The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Nothing goes right for Eloise. The one day she wears her new suede boots, it rains cats and dogs. When the subway stops short, she's always the one thrown into some stranger's lap. Plus, she's had more than her share of misfortune in the way of love. In fact, ever since she realized romantic heroes are a thing of the past, she's decided it's time for a fresh start. Setting off for England, Eloise is determined to finish her dissertation on that dashing pair of spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. But what she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: the secret history of the Pink Carnation - the most elusive spy of all time. As she works to unmask this obscure spy, Eloise stumbles across answers to all kinds of questions. Like how did the Pink Carnation save England from Napoleon? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly escape her bad luck and find a living, breathing hero all her own?
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Community Reviews
Followed by: The Masque of the Black Tulip, The Deception of the Emerald Ring, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine and The Betrayal of the Blood Lilly
Stumbling upon the Pink Carnation was like stumbling upon a coupon for free pizza. It's that perfect sort of guilty pleasure because you get all the deliciousness without the guilt. Or in this case, all of the romance without actually having shopped in the romance department. That's because on top of happening to have romance in the story, there's also intrigue and mystery. All set in the Napoleonic years of Great Britain, with a little side story about the girl who is doing the research of the various flower-named spies of the two world powers.
Because it mentions the Scarlet Pimpernel (that great classic by Baroness Orczy), I was instantly hooked. And then Willig creates her own Purple Gentian and Black Tulip. And of course the Pink Carnation, who isn't what anyone expected him to be. The most addicting part is the fact that Eloise, the modern day researcher of the series, is too much like me. Charlotte is me. And I can see too much of myself in many of the heroines. Maybe I love that best...because they all end up with men who worship the skin off of them, even though they live in a complete fantasy world. Which, of course, I'm not familiar with at all.............
In the end, I am just sorry that I didn't discover these next year, when the seventh book in the Pink Series is already available. As it is, I will have to wait until January 2011 for The Orchid Affair.
Stumbling upon the Pink Carnation was like stumbling upon a coupon for free pizza. It's that perfect sort of guilty pleasure because you get all the deliciousness without the guilt. Or in this case, all of the romance without actually having shopped in the romance department. That's because on top of happening to have romance in the story, there's also intrigue and mystery. All set in the Napoleonic years of Great Britain, with a little side story about the girl who is doing the research of the various flower-named spies of the two world powers.
Because it mentions the Scarlet Pimpernel (that great classic by Baroness Orczy), I was instantly hooked. And then Willig creates her own Purple Gentian and Black Tulip. And of course the Pink Carnation, who isn't what anyone expected him to be. The most addicting part is the fact that Eloise, the modern day researcher of the series, is too much like me. Charlotte is me. And I can see too much of myself in many of the heroines. Maybe I love that best...because they all end up with men who worship the skin off of them, even though they live in a complete fantasy world. Which, of course, I'm not familiar with at all.............
In the end, I am just sorry that I didn't discover these next year, when the seventh book in the Pink Series is already available. As it is, I will have to wait until January 2011 for The Orchid Affair.
Mixed review from the bookclub. Some loved it, liked it, and didn't like it. Almost all found the protagonist to be immature for her age and the storyline somewhat problematic or unbelievable.
I loved the direction Lauren Willig took this novel. It was like reading two books in one- a historical and a contemporary romance. However it blended seamlessly throughout the entire novel. It was actually one of the better romance novels by an unknown author [to me] that I have read recently. She is definitely an author that I will pick up again.
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