The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas (Pink Carnation, #5)

by Lauren Willig

Despite her dear friend Jane Austen's warning against teaching, Arabella Dempsey accepts a position at a girls' school in Bath, just before Christmas. She hardly imagines coming face-to-face with French aristocrats and international spies.

Reginald "Turnip" Fitzhugh-often mistaken for the elusive spy known as the Pink Carnation-has blundered into danger before. When Turnip and Arabella find their Christmas pudding yielding a cryptic message, they are launched on a Yuletide adventure. Will they find poinsettias-or peril?

• ISBN10: 0525951873
• ISBN13: 9780525951872
• Publish Date: 28 October 2010 (first published 1 October 2010)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Dutton Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 339
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

I had been curious about The Pink Carnation series as it has been billed as a "Jane Austen-inspired" series. Jane Austen does make a cameo via a letter but that is where the inspiration stops. I had been looking for a warm holiday read with a bit of intrigue, however, what I received was an insipid story that revolved around a Christmas pudding that never took off. The plot mainly focused on the character Turnip which the author, Lauren Willig stated fans wanted more of. Personally, I found him to be a bumbling idiot and cringed when he came on stage.

I felt it took too long to get to the spy aspect of the novel having to drag myself through the dally of missing lists, dresses, and snoops ransacking bedrooms. When we finally got to the crime-solving Willig tried to turn it into a Scarlet Pimpernel of sorts but gave up halfway through, losing direction mid-thought.

Perhaps if I had not come in mid-way through the series I would be more affable towards The Mischief of the Mistletoe. However, it just didn't work for me and was as disappointing as receiving coal in one's stocking.

This review was originally posted on First Impressions Reviews