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A Novel
by Madeline Bell
Book Reviewed by:Two feuding co-stars in a Jane Austen film adaptation accidentally travel back in time to the Regency Era in this delightfully clever and riotously funny debut.
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.
Chapter One
I stand at the craft-services table, wearing a delicate blue traveling coat and matching bonnet. One of my cream-colored gloves is clenched between my front teeth to facilitate the process of scrolling anxiously through Twitter.
I knew the news would break sooner or later, but I still wasn't prepared for this level of public humiliation.
@EW: Major Chuck Brown recast: 2-time Teen Choice Award winner Tess Bright OUT ahead of Season 5
@Celebri.tea: Anon from Vancouver: T*ss Br*ght wasn't replaced bc of "scheduling conflicts." she was CANNED bc she became totally unreliable in S3&4. Production nicknamed her "Tess the Mess"
I'm on the verge of vomiting all down the front of my beautiful, period-appropriate costume. Panicking, I continue scrolling down the feed, before smashing headlong into the digital brick wall that is the public announcement from my former showrunner.
@ChuckBrownOfficial: Statement on Loosie recasting from showrunner, Donna Cox, in photo attached.
"We categorically...
These tongue-in-cheek references blend with witty juxtapositions of the 2020s and the 1800s. During a heated argument on set, Tess and Hugh are electrocuted and catapulted back two centuries, to the time when (and where) Jane Austen was still alive. Hugh is mistaken for his own ancestor returning from war, and Tess is assumed to be his fiancée. Tess and Hugh's relationship follows the familiar "enemies to lovers" arc (though Austen never would have used such a term, given that it can be a flattening oversimplification), full of witty bickering and dramatic declarations. Yet here the tone diverges: whereas Austen builds tension subtly, Bell leans into melodrama, offering one love confession too many. Even with its flaws—that maybe can be forgiven, particularly in a debut—The Austen Affair is entertaining, funny, light-hearted, and self-aware. It frees Austen from the highbrow pedestal and imagines what her world might look like through the eyes of the chronically online...continued
Full Review
(749 words)
(Reviewed by Alicia Calvo Hernández).
Alexandra Vasti, USA Today bestselling author of Ne'er Duke Well
Warm, witty, and delightful, The Austen Affair is a heartfelt rom-com joy. Bursting with chemistry and Austen Easter eggs, it's the perfect romance for anyone who's dreamed of falling into their favorite Austen story. Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of Tweet Cute
Equal parts cheeky, swoon worthy, and heartfelt, The Austen Affair is a love letter to Jane Austen and her passionate fandom. This tale pulls you in with irresistible banter and 'opposites attract' mischief, and stays with you for the found family, the exploration of love and loss, and the timeless allure of Regency-era romance.
In The Austen Affair, Madeline Bell imagines what would happen if two 21st-century actors—Tess Bright and Hugh Balfour—were hurled back in time to the early 1800s. In the middle of a heated disagreement on set, an electrical accident sends them into the Regency countryside. There, amid picnics, balls, and the difficult act of sorting out their feelings for one another, they must also figure out how to return home.
The closest thing they find to a solution is another electrical oddity: an electrifying machine. During a dinner party being held at the home of Hugh's ancestors, one of the houseguests mentions this curious invention—a real Regency pastime and pseudo-medical machine that delivered mild shocks to create ...
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