Children’s#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Merry Bay- Engine Failure |
2020 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Netherfield Must Go |
2019 |
N/A |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Pride and Protest |
2022 |
Buy |
| Sex, Lies and Sensibility |
2024 |
Buy |
| The Princess and the P.I. |
2025 |
Buy |
Nikki Payne writes contemporary romance with a literary edge, best known for her Jane Austen retellings featuring Black protagonists. Pride and Protest (2022) reimagines Pride and Prejudice as a conflict between a community organizer and a corporate developer, while Sex, Lies and Sensibility (2024) reworks Sense and Sensibility with two sisters taking over a failing inn in Maine.
Payne’s approach to Austen is not nostalgic. She keeps the character dynamics and thematic concerns — class, pride, first impressions, family obligation — but sets them in contemporary America where race, gentrification, and economic pressure add new dimensions. Her most recent novel, The Princess and the P.I. (2025), moves beyond Austen into new territory. She has also published a novella and a children’s book.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Nikki Payne written?
Nikki Payne has written five books across three series.
What was Nikki Payne's first book?
Nikki Payne’s first book is Netherfield Must Go, published in 2019.
How does Nikki Payne approach Jane Austen retellings?
Payne takes the core conflicts and character dynamics of Austen’s novels and transplants them into modern settings with Black protagonists. Pride and Protest reimagines Pride and Prejudice through a community activist and a real estate developer at odds over gentrification. Sex, Lies and Sensibility reworks Sense and Sensibility with two sisters rebuilding their lives at a run-down Maine inn. The Austen bones are there, but the stories are fully contemporary.