I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, so this story appealed to me from the moment I saw it, and I was not disappointed. The Austen Affair is a fabulous read! It’s charming, funny, emotional, and wonderfully romantic. I adored everything about it: the characters, the time travel twist, the Regency setting, the Austen references, and the absolutely swoon-worthy romance that unfolds with the perfect amount of angst, romance, and humor.

The story follows two actors, Tess Bright and Hugh Balfour, who are cast as the leads in a Jane Austen adaptation. An on-set accident sends them spiraling back 200 years into the Regency period, where they have to figure out how to survive (and possibly get home) while keeping their wits—and reputations—intact. What follows is hilarious, heartfelt, and, at times, bittersweet, with an emotional depth I wasn’t expecting but absolutely loved.

Tess is such a fun and relatable protagonist with an amazing personality. She’s sharp, big-hearted, and quick-witted, even when she’s floundering in a world that expects her to be meek and demure. Her sense of humor is a major highlight of the story, and I laughed out loud more than once at her internal monologues and clever quips. At the same time, there’s a vulnerability to her that made me really connect with her, especially in how she navigates grief and her longing to honor her mother’s memory. As a fellow motherless daughter, I so understood her feelings.

And then there’s Hugh. Love him!! Quiet and serious, he starts out as a bit of a mystery and a total grump who is stoic and clearly not thrilled to be stuck with Tess. But as the story unfolds, we see his deeper layers. His loyalty, protectiveness, deep love for his family, dry humor, and his simmering emotional intensity just melted me, as did some of the swoon-worthy things he declared to Tess.

Hugh is the perfect complement to Tess in an opposites attract, introvert/extrovert kind of way. They have such amazing chemistry, and I love how their contentious relationship changes and blooms into something truly beautiful. They develop an ease with each other as they quickly learn to trust and support each other is so lovely. They have so many touching and funny conversations (like laugh out loud, left a smile on my face funny), and I love their banter too. Their relationship goes from superficial and unpleasant to a deep and lasting love, and it was fantastic!

I also have to shout out George, Hugh’s younger brother, who stole every scene he was in. He’s mischievous, clever, and delightfully dramatic in the best way. His interactions with Tess, Hugh, and the other characters were so charming and added another layer of warmth and humor to the story. Beyond the romance and the laughs, the book touches on themes of grief, self-worth, and the courage it takes to embrace change. Both Tess and Hugh are navigating their own insecurities and disappointments, and it was really moving to watch them find strength in themselves and each other.

The Austen Affair is fun and flirty, emotionally rich, full of clever Austen nods, and has such lovely messages about finding connection, embracing vulnerability, and rewriting your own story. There’s even a fantastic cameo that made me squeal just as much as Tess did. 😂 Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

When I saw the description of this book it was an obvious addition to my TBR list. Tess Bright and Hugh Balfour are on the set of a film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and are not jiving or developing any chemistry on set. When an electrical accident sends them both back 200 years to the Regency period they have to put their differences aside to navigate the time period and figure out a way back home. I’m not always a big fan of time travel, but I enjoyed everything about the concept of this book.

If you are a Jane Austen fan you will love all of the little nods to her books and the film adaptations based on them throughout the story. Obviously there is nothing realistic about the premise, but it was easy to suspend reality and follow along on Tess and Hugh’s journey. In the acknowledgements Madeline Bell suggests that her family should skip Chapter 27. I would make that recommendation too if you are looking to miss the open door scene. (I skipped it and didn't feel like I missed anything.) Tess's potty mouth sometimes took me out of the story. Probably because the setting was so proper which may have been the point, but be aware.

Overall, it was a fun and creative enemies to lovers rom com that made me want to reread all of my Jane Austen novels.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have actually read quite a few books with this same premise - man and woman travel back in time to the Jane Austen era where they experience living in one of her novels, meet Jane herself, and fall in love. This one is probably the most fun of all of them! It was silly, yes, but it was also just a really enjoyable read. Any Jane Austen fan will enjoy all of the quotes and references.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good debut novel, and I'm looking forward to whatever Bell puts out in the future. I felt like a throwback; it was a wonderful ode to Jane Austen. Tess (FMC) is a little bit of a disaster. She's down on her luck and starring in a Jane Austen adaptation. She's also grieving her mother while Hugh (MMC) is co-starring with Tess. The two constantly butt heads but an incident brings them to Regency Era, they need to work together to get back to their time.

This was a fun and cute read, with a touch of seriousness, such as handling grief. It's also great for Jane Austen lovers and lovers of Regency England. The cherry on top was that both characters displayed healthy communication skills, which is rare in most romance novels.

Read if you like:
- enemies to lovers
- fake dating
- Single POV
- grumpy x sunshine

**Sidenote, if you are a Witherspoon fan, you'll appreciate this. The phrase "what are we going to do" is finally asked by a man, because as we know, we women are the problem solvers!**

this was a cute read!

the relationship between the main characters started off tense but became intimate quite quickly; i was hoping for more of a slow burn but did enjoy the initial banter and questioning. i found the FMC to be quite likable, but didn’t really connect with the MMC.

thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹 ⠀
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First I would like to say that I want to be friends with Madeline Bell, her movie knowledge and references are on point. From "Emma" to "Braveheart" to "Die Hard" are amazing. I picture Hugh and Tess to be the couple from the opening scene of "The Holiday" where Miles is composing music. Then throw in a "Highclere Castle" sighting before it’s famous and I am in!
This novel is "Pride and Prejudice" meets "Outlander". Enemies to Lovers with a spark. If you are a romcom, romance, Jane Austen fan you will love this one. I didn't want it to end.⠀⠀
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝟵/𝟭𝟲/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 ⠀
𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝙼𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝. 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝙶𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲. 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜
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📗336 pages on Netgalley

This is such a fun book! Yes, I'm an Austen fan but you don't need to be a fan to enjoy this trip-through-time read. I love the idea of time travel books but I have often been disappointed by what I have read. either they were just "off" somehow or they didn't come up to expectations. Not so this book. It is such an easy fun book that I will suggest it to all my friends for their summer beach read. It is perfect for just losing yourself in a happy book.

*The Austen Affair* is a delightful debut where feuding co-stars, Tess and Hugh, are transported back in time to the Regency Era during the filming of *Northanger Abbey*. Forced to work together to navigate their new surroundings and return home, sparks fly as their chemistry grows in unexpected ways. A charming mix of humor, romance, and Austen-inspired adventure.

Jane Austin themed…enemies to lovers…yes, please! This is the best book I have read this year! As a huge Jane Austen fan, this book had me kicking my feet and giggling the whole way through. I couldn’t put it down! The characters are fantastic and the setting was great. I will be telling EVERYONE I know about this book.

I was intrigued by the premise of this own since I love a falling through time story and enemies to lovers. Unfortunately I never really connected with the story and the pacing was pretty slow. I liked the family and cast of characters in the past but didn't really get why either of the mcs would like each other. I never really felt much chemistry between them and even the spicy scene just felt off. I did think the cameo of Austen herself was pretty cute.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, that was delightful. Austen lovers are sure to fall head-over-heels for this book because 1) it artfully incorporates everything Austenites love and 2) it’s a well-written adult debut. The banter was witty. The comebacks were sharp, and smart.

I especially loved all the Easter Eggs scattered throughout. Who hasn’t picked which version of their preferred Austen classic is the best? Yes, Clueless does count. And so on and so forth. Loved, loved, loved.

<i> I received an e-ARC courtesy of St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. This in no way impacted my review of the book. </i>

I love Austen and enemies-to-lovers and was so excited to read this book!

I throughly enjoyed the Jane Austen fandom moments in this book and the MCs and their family were adorable!

“My dear, no one can be trusted with their own heart. That is why we give them to others for safekeeping.”

Only miss for me was the ‘spicey’ scene.

Rest of it was regency/rom com/Austen perfection.

So thankful I was able to read this ARC!

3.5*’s
Standing by my original assessment- "Jane Austen but seen through a TikTok lens? Turns out it's a lot of fun". This one was high melodrama but still relatable, steamy and sweet, but no one brought up “Back to the Future”? (big Gen X sigh)…

This is SUCH a cute idea for a book, but while I enjoyed reading it — and it’s a fast read — I found myself not at all thinking about it after I closed it up. There’s something not super-memorable about either Tess or Hugh, maybe because they feel so very much like characters we’ve read a million times before.

Even the stuff that should be most distinct about them — they TIME TRAVEL?? — gets lost in translation. Their obsession with finding an electricity machine is so oddly hit on as THE answer to their problems that it keeps them from investigating any other ideas (robbing us of so many fun possibilities). And for two people who adore Jane Austen, most of their references sure seemed like the stuff only movie fans (not book fans) would love.

This book was SO cute! I LOVED the idea of this book, and was not disappointed! Two co-stars in a Northanger Abbey remake movie who absolutely hate each other accidentally are sent back in time to the Regency era. They have to figure out how to get back home, and all the while seeing each other maybe in a new way? This was a super fun read!

(4.5 rounded down) Friends, I do believe I’ve found the key to a successful romance novel for me. That key is that there has to be a secondary plot device besides the romance itself. It can be a mystery or an adventure or, in this case, time travel. I loved this so much. I think I also vibed hard with it because the author has a keen understanding and love of Jane Austen’s oeuvre, and that understanding plays a big part of this story. In this one we have Tess and Hugh, our enemies to lovers. Tess is a t.v. actress staring in a major series that is popcorn entertainment (and has earned her Teen Choice Awards, which are apparently still a thing). Hugh is an actor staring in more snobby, “serious” films, who takes his work very seriously. The two end up on a “Northanger Abbey” adaptation as co-stars, and then, naturally, an electrical malfunction sends them both back to the actual time period of Jane Austen, the regency era. In order to return home, they have to work together to solve their very realistic conundrum. Hijinks ensue and sparks fly. There’s a lot of heart to this, as well as humor, and I just had a great time. Of course it’s not based in reality, but that’s not what you come to these novels for.

I liked the novel; I just wish there was more tension in it. It didn't feel like there was much high-stakes conflict, even when it came to waiting for the machine. It was accepted as, we'll just wait for it, instead of having a sense of urgency to get out of there quicker.

What happens when you’re in a film adaptation of Northanger Abbey and you and your costar get shocked by lightening and plopped back into 1815?
You get: The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

Tess and Hugh are stuck in the past, but they’re making the most of it. They settle in Hugh’s ancestral home with his old family until they figure out a way back to the present. Tess is living out her mother’s dream (who was a huge Austen fan) and Hugh is putting his method-acting research into play. This is a rivals-to-lovers, regency-era romance (low spice) with cute Austen-ified banter and modern-day references.

Something about TAA just worked for me. Okay… the time traveling part (and the search to get back, which was about 10% of the book) is a little strange, but everything else, I enjoyed! Bell most obviously knows her Jane Austen. She references the books, movies/shows, random Jane Austen trivia, and everything in between, which made this Austen fan (me) super duper excited.

I have a lot of trouble with retellings of Austen’s works. TAA isn’t necessarily a retelling, but rather a tribute to all things Austen. I think this is why it worked for me. It’s basically a book that worships Austen and her literary genius.

TAA comes out on 9/16/25! If you love Jane Austen and know the film/show adaptations well, you’re going to enjoy this one! Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

I absolutely adored THE AUSTEN AFFAIR! Bell manages to balance a fun and funny contemporary with a swoonworthy Regency romance. Tess is a main character I haven't seen before--someone who sparkles and wins people over effortlessly but is also believably a flighty mess who isn't done maturing. Hugh is a fantastic hero--a Henry Tilney in Rochester's clothing. Neither character is too perfect. It makes them falling in love and growing together all the more satisfying knowing that they will make each other better. The extended cast is delightful. Never has there been a child in a romance novel as fun as little George.

The book is such a love letter to all things Austen and Austen fandom. I screamed in delight when there was an Austenland reference! Speaking of references: any aside about the Riverdale-esque Charlie Brown show that Tess was on had me howling. I would love to see future books around the other Chuck Brown cast members just for more info about the show's very silly plotlines.

I look forward to many more Madeline Bell books (and I'll definitely be seeking out the books under her YA nom de plume). 5 stars!

I truly enjoyed reading "The Austen Affair." The main characters were delightfully fun and I enjoyed the slow burn of their affections. I need to read more Jane Austen to fully get all of the references, but I look forward to re-reading to Madeline Bell's book with that new lens. Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eARC.