The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay, © 2017

Mary Davies, Nathan Hillam, and Isabel Dwyer may find Bath, England, more than a two-week getaway amid other Austen character wannabees. A fancy ball and social interaction may prove to be more than a contemporary replay for them. Join author Katherine Reay as she explores the excitement and period hideaways as these characters become enthralled beyond what they could have imagined. Somehow, it all points to their now and future by exploration of the past.

I don't know how fair this is...

     Isabel's conversation with Mary:

"... I owe you. I don't want you to be angry, but I did something. I..." Her eyes darted over my shoulder and she swallowed whatever she was about to say. "Oh. Your friend Moira is headed this way."
   --Austen Escape, 25

and, when will she get back to it ~ or will she expound on it further? I have read all of Katherine Reay's novels, and they get deeper. So be sure and join in! You will enJ*O*Y the adventure.

Two best friends journey from Austin, TX to Bath, England. An unexpected twist in their vacation leaves them both imagining something new for their friendship and their lives.

~ author Katherine Reay

Credit

Regency England ~ the town of Bath
Arriving early with minimal sleep due to anticipation and excitement Mary and Isabel drew near. Before them stood Braithwaite House, their home for two weeks.

   The gallery was empty. I stood and absorbed the complete stillness. Here the silence felt right. I wondered if I'd ever truly heard it before. The realization of how much noise filled my world only became apparent in its absence.
   --Ibid., 109

The dawning of a new day; the absorption of a different world, a different time before us, if we would but breathe it into our beings.

(Okay! Another character told what Isabel didn't. We'll see what develops...)

Real or imagined, role-play within their new surroundings encapsulated them, easily drawn to an earlier time period they had only envisioned. Would the choice of their character reveal who they are, or as an observation placed upon them by another?

Clarity became focused in returning to the Austin left behind. With absorption of the time away, the lens became clearer.

I like the unexpected in Katherine Reay's writings. It all accumulates however, not in the way you might think is before them. My favorite character was Gertrude, an older lady who is able to see her own life through the new occupants of Braithwaite House.

author Katherine Reay

***Thank you, author Katherine Reay, for inviting me to come along on the book launching of The Austen Escape, and to Thomas Nelson Publishing for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***