Title: The Austen Escape

Author: Katherine Reay

Genre: Romance, Austen based

Summary: After years of following her best friend’s lead, Mary Davies finds a whimsical trip back to Austen’s Regency England paves the way towards a new future.

Mary Davies lives and works in Austin, Texas, as an industrial engineer. She has an orderly and productive life, a job and colleagues that she enjoys—particularly a certain adorable, intelligent, and hilarious consultant. But something is missing for Mary. When her estranged and emotionally fragile childhood friend Isabel Dwyer offers Mary a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in Bath, Mary reluctantly agrees to come along, in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways. But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes that she lives in Regency England. Mary becomes dependent on a household of strangers to take care of Isabel until she wakes up.

With Mary in charge and surrounded by new friends, Isabel rests and enjoys the leisure of a Regency lady. But life gets even more complicated when Mary makes the discovery that her life and Isabel’s have intersected in more ways that she knew, and she finds herself caught between who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who stands between them. Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings play out, and dancing ensues as this triangle works out their lives and hearts among a company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation. 

Review:

This book was an awesome way to start the New Year. I absolutely loved it, and I’m not sure I will be able to explain all the reasons why but I will for sure give it a go.

I have a weird thing when it comes to engineering and seriously admire those who do it. I feel this way because I don’t have the brain for it and what they do is kind of akin to magic to me so this was perfect for me.

Mary Davies is so awkward when it comes to realizing what is going on right in front of her, and to be honest I am much the same. Some days I wouldn’t see a naked human if they danced in front of me wearing a party hat. She would probably notice that, but rather awkwardly. The guy likes you, girl. Get on it.

Regency England. The Bath area remains one of my favourite places to this day and I haven’t been there since I was 18 years old, and have been many places since. Twelve years later and I’m still as in love with that area and Austen, and Austen-esque romances as I ever have been. This book brings to life that setting and that time, and all the complications that could come with it, but none of the inconveniences.

I want to go to a place like this, that allows you to experience those novels and that time, hopefully with less drama. But god, the drama in this book was utterly delicious, as was the bit of scandal.

Also, I never see anything wrong with someone finding their backbone and growing as a character, which this novel has in spades. I will definitely be looking into more of Katherine Reay’s writing as this was wonderful.

Received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.