Smitten by Books

Jane and the Damned
Author: Janet Mullany
Publisher: Avon A /HarperCollins
Pub. Date: September 28, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061958304
Retail: $13.99

Jane Austen

Novelist . . . gentlewoman . . . Damned, Fanged, and Dangerous to know.

Aspiring writer Jane Austen knows that respectable young ladies like herself are supposed to shun the Damned—the beautiful, fashionable, exquisitely seductive vampires who are all the rage in Georgian England in 1797. So when an innocent (she believes) flirtation results in her being turned—by an absolute cad of a bloodsucker—she acquiesces to her family’s wishes and departs for Bath to take the waters, the only known cure.

But what she encounters there is completely unexpected: perilous jealousies and further betrayals, a new friendship and a possible love. Yet all that must be put aside when the warring French invade unsuspecting Bath—and the streets run red with good English blood. Suddenly only the staunchly British Damned can defend the nation they love . . . with Jane Austen leading the charge at the battle’s forefront.

~*~*~

I am a big fan of anything Jane Austen, whether it is her novels or movie adaptations of her novels. I am also a fan of vampires, whether they sparkle or wear leather and carry around daggers. So combining the two in one book sounded pretty good to me.

I knew that there were two ways this review would go. Either it would be really good or really bad. But it was neither. It wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad. It really wasn’t anything.

We meet Jane just as she is getting a rejection for one of her novels. She and Cassandra are off to an assembly room dance at Basingstoke where surprisingly they encounter some vampires, or Damned as they are called. Jane falls under the spell of the Damned Mr. Smith and wakes up the next morning to find herself a vampire and Mr. Smith gone.

The waters in Bath are said to be the only cure, so the Austen family picks up and heads to the city. But when they get there everything changes. France has invaded and taken the city. Luke, a Damned, appears and wants to help Jane come to terms with her new situation and guide her. The Damned, many who have come to the city, also plan to fight the French and Jane cannot resist using her new state to help in the cause.

There is a lot going on throughout the story with a lot of people being introduced then just disappearing into the background. At times I found the story to be a bit fragmented and I had to keep going back to reread parts.

I disliked Jane right from the beginning, but towards the end she became a little more tolerable. She comes off as very annoying and needy. She is always looking for approval from everyone be it her father, her sister, Luke, or William. I also didn’t quite understand the animosity between her and William. William, Mr. Smith, is the one who turned her and left her to figure out her new way of life on her own, which Jane has every right to be angry about. But William is constantly angry with Jane and it just didn’t make much sense.

I did enjoy Luke and Jane together. The way they verbally sparred reminded me a little of two of Austen’s most famous couple, Darcy and Elizabeth. Plus, as the story progressed, you could see them starting to understand and love each other.

Probably my favorite character in the book is the Prince Regent, or George as he insists on being called. He and Jane spend a good amount of time together—as they are both new vampires. They bond over their new situation and become friends, discussing his love of music and Jane’s love of writing. In the end, as they are saying their goodbyes George makes one final remark: “You’ll dedicate a book to me, I hope, Jane.” And, of course, we all know that Jane Austen did in fact dedicate Emma to him.

In the end, Jane and the Damned fell a little flat. It is always hard to write a fictional story about a real like icon, such as Jane Austen, and I give Janet Mullany credit for trying and putting her own twist on it.

Rating: 6 (Satisfactory)

Heat-Level: 1 (Inspy)

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