We’re librarians … so … We’ll catalogue you … yeah … Before we crush you … uh huh… That’s how we rolllllllllll … YEAH!”
Tourist season has begun and the quirky Janeite guests, including a surprisingly raucous band of librarians, have arrived at the elegant Regency Resort, doubling both the laughs and the troubles for the character players at the Austen-themed vacation spot lovingly dubbed "Camp Jane." . Not only must Maggie (Lizzy Bennet) unexpectedly play two of Austen’s favorite fictional characters but behind the scenes, she must also decide between two real-life suitors, the handsome, brooding Will (Mr. Darcy) or her fun-loving friend, Henry (Mr. Tilney.) With a mystery afoot at gothic Northanger Abbey that puts Maggie in real peril, can the castmates work together to sort out fact from fiction before it’s too late?
Susan Andrews is a lover of classic humor including Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse and The Dick Van Dyke Show. After thirty years in Oklahoma as an educator for a child/teen psychiatric hospital, she, perhaps understandably, moved to an island in the Caribbean after retirement. She lives in Roatan, Honduras with her husband Mike, also a writer and a super picky book editor, who inexplicably, but in this case fortuitously, finds joy in weeding comma splices out of perfectly good copy.
Double Trouble for Lizzy is the second book in the Camp Jane series, picking up where the first left off as a new tourist season begins at the Austen themed Regency Resort. Familiar faces return, a lively group of librarians arrives, and Maggie, once again stepping into the role of Lizzy Bennet, soon finds herself caught in both a real-life love triangle and an unexpected mystery.
As in the first book, I loved the idea of revisiting a Jane Austen resort. Even though the novelty of the concept has naturally worn off, it was still fun to see new characters, new activities, and references to Austen’s other works. I especially enjoyed the increased focus on Sense and Sensibility, with Maggie and her friend taking on the roles of Marianne and Elinor in addition to their Pride and Prejudice counterparts.
The mystery plot draws inspiration from the gothic atmosphere of Northanger Abbey, and while it did offer a few twists, I didn’t find myself particularly invested in it. I did, however, appreciate the continued inclusion of a diverse cast, something the series has done well from the beginning.
That said, I wasn’t as engrossed in this installment as I was in the first. The characters’ dialogue and behavior often felt a bit too immature for adults in their circumstances, making it harder for me to fully connect with the story. The central romance also didn’t quite work for me. I couldn’t feel the “Darcy” essence in the character meant to represent him, and it felt inconsistent that someone who dislikes crowds and attention would willingly sign up to portray one of literature’s most beloved heroes at a resort specifically designed to immerse guests in those characters.
Overall, Double Trouble for Lizzy offers another playful return to the Regency Resort, with creative Austen inspired story and a fun setting that many readers will enjoy revisiting. While some elements, particularly the character dynamics and romance, didn’t resonate with me as strongly this time, the book still carries the charm and enthusiasm of the series. Readers who loved the first installment and enjoy modern Austen-inspired adventures may still find this sequel a pleasant escape.
Once again, Susan Andrews puts the “campy” in Camp Jane! Her modern-day series revolves around a group of Jane Austen story reenacters who have been hired for the summer to work at the Regency Resort in upstate New York, lovingly dubbed “Camp Jane” by the Jane Austen enthusiasts who visit every year.
Maggie Argyle has been assigned to play our beloved Lizzy Bennet, but just after the start of her storyline, she finds out that she and her co-actor Jessi, who plays Jane Bennet, are also required to step in as understudies for Marianne and Elinor Dashwood, when the girls who play them get into a nasty patch of poison ivy. This sets the stage for Maggie (subbing as Marianne) and Jessi (subbing as Elinor) to interact with the cast of Sense and Sensibility. Marianne takes an immediate dislike to the actor playing the smarmy Willoughby, but are her sensibilities being colored by his performance of the notorious rake, or is the used-car salesman-turned-actor pulling a bait and switch on his audience?
Maggie and her friends also get to experience a tour of the spooky gothic mansion Northanger Abbey, complete with its nighttime hedge maze, a truly frightening General Tilney, and a ghost from the past whose presence still haunts Camp Jane.
As mysterious events begin to unfold around the abbey and the old chapel nearby, it’s up to Maggie and her fellow LagGard gang, with the help of an enthusiastic troupe of librarians, to unearth the secrets of the past and unmask the real villains that are holding Camp Jane and its actors captive.
This was a super fun story to read! Lots of comedy and lots of great little moments for Jane Austen superfans like myself. I really enjoyed seeing some cameos of real-life Jane Austen fans who I know appear as vital characters in the story (and I may or may not have a hidden cameo character somewhere too!).
I thoroughly loved the first Camp Jane book, and the second book did not disappoint either! Can’t wait for the next installment of this series. After all, at Camp Jane, summer has only just begun.
A delightful read! The characters we met in the first Camp Jane novel continue their adventures and relationships in this second novel. Andrews has created a fun community, one I wish I could visit in person for a few weeks.
Once again I really enjoyed Susan Andrew's writing. She puts so many details into her characters and setting that while reading I truly can place myself in the scene. And the mystery woven in added to the enjoyment as well.
My return to Camp Jane was a delight, and a continuation of the first book, namely the following weeks after the first book, which followed the first week or two of our beloved LaGGuard groups visit to Camp Jane.
This time we followed a drama which took place at Northanger Abbey, where a treasure “apparently” is hidden, or so an old Camp Jane-family member tells. And we are also presented to a new enemy, or dastard.
Further we again follow Lizzie and her romance entanglement, and personally I was torn, but in the end, I believe I got it as I wished *smirks*
Many of the regency characters have won my heart through the first two books, both from the P&P cast, S&S, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion casts where the romances and friendships are blooming between them all. Though there have been some drama which made me roll my eyes, and some characters who was disliked, but all in all the drama throughout the story worked and made it an unexpected but enjoyable experience.
*Hint, hint* If you recall the background of Camp Jane, it makes the end result all the sweeter. And as Miss Austen herself ended her books, with the weddings and courtships of the characters, and so does the LaGGuards in Camp Jane, and of course there was also a surprise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Just like the first in the series, this book was full of wit and humor, with all the Austen references a Janeite could hope for, and as before there’s a delightful mystery that Catherine Moreland would absolutely love. If you love a book with some nice romantic pings and lots of quippy humor, this one is for you.