Charlotte Kinder is a very nice woman, but her husband hasn’t shown that in return. So when Charlotte decides to treat herself to a vacation, she happily leaves behind all the complications of her life in America and heads to Austenland. The country manor Pembrook Park offers an immersing Jane Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors to provide just a suggestion of romance. Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte can’t be 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? Could that have been a real dead body in the attic? And could the stirrings in Charlotte’s heart be a sign of real-life love?

In this follow-up to reader favorite Austenland, Shannon Hale gives us a feisty new heroine, fresh and frightening plot twists, and the possibility of romance that might just go beyond the bounds of Austen fantasy. I typically stay away from romance/frilly novels, although some of my favorite classics are Jane Austen and Jane Eyre.  Which is probably why, I was attracted to this book. Midnight in Austenland, as it has it’s feel good moments and is a light read, it also has it’s dark moments. Not to say that it’s Gothic, it isn’t, it’s just the feel I got when reading it. The way Shannon describes the abbey, the corridors, the ghost, the possibly dead body, and the over all mood is a bit dark.  It is a light read, and if you liked reading Jane Austen you will get a kick out of some of the characters in the book.  Enjoy! It’s always a pleasure to visit Austenland.