So, when I read the blurb for this book, I figured I'd end up liking it okay, but not as much as the two prior because it was about Vaughn and I couldn't really see him carrying a book or holding my interest. He's pretty much a mustache twirling foil in the first two books, and who can take that seriously, you know? BUT! Turns out, I did not know I liked Vaughn as much I ended up liking Vaughn! He had a personality and he even cracked a joke or two. And, of course, he had SECRET PAIN. When it co...

I am raising this to a five star read, it's just SO good. Mary is the most prickly, mercenary heroine and it is GREAT. And she and Vaughn are such a good match, plus (view spoiler)[JACOBITES!!!! (hide spoiler)]. The Colin and Eloise of it all really starts hitting its stride in this one too, and that makes me very happy.Series ranking:1. The Masque of the Black Tulip2. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose3. The Deception of the Emerald Ring4. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

I bought this book because it was on sale. REALLY on sale. And because it was hardcover. And, well, it looked pretty. So...why not? I'm actually torn between giving 3 or 4 stars. (Yes, this is when I'd like half stars.) Two otherwise unlikeable characters come together with such wit and intelligent dialogue that I found myself empathizing and ultimately cheering for them. These two actually GET each other's humor, and they're able ot bounce back-handed comments, sparring asides and private jokes...

For some reason I didn't like this one as much as I've liked the previous books in this series. Now, that's not to say that it isn't good, cause as you can see, I gave it 4 stars. I just don't feel the same excitement now that it's over. Without giving away to much of the plot, there were some things that were resolved in this book, that can't have gone the way it appears, since there are more books in the series. (view spoiler)[when we found out who the Black Tulip really is, I kind of said,"re...

The 4th book in the Pink Carnation series and a great addition. I didn't particularly like either Mary or Vaughn (I didn't hate them, though) in the previous book but I warmed up to them quickly in this one. It would be hard to say which book is my favorite so far but this one is probably in the running. Vaughn recruits Mary at the request of the Pink Carnation to help expose the Black Tulip. Never a dull moment as we go back and forth from Eloise and Colin in the present day to Vaughn and Mary

Modern plot: An American graduate student is researching in London for her dissertation, and falling in love with an Englishman whose family holds the key secrets to the success of her dissertation. Official historian at the archives evidently is in competition with her dissertation: he previously tried to get at the family secrets by seducing the Englishman's sister. Who is a friend of a friend....not much activity in this plot, mostly silly schoolgirl-crush dreaminess by grad student.Historica...

I wasn't sure if I would like these individual perspectives or the pairing but I ended up really enjoying this book. Onto the next!

Things aren't going very well for Mary Alsworthy. Her midnight elopement ended with a married younger sister and herself still on the shelf. Not that she really loved Geoff or anything, but the title and the houses were just the thing. Now she's stuck rusticating with the new couple who are sickeningly in love and oversolicitous of her. She might just be able to stomach it if they weren't so apologetic about the whole situation. But when she hears that they are going to pay for her next London s...

[image error]★★★★½ I love this series! If anyone is looking for a good serial “buddy read,” this is the book for your group. That is, if everyone can commit to sticking to the reading schedule and not jump ahead. In that case, you’ll get a lot of this in answer to your Discussion Questions: “Sorry, I can’t answer; I read ahead.”Like most of my other “buddy read” members, I liked, not loved the main characters. Nevertheless, I truly appreciated that the author presents us with unique individuals

Lauren Willig's fourth Pink book tells the story of two very SLYTHERIN characters (and do pardon me for the use of Harry Potter parallels).The girl is Mary Alsworthy (sister of Letty Alsworthy, the leading lady in the Book 3, who is portrayed as a haughty and opportunistic debutante. In Book 3, we learned that Mary schemed to get a viscount to marry him, only to have her plans foiled when the viscount decided to marry her sister instead. So her suitor became her brother-in-law and she isn't happ...

There is something tremendously attractive about the sardonic resilience of both hero (Vaughn) and heroine (Mary) in this anti-love story. Leaving aside the minor problems that Vaughn is married, and Mary is a (reluctantish) fortune-hunter, neither has any time for the sentimentalities of their circle (Mary is particularly scathing of her sister's sweetness and light) and both are resolutely unsympathetic MCs. So when they do finally acknowledge their feelings for each other in a brilliantly sus...

I reviewed this book at my blog. Twice, since it's one I've re-read quite a number of times now. Here's the combined craziness:In The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, Lauren Willig has pulled off an extraordinary feat: She has taken a woman who was established to be a spoiled, somewhat conniving social-climber as her Regency heroine, and paired her with a man who, in two prior books, has shown himself to be a somewhat predatory and amoral rake at best, and a dangerous double-agent at worst - he's

WIG??????? will write a proper review when my brain catches up.----I have no idea, I feel like I was given a direct injection of coke into my bloodstream, it's That relevant to my id. It's a lot less lighter than the other books - Mary's jaded, and Sebastian is straight up a cryptic puzzle and there's a lot of dry humor, it really was incredible. I had only wished that Mary and Letty's relationship could've been repaired more (I mean - Willig does a good job at pointing out how annoyed Mary was

4.5 stars This series continues to delight me. In this installment, the historical storyline pairs two of the more difficult to like characters in Willig's Regency world - Lord Vaughn and Mary Alsworthy. Personally, I've found both characters quite intriguing. In a genre where the heroines tend toward saintliness, Mary has a strong self-interest that I found intriguing. Her position in life is precarious and she knows it, so she is determined to marry well in order to avoid an uncertain future.

Fun to take two somewhat unlikeable characters from the previous books and throw them together.

I was disappointed with this book. I loved #2 and #3 in the series, so I looked forward to reading about Lord Vaughn and Mary, but their love story never quite convinced me. Lord Vaughn's character was so intriguing in the other books! I thought his own story rather uninteresting, and fell flat at times. And for Lord Vaughn, so valued for his role as the "notorious rake", his book proved to be the most chaste- at least up to this point. I also didn't like how Letty was portrayed in this installm...

Audiobook Re-read August 2015I decided to re-read my favorite Pink before the last one.I didn't like the narrator much. She made Eloise sound dumb at times and pronounced French words awkwardly (and I'm saying that as a non-French speaker).original reviewI really loved this one! The characters were very much each other's equals and I loved the progress of their romance. And all the dialogue was so much fun!I'm going to try to finish up some other things before moving to the next book . . . but w...

The Seduction of the Crimson Rose was excellent! In an unlikely turn of events, a previous somewhat villain, Lord Vaughn, turns into the hero of this book, as does his heroine. Willig has a way of changing her characters to make them fit a plotline that is unexpected. Her knowledge of classical literature adds so much to the dialogue and setting of her books. The right amount of suspense and intrigue keeps the reader engaged.I enjoyed this book just as much in a reread. Again, I want to highligh...

I feel like Willig's starting to force this series a tad; the plot (that is, the Dastardly Plot of the villains) was pretty implausible. Still they are fun reads. I was a little iffy about having Mary and Vaughn as the main characters and felt that she altered their previous established characters to make them fit the romantic mold. On the other hand, it was a nice change to for once have protagonists who weren't so good-goody.