Publisher: St. Martin’s Press,  September 16, 2025

Format: ebook

Pages: 336

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary (From Goodreads):

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.

My Review:

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: time travel, slow burn, enemies to lovers, Jane Austen inspired
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Tess is an actress who is the lead for the upcoming film, Northanger Abbey, which is a dream come true as she and her mother are obsessed with Jane Austen. But Tess is struggling with the recent passing of her mother and with developing chemistry with her co-star lead, Hugh. Things take a turn when Tess and Hugh are zapped into the past, precisely during Jane Austen’s time, and the two must work together to get back home.
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This was really cute. I loved the period setting, the slow-burn romance, and how Tess and Hugh had to get to know each other in order to work together to get home. I appreciated how they had to learn to respect each other, which is an important part of a true romance, and I like how that was incorporated along with the attraction and tension! Overall, a fun time travel romance! If you like Jane Austen, this would be a fun romance to check out!