Bespelling Jane Austen

August 9, 2010
Four romance novellas put a paranormal gloss on elements from Austen's work. Bestseller Balogh (A Precious Jewel) turns in the plodding "Almost Persuaded," wherein Jane Everett and Capt. Robert Mitford realize they're reincarnated soul mates. Gleason makes reference to her Gardella Vampire series with "Northanger Castle," in which pert Caroline Merrill, lover of vampire novels, suspects handsome Mr. Blanchard of being a bloodsucker. Krinard (Bride of the Wolf) sets "Blood and Prejudice" in New York where bookstore staffer Elizabeth Bennet encounters pharmaceutical CEO Charles Bingley and an unusual variety of vampires. Mullany (Jane and the Damned) gives us a witchy Emma Woodhouse running a dating service for Washington D.C.'s supernaturals in "Little to Hex Her." Though none show Austen's gift with character, humor, or irony, all but Balogh's are lively, and Mullany's sparkles with genuine wit.

October 15, 2010

Putting a slightly different twist on the popular "reinventing Jane Austen" trend, this quartet of engaging novellas zeroes in on four of Austen's classics (Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma), adapting them with unexpectedly imaginative results. A couple kept apart by their flawed choices in past lives finally get it right in Balogh's gently mystical Almost Persuaded; a gothic novel-loving heroine on the hunt for vampires almost makes a deadly mistake in Colleen Gleason's lively Northanger Castle; Susan Krinard breathes contemporary zing into Elizabeth and Darcy's story in her clever, business-oriented Blood and Prejudice; and Emma continues her meddling as the witchy owner of a contemporary matchmaking business in Janet Mullany's funny, quirky Little To Hex Her. VERDICT Sweet, sexy, funny, or dark, this anthology is an enjoyable take on the otherwise overdone classics-revision craze and provides both paranormal and Austen fans with something to savor. [This was also touted in "BEA Beyond the Buzz," LJ 7/10.--Ed.]

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.