the Austen adaptation. In fact, Hugh has recently insulted Tess, claiming that she’s a mess and the movie is going to fail because of her. 

And now they have to work together to hide the fact that they are time travelers AND figure out how to get back to the present day. 

I don’t want to go into details about how they manage to find acceptance in a household, but needless to say, it involves a fake engagement, and then… complications arise. I truly enjoyed the gradual process that drew Tess and Hugh from enemies to lovers. What began as a means to escape detection slowly grew into something genuine. 

While the vast majority of this book takes place in the nineteenth century, I have to mention I loved all the little details, especially the numerous references to the fictional television show that Tess is most known for. It’s based on the Peanuts universe and is clearly an homage to Riverdale. 

I would absolutely recommend The Austen Affair. This book was engaging and fun to read and I loved the original skew on an already entertaining trope. This is a delightful debut and I am definitely going to be keeping my eyes out for more books from Bell in the future.   

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin/NetGalley.