Audiobook Review: The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

 

The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

Publication Date: September 16th 2025 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 336

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 31min

Narrator: Stephanie Németh-Parker

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm |  Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Tess Bright and Hugh Balfour star in a modern film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. Off camera, however, sparks fly for all the wrong reasons. Tess, known for her Teen Choice Award nominations, clashes with Hugh, a serious, brooding, BAFTA-nominated actor. Their on-set arguments take a fantastical turn when a lightning strike transports them back in time to Jane Austen’s era. Suddenly, they must rely on each other to navigate this unfamiliar world. Luckily, both bring unique insights: Tess, a lifelong Austen fan thanks to her mother’s influence, knows the customs and quirks of the period from countless rereads and film viewings. Hugh, meanwhile, has studied the era extensively, tracing it through his ancestral roots.

 
Initially, Tess sees Hugh as a stuck-up, emotionless automaton, while Hugh views Tess as immature and impulsive. But as they face the challenges of Regency England together, their misconceptions begin to unravel, and so does their resistance to each other.
 
With its unique time-travel twist and sweet enemies-to-lovers trope, The Austen Affair delivers a fun, fresh romance I thoroughly enjoyed!

Stephanie Németh-Parker narrates and I thought she did a wonderful job with the accents and wide range of characters: male, female, old and young! She’s fast becoming one of my favorite narrators!

4 Stars

Book Description:

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.