by Lauren Willig
Publisher: NAL TradeRelease Date: Aug 6, 2013
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
My Review:
Colonel William Reid has returned home from India to retire near his children, who are safely stowed in an academy in Bath. Upon his return to the Isles, however, he finds that one of his daughters has vanished, along with one of her classmates.
Having served as second-in-command to the Pink Carnation, one of England’s most intrepid spies, it would be impossible for Gwendolyn Meadows to give up the intrigue of Paris for a quiet life in the English countryside—especially when she’s just overheard news of an alliance forming between Napoleon and an Ottoman Sultan. But, when the Pink Carnation’s little sister goes missing from her English boarding school, Gwen reluctantly returns home to investigate the girl’s disappearance.
Thrown together by circumstance, Gwen and William must cooperate to track down the young ladies before others with nefarious intent get their hands on them. But Gwen’s partnership with quick-tongued, roguish William may prove to be even more of an adventure for her than finding the lost girls…
Lauren Willig's books are always great, so even though this one wasn't my favorite of hers, it was still a good, entertaining read. I think my biggest hurdle with the book was William. Usually, Willig makes me fall head over heels for her love interests, even though her books aren't truly "romances." However, this time, the romantic lead just didn't work for me. I didn't see many redeeming characteristics in him. He was kind of an oaf, for lack of a better word. I'm all for strong heroines, but the hero has to keep up! William was just left in the dust by Gwen, she totally overshadowed him.
Gwen, however was a fun character to read about. She was a very no-nonsense, tell it like it is type of character. She didn't take any flack from anyone, and I loved it!
Gwen's strength, and the quick-paced mystery were what kept me reading. There was definitely a 'mystery' formula in this book, we jumped from suspect to suspect, and clue to clue, very quickly. However, this formula did keep me reading and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
As usual with this series, the present day parts of the story were unnecessary to me. I just don't need the present day aspect in order to be interested in the historical part. I would rather just jump right into the historical world, without all the hopping back and forth from present to past.
Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 3/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: While this isn't my favorite installment of the series, it's a good addition for readers who already love "The Pink Carnation" series.
If you think this book sounds good, you might be interested in reading my reviews of other books by this author:
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Great review! My favorite parts of the novel were Miss Gwen- such a fun character! I actually haven't read the other books in the series, but definitely plan on it since you said the other books are even better than this one!
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