It takes more than a bite - one has to be drained to the point of the death and then some. Only a Queen vampire can create new vampires. Only an Alpha werewolf can create new werewolves. Oddly enough, a female can be an Alpha werewolf, but a male cannot be a Queen vampire (although Lord Alkedama does his level best!).

Alexia Tarrabotti, the heroine of the tales, is a preternatural - her touch negates the effects of the ... curse? So that the vampire or werewolf reverts to humans. Vampires call her kind "soul-suckers", werewolves call them "curse-breakers".

The Parasol was a normal female accessory during Victorian times which could easily be weaponised. I think that that part of the story is a homage to Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody books.

I perhaps should mention that this series is definitely steampunk.