The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas [Hardcover]

Lauren Willig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2010 | Series: Pink Carnation

'Tis the season to get Pink! Lauren Willig's beloved Pink Carnation series gets into the holiday spirit with this irresistible Regency Christmas caper.

Arabella Dempsey's dear friend Jane Austen warned her against teaching. But Miss Climpson's Select Seminary for Young Ladies seems the perfect place for Arabella to claim her independence while keeping an eye on her younger sisters nearby. Just before Christmas, she accepts a position at the quiet girls' school in Bath, expecting to face nothing more exciting than conducting the annual Christmas recital. 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. But when he blunders into Miss Arabella Dempsey, it never occurs to him that she might be trouble. When Turnip and Arabella stumble upon a beautifully wrapped Christmas pudding with a cryptic message written in French, "Meet me at Farley Castle," the unlikely vehicle for intrigue launches the pair on a Yuletide adventure that ranges from the Austens'modest drawing room to the awe-inspiring estate of the Dukes of Dovedale, where the Dowager Duchess is hosting the most anticipated event of the year: an elaborate twelve-day Christmas celebration. Will they find poinsettias or peril, dancing or danger? Is it possible that the fate of the British Empire rests in Arabella's and Turnip's hands, in the form of a festive Christmas pudding?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The delightful latest entry in the Pink Carnation series finds bumbling Turnip Fitzhugh in over his head when he visits sister Sally at boarding school, where a chance encounter with school mistress Arabella Dempsey lures the siblings into a complex web of espionage and derring-do. Guest appearances by Dempsey's best friend Jane Austen and characters from previous installments of the series round out the laugh-out-loud holiday-themed romance of intrigue. Readers familiar with the series will relish this newest installment and rejoice that Turnip has finally been given his due and a wonderful foil in Arabella. While readers never feel that the espionage aspect would actually put anyone in real danger, it definitely makes for an exciting story. (Oct.) (c)
Copyright © PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Set between the fourth and fifth novels in her charming Pink Carnation series, Willig offers up a holiday tale centered around Turnip Fitzhugh, the bumbling but well-meaning nobleman who is often mistaken for the English spy known as the Pink Carnation. Turnip isn’t looking for trouble when he visits his younger sister at her boarding school, but when he literally runs into Arabella Dempsey, a pretty young teacher, the two find themselves drawn into international intrigue via an unlikely source: a message written in French on the wrapping of a Christmas pudding. Turnip’s own limited experiences with espionage lead him to want to check it out, and Arabella agrees to go along. What seems like a frivolous endeavor soon proves to be something else entirely when Turnip learns of a missing list of English spies in France and Arabella is attacked after a school play. Forget all the Austen updates and clones—Willig is writing the best Regency-era fiction today. This delectable, exciting holiday tale will appeal to longtime fans of the series and newcomers alike. --Kristine Huntley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525951873
• ISBN-13: 978-0525951872
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lauren Willig is the author of nine Pink Carnation novels. A graduate of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in English history from Harvard and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, though she now writes full time. Willig lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem in a jewel box of a series!, November 16, 2010

By 

blondemd77 "blondemd77" (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas (Hardcover)

Ive been a fan of the Pink Carnation series for over a year but never taken the time to write any reviews. **hangs head shamefully**. Lauren Willig writes with such intelligence, sophistication, wit and humor and Ive fallen in love with both her style and each and every character she has created thus far. THis latest installment met and exceeded all my expectations. Like a previous reviewer said, I, too, had never given much thought to Turnip's character but he fared wonderfully in his leading role in this novel :-) Deuced loveable, that vegetable is. :-)
I suddenly have the urge to re-read all the books in the series, starting from the beginning again, and relive all the great moments as i wait impatiently for the next Orchid book to be released! Bravo Ms. Willig! Keep up the incredible work!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I devoured this book!, December 14, 2010

By 

Loves to Write - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas (Hardcover)

I just stayed up really, really late last night to finish this book. I couldn't put it down! It's lighthearted, romantic, funny and thoroughly entertaining. What else could you ask for in a Christmas-related novel? You don't need to have read previous Pink Carnation novels to understand it, although I highly recommend them because a) they're good and b) it would enhance your appreciation of this book.

The sweet, silly Turnip Fitzhugh finally gets his due in The Mischief of the Mistletoe, and his story is SO romantic! His relationship with Arabella Dempsey is completely believable, and their inside jokes are adorable. They're both society outcasts in their own ways, but they're so likeable that you root for them the whole time. As the book goes on, you can see why they're perfect for each other.

The espionage/mystery at the heart of the plot isn't anything earth-shattering, but it's a fun caper with several surprises. As an added bonus, Arabella is friends with none other than Jane Austen - but Jane doesn't upstage the main characters or action in the book, luckily.

If you want a lighthearted, funny, escapist read that's romantic (but clean), this is the book for you. Highly, highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I root for root vegetables, January 6, 2011

By 

dcbooklover (washington, dc) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas (Hardcover)

I love Lauren Willig's books - they are the epitome of enjoyable escapism but without being fluffy or mindless. This book is set at Christmastime (obviously) and has Arabella meeting Turnip Fitzhugh through the introduction of a message mysteriously hidden in a Christmas pudding. I've always had a soft spot for Turnip in Willig's previous books and hoped the right woman would come along who would appreciate him. Arabella is his perfect match (although they don't realize this at first). Investigating the Christmas pudding message and the intrigue surrounding it gives Arabella and Turnip the chance to get to know each other in a way they wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to do. This book is reminiscent of Jane Austen in more ways than Willig's earlier works. In fact, Jane Austen is a character in the book. If you liked her other works (and relatively light historical fiction), you will enjoy this book.