The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Pink Carnation series, No 1

by Lauren Willig

American student Eloise Kelly is working on her history dissertation on "Aristocratic Espionage during the Wars With France 1789-1815." She has come to London to do some research, and as luck would have it chances on a connection with the legendary—and elusive—Pink Carnation. An elderly lady has a collection of letters and diaries concerning not only this dashing hero, but also the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian as well. She also has a nephew called Colin...

This makes it sound as though the book was about modern-day London and parts of it are. But like an iceberg the vast bulk of it is set in 1803 and concerns the adventures of young Amy Balcourt, daughter of an executed Frenchy aristo and living quietly in Shropshire with relatives. When a letter comes from her brother in Paris it is time to move, but all Amy can think of is joining the Purple Gentian’s league so she can revenge herself on the killers of her parents. This perhaps makes it sound different again, and might cause the reader to anticipate a thrilling adventure story a la The Scarlet Pimpernel (Amazon US || UK). Neither is true, and if you can imagine a caper novel, spoof of Orczy’s oeuvre, historical romance and chicklit all rolled into one then you might have it aright. Mainly I would plump for historical romance if I needed to categorize it, and if you are expecting a tale of derring-do a la Orzcy then you had better look elsewhere. But if you like comic Regency romance and have always thought that such books were too short then you will surely be in heaven, particularly when you realize that this is book one of an ongoing series.

Reviews of other titles in this series

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, No 1  [review 1] [review 2]
The Masque of the Black Tulip, No 2    [review]
Seduction of the Crimson Rose, No 4    [review]
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, No 5  [review]
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, No 6  [review]
The Mischief of the Mistletoe, No 7  [Audio]   [Book]
The Orchid Affair, No 8   [review]
The Garden Intrigue, No 9   [review]