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nightravyn's review against another edition
4.0
Book 3 in the Pink Carnation series follows a similar format to the rest of the series: in the Napoleonic era, girl meets boy, boy and girl say variations of "oh dear lord, hell no", boy goes off to spy, girl gets mixed up in spying, rescues occur, as do mixed identities, slip-ups, and general confusion, all with a romantic (but not cloyingly so) streak and a fair bit of wit and teasing. In the modern era, our intrepid discoverer of all these past events is befuddled with her own bit of mixups, mistaken thoughts, wishful thinking and a fair bit of romantic dreaming.
Honesty time: I recognize our modern lady, as she's very much myself in my more girly moments. Well, sans the shoe obsession (okay it's small bowls and blue glass, but it's not shoes, dammit). Wanting happy endings? Check. Insane "whisk me away!" movie-type romantic thoughts? Oh my stars, check. Complete inability to communicate effectively verbally with the source of those romantic thoughts but perfectly fine when writing? Here, let me hand you my dissertation in "check"...
While it's true it follows the same format as the two previous books, it's not a detraction, provided you actually enjoyed the two previous books. Me? I love them. They are a light-hearted romp: dashing spies, ladies with a good deal more backbone than the men give them credit for, and a nice layer of romance going through it all. All in all, a great read for those afternoons where you want something fun that amuses you in a Jane Austin-ish way.
Honesty time: I recognize our modern lady, as she's very much myself in my more girly moments. Well, sans the shoe obsession (okay it's small bowls and blue glass, but it's not shoes, dammit). Wanting happy endings? Check. Insane "whisk me away!" movie-type romantic thoughts? Oh my stars, check. Complete inability to communicate effectively verbally with the source of those romantic thoughts but perfectly fine when writing? Here, let me hand you my dissertation in "check"...
While it's true it follows the same format as the two previous books, it's not a detraction, provided you actually enjoyed the two previous books. Me? I love them. They are a light-hearted romp: dashing spies, ladies with a good deal more backbone than the men give them credit for, and a nice layer of romance going through it all. All in all, a great read for those afternoons where you want something fun that amuses you in a Jane Austin-ish way.
kim_chelf's review against another edition
4.0
The third in the Pink Carnation series (and I would certainly read the books in order, otherwise you will be quite lost). This book again takes rather minor characters from the other two books (or in Letty's case a totally new character) and makes the the focus. This book takes us to Ireland for a rebellion, with a heavy mix of romance and forced marriage to go along with it. Henrietta and Niles from the previous book appear in the beginning, and we get to see more of the Pink Carnation than we did in the previous book, but Letty's and Geoff are the focus here.
I actually like this story the best out of the first Rees books. The romance was downplayed a bit more here, and I found the evolution of the relationship between Letty's and Geoff to be at least somewhat believable (at least for a romance novel). The plot was interesting, and I wanted to keep reading in order to find out what happened. Like the other books in this series, this isn't going to please those who only want pure historical fiction, but for a nice light summer read, it is perfect.
I actually like this story the best out of the first Rees books. The romance was downplayed a bit more here, and I found the evolution of the relationship between Letty's and Geoff to be at least somewhat believable (at least for a romance novel). The plot was interesting, and I wanted to keep reading in order to find out what happened. Like the other books in this series, this isn't going to please those who only want pure historical fiction, but for a nice light summer read, it is perfect.
cammmiam's review against another edition
5.0
A ridiculously wonderful elopement gone wrong. Letty and Geoff's banter, whether it be filled with bitter distrust or amusement. A mission undertaken with the guidance of Jane and Miss Gwen. Ireland. Enigmatic appearances by Lord Vaughn. Colin and Eloise in an Indian restaurant, amidst the precarious nature of their possible relationship. This book is the Pink Carnation series at it's most brilliant. It is nothing short of perfection.
The Deception of the Emerald Ring not only hold up in a re-read, it shines.
The Deception of the Emerald Ring not only hold up in a re-read, it shines.
maferg01's review against another edition
5.0
What a story! Mistakes and misunderstandings are all through this book and Miss Gwen is so funny at the end. It makes you appreciate her character much more.
kimmyp11's review against another edition
Still reading...we'll see how it turns out.
cotokeet's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent book in this series, but please please stop saying "it would have been a laugh if it had been allowed to grow up a little" and "it would have been a smile if it had been allowed to grow up a little. Once? Fine. Once or twice a book? No, stop.
Otherwise suspenseful and well written. A good mix of historical fiction and romance.
Otherwise suspenseful and well written. A good mix of historical fiction and romance.
poorashleu's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted at Nose in a Book
Another Lauren Willig novel! This is her third in the series so you would think I’d be used to the slow burn of her novels by now. You’d be wrong. Usually I hate slow burns. But this one is so well done I believe it and I crave more slow burn. I want more of Letty and Geoff who spend most of the book at odds with each other. In case my reviews haven’t made it clear: I hate angst. That’s Tina’s job here at Nose In A Book. I’m the girl who loves fluff. I like puppies and ponies and stories about domestic bliss.
Oh those who think I’m joking.
Anyway, back to Geoff and Letty, this is another story where I loved the past story more than the present day story that was occurring in the book. I wanted more of Geoff and Letty and Ireland. Where present day was still with Eloise, England and her dissertation. I know that dissertations take for-freaking-ever to write, and the present day part of the story hasn’t been going on for that long but I would still enjoy if if that portion could move along. I know that Eloise is part of the glue that holds the historical stories, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I could do without her. This is the second book by Willig in the row I wanted/needed to know more about the historical story. I listened to this on my ipod and when it would go back to present day I would legitimately get sad.
It is also important to note that WIllig’s writing style is getting progressively stronger since the first book in the series.
Another Lauren Willig novel! This is her third in the series so you would think I’d be used to the slow burn of her novels by now. You’d be wrong. Usually I hate slow burns. But this one is so well done I believe it and I crave more slow burn. I want more of Letty and Geoff who spend most of the book at odds with each other. In case my reviews haven’t made it clear: I hate angst. That’s Tina’s job here at Nose In A Book. I’m the girl who loves fluff. I like puppies and ponies and stories about domestic bliss.
Oh those who think I’m joking.
Anyway, back to Geoff and Letty, this is another story where I loved the past story more than the present day story that was occurring in the book. I wanted more of Geoff and Letty and Ireland. Where present day was still with Eloise, England and her dissertation. I know that dissertations take for-freaking-ever to write, and the present day part of the story hasn’t been going on for that long but I would still enjoy if if that portion could move along. I know that Eloise is part of the glue that holds the historical stories, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I could do without her. This is the second book by Willig in the row I wanted/needed to know more about the historical story. I listened to this on my ipod and when it would go back to present day I would legitimately get sad.
It is also important to note that WIllig’s writing style is getting progressively stronger since the first book in the series.
girl_curious's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
booksforbrooks's review against another edition
4.0
Why on earth did I wait so long to read this? In the third volume of the Pink Carnation series, Willig serves up another joyous blend of espionage, romance and wit that lives up to the promise of it's predecessors. Letty is a fabulous heroine, and her forced marriage to Geoffrey provides an unusual start to the story. A wonderful supporting cast of characters from the previous books are back in action (I particularly enjoyed seeing Miles and Henrietta again) and moving the plot to Ireland lends a fresh element. There are multiple plot twists, characters in disguise, murders and love-to-hate villains which kept me reading late into the night.
I couldn't quite give this a full five stars due a couple of niggles, however. Geoffrey's change of heart towards Letty comes a little too quickly to be believable to me. My main issue is with the modern day heroine, though. Eloise spends her chapters being utterly hopeless and entirely unsympathetic. I wanted to slap her constantly, and always dragged myself through her sections wishing to get back to the historical action as soon as possible. The storyline with Colin didn't move along at all and I hope that their "romance" isn't dragged out so much in the next installments that it takes too much away from the regency plotlines.
A super enjoyable read. I'm off to buy #4 from amazon right now.
I couldn't quite give this a full five stars due a couple of niggles, however. Geoffrey's change of heart towards Letty comes a little too quickly to be believable to me. My main issue is with the modern day heroine, though. Eloise spends her chapters being utterly hopeless and entirely unsympathetic. I wanted to slap her constantly, and always dragged myself through her sections wishing to get back to the historical action as soon as possible. The storyline with Colin didn't move along at all and I hope that their "romance" isn't dragged out so much in the next installments that it takes too much away from the regency plotlines.
A super enjoyable read. I'm off to buy #4 from amazon right now.