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jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
Mary Alsworthy, who faithful readers will remember as being the jilted sister in [b:The Deception of the Emerald Ring|25802|The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation, Book 3)|Lauren Willig|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167766189s/25802.jpg|26522], is living with her sister- and brother-in-law. As the woman widely believed to be the most beautiful in London society, she finds this unbearable. She should be the Viscountess, not her sister. When the Pink Carnation, through Lord Sebastian Vaughn, offers Mary the opportunity to win a little independence in exchange for some faithful service to the Crown, Mary jumps at the opportunity.
Fun fluff. That really sums these books up. But they are such fun fun fluff. I call them my slightly guilty pleasure. I try to tell myself that the historical fiction aspect redeems them a little, but that's not really true. There's probably technically no redeeming value to this series at all--except that I find myself at the very least slightly smiling through the whole book. That's worth something, isn't it?
This one was just as good as the others. Around page 150 I thought I had the whole thing figured out, so I was starting to get a little disappointed. It turns out that I didn't have a clue what was going on.
I have developed this phantom pain in my right eyebrow though. It seemed like someone was arching an eyebrow or raising a brow at least once on every page. Seriously. It's all well and good to give your characters mannerisms, but don't wear them out. Please.
In the current time, Eloise and Colin are finally starting to get somewhere. Their storyline is moving so slowly though that I really don't care. I can't wait to get back to early-19th-century England and see what's going on with the characters back then.
And speaking of characters--Letty was cute in the last book, but she got positively annoying in this one!
I recommend this for those needing a little--you guessed it--fun fluff.
Fun fluff. That really sums these books up. But they are such fun fun fluff. I call them my slightly guilty pleasure. I try to tell myself that the historical fiction aspect redeems them a little, but that's not really true. There's probably technically no redeeming value to this series at all--except that I find myself at the very least slightly smiling through the whole book. That's worth something, isn't it?
This one was just as good as the others. Around page 150 I thought I had the whole thing figured out, so I was starting to get a little disappointed. It turns out that I didn't have a clue what was going on.
I have developed this phantom pain in my right eyebrow though. It seemed like someone was arching an eyebrow or raising a brow at least once on every page. Seriously. It's all well and good to give your characters mannerisms, but don't wear them out. Please.
In the current time, Eloise and Colin are finally starting to get somewhere. Their storyline is moving so slowly though that I really don't care. I can't wait to get back to early-19th-century England and see what's going on with the characters back then.
And speaking of characters--Letty was cute in the last book, but she got positively annoying in this one!
I recommend this for those needing a little--you guessed it--fun fluff.
alanaleigh's review against another edition
3.0
The fourth in the series and I admit, I actually went to the bookstore on the 29th (the paperback publication date) specifically to pick this up. I was in a bit of a reading slump and knew that no matter how silly this book might be, it would be silly enough to get me out of that slump. And I was right.
This certainly isn't my favorite of Willig's books, but it does just what you expect it to do... a couple is paired, despite their best efforts, and love is triumphant by the end of the story. Along the way, spies are unmasked, England is saved from those who would seek to destroy it, and (in the present time) Eloise inches ever closer to ultimate happiness with Colin. This book focuses on two characters that I wasn't fond of in the previous books, and it was a little too easy that suddenly they were characters that you were supposed to like, but ah well. There was also the problem that every other couple that has ended happily was waltzing around, too, and I had to go back and check up on some pairings to remember what had come before this. My biggest issue, of course, is that Willig is no longer quite so brazen as she was in the first book (no ridiculous and compromising boat scenes here, kids), which is perhaps more realistic, but we're hardly looking for realism here. Admit to the romance factor and run wild with it, Ms. Willig.
For fans of the series, it's certainly amusing enough, and for me, well, it certainly set me in the mood to read some more substantive pieces in the new year.
This certainly isn't my favorite of Willig's books, but it does just what you expect it to do... a couple is paired, despite their best efforts, and love is triumphant by the end of the story. Along the way, spies are unmasked, England is saved from those who would seek to destroy it, and (in the present time) Eloise inches ever closer to ultimate happiness with Colin. This book focuses on two characters that I wasn't fond of in the previous books, and it was a little too easy that suddenly they were characters that you were supposed to like, but ah well. There was also the problem that every other couple that has ended happily was waltzing around, too, and I had to go back and check up on some pairings to remember what had come before this. My biggest issue, of course, is that Willig is no longer quite so brazen as she was in the first book (no ridiculous and compromising boat scenes here, kids), which is perhaps more realistic, but we're hardly looking for realism here. Admit to the romance factor and run wild with it, Ms. Willig.
For fans of the series, it's certainly amusing enough, and for me, well, it certainly set me in the mood to read some more substantive pieces in the new year.
oddsbodikins7's review against another edition
4.0
A bit slower than the others, but no less entertaining. On to the next!
katietopp's review against another edition
4.0
I love these books so much and this one is just as much fun as the last few. I always keep one of these on the shelf just in case I need a good, fun read to get me through.
neveroutofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't like these two very much, but I loved their story. :D
courtknee_bee's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
My original 3 star rating still stands. Mary and Vaughn redeem themselves as anti-heroes, but still not my favorite couple. It also "felt" like the romance was too sudden, but this could have been because I dragged out the reading over a week.
2022 Pink Carnation Re-Read Rankings
1. [b:The Secret History of the Pink Carnation|84351|The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Pink Carnation, #1)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442617435l/84351._SY75_.jpg|2950861] (#1)
2. [b:The Masque of the Black Tulip|397844|The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation, #2)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442518160l/397844._SY75_.jpg|2584] (#2)
3. [b:The Seduction of the Crimson Rose|1363577|The Seduction of the Crimson Rose (Pink Carnation, #4)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389293004l/1363577._SY75_.jpg|1353384] (#4)
4. [b:The Deception of the Emerald Ring|25802|The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation, #3)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427729363l/25802._SY75_.jpg|26522] (#3)
My original 3 star rating still stands. Mary and Vaughn redeem themselves as anti-heroes, but still not my favorite couple. It also "felt" like the romance was too sudden, but this could have been because I dragged out the reading over a week.
2022 Pink Carnation Re-Read Rankings
1. [b:The Secret History of the Pink Carnation|84351|The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Pink Carnation, #1)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442617435l/84351._SY75_.jpg|2950861] (#1)
2. [b:The Masque of the Black Tulip|397844|The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation, #2)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442518160l/397844._SY75_.jpg|2584] (#2)
3. [b:The Seduction of the Crimson Rose|1363577|The Seduction of the Crimson Rose (Pink Carnation, #4)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389293004l/1363577._SY75_.jpg|1353384] (#4)
4. [b:The Deception of the Emerald Ring|25802|The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation, #3)|Lauren Willig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427729363l/25802._SY75_.jpg|26522] (#3)
nattyg's review against another edition
2.0
I'm going to have to just let this one go. Left off at pg 141 - Chapter 10
I enjoyed the other books in the series, and there was nothing wrong with this one. Me, as a reader, was just disinterested. I always found something else to read before re-picking this one up. I moved it around the house (living room, bathroom, bed, etc) but still kept passing it over.
I'll probably pick this up again at another point in my reading life.
I enjoyed the other books in the series, and there was nothing wrong with this one. Me, as a reader, was just disinterested. I always found something else to read before re-picking this one up. I moved it around the house (living room, bathroom, bed, etc) but still kept passing it over.
I'll probably pick this up again at another point in my reading life.
jklbookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars, because I can't bring myself to call something that's really a romance 5 stars. This book works for me, though, and is my favorite of the series so far, I think because the two main characters are nuanced. She's a scheming, title-grabbing opportunist and he's a roué and cad, if not a spy, and yet it's pretty easy to sympathize with and definitely to root for them both. The way the two interact with each other, and the layers of poetry/Shakespeare reference and triple entendre that result are truly delightful. There's also an interesting bit of mystery about the identity of the Black Tulip, and some interesting interludes in the present day.
rosannelortz's review against another edition
3.0
When her younger sister steals the man Mary Alsworthy intended to be her savior from spinsterhood, Mary is reduced to living off the generosity of others. Her black hair and fair skin, however, attract the attention of the espionage community--here is a woman who looks like one of the "petals" (operatives) of the mysterious Black Tulip. Perhaps she could be recruited as a double-agent? When Lord Vaughan, at the urging of the Pink Carnation, approaches Mary with this plan, she sizes up the offered reward and agrees to it. If she doesn't lose her head in this game of feint and counterfeint, she will have enough money for a comfortable independence.
There is nothing comfortable about Lord Vaughan, however. Intrigued by his flirtatious sallies, frustrated by his bouts of coldness, and horrified by the rumor that he murdered his first wife, Mary begins to suspect that he may be the Black Tulip himself. The unmasking of the Black Tulip is a far more delicate matter, and self-reliant Mary finds that she might be in over her head....
This book was rather ho-hum for me. Mary Alsworthy was a bit of a one-note piano, forever complaining about being her sister's pensioner, forced to live off the generosity of the brother-in-law she had once hoped to marry. Lord Vaughan fit the archetypal character of the jaded Regency rake, but he was just too world-weary and cynical to make me care about him. He claimed to be attracted to the self-seeking quality that Mary Alsworth had, and he never seemed to have an awakening that true love is about self-sacrifice.
Meanwhile, in the modern-day dual narrative, Colin and Eloise finally go on a predictably awkward date. Eloise also meets Colin's nemesis, an archivist who is determined to scheme his way into seeing the Selwick papers. Will she publish her dissertation before he finds out who the Pink Carnation truly is, or will she get "scooped" and have all her research become old news?
As usual, the prose is replete with witty banter and quotations from Shakespeare and other greats. (I did think I caught an anachronistic Tennyson quotation in the Regency section of the book, but I might have been mistaken.) I had trouble getting into this volume of the series, but I still plan to forge ahead to book five. Onward, ho!
There is nothing comfortable about Lord Vaughan, however. Intrigued by his flirtatious sallies, frustrated by his bouts of coldness, and horrified by the rumor that he murdered his first wife, Mary begins to suspect that he may be the Black Tulip himself. The unmasking of the Black Tulip is a far more delicate matter, and self-reliant Mary finds that she might be in over her head....
This book was rather ho-hum for me. Mary Alsworthy was a bit of a one-note piano, forever complaining about being her sister's pensioner, forced to live off the generosity of the brother-in-law she had once hoped to marry. Lord Vaughan fit the archetypal character of the jaded Regency rake, but he was just too world-weary and cynical to make me care about him. He claimed to be attracted to the self-seeking quality that Mary Alsworth had, and he never seemed to have an awakening that true love is about self-sacrifice.
Meanwhile, in the modern-day dual narrative, Colin and Eloise finally go on a predictably awkward date. Eloise also meets Colin's nemesis, an archivist who is determined to scheme his way into seeing the Selwick papers. Will she publish her dissertation before he finds out who the Pink Carnation truly is, or will she get "scooped" and have all her research become old news?
As usual, the prose is replete with witty banter and quotations from Shakespeare and other greats. (I did think I caught an anachronistic Tennyson quotation in the Regency section of the book, but I might have been mistaken.) I had trouble getting into this volume of the series, but I still plan to forge ahead to book five. Onward, ho!
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
the fourth in the series is good. i find that i go too long in between the novels, so i tend to forget many of the details of the characters from previous novels. willig is good about reminding the reader about minor details, but i find it a bit disconcerting. i wish the story of eloise would move along at a faster pace, but i am glad that she finally is together with the brit.