Jane Bites Back [Paperback]

Jane Austen is still alive today as a vampire. She goes by the name of Jane Fairfax now. She is the owner of a book store in small Brakeston, New York. No one knows she is Austen or that she is a vampire; not even her friendly assistant, Lucy Sebring. Jane keeps mortal men at bay for fear of becoming attached to one and eventually losing him when he dies of old age. She does not need the extra heartache. This includes Walter Fletcher, to whom Jane considers a close friend and refuses dates with.

Jane has kept a manuscript that she now dreams of publishing under her new name. She feels irritated enough that she does not receive royalty checks on the numerous spin-offs of her work, but the continuous rejection notices of her new book is even worse. Jane is about to give up when Kelly Littlejohn, senior editor for a small publishing company, offers her a contract. The book is getting rave reviews and Jane is back in the spotlight. She is thrilled until the famous poet that changed her (unwillingly) into a vampire walks into her store, intending to sweep her off her feet again. To make matters even worse, a noted scholar is accusing Jane of plagiarism.

***** FIVE STARS! This is one of the most thoroughly entertaining stories I have read in the past few years! I feel that the author succeeded in capturing Jane Austen's proper personality, as well as in how the legendary author would have reacted had she found herself an immortal vampire. Michael Thomas Ford has crafted a vivid, charming and witty tale to delight readers of any age. Absolutely fantastic! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Yes, this is pretty well what it says on the cover. Jane Austen is alive and well and living in New York. As a vampire. She is also running a bookshop, which is, perhaps, a pity as she is considerably annoyed by the Jane Austen Industry, which includes a reading from the author of Waiting for Mr Darcy attended by costumed fans, Jane Austen finger puppets, Jane Austen paper dolls, and the threat of "a Jane Austen massage book" entitled Sense and Sensuality. She is especially put off by the fact that she is not getting royalties, and she cannot find a publisher for her last novel, Constance. Plus, she is unhappy about taking her relationship with the gentle Walter to its logical conclusion because she cannot bring herself to tell him she is a vampire. But hope is on the horizon. Her book is finally accepted after 160 rejections. The man who was responsible for her vampire state arrives for a visit and as he turns out to be Lord Byron I would take this as much more of a plus than she does (silly girl!). Although problems do arise from his Lordship's natural tendency to seduce anything in sight (oh, come on, he doesn't need vampire glamour) including her young assistant and her (male) editor's boy friend, and the arrival of another of his vampire mistresses in the disturbing shape of Charlotte Bronte, with whom he has an exhilarating punch-up in the bookshop. (I was disappointed to find no reference to his Lordship being the template for the first aristocratic Vampire, Lord Ruthven, in The Vampyre, by Polidori, but never mind.)
The book is fast moving, fun and Jane makes a rather convincing vampire. And we can brace ourselves for the sequel: Jane Goes Batty.

The life of Jane Austen, one of England's great novelists, is skewered in Jane Bites Back, a delectable tale of blood, history and immorality and where other beloved famous authors are perpetually kept alive atop the pages. Jane is now a vampire, her life run awry by the evil machinations of the poet Lord Byron, the secret visit to his house on the shore of Lake Geneva, the loss of her innocence when he seduced her nearly two centuries ago as his eyes burning like stars as she allowed him to lead her into the lake. This was Jane's her death and resurrection, and a time of rebirth. Now living as Jane Fairfax, Jane has proved herself to be a survivor, readily adopting all of the attributes of vampire life and finding a modicum of solace running a bookstore in the picaresque town of Brakeston in up-state New York.

Although she has the support of Lucy, her loyal young assistant, Jane finds herself echoing that desires of that famous heroine Elizabeth Bennett with all of the latest authors cash in on the Austen name. Amidst Jane Austen paper-dolls and Jane Austen cookbooks, the Austen mania is proving too much for Jane who hasn't seen a royalty check in almost two hundred years - and the fact that she was for all intents and purposes dead did little to ease her annoyance. Jane has also been despairing over the numerous rejections of her latest novel Constance. Perhaps she as to admit that perhaps Jane Austen had written her last book? After all she hadn't expected to live forever. but just as she's about to send the script of Constance to its death, she's granted a temporary reprieve from Kelly Littlejohn, the senior editor, Browder Publishing.

Jane is also filled with the possibilities of love when a potential boyfriend appears in the form the handsome Walter Fletcher. His blue eyes sparkling merrily, Walter brings her the gift of cinnamon buns and the promise of love. When Walter invites Jane to a new years eve party, she meets the enigmatic Brian George, so striking with his pale skin and a face that could only be described as beautiful. His dark eyes are matched by the darkness of is hair. Stopping Jane's heart, Brian is in fact, Lord Byron come to reclaim Jane for his own. Like a dream and plunged into reality, "her heart, to be sure is not of ice and one refusal no rebuff," Jane is furious and distraught, disdaining Bryon's seductions and fleeing to New York, where Kelly awaits. She's embarrassed by Kelly's effusive praise but the possibilities of a new romance blossoms.

From New York to Chicago and onto New Orleans, Jane's romantic life is turned upside down by Byron's arrival. After two hundred years of romantic deprivation it's time for a change. She's haunted by her declaration of love for Byron, his callous dismissal of her affections, and her shameful return to England. When the body of a dead reporter from Entertainment Weekly turns up along with an incriminating email, Jane realizes that Byron has kill her in order to frame Jane not only for plagiarism abut for murder as well. And then there's the embittered Violet Grey, an ardent Bronteite who is obsessed with Charlotte, Emily and Branwell. Violet pretends that she is Charlotte, and has managed to unearth Jane's manuscript, convincing herself it was really Charlotte who had penned it. Violet has in fact, read the original manuscript of Constance and accuses her of not only plagiarizing the novel but preventing the world from knowing that another Charlotte Bronte novel exists.

Written with such perfect pitch and a particular brand of ironic humor, it is hard not to fall in love with this delightful jewel in Michael Thomas Ford's literary crown - and that of his newly reinvented Jane Austen. As the action intensifies, Jane finds herself awash with threats of blackmail along with a fair amount of wild emotion. What follows is a terrible house fire, a disastrous book signing, a dog rescue, the appearance of yet another vicious literary villain, as well as the fear of Lucy and Walter exposed to Byron`s bloodthirsty need. Then there's Jane who remains at the center of all the drama, continually torn between Mr. "nice guy" Walter and the "incredibly sexy but totally-bad-for-you" Lord Bryon whom she can't quite get out of her mind. Meanwhile, love proves to be dangerous for everyone as Jane finds herself living in one of her novels, being pulled in too many directions to think properly, her thoughts racing from one to another and she attempts to sort out her thoughts about her book, Walter, Byron, the memories of her beloved sister Cassie, and pretty much her entire vampire life. Mike Leonard January 2010.