The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell: An Austen Homage with Modern Heat

Tess Bright is reeling: her mother has died, and she’s just been publicly fired from the teen soap that helped pay the bills. Her next shot at redemption is a prestige adaptation of Northanger Abbey, opposite the infuriatingly serious Hugh Balfour – the classic grumpy co-star who thinks Tess isn’t “proper” acting material. When an on-set accident zaps them back two centuries, Tess and Hugh must pretend to be members of Regency society while they scramble for a way home. Between balls, awkward courting rituals, and the impossibility of staging an electrical shock in 1810, they have no choice but to face each other honestly. Expect clever Austen winks, period glamour, modern grief and growth, and a slow-burn romance that warms up the chilly drawing rooms.

My Review

I picked this up wanting a comforting Austen riff and ended up grinning through nearly every scene. Bell nails the juxtaposition between modern celebrity chaos and the quiet rules of the Regency – watching Tess try (and mostly fail) to hide tomorrow’s slang at a ball had me laughing, while the quieter moments of shared grief landed with real weight. Hugh’s Darcy-ish stiffness softens in believable ways, and that grumpy-to-tender arc felt earned because the author gives them time to stumble, apologize, and learn.

What readers can expect: an affectionate homage that respects Austen’s wit while adding contemporary emotional stakes – grief, career reinvention, and consent-forward romance. The historical set pieces are vivid without getting bogged down in exposition, and the chemistry between Tess and Hugh builds from bickering to real intimacy in a way that felt satisfying rather than rushed. Why I enjoyed it: Bell balances light, rom-com hijinks with scenes that actually make you care about these two people beyond their meet-cutes. It’s warm, occasionally steamy, and smart in a cozy, page-turner way.

By the last page you’ll feel tender and amused – like finding a beloved Austen line in a new voice that still makes your heart skip.

You can get a copy of The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell on Amazon or Bookshop.

If this has you intrigued, read an excerpt from The Austen Affair below.

Excerpt Preview – Chapter 1

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 deny the rumors swirling that Tess Bright has been recast due to unreliability and unprofessionalism. We refer you to the statement from Tess’ team, which states that she is departing the series due to scheduling conflicts with the shoot for her upcoming film, Northanger Abbey. Cast and crew here at Chuck Brown send Tess all our love and support! xoxo, Donna”

My breathing starts to even out. Donna did me a solid here, which she really didn’t owe me. But the public denial hasn’t impressed everyone, and loads of fans are speculating that it’s just a professional courtesy—which it sorta is. All around me, I can hear the bustling of the production crew as they prep the next scene. I face the corner of the craft-services tent so nobody passing by can read the humiliating news from my expression.

@RosingsParkour: Statement from CB showrunner only supports the rumor IMHO. why bother denying unless it’s close to the truth? SMH. Tess is just gonna drag this Northanger adaptation down

@makeatomelette: Tess Bright has a face that has seen an iPhone. Sorry not sorry.

@Half_Agony: I’m so torn. Obviously I want to see Northanger Abbey for the gorgeousness that is Hugh Balfour, but I think Tess will ruin it for me.

It’s been almost nine months since major casting for Northanger Abbey was announced and I had really hoped the outrage would die down. No chance of that now. This recasting news has only fanned the flames. Listen: even when I went in for the auditions, I knew I was a long shot. Nobody casts the girl best known for her work on an increasingly bizarre teen drama based on a long-running cartoon strip for the lead in a major-motion-picture adaptation of a classic work of literature.

Still, I’d hoped audiences would be open to seeing my performance before passing judgment. I need people to like me in this role. Badly. It’s all I have left of my career.

From The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell. Copyright © 2025 by the Madeline Bell, and reprinted with permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

Ready for More?

If a time-travel Austen mash-up with real emotional stakes sounds like your kind of escape, grab The Austen Affair and settle in. Come back and tell me in the comments – did you spot the moment they finally started to trust each other, or did the Regency missteps win your favorite laugh?

You can get a copy of The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell on Amazon or Bookshop.