Jane Austen is an aspiring writer and a respectable young woman. She knows that ladies like herself should shun the Damned – beautiful, fashionable, and exotic vampires who live on the fringe of Georgian English society. And yet when she is turned in to one of the Damned, she agrees to her family’s wishes and leaves for Bath to take the waters, the only known cure.

What was to be a quiet trip however, becomes an eye-opening experience for Jane. The vampires she had encountered before are in Bath as well. Exposure to them brings jealousy and betrayal; friendship and love, to Jane’s small world. All these new experiences must be set aside though for England is at war with France and the French have taken to invading Bath.

Jane and the Damned is a kind of alternate reality type novel. While Jane Austen and her family did travel to Bath, it was several years after this novel takes place. The French did not overtake the city and a clan of vampires certainly didn’t drive them out. Though to be honest, that would have been very interesting!

Glimpses of famous Jane Austen characters are seen scattered throughout the book, something that is quite amusing and proof that Ms. Mullany knows her Austen. Light and very tongue in cheek at times, near heartbreaking at others, I found it very entertaining. The book itself has mixed reviews on both Goodreads and Amazon. Personally I thought it quite enjoyable.

True Austen fans might have trouble with characterization, but that shouldn’t deter any one from reading this. Jane and the Damned is a delightful romp and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.