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?
Title: Midnight In Austenland (Austenland #2)
Author: Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Release Date: January 31, 2012
ISBN: 978-1608196258
Size: 288 pages, hardcover
Genre: Romance
Series: Austenland (book 1)
I liked this one better than Austenland. I thought the gothic mystery theme made it a lot more fun to read than a straight romance.
I loved Austenland. This one was just okay.
Shannon Hale’s work for adults is a very different flavor from her lyrical works for children. It took me a moment to separate the two, though once I did, I enjoyed the wry humor and true to life moments of being a woman once burned thrust into the life of a regency Lady. The extra twist of a mystery in this book almost distracted me from the romance that was happening without anyone realizing it. I enjoyed rethinking those first moments when the connection between the characters developed and considering how the gentleman was feeling though he was to pretend otherwise for the sake of the story they were all acting at. I thought the ending was the perfect fairytale, one I would gladly live out, though with my own honey. Now if I could only figure out a way to spend two weeks in regency England, I would be super happy!