Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

I was excited to receive an advanced copy of Midnight in Austenland. I enjoyed the first book and have looked forward to reading this companion novel. I really liked our heroine Charlotte. She was very easy to relate to. Her back story is sad, and it was nice to see the growth she goes through and by the end and the confidence she gained. Charlotte enjoys mystery novels and tends to let her imagination get away from her. As it turns out not all is what it seems at the park and Charlotte ends up right in the middle of her very own mystery. I liked the mystery elements in the story, it was fun. My only problem with the book is that it’s hard to tell what “reality” is. Since the people she interacts with at the park are mostly actors, I had a hard time telling what was real and what was fake, I guess that’s the point. But, even towards the end I still wasn’t sure. So, it’s hard for me to fall for the romance because I don’t know if it’s the actor or the “real person”. I really enjoyed the book though, it kept me going and again I really liked Charlotte and our hero. There were some fun swoon-worthy moments as well. I hope there are more books in the Austenland series!

Book One: Austenland
Book Two: Midnight in Austenland (January 3, 2012)