Lauren Willig has done it again in the Mischief of the Mistletoe (#21). Her Pink Carnation series is head and shoulders above the normal offerings in this romantic costume drama suspense series. Think a historically accurate version of The Scarlet Pimpernel with the added delight of recurring characters sparring with French spies, sometimes literally and sometimes with witty and humorous dialogue. It's better than the best box of Christmas bon-bons (with the added advantage of being calorie free!). Mischief features Turnip Fitzhugh who blunders into a situation at his sister Susan's boarding school in Bath. Ms. Willig finds several creative uses for Christmas puddings and even manages to work in a plausible appearance by Jane Austen. Find a cozy nook to curl up in and savor this one, even if you do have to wait until after Christmas to get your hands on it!
If you've read my previous blogs, you know that I have a thing about a book's cover art. Apparently this is the last book in this Pink Carnation series that will use the charming portraits featured as cover art to this point. I have tracked down and enjoyed the artwork used on the original A Secret History of the Pink Carnation, The Black Tulip, The Emerald Deception and so on. They were interesting, unique, and tied into the story being told in that volume. Shame on Dutton and The Penguin Group for making the next book in the series, The Orchid Affair, look like every other generic Regency romance novel out there!!! Re-issues of the previous books in the series are getting the same bland, vanilla treatment. Lauren Willig and her cast of characters certainly deserve better than this.
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