October 5, 2009
The latest sure-to-please installment to the popular Pink Carnation series transports the action to colonial India. Lady Frederick Staines, née Penelope Deveraux, averts a scandal in early 19th-century London with a hasty marriage and a posting for her louche husband as special envoy to the court of Hyderabad. In India, Penelope discovers dangerous intrigue having to do with the overthrow of British rule and a spy called the Marigold. After demonstrating considerable bravery uncharacteristic to ladies of her rank, she finds an ally in the honorable Capt. Alex Reid. Together they chase traitors, travel the countryside on horseback, dodge assassination attempts, challenge each other to duels, wrestle with long skirts and numerous buttonholes (crucial in the love scenes), battle cobras and unravel the mystery of Marigold. As in other books in the series, the story is presented by a contemporary narrator, another strong-willed woman involved with an English aristocrat. Willig hasn’t lost her touch; this outing has all the charm of the previous books in the series.
November 1, 2009
Reading the sixth book in Willig's "Pink Carnation" series (after "The Temptation of the Night Jasmine") is like getting a plate of warm-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies; it's hard not to eat them all at once, but you also want to savor each bite. The cleverly connected historical and contemporary story lines are well blended with complementary turning points, but it's really the historical characters who steal the show. Penelope and Lord Frederick Staines have been forced into marriage and shipped off to India to serve as Governor General Wellesley's Special Envoy to the Court of Hyderabad. Escorting the couple is Capt. Alex Reid, born and raised in India. The unexpected connection between steadfast Alex and headstrong Penelope transforms the pair into appealing underdogs. The political intrigue among nations, intricate and double-crossing spy system, and engrossing historical view of India add essential elements of drama and action. VERDICT A great choice for readers who like their mysteries with historical or romantic elements. Fans of Deanna Raybourn, Tasha Alexander, Ariana Franklin, or M.M. Kaye are likely to love Willig, too. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/1/09.]Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., IL
Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 1, 2009
Willig switches the setting of her Pink Carnation series from eighteenth-century England to colonial India in the sixth installment, which finds wild Penelope Deveraux married off to Lord Frederick Staines after the two are caught in a compromising position. Though they connect physically, the spirited, witty Penelope and the pompous, hedonistic Freddy have little in common. Freddys new position as special envoy to an English ambassador has brought them both to India, where rumors of intrigue involving a French spy known as the Marigold are afoot. Already floundering in her loveless marriage, Penelope sets out to unmask the spy, suspecting that their serious escort, Captain Alex Reid, might be the culprit. But as Penelope grows closer to Alex, her suspicions give way to a deep mutual attraction. Willig brings colonial India to vibrant life through Penelopes eyes, and the sparks flying between Penelope and Alex generate plenty of heat. By taking the story to India, Willig injects a new energy in her already thriving, thrilling series, and presents the best entry to date.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
Starred review from May 3, 2010
Harvard grad student Eloise Kelly continues her dissertation research on 18th-century British spies among the treasure trove of Colin Selwick’s family archives and finds an unexpected offshoot of the Pink Carnation’s spy network foiling French conspiracies. The documents reveal that Penelope Devereaux is forced into a loveless marriage with Lord Frederick Stains, and they are both sent off to a British enclave in India. As Freddie pursues drinking, gambling, and womanizing, the headstrong Penelope is left to the care and protection of Capt. Alex Reid, who fears a spy hidden in their midst. Slipping easily between the contemporary world and the Napoleonic era, Kate Reading delivers a superb performance in this sixth book of the romantic mystery series as she gives unpolished Eloise her broad mid-America accent and brings her mildly clumsy persona to life. Her Penelope, on the other hand, is suitably aristocratic, and the multitude of supporting vocal characterizations is equally precise and entertaining. A Dutton hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 5).