The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

When Hollywood meets history, chaos—and chemistry—ensue.

Tess Bright has landed her dream role: starring in a Northanger Abbey adaptation that could finally prove she’s more than tabloid fodder. It’s her chance to honor her late mother’s devotion to all things Austen and resurrect a career that’s hanging by a thread. There’s just one problem: her impossibly infuriating, devastatingly handsome co-star, Hugh Balfour.

Hugh is everything Tess isn’t—a BAFTA-nominated British method actor who takes his craft (and himself) very seriously. He’s polished, precise, and utterly unimpressed by Tess’s Teen Choice Awards. She’s impulsive, big-hearted, and admittedly a bit of a disaster. The film needs sizzling on-screen chemistry. What they have? Pure combustion.

Then an electrical mishap sends both actors hurtling two centuries into the past, landing them squarely in Jane Austen’s Regency Era. Suddenly, Tess and Hugh must navigate empire waists, strict social codes, and the very real possibility of rewriting history—all while depending entirely on each other. As they improvise their way through drawing rooms and country dances, something unexpected happens: those sparks between them start to feel less like friction and more like… something else entirely.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Witty, enemies-to-lovers romance
• Time travel adventures with heart
• Jane Austen retellings with a modern twist
• Second-chance stories that transcend time itself

Madeline Bell’s debut is a love letter to Austen, wrapped in laugh-out-loud humor and swoon-worthy romance. It’s Outlander meets The Proposal, with a generous helping of Regency-era charm.

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