I enjoyed this series about the Napoleonic Wars. This is not my area of expertise/normal area of interest, so I cannot speak on it's historical accuracy. But, I did enjoy the writing and the mystery created by the author. I thought the story fit the characters written and the ending was realistic. This is a new-to-me series that I am truly enjoying. ( )

Another fun installment of the series! Starting to get more interested in Eloise and Colin in the present day than I've been before. I'm not sure he's telling the truth! ( )

Well, I guess it had to happen at some point. As much as I enjoyed the first four installments in Willig’s .Pink Carnation series, I found this one to be a bit of a dud. I struggled to get my footing, in part because, for the life of me, I could not recollect Charlotte’s role in the previous books in the series. Good thing Willig, at one point, mentions that Charlotte’s best friend is Henrietta…. although that still didn’t do much to help my memory along. Having thoroughly loved the intellectual/electric vibe between Lord Vaughn and Mary in Book #4, I found Charlotte’s sweetness/goodness, her dreams of a storybook hero and Robert to be quite the 180 degree turnaround, and a rather boring one at that. Even the espionage bit struck me as being more contrived than I was willing to accept. Yes, I do expect to dispel belief to some extend when reading historical fiction/romance stories of this type and I can usually just “go with the flow” and accept the story for what it is, but this one was just a bit too far-fetched for my tastes. Thankfully “Hen” and Miles, from previous installments, are along for the ride and at least Willig does provide a dragon of sorts in the form of Charlotte’s grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Dovedale, and a “Lord Vaughn-like” devious rake but even these wonderful characters are unable to save the story from becoming a bit of a snore for me. Even the modern day story of Eloise and Colin’s budding romance was unimpressive – dare I say they have slid into the “mundane”? – and was not helped by having their story take some weird detour down espionage lane that, at the reveal stage, had me going “Really? Thatis the big secret?”

Overall, a very underwhelming read for me. Here is hoping that the next installment is an improvement. ( )

Weakest in the series so far; I find myself annoyed by the intrusion of the modern romance. ( )

This fifth book in the Pink Carnation series stars Lady Charlotte Landsdowne who is the granddaughter of the Dowager Duchess of Dovedale and Robert, Duke of Dovesdale, who has just returned from a long sojourn in the army in India.

Robert arrives home just at Christmas time and reconnects with the dreamy little girl he met when she was nine. Charlotte has always been dreamy and imaginative and she has cast Robert as her own knight in shining armor. Unfortunately Robert's main purpose for coming home is to track down the man who killed his mentor in a friendly fire shooting. To do that, he has to become a member of the fast and dissolute Hellsfire Club. He thinks the best way to protect Charlotte is to break her heart by saying that their romance was just a product of the season and proximity.

Charlotte is changed by Robert's dismissal of their love. She becomes more cynical and less trusting. When she stumbles onto a plot to harm George III, she calls on her own skills and talents to solve the problem and becomes her own knight in shining armor. Robert will have his work cut out for him getting back into Charlotte's good graces.

Meanwhile, Eloise and Colin are currently living together at his home in Sussex where all the historical papers that she needs for her dissertation have been stored. Eloise's most recent dilemma has to do with the fact that she doesn't know what Colin does for a living. For some reason, she is determined not to ask and he is reluctant to tell her anyway. I liked the conclusion that she jumped to but had already guessed what his actual job was.

This is a fun series that keeps getting better and better as it continues. I can't wait to go to India for the next installment. ( )