*Received ARC via NetGalley*
From Goodreads: When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.
Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?
The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?
Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?
The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?
Let's be honest. I'm completely bound by my sacred honor to love everything that Shannon Hale ever writes, even if it's her grocery list on the back of an old receipt.
You think I'm kidding, but I'm totally not. I adore her writing style. Completely adore it. She writes exactly how she is, and never misses a beat. Sometimes you have to wonder if the real person is coming through in a book, or if it's The Author speaking. With Shannon, what you read is how she is for reals and I love that. Really, you could consider reading one of her books like sitting down to tea and scones with her.
Austenland is one of my very most favorite books EVER. There are few that compare with how happy that book made me. Midnight in Austenland is now sitting right up there with its big sister, all nice and cozy and happy on the very most favorites shelf. I loved everything about it. Everything. I can't think of a single thing I didn't like.
The characters are absolutely delightful, popping in and out of their Regency personas. They're unexpectedly deep in some cases, pouring on the emotional growth right when you least expect it. Others have the bright and shining aura, only to have it tarnished by the end. Some of them seem beneath your notice until you've finished, and only then do you realize just how integral they were all along. Brilliant.
I loved the story. Loved, loved, loved. In fact, I've put an Austen-themed vacation on my bucket list because of these books. I'm serious. I love how we get an awesome taste of Regency England meets 21st century America. You'd think there would be clashes and plot holes and all sorts of odd things, but there aren't. (and I really wish I could have worked 'kerfluffle' in there somehow, because that's my new favorite British word and it feels like it would have a happy home in Midnight in Austenland)
(also, anyone who can work 'buttocks bassoon' into their book and still make the remainder make sense is a huge winner)
I honestly hope there's going to be another Austen-themed book from Ms. Hale, because I'd eat it up. These books are seriously so good, they make me a little incoherent. Or a lot, as the case may be.
Content Advisory:
Content Advisory:
Language: Mild
Sexuality: Moderate
Violence: Moderate
Mature Themes: divorce, infidelity, murder, alcoholism
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