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The Mark Of The Midnight Manzanilla (2014)

by Lauren Willig(Favorite Author)

4.02 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

045141473X (ISBN13: 9780451414731)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

NAL Trade

series

Pink Carnation

review 1: This book takes places mostly in 1806 with a few brief jumps to 2004 and the Eloise storyline. Back in 1806 the main character, Sally, is downright spunky and her growing relationship with Lucien, the Duke of Belliston includes mystery and is funny and charming. There was almost total disconnect between the past and current storylines but it's fun read. The next book, due out next summer is supposed to be the last in the Pink Carnation spy stories.
review 2: In terms of novels in general it fell flat, in terms of Lauren Willig novels it was a real dud. She herself acknowledges this was little more than a placeholder book to bridge the time gap between Plumeria and Moonflower, and we're in reality building up to the main event, a book about The Pink Carnation... more herself. It didn't advance the overall mythology of the series, had nothing to do with spies, and was a rather lame story. I can remember being very excited last year when i read the first two chapters as a preview on Willig's website, the moody, atmospheric garden was right out of a Bronte novel. Sadly it never really took off from there. I had the nagging feeling throughout the book that it could be a good novel, but ti got bogged down with too much dialogue, a bumbling mystery with an unsatisfying conclusion, and a desperate attempt to briefly revisit characters from former books that just fell flat. Even Eloise and Colin's story was less than inspiring, though it does take an interesting turn in the conclusion. Up until that point however I was merely skimming because it was a real snore. Willig is good, both impeccable in her historical research and a very interesting writer, in my opinion she does best when she sticks to the close original group and pattern. The Fitzhugh family has been making us laugh from the start, The Mischief of the Mistletoe is at the top of my list for favorite books in the series, but aside from an endless succession of stoat jokes nobody was laughing. less

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