Review

(This is an adult romance.)

Tess Bright is a young and beautiful actor whose career is in a bit of trouble. She’s had trouble paying attention to her job since her beloved mother died of cancer. Her mum was a huge Austen fan, and brought Tess up to be one too. So she leapt at the chance of starring as Catherine Moreland in a film of Northanger Abbey. Thing is, she’s not getting along too well with her co-star, Hugh Balfour, who may be a British dreamboat poshboy with lots of acting cred, but is a stiff, pompous, stuck up prig, who’s not responding to Tess’s chaotic charm offensive.

Then, thanks to an electric shock incident, they’re whirled back in time to the Regency era, and Hugh is welcomed with open arms, as the believed-dead son of local stately home owner Mr Balfour, Hugh’s great-great-great (etc.) grandfather. Due to the scandalous nature of how they were found (Tess unchaperoned! Ungloved!), they are forced into a shotgun engagement. But Hugh and Tess form an alliance to survive Regency England without ruining the space-time continuum, and to find a way to get back to the present. In the process they find that each other’s company is, well… quite a bit better than they’d originally thought.

*

This is a light-as-air and very charming homage to Jane Austen. The main romance is very Lizzy/Darcy coded, and many of the characters echo Austen characters. There’s a lot of intertextual quotes and references… basically, if you’re a Jane fan, and you like semi-contemporary romcoms, you’ll probably enjoy this book. It’s told in first person from Tess’s point of view.

Well written fluff. A delightful diversion!

336 pp. Not suitable for school libraries.

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Some sexual content including a sex scene, kudos for consent inclusion; some swear words, including f-word used sexually as well as for swearing; grief; mother died of cancer; another character has Alzheimer’s; another character is in wheelchair and will only live one more year; a (not seen) character has died in combat.

*

Bell, M. (2025). The Austen affair. St Martin’s Griffin.

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