Jane Goes Batty

Jane Goes Batty is the sequel to Michael Thomas Ford's hit book Jane Bites Back.  This book picks up shortly after the first book left off.  Jane Fairfax (a.k.a. Jane Austen) still owns a book store, but has let Lucy take over the managerial duties.
She is still dating Walter, and refuses to mention about Charlotte Bronte by name.

Since the release and success of Janes latest book, she has had to work even harder to keep a low profile, so she has agreed to embrace her vampirism, and is taking lessons from Lord Byron.

These lessons come in especially handy when the stars and crew from her book's movie come to town to film, and even more so when Walter's Jewish mother comes to town for a visit.

Between the trouble the movie's young starlet is causing, taking Jewish lessons (because Walter's mother wants him to marry a nice Jewish girl), and trying to find out Miriam's secret and whether or not she knows Jane's secret, the last thing Jane needs or wants is to run into her old friend, Charlotte again.

Once again, Mr. Ford has provided a fun, quick, and witty read, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Jane Bites Back

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is still alive today...as a vampire." This line, on the cover of the book, is what made me want to read it. Unlike the popular Jane Austen mash-ups (here and here), this book is about Ms. Austen herself.

Jane has spent the last 2 centuries trying to get her latest book published. 116 rejections later, the manuscript finally gets a bite, throwing Jane Austen, a.k.a. bookstore owner Jane Fairfax, into a whirlwind. The twists and turns are quite amusing, and I loved the surprise characters.

Jane Bites Back is an entertaining, light read that includes a little bit of romance and mystery, and a lot of laughs. I was disappointed to reach the end of the book so quickly, and look forward to the sequel, Jane Goes Batty, that is promised to be coming soon.