Exceptionally good reading, this novel of Jane Austen, her sister, Cassandra; her feisty little niece, Anna; her mother and their close friend and housekeeper, Martha, is set in the sleepy little village of Chawton. What shakes up an otherwise pleasant but routine existence for them is the new neighbors...renting Jane's brother's house. A family of vampires including Jane's creator, Fitzwilliam/Fitzpatrick, the handsome vampire who became Jane's "maker" when the French and English were battling and the help of the "Damed," those recognized as vampires, was required to win against the forces of Napoleon. Jane's worried about the safety of her family given the hunger and lack of morality of most of the vampires she knows! It's the push-pull of these gorgeous creatures, their blood lust ways and their enticings of the innocents vs. Jane's eagerness to protect and not fall back into her own vampiric ways that makes this a wonderful read. Not to mention Jane's love interests... :]
Janet Mullany's research is impeccable. But, more than that, she writes with such believability. Every scene is beautifully rendered; so much so that you can hear the china tea cups clink in Mrs. Austen's drawing room, and the see the crystal chandeliers gleam in the gothic ballroom of Fitzpatrick's house. I felt like swooning myself as she describes the dazzling vampire men. Who could resist them? I have such a weakness for dark and mysterious, dangerous men...especially vampires! Mullany knows how to create them, and she places them like gems in her Georgian vignettes. I love Jane Austen, but dress her up with a struggle over three main, gorgeous vampires of the "Damned" and I'm there for the asking every time!
Anything Mullany writes should be a must read for those who love "mash ups" of Miss Austen. In this case, the book is so entertaining, engrossing from the start, including a beloved cast of characters that all Janeites will be familiar with. It's not possible to be anything other than delighted to be reading "Jane Austen: Blood Persuasion." I loved it, and tried to read it in one sitting. Would have accomplished that, if it hadn't been for a grandson who wanted to go swimming all day!
5 stars for this brilliantly vampirish Jane!
