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The Regency Switch
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26320 pages, Paperback
Expected publication March 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 15, 2025
Historical, scifi romcom - what more do you need?
—
Are you kidding me? Regency romance, time travel, lesbian shenanigans, Reddit reactions on Instagram? Sign me up! I’m so there!
Seriously, Gaskell gives us a big city girl/country village milieu romance all twisted up and topsy-turveyed out through a science fantasy lens, like a glorious mix of Jenny Colgan (romance writer) and, er, Jenny Colgan (scifi author), with two—TWO!—protagonists I would gladly follow to the ends of the earth. Etta Moore is stuck, her life in London a round of sleep-commute-work-commute-sleep and repeat, the men she meets a series of no-hopers. When she’s accosted by a pair of lovely old ladies with the chance for a holiday from her life, she—well, she doesn’t quite grasp it with both hands, rather more being shanghaied into it, and the next thing she knows, she’s 200 hundred years in the past, in someone’s else’s body tied to a chair and meeting her brother in that time, and his friend, the most gorgeous man Etta has ever met in her life. Will sparks fly, or will Etta be found out and deemed mad?
In 1817, Henrietta Bainbridge is also stuck, her debilitating malaise driving away her family and friends, until she comes up with a (hand-wavey) method of time travel, and lo and behold, she ends up in Etta’s body in the present, aided by her two aunts/descendants. She’s not prepared for the modern world (while Etta has all her hard gleaned knowledge from Jane Austen and Bridgerton, neither of which mention chamber pots), nor for the beautiful woman teaching her computing basics. Will Hetty finally find her heart taken by someone, or will she crash and return back to her original present?
In a brilliant mix of romcom, sci-fi and comedy (extra com, if you like), Gaskell creates two characters and their worlds, their allies and enemies, and, this being a romance, a pair of endings that more than satisfy. A few loose endings (for the sequel?) but the romances and the comedy that help us get there are perfectly judged, and the characters are suitably novel. There’s one character where I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it did, but boy was I surprised. I applaud thee, Helen Gaskell, romance author!
Four and a half stars
—
Are you kidding me? Regency romance, time travel, lesbian shenanigans, Reddit reactions on Instagram? Sign me up! I’m so there!
Seriously, Gaskell gives us a big city girl/country village milieu romance all twisted up and topsy-turveyed out through a science fantasy lens, like a glorious mix of Jenny Colgan (romance writer) and, er, Jenny Colgan (scifi author), with two—TWO!—protagonists I would gladly follow to the ends of the earth. Etta Moore is stuck, her life in London a round of sleep-commute-work-commute-sleep and repeat, the men she meets a series of no-hopers. When she’s accosted by a pair of lovely old ladies with the chance for a holiday from her life, she—well, she doesn’t quite grasp it with both hands, rather more being shanghaied into it, and the next thing she knows, she’s 200 hundred years in the past, in someone’s else’s body tied to a chair and meeting her brother in that time, and his friend, the most gorgeous man Etta has ever met in her life. Will sparks fly, or will Etta be found out and deemed mad?
In 1817, Henrietta Bainbridge is also stuck, her debilitating malaise driving away her family and friends, until she comes up with a (hand-wavey) method of time travel, and lo and behold, she ends up in Etta’s body in the present, aided by her two aunts/descendants. She’s not prepared for the modern world (while Etta has all her hard gleaned knowledge from Jane Austen and Bridgerton, neither of which mention chamber pots), nor for the beautiful woman teaching her computing basics. Will Hetty finally find her heart taken by someone, or will she crash and return back to her original present?
In a brilliant mix of romcom, sci-fi and comedy (extra com, if you like), Gaskell creates two characters and their worlds, their allies and enemies, and, this being a romance, a pair of endings that more than satisfy. A few loose endings (for the sequel?) but the romances and the comedy that help us get there are perfectly judged, and the characters are suitably novel. There’s one character where I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it did, but boy was I surprised. I applaud thee, Helen Gaskell, romance author!
Four and a half stars
October 24, 2025
"You're Henrietta Moore, and it's 2023. But we're offering you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right here, right now. If you take this bracelet, you'll be Henrietta Bainbridge, and it'll be 1817."
I have a soft spot for stories like this - Lost in Austen, 13 Going on 30, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - where magic is sprinkled and unlikely adventures happen. This one is written with vim and vigour, and is a lot of fun.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.
I have a soft spot for stories like this - Lost in Austen, 13 Going on 30, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - where magic is sprinkled and unlikely adventures happen. This one is written with vim and vigour, and is a lot of fun.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.
October 21, 2025
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.
I absolutely devoured this book. A time travelling romance to the regency period was the initial attraction however, I loved the dual storyline with the two main characters points of view.
It made me smile quite regularly and actually laughed out loud at one point. (I very rarely laugh at books)
The plot moved along smartly. There was a bit of heat which was relevant to the storyline.
I thought the author made a smart choice with the two love interests for our main characters.
I have already recommended this to someone else.
I absolutely devoured this book. A time travelling romance to the regency period was the initial attraction however, I loved the dual storyline with the two main characters points of view.
It made me smile quite regularly and actually laughed out loud at one point. (I very rarely laugh at books)
The plot moved along smartly. There was a bit of heat which was relevant to the storyline.
I thought the author made a smart choice with the two love interests for our main characters.
I have already recommended this to someone else.
October 17, 2025
This just didn't work for me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews