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The Temptation Of The Night Jasmine (2009)

by Lauren Willig(Favorite Author)

3.76 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0525950966 (ISBN13: 9780525950967)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Dutton Adult

series

Pink Carnation

review 1: Genre: Regency RomanceI liked the conceit of this novel, that the overly innocent and romantic (and rather neglected) Lady Charlotte Landsdowne formed a tendre for the unexpected Robert, Duke of Dovedale as a child when he was very kind to her during the uproar of her father's death and his own sudden and unexpected inheritance. Subsequently, ran away to India and joined the army, and has since seen a little too much of reality, whereas she's been living in her head (and escaping in her romances) ever since.The way the conceit played out in the novel was less to my liking. The initial infatuation was lovely, but Robert's drawing back with "I'm not good enough for her" was silly and their on going differences were just idiotic - and would've been solved if they'd just TALK... moreED to each other rather than acting like 15-year olds (which neither are!) The entire novel ends up resting on the extremely well done spy story instead of the romance. The spy plot is quite interesting enough to carry the novel though... but was not quite what I was expecting from the book.... and the characters missed the opportunity for self-knowledge and growth. Instead it's implied rather then shown and experienced by the reader, and you have to assume it, since the ultimate reward is of course granted.
review 2: I enjoyed this installment in the Pink Carnation series but it wasn't my very favourite.Lady Charlotte Lansdowne is everything a proper lady should be - polite, appropriate, quiet and docile. Robert, Duke of Dovedale, lately returned from serving 12 years in India, has come home to avenge the murder of his mentor, but first he must infiltrate the mysterious Hellfire Club to discover who the murderer is.Charlotte is at first thrilled at Robert's return, having cherished a secret crush on him since he was kind to her when they were both children. But she's disappointed when he appears to have changed and become cold and disinterested.When her overatures to Robert are rejected, Charlotte is ripe to take on a new project with her friend Henrietta Selwick - spying! There's a plot afoot that threatens the king, and Henrietta needs help to discover the people involved and stop them. Charlotte quickly discovers that being a spy is harder than she anticipated, but she gamely tries to do her part.At the same time and in present-day London, Eloise Kelly continues both the work on her dissertation and her new romance with Colin as she learns more about the Pink Carnation et al.All the elements of the previous books are here: the two parallel storylines, the juxtaposition of the facade of polite Regency era society with secret women spies, the fun of women doing things they shouldn't and getting into trouble that is highly entertaining for the reader.While I still envjoyed the story, at times Charlotte struck me as a bit more timid and milquetoast than the other heroines in this series. I didn't connect with her as strongly as I did with others, particularly Henrietta. But that is a small quibble, and I continue to enjoy this series as a light, fast easy-to-read one that is just good fun. less

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