The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

"Pride and Prejudice lives on," (USA Today) "a fun and zany time warp," (New York Daily News) "history textbook meets Bridget Jones" (Marie Claire): Readers and reviewers alike praise Lauren Willig's bestselling Pink Carnation series for its passion, adventure, and tantalizing stories of flower-named spies during the Napoleonic wars.

Lauren Willig continues the exciting Pink Carnation series with her fourth novel, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, featuring Lord Vaughn, the delightfully devilish spy from The Masque of the Black Tulip, and Mary Alsworthy, the raven-haired beauty whose sister accidentally stole her suitor in The Deception of the Emerald Ring. Determined to secure another London season without assistance from her new brother-in-law, Mary accepts a secret assignment from Lord Vaughn on behalf of the Pink Carnation: to infiltrate the ranks of the dreaded French spy, the Black Tulip, before he and his master can stage their planned invasion of England. Every spy has a weakness, and for the Black Tulip that weakness is black-haired women—his "petals" of the Tulip. A natural at the art of seduction, Mary easily catches the attention of the French spy, but Lord Vaughn never anticipates that his own heart will be caught as well. Fighting their growing attraction, impediments from their past, and, of course, the French, Mary and Vaughn find themselves lost in the shadows of a treacherous garden of lies.

As our modern-day heroine, Eloise Kelly, digs deeper into England's Napoleonic-era espionage, she becomes even more entwined with Colin Selwick, the descendant of her spy subjects.

I have been reading this series now for a couple of years, and for the first two books, after I closed the book I was very much interested in knowing when the next book came out. After I read the last book, I was still interested, but I was aware that the third book in the series hadn't quite lived up to the first two. Unfortunately, neither did this book, the fourth in the series.

I still love the idea that Willig started off with. Two time lines, one where a grad student (Eloise) is trying to pick her way through the historical record to find out exactly who the leader of the Pink Carnation spy ring was, and what happened to the group. As Eloise finds more letters and information, then we travel back in time to see the events as they unfold.

In this book, the heroine is Miss Mary Alsworthy, who in one of the previous books was jilted quite by accident in favour of her sister. Mary is seen as something of an ice princess by the ton, and she keeps any unsuitable men away from her using her iciness as a weapon. It is unthinkable that Mary may well have to rely on the kindness of her sister and her husband to look after her, because Mary is very much in danger of being left on the shelf. When Mary is approached by Lord Vaughan, she does not realise that it is because her looks are very much the type preferred by the infamous Black Tulip, and her task will be to infiltrate the gang.

What follows is kind of a hotch-potch. The plot takes twists and turns that seem unlikely, despite the fact that Willig acknowledges exactly that in the Author's Note, and then elaborates that it wasn't far from actual events.

By far the biggest problem for me in this book was the build up of tension between our heroine and her hero, Mary and Lord Vaughan. Now, I love reading about the aristocratic lord who is somewhat aloof, cold and haughty who thaws dramatically when he meets the love of his life. He may still be aloof to everyone, except to that inner circle of people. The problem in this case is that Vaughan is cold (and yes we do find out the reasons why) and Mary is an ice princess - there's no thawing going on here. There also wasn't enough build up of attraction between them.

In terms of the contemporary strand of the story, I understand that Eloise only gets 5 or 6 chapters per book, but it just seems to me that it is moving forward to slowly. I want to see Eloise get it on, although it seems as though the momentum is building.

I am hoping that it is just me, and that this series is not losing steam, because I really want to see it through to the end, finding out exactly what happened to the Pink Carnation and whether Eloise finally gets her man.

In the end I rated this book a 3.5/5. That in itself is a respectable grade. I guess I just wanted more, and I do definitely want more from the next book, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, which is due out on 22 January 2009. The main thing that concerns me about the next book though is that I can't remember meeting the heroine before. If I have time I might try to reread at least the first couple of books to give myself a refresher course in all the minor characters.

This is one of the books that I chose to read for the Pub08 Reading Challenge and also one of the books that I nominated to read for the Bang Bang Book Challenge.

Cross posted at Historical Tapestry

An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer

This review cross posted at Historical Tapestry

IN THE SUMMER OF 1815, with Napolean Bonaparte marching down from the north, Brussels is a whirlwind of parties, balls and soirees. In the swirling social scene surrounding the Duke of Wellington and his noble aides de camp, no one attracts more attention than the beautiful, outrageous young widow Lady Barbara Childe. On their first meeting, dashing Colonel Charles Audley proposes to her, but even their betrothal doesn't calm her wild behavior. Finally, with the Battle of Waterloo raging just miles away, civilians fleeing and the wounded pouring back into the town, Lady Barbara discovers where her heart really lies, and like a true noblewoman, she rises to the occasion, and to the demands of love, life and war...

Just under a year ago I went to the local romance bookstore, and was talking to the girl who worked about authors she recommended. After going through a few different options, she asked me whether I had ever read Georgette Heyer? My response was no, but that I wasn't overly keen to try. After she gushed for about 10 minutes about how fabulous Heyer was, I ended up walking out of the store having bought Venetia. I still haven't read it.

It wasn't so much that I wasn't interested in reading Heyer's books really. It was more that there were so many that I wasn't really sure where to start, and there were so many other books that I KNEW that I wanted to read. Then I was offered An Infamous Army and I figured that it would be just the encouragement I needed to try this author, and then one way or the other I would know whether I wanted to read more or not!

Whatever it was that I was expecting when I started reading this book, it's not what I got! I will confess that I was expecting lots of bodice heaving, and purple prose, but instead what I got was a lovely romance which was set against the much larger portrayal of the Battle of Waterloo. The detail in the book about the movement of troops and the actual battles was impressive, but yet not so overdone that it became monotonous and boring. The colour and pageantry of the various parts of the army that was massing to face Napoleon was impressively depicted and the almost crazed atmosphere of the English in Brussels who seemed to be partying like there was no tomorrow was very finely tuned. The fact that there literally was no tomorrow for many of them only adds to the poignancy of the novel.

The action of the story moved from the ballroom, to the salon, to reviewing the troops and trips on picnics to the countryside adeptly, and yet with all the details about the looming battle and the actual battle, Heyer didn't forget to develop the blooming relationship between our hero and heroine.

I have to confess that at the very beginning of the book I was somewhat concerned at where the journey was going to lead. When Colonel Charles Audley, who works on the staff of the Duke of Wellington, enters into a crowded ballroom and sees the beautiful but somewhat notorious Lady Barbara Childe he instantly falls in love and before too long she is in love with him. Almost immediately, Charles proposes to Babs and she accepts, much to the shock of much of Brussels, including his sister, and to the delight of the gossip mongers, for whom Babs has long been a favourite talking point. Love at first sight....not really my cup of tea.

Babs give Charles a bit of a run around, but her true strength comes to the fore when it is needed as the battle rages. And in the end, it turns out that she is not the only one in her family who might have shocking secrets.

And yet, despite that initial reservation, gradually I found myself fascinated by all the characters, including our lovers. Many of the characters are actual historical figures who were involved in the Battle of Waterloo, and I found myself searching the web looking for websites related to the battle to try and figure out things like exactly how far out of Brussels is Waterloo. I think that if a historical novel that you are reading prompts you to go and find out more information about the events you are reading about, then it's a pretty good sign.

With lively characters, plenty of historical details and a good love story, this is one Heyer that I am definitely glad that I found time to read, and I will be reading more!

Rating 4/5


Thanks to Sourcebooks for the review copy of this book!


Other blogger's thoughts:

Chris @ Book-a-rama

Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe by Sandra Gulland

I've posted my review along with Kailana's thoughts about this book over at Historical Tapestry today.

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

Emerald rings aren't all they are cracked up to be....

Eloise Kelly has gotten into quite a bit of trouble since she's been spying on the Pink Carnation and the Black Tulip - two of the deadliest spies to saunter the streets of nineteenth-century England and France. Not only has been unearthing secrets that will change the course of history, she's been dallying with Colin Selwick - great-nephew of Mrs Selwick-Alderly, the keeper of important hidden documents - looking for a romantic adventure of her own.

Little does she know there's another fierce heroine running headlong into history...

It's 1803 England, and Letty Alsworthy awakens in the middle of the night to discover that her sister, Mary, is about to make the very grave mistake of eloping with Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe (second in command of the League of the Purple Gentian). In an attempt to save the family name, Letty tries to break up the midnight assignation - only to find herself accidentally carried off in her sister's place. The ensuing scandal forces Letty and Geoff into a hasty marriage - and just as hastily, Geoff disappears on their wedding night, under orders to hurry to Ireland and help the Pink Carnation squash a ring of Irish rebels led by the Black Tulip. Not to be outdone by her husband, Letty steals away on a ship bound for the Emerald Isle, armed and ready to fight for her integrity, and learn a thing or two about espionage - never imagining that she might learn a few things about love on the way...

After the intensity of the last couple of reads, something a bit light was in order, and one of the Pink Carnation books by Lauren Willig fitted the bill perfectly....that and the fact that it was due back at the library!!

The first two books in the series, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and The Masque of the Black Tulip very much set the tone for this book, which really continues two stories in two different time lines.

In the first time line we have a chick lit style story where young American Eloise Kelly is living in London, whilst she is working on her dissertation which proposes that in addition to the more well known Scarlet Pimpernel and Purple Gentian, there was another spy called the Pink Carnation. For the chapters that focus on Eloise, the main topic is her love life, and more specifically her infatuation, for want of a better word, with Colin Selwick.

The book is stronger when the narrative concentrates on the events of the past. This time, the Pink Carnation has been sent to Ireland to quash a rebellion that is brewing which appears to be backed by old enemy Napoleon. After a botched elopement where Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe ends up engaged to the wrong Alsworthy sister, and a hasty wedding, he too is off to Ireland. Unfortunately for his new bride, Letty, he chose to run off on their wedding night, choosing to believe that she has manipulated matters to try and destroy his happiness. Letty has never one to let sleeping dogs lie (case in point - interrupting the elopement in the first place), and so she follows her errant husband to Ireland, very nearly causing the mission to fail.

For the most part I enjoyed the relationship between Geoffrey and Letty. In many ways Geoffrey was a reluctant spy/hero. Whilst he loved his work in the league and the War Office, he would have been content to do his desk job instead of actually being out in the field - especially when his wife keeps on getting in the way! I did, however, think that the relationship between Letty and Geoffrey didn't really build up all that well - there was lots of angst and then it seemed all too suddenly they were in love, and then the book was over!

So whilst this one probably wasn't as good as the first two books in the series, there were still lots of fun elements in this book in both time settings, and I will definitely read the next book in the series.

Rating 3.5/5


Edited to add: A quick check of the author's website reveals that the next book in the series is going to be called The Seduction of the Crimson Rose and is going to be out in February 2008 - looking forward to it!

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland

You will be unhappily wed.
You will be widowed.
You will be queen

To the fourteen year old Rose, eldest daughter of a poor plantation landlord, the fortuneteller's prophecy is both thrilling and laughable. Poorly educated and without a dowry, it seems unlikely that she will find any husband - much less a king. But history tells a different tale, for Rose not only marries into a wealthy aristocratic family, she survives the French Revolution, outlives her first husband and is one day known as Josephine Bonaparte.

In this beautifully crafted novel, Sandra Gulland pulls back the veil of history to reveal an extraordinary life. From her simple childhood on the French island of Martinique to her first heady experience in French revolutionary Paris and her unhappy marriage to the unfaithful Alexandre, Rose's destiny lives with a man determined to rule all of France, determined to make her Queen.

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B is the first book in the incredible trilogy inspired by the life of Josephine Bonaparte.

On the odd occasion that I have read books that are in diary format, particularly historical fiction, they haven't necessarily worked for me, so if I had of realised that this was the format of this book, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. This is, however, one of those books where the diary format really, really works.

We meet the legendary Josephine Bonaparte when she is Rose, a young planter's daughter who lives in Martinique. She visits a fortune teller who tells her that she will be married unhappily, she will be a widow, and she will be a queen - all very unlikely given that she is uneducated, and from a poor family. Following tragedy within her family she is however betrothed to a man she has never met before and therefore has to make the trip to France - a country in uproar.

She marries Alexandre, Vicomte de Beaurharnais, and eventually provides him with two children, but the marriage is an unhappy one, and he is unfaithful to her many times. Eventually they undertake a legal separation, but there are many custody issues, particularly around their son, Eugene.

All of this takes place against a background of revolution, and eventually Josephine has to try and walk the fine line between being a revolutionary (necessary if one wants to keep one's head intact), but still being loyal and doing all she can to save her aristocratic friends. As Alexandre becomes more and more important in government, Rose finds herself under more and more scrutiny because she is still his wife, and when the tide turns against Alexandre they both find themselves in Carmes prison. Even during such a worrying time as that, Alexandre and Rose still find ways to torment each other, until finally Alexandre's name is on the list - which means that he is on his way to meet Madame Guillotine. Rose's name is also called, but she is deemed too sick to be killed, and luckily, through her influential friends, she is released, thus narrowly avoiding the same fate as her husband.

Once out of prison, life in post revolutionary Paris begins, and Rose, now a widow, becomes the mistress of several men. Whilst never rich, she does have influence, and does seem to fraternise with many men who form part of the new government. It is through these men that she meets Napoleon. At first, she is unimpressed, but as he pursues her, she eventually begins to see some advantages to being linked with this man.

This book is the first book in a trilogy, and focuses mainly on Rose's life prior to meeting Napoleon. He only appears in the last few chapters of the book, presumably as a kind of teaser for the next book in the series. And if that was the intention then it definitely works, because I have already requested the next book in the series.

Gulland is very successful at giving some idea of what life must have been like for people in France during this turbulent time - never knowing whether or not your neighbour that you have known for years might be the one person who will turn you in for disloyalty, not knowing if each time you see your friends may be the last time you see them, struggling to provide food and education to your children.

Through it all Rose manages to maintain her dignity, humour and grace. Overall, this was a very entertaining read, about a very interesting woman who lived in very turbulent times, and is still remembered today.

Rating: 4.5/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:;

Kylee's Book blog

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

History takes flight....Naomi Novik's deliciously addictive Black Powder War skilfully layers the history of the Napoleonic War with breathtaking imagination.

After their adventure in China, Capt. Will Laurence of His Majesty's Aerial Corps and his extraordinary flying dragon, Temeraire, gratefully anticipate their voyage home..

But before they set sail, they are waylaid by urgent new orders. The British Government, having purchased three valuable dragon eggs from the Ottoman Empire, now require Laurence and Temeraire to make a more perilous over-land journey instead, stopping off in Istanbul to collect and escort the precious cargo back to England - and time is of the essence if the eggs are to arrive before they hatch.

A cross-continent expedition is a daunting prospect, fraught with countless dangers. The small party must be prepared to navigate frigid mountain passes and cross sterile deserts to evade feral dragons and Napoleon's aggressive infantry. And they will also have to endure an unexpected menace, for a Machiavellian herald precedes them, spreading political poison in her wake.

Lien, the white celestial dragon, absconded from the Chinese Imperial Court shortly after the humiliating death of her beloved princely companion. Fervently believing Temeraire to be the architect of her anguish, she has vowed to ally herself with his greatest enemy in order to exact a full and painful revenge upon everything and everyone the black dragon holds dear.

This is the third book in the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, following on from Throne of Jade and on the whole it is a pretty good read.

In some way it felt like a book of two parts as opposed to one whole book. The book follows on from the closing events in the previous book, with Laurence, Temeraire and the rest of the crew waiting for the opportunity to start the long journey home to England. After a disastrous fire on board their ship, Laurence receives orders to make his way to Istanbul to pick up two eggs and make their way to England. It will not however be an easy journey, making their way across China and through to Turkey. Along the way they face hardship and feral dragons amongst other things. Their arrival in Istanbul isn't quite as warm as they may would like, and there are several occasions where the clash of cultures is explored to a degree.

After taking desperate action, the journey towards home continues, but unfortunately this means going through Austria, a land where the Prussians are currently experiencing a fight for their very survival against the might of Napoleon. Laurence and Temeraire soon find themselves forced to take part in the Prussians defence, at great risk of danger and death to themselves and their crews.

With the first half of the book concentrating on the journey from China to Turkey, there was, in my opinion, a stark contrast to the events in the second half, which were very political and more strategically based than we have seen before. It was interesting that Novik took the known facts of the Napoleonic War's 1806 offensives and tweaked them just enough to fit the dragons in, whilst still staying true to the main historical points and outcomes.

If anything, I would say that there was a little less humour in this book, although the addition of a new dragon named Iskierka (a very feisty young lady indeed!), there were still plenty of humourous moments to be had in amongst the darker parts of this book. I was, however, relieved to see that there was less evidence of Laurence referring to Temeraire as "darling" in this book. Not that it didn't happen, but just not as regularly and annoyingly as I found this term of endearment in the previous books. Lien once again provides a looming dark presence within the story, and the alliance that she forms, and her subsequent actions were interesting of themselves.

I would say though, that it does appear as though Novik has backed away from some of the themes that she started to introduce regarding the rights of dragons. I will wait to see whether or not this is a theme that she picks up and follows through with in the next book or not.

The fourth book in the series is out in September, and is to be called Empire of Ivory. Can't wait to get to read it!

Rating: 4/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Finding Wonderland

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo - an unhatched dragon's egg - Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain's Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte's invading forces.

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands - and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East - a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

The second book in the Temeraire series, following on from Temeraire (His Majesty's Dragon), this book opens with a delegation from the Chinese insisting that Temeraire should be returned to it's rightful owner. Laurence is insistent that he will not be separated from Temeraire, and vice versa, leading to a showdown with the government. Laurence is basically forced to accompany the Chinese delegation back to China - a trip that involves a voyage several months long.

Whilst sea faring adventures were part of the first book, it is certainly a much greater focus in this one, (much as I imagine Patrick O'Briens books would be) as the ship that Laurence and Temeraire are travelling on travels the route, calling in at slave ports in Africa, a newly captured port in South Africa amongst other places. Also dealt with is the differences between the members of the navy and the members of the Dragon corps, and the cultural differences between the Chinese and the English.

With Laurence and Temeraire facing danger from some of the more dangerous ship mates, creatures from the deep, illness and other challenges, when they finally arrive in China, it has to be a relief. And yet, they are not yet safe, for a variety of reasons. For both Laurence and Temeraire there is a surprise in store when they see how dragons are treated in China, particularly a dragon as rare and valuable as Temeraire. Finding themselves drawn into Chinese politics much more than they ever thought they would be, the time in China is also a time of education for the both of them.

Whilst the story itself is very entertaining, the only thing that I do wonder about, is that the author seems to approach topics that might be quite difficult to deal with, and then back away again. For example, when calling in at the slave trading port, Laurence explains slavery to Temeraire. It so happens that the captain of the ship comes from a pro slavery family, and Laurence is anti-slavery, so there is opportunity for conflict there. However, when Laurence is forced to think about the way that dragons are treated in England, in comparison with in China, there icorrelationllation between the slavery discussion, and it is kind of just glossed over. The other things that tend to be glossed over are some of the issues around relationships between the human characters of the books.

For all of that, the book is very entertaining, and if you like nautical themed books, this might be an interesting read of that nature, with a twist!!

Rating 4/5

P.S I am really behind on my reviews...coming up (when I get around to them) are posts on The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Poison Study by Maria V Snyder, Seducing the Spy by Celeste Bradley and The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket).


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Finding Wonderland

Temeraire (His Majesty's Dragon) by Naomi Novik

Published under the name His Majesty's Dragon in the US this is the first book in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. The book is called Temeraire in the UK and also here in Australia.

Set amid the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars, Temeraire is a thrilling tale of one of the most dramatic chapters of European History with a brilliant veneer of bold fantasy.

As Napoleon's Grande Armee tears Europe apart, his vast armada threatens Britain. But the battles are not fought upon land and sea alone, for both sides have an air force. And the fiery death they rain down upon their enemies has little to do with gunpowder - it comes from the very guts of the beasts they are flying: dragons.

Weeks out of port at Madeira, a British vessel - the Reliant, commanded by Captain William Laurence - captures a French frigate. Within its hold lies a greater prize than the ship herself: a dragon egg. And it is close to hatching.

Young dragons must be put to harness immediately or they go feral, and once harnessed, the beast will accept no other master. When the newborn ignores his chosen rider and approaches Laurence instead, his life is changed forever.

But even more astonishing than the young dragonet - named Temeraire by Laurence - is the revelation that the egg was meant for the Emperor Napoleon himself...

I don't read a lot of fantasy, but this book was attractive to me for a couple of reasons. One is that it has been getting a lot of positive reviews, and the second is that it could almost be classified as historical fantasy. Novik has taken the events of the Napoleonic wars, and just tweaked them, by giving the combatant countries an air force, not made up of planes or balloons, but rather of dragons. One of the reasons I don't read a lot of fantasy is that I don't really enjoy the world building that sort of has to happen to establish the rules for the society, hierachy, social rules etc. By only having to tweak the world as we know it a little, it means that the story can get going a whole lot quicker and for me that is a bonus.

When Captain William Laurence engages in battle with a French warship, he is kind of surprise that the crew fights so fiercely given that they are practically starving, and there doesn't seem to be any great treasure or anything on board, until they come across a dragon egg...very close to hatching.

The thing with dragon's eggs is that they must be harnessed and bonded with their rider pretty much immediately because otherwise they will go feral or will not accept another handler - a waste of a terribly precious resource, particularly in these troubling days. It is therefore agreed that the officers on board will all draw lots to see who the unlucky handler is going to be. It is considered unlucky because to be a dragon handler pretty much means leaving life as you know it behind, to live in the dragon coverts where they are trained and cared for. Gone are the chances to be courted in society - where naval officers are welcomed in society, dragon handlers are pretty much shunned. Also gone is pretty much any chance of marriage, family, and gaining advancement and material wealth.

So when the dragon shuns the chosen handler and instead attaches himself to Laurence, he is quite upset but realises that he has no choice as a man of great honour but to do his duty for his country. And yet, as he gets to know the dragon he has chosen to name Temeraire, he finds that he enjoys his new life- including their many conversations about life, reading books together, hunting, and eventually when they are bought back to England for training, getting ready for their coming life together during their manoeuvres. One of my favourite conversation between the two was when the normally unflappable Laurence had to explain to Temeraire why the men from the dragon corps visit the nearby town to visit the local prostitutes...very funny. I did find Laurence's habit of calling his dragon "My Dear" a little affected but I got over it eventually!!

The thing with Temeraire is no one really knows what kind of dragon he is, and so they don't know what his special skill is. They know he is a Chinese dragon but that is about as far as it goes. With his superior speed and intelligence he is still a very valuable asset and when his weapon is revealed it is very key in the battle against those fiendishly clever French men under the rule of Napoleon.

The other interesting dynamic in the book is the relationship between the other flyers and Laurence. It is very unusual for someone to swap from the Navy to the Flying corps (and vice versa), and Laurence brings with him very different ideas of how his crew should be run. It is interesting to watch both the other flyers and Laurence begin to get an understanding and working together. One of the more interesting relationships is between Laurence and a female officer by the name of Roland. There is a good build up in the relationship, but I can't help but feel that the author backed away from building the relationship up completely - but maybe that is just the romance reader in me talking!! I hope to see this relationship develop further in the next books in the series.

The other day I was in one of our department stores looking longingly at the second book in the series. I think I am going to have to ask the library to see whether they will order this one and the third one in the series in for me.

As an added bonus there is a short story on the author's website which fits between the first and second books, and there is also a web game that Harper Collins UK put up to coincide with the release of this book in the UK.

Overall, a very enjoyable read.

Rating 4.5/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Finding Wonderland
Bookworm
Books and Other Thoughts

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

The second book following on from The Secret History of the Pink Carnation .

Finding True Love Was Never So Dangerous

Two hundred years ago, secret documents so sensitive they could alter the course of history were stolen from a courier with the London War Office. A the scene of the crime, the victim was left with a curious note containing only a small black symbol pinned to his chest. Authorities were baffled. It took two centuries for a young American history student, Eloise Kelly, to uncover the missing pieces of the puzzle...

As Eloise reads from an old codebook, she discovers that the Black Tulip, the deadliest spy in Napoleon's arsenal, has returned to England with a
terrifying mission. Only a pair of star-crossed lovers stand in the way of the Black Tulip. But will stopping the Black Tulip's secret mission cost them their
lives or, even worse, their love?

It's funny you know...when I was rereading what I wrote about Secret History, it struck me as quite ironic that I wrote that the back cover blurb wasn't really accurate for that book, as I have to say the same thing again. Reading the blurb above, it makes it seem as though the missing documents were a key part of the story, and that Eloise was the first person to discover the true identity of the Black Tulip...which isn't exactly the way the book pans out.

Our hero from the previous book (Lord Richard Selwick aka ThePurple Gentian) has had to retire from active spy service given that his cover was blown. That actually suits him as he is now settled into married bliss with Amy. He is, however, keeping his hand in by running a spy school from his home.

The Pink Carnation is still plying her trade in Paris, obtaining secret information and sending it home to England using a series of chatty letters to Lady Henrietta Selwick (sister of Lord Richard). What looks like gossip is in fact a complex series of codes that Henrietta then passes onto The War Office.

Miles Dorrington was a close personal friend of Richard (in fact has basically been a member of the family since he was a very young boy) and also employed at The War Office.

When the news comes through that there is a deadly new spy who has made their way to London, both Miles and Henrietta decide that they will track down the deadly Black Tulip.

There is a small problem though. All of a sudden they are both finding each other more and more attractive. Whilst Henrietta acknowledges her feelings, Miles is somewhat slower...very concerned about the fact that he is lusting after his best friend's sister, which apparently is just not done.

After both having numerous escapades and false leads, Miles and Henrietta both end up at a special spy weekend (the event is meant to appear as a house party) at her brother's home, where they are training their latest recruits, things don't quite go to plan. When it seems as though the Black Tulip has infiltrated the house, all of the potential spies are required to stay in the grounds of Selwick Hall, and in some ways, it is inevitable that Miles and Henrietta will be caught in a compromising situation.

There were times that I did just wish that Miles and Henrietta would just talk to each other, and things would have been a lot easier for them. As for Eloise, she spends the weekend at Selwick Hall, searching through the archives there for more evidence about The Pink Carnation and The Black Tulip, and the spy school that was convened there, but is she also succumbing to the charms of Colin Selwick? There's been no action on that stage yet, but it is building nicely!

Another fun, light read. The next book comes out later this year and has The Pink Carnation setting off for Ireland. I will definitely be getting hold of it when it comes out!

Rating 4/5

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

The first in a series of book by new author Lauren Willig, this book looks at the lives of the spies that followed on in the footsteps of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Deciding that true romantic heroes are a thing of the past, Eloise Kelly, a gifted young history student who nonetheless always manages to wear her precious Jimmy Choo suede boots on the day it buckets down, abandons Harvard for London to finish her dissertation on a dashing pair of spies, The Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. What she discovers is something the finest scholars have missed: the secret history of The Pink Carnation - the most elusive spy of all time, said to have singlehandedly saved England from Napolean's invasion.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation opens with the tale of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a story within a story. After discovering a treasure trove of old letters, Eloise is transported to eighteenth-century Paris through the daring exploits of another young woman determined to make her mark, and a passionate love affair that almost threw off the course of world events is at last revealed.

This book is an interesting mix of genres. We have some elements of chicklit (brand name dropping, parties, fashion), and yet at another level we have historical romance, mixed in with a dash of spying for good measure. In lesser hands, it could have been a recipe for mediocrity, with none of the elements dealt with satisfactorily, however, happily for the reader, it was handled quite competently. I was certainly left wanting to read more from this author!

The back cover details (above) really do not give an accurate reflection of what the book is about. From that blurb, one would assume that the main focus of the novel is Eloise, but really, other than a chapter here and there, the main focus of the novel is about the starting of the spy legend that is The Pink Carnation, and the romance between Amy Balcourt and Lord Richard Selwick.

From her days as a very young girl, Amy has dreamt of joining the league of spies that followed in the footsteps of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and if she couldn't join him, she would start her own league...the league of The Pink Carnation. Already enrolled in the league is Amy's cousin, the unflappable Jane. When Amy is called to go home to Paris by her brother Edouard, of course Jane will accompany, along with the very strict Miss Gwen, who is lethal with her parasol. Amy has everything planned...she is going to find The Purple Gentian and join him in Paris, and restore the monarchy to France. Unfortunately, The Purple Gentian has a much different agenda!

After being disappointed in her plans, the girls hire a boat for their exclusive use. Only problem is Lord Richard has done the same, and before they can sort out who really has the exclusive use of the boat, they are on their way to France, and the first interactions between our hero and heroine take place. In true romance fashion, they are attracted to each other, but keep on fighting with each other, especially when Amy finds the fact that Richard works for Napoleon unpatriotic. Once they reach Paris, they meet time and time again, until at last Amy realise who exactly she is dealing with. When the Purple Gentian finds himself cornered, he finds help from unlikely elements....in scenes which have high elements of slapstick comedy.

Whilst Eloise follows the story of Amy and Richard, she locks horns with the imperious Colin Selwick who is the family guardian of the papers regarding his ancestors life. There are only half a dozen chapters focusing on Eloise, and secondarily Colin, so there is plenty of scope in the next couple of novels to see where, if anywhere, the author wants to take our modern day couple.

The intriguing thing about this blend of different genres and styles is that it works! It will be interesting to see if it maintains its freshness as the series continues. I have my name down first on the request list at the library for The Masque of the Black Tulip

Reading this book did actually lead me to discover that Baroness Orczy who wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel actually wrote about 15 Pimpernel books, which I never knew previously, and most of them are available for free downloads on the internet. Hopefully I will get a chance to read some more of them soon!

A good fun read, filled with ingenious plans, swirling capes, masks and disguises - in short....lots of fun!

Edited to add: On Lauren Willig's website there are some "Outtakes" from this book - more fun!

Rating 4/5


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