Customer Reviews

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (Pink Carnation)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having listenened to the other titles in this series, and throughly enjoyed them, I was disappointed in this one. The reader just did not do as good a job as Kate Reading. Kate was much more adept at differentiating between various characters, both male and female. Also, this reader pronounced the main characters' name, Eloise, as "El-Waz". Doesn't someone oversee these things? I should think someone would have said "let's not do that, it will be very distracting for the readers as they've become used to hearing this character called Eloise". I hope the series continues, but I sincerely hope they go back to Kate as the narrator for the next one.

Inevitably in any popular series, sooner or later the writing gets stale - character arcs become unbelievable, plots are rehashed, or the reader can simply feel the writer's own weariness for the once beloved storylines. Not so for Lauren Willig! If anything, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine is the strongest book in the Pink Carnation series so far.

Framed once again by the research and relationship trials of graduate student Eloise Kelly, the Night Jasmine opens after Eloise and her new-beau Colin have been together for three months. A week-long romantic getaway to Colin's home in Surrey, not to mention his library's inexhaustible cache of historical archives, leads Eloise to a new discovery in her study of the aristocratic spy, the Pink Carnation - a plot involving french spies (naturally), betrayal of a king, and the infamous Hellfire Club.

Enter Lady Charlotte Lansdowne and Robert, the Duke of Dovedale, the real stars of this Carnation installment. Robert, newly home from a decade long stint in India, is on the trail of his mentor's murderer, but is unprepared for both the attraction he feels for the bookish Charlotte (a very, very distant cousin) and the real forces at work in his friend's death.

Like the other Pink Carnation books, the mystery here is well plotted out and the excitement high enough to keep the pages flying well into the night. The true strength lies within the romance of Robert & Charlotte, however. Both characters show very strong growth over the course of the book: Charlotte must deal with her realization that real life is not quite how it is in books (which can be a good a thing), and Robert has to grapple with not only his dubious past, but that of his father. As you would expect, a happy ending lies in wait for these two, but not without a few bumps along the way. Even more so than past books, the reader will truly find herself rooting for these two.

So, the verdict - if you loved the previous Carnation books, definitely pick up The Temptation of the Night Jasmine! You won't regret it. If you're new to the series,I recommend starting at the beginning (with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation) so you'll be fully in the loop when secondary characters appear, as well as up to speed on the framing romance of Colin & Eloise. Happy reading!

I adore the Carnation series by Lauren Willeg, especially in Audio Book format, but I really missed Kate Reading for Temptation. With all respect to Justine Eyre who is bravely stepping into a series already in progrss (her Charlotte is spot-on), she just doesn't compare. I would have been more tolerant of the change if she hadn't mispronounced Eloise as EloWHAZ. Gasp.

Wonderful story. One of the best of the series. The audio version was not my favourite.

I was underwhelmed by this book in the series. I loved the growth of Charlotte through the book and her realizations about love and marriage but the rest of the book just never clicked. I never got swept up by Robert or the intrigue of this book's spies and mysteries. I wanted to but it never happened. Eloise and Colin were a bit of a disappointment as well. The author tries to throw a stumbling block their way but it wasn't convincing in the least. I wanted to be swept away by this book but it never happened for me. I'll most likely read the next (if there is one) but I may get it from the library rather than buy it.

I enjoy all the books, the word play especially; so I like to listen to the audio books. Crimson Rose is probably my favorite because of the amusing shadings of each line of dialogue. Jasmine in contrast focuses on daydreams versus reality, a different type of combat. It reminds me of Jane Eyre characters as they learn moral lessons. But I was disappointed by the reading by Ms Eyre. Her sweet voice is perfectly suited to Charlotte but there is so little coloring and contrast between characters and so little depth to the male voices that it was a frustrating listen. I do hope that if Ms Willig writes about Jane the publishers will be able to use Ms Reading as audio reader again. I do look forward to all Ms Willig's future books with much anticipation.

I was pleasantly surprised by the 5th installment in the Pink Carnation series. I say this because The Seduction of the Crimson Rose(book #4) was utterly dreadful! I had vowed not to read another book in this series, but I gave in after a fashion. I feel that the title of this book is rather misleading as there is hardly anything to do with a spy by the name of Night Jasmine. The plot line is becoming rather stale and I really wish that Ms. Willig would return to the style of writing that she used in the original Pink Carnation novel. Also, I was looking forward to reading more about Eloise and Colin, yet now that they have become a couple that are extremely boring! A final note; if you know much about fashion history this book will become rather tedious at times as Ms. Willig's concept of this periods styles is slightly off!

Ms. Willig's Pink Carnation series is one of my guilty pleasures, but I am disappointed that the past two installments that I have read--first Crimson Rose, and now this one--are simply not up to par with the first three books in the series. That could be the conspicuous lack of a scandalous love scene or simply that the characters and their story aren't as identifiable/believable as those in Ms. Willig's first three novels. For example. she threw in this unicorn theme some pages into the book, and kept trying to drag it back at what seemed to be inopportune times. This is the type of thing that i feel an editor should have caught and cut immediately, because no matter how much the author tried to force it into the story, it felt exactly like that--it was being forced into the story. And on the other hand, there was an entire backstory dealing with Robert and his father that was mentioned in passing several times and probably should have been elaborated upon, but was eventually dropped entirely as Ms. Willig rushed to the ending of this particular story.

Although Ms. Willig took some liberties with the storyline in Night Jasmine, even as a history buff I did not feel that these liberties were out of line. I would rate this novel three out of five stars, because even though it didn't draw me in as much as the first three did, I was still interested enough to enjoy reading it. I will definitely keep reading the series and simply hope that in the future, her characters revert back to being as well portrayed as they were in Pink Carnation, Black Tulip, and Emerald Ring.

The book starts off following Eloise's story, a modern day lover of history, and then shifts into Charlotts story via her best friend Henriettas notes and journals, read by Eloise. Honestly, I wish the book was as exciting as the descroption made it out to be, I was more then one tempted to put it down and forget about it. During the times when we are in Charlottes story it also shifts to Roberts viewpoint of the events that play out.
Charactor-wise i found Charlotte to be a very easy heroine to like, she was stubborn when need be and also trusting and witty. Robert was a good male counterpart to Charlotte, though he got a tad annoying going on about how he was no good. There are also quite a few good and interesting supportive charactors such as Charlottes friends Henrietta and Penelope Tommy,Roberts friend and Henriettas husband Miles. Being this is in older England there are quite a few odd words and phrases used in the book, I more then once found myself going 'huh?' but once read in context of the sentance it made sence. There were also some pretty long/advanced words but nothing a dictonary could not fix.
The writing style was fluid, Willig painted a very pretty picture with her descrptions of the gardens, the houses and the undercaves leading to the Hellfire Club.The romance is clean but never stale, there are a few innuendos and adult themes but they are few and not heavy-handed. All in all i enjoyed the book, i just wish it was a bit more of a page-turner.

This is #5 in the Pink Carnation series. I love this series of books, but this one isn't quite as compelling as the other four. I am not sure I learned anything very different about any of the recurring characters. It doesn't seem that anything is really at stake or that it matters in the big picture. But I will stick with the series and can't wait for book six.

In the fifth installment in her Pink Carnation Series, more Napoleonic espionage ensues as Lauren Willig spins her captivating tale following the exploits of Robert Lansdowne, the reluctant Duke of Dovedail, and his bookish young cousin Charlotte in The Temptation of the Night Jasmine. Set in England in 1803, Robert's unexpected return after a decade in the Army in India to his ducal estate in Sussex rekindles Lady Charlotte's idealistic fantasies. Fueled by her passion for romantic novels such as Evelina she is hopeful that Robert, her knight in shining amour, has come to rescue her from her from the embarrassment of three failed London seasons and her grandmother's succession of unacceptable eligible bachelors. However, Robert's main objective is not romance, but to track down the spy who murdered his mentor during the Battle of Assaye. Even though their reunion sparks a quick romance, Robert abruptly ends their relationship and departs for London in pursuit of the elusive spy whose signature scent is the heady and seductive night jasmine. Infiltrating the notorious Hells Fire Club, he is witness to opium induced orgies and the dissipation of London society - all in the name of duty and honor, mind you. Meanwhile, Charlotte acting as lady in waiting to Queen is witness to the madness of King George, or is she? With the aid of her friend Lady Henrietta Selwick, they undertake a bit of espionage of their own, uncovering a plot to kidnap the king. Robert and Charlotte must join forces to thwart the scheme, and learn to trust each again before they can catch a spy, and, re-fall in love.

All of Willig's stories in this series unfold as a parallel plot prompted by the investigation of contemporary scholar Eloise Kelly as she conducts her own historical research into the enigmatic British flower spies during the Napoleonic wars. The trail of research has led her to Colin Selwick the descendant of the Pink Carnation who holds the family archive, and her affections under his control. Having read all of the previous novels in the Pink Carnation series, I was uncertain if Willig could continue to pump out fresh and engaging stories to match the intrigue, humor, and suspense of her previous four efforts. In addition, the dubious claim in the publisher's description of the book that "Pride and Prejudice lives on in Lauren Willig's acclaimed Pink Carnation series" really shot up an eyebrow. Talk about hitching your star onto a bandwagon! This series is not a Jane Austen sequel, though she does amusingly nod at Austen through allusions to her characters and plot lines, especially in this novel in the early chapters with young, naïve and bookish Charlotte Lansdowne. Any reader of Northanger Abbey will immediately see the similarities to Catherine Morland and smile. But the rest of the characters and plotline is entirely Willig's own skillful imaginings.

Given my reservations upon reading this new release, I was happy to discover that I cherish it among the best in the series. Willig's effervescent style in almost tongue-in-cheek in its playfulness. Her strength, however, lies in her rendering of her characters unique and endearing personalities. Like Austen, she chooses an array of foibles and follies in human nature illustrated in her secondary characters to frame her hero and heroine. Charlotte's grandmother is a great example.

"The Dowager Duchess of Dovedale, the woman who had launched a thousand ships--as their crews rowed for their lives in the opposite direction. She inspired horses to rear, jaded roués to blanch beneath their rouge, and young fops to jump out of ballroom windows. And she enjoyed every moment of it."

Even though I thoroughly enjoy her writing style, Willig does have a few weaknesses that I hope will improve with experience. She handles comedy, historical context, and dialogue beautifully, but like Austen's complaint about her own darling child Pride and Prejudice, her plots lack the deep shade necessary to offset the light, bright, sparkly stuff. Not only would I like to see more romantic tension between her protagonists, a bit more dastardly doings in her villains would please me exceedingly. Just channel a bit of Dickens Lauren, and you will succeed. Furthermore, I enjoyed the historical plot line so much more than the contemporary fumbling of her Bridget Jones clone-ish Eloise, mostly due to the fact that I am just really tired of clueless young woman who are so insecure that a run in their nylons ruins their day.

Reverently harkening to her predecessors Austen and Heyer, Willig is one talented author who I hope will enjoy a very long career. In addition to The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, the Pink Carnation series included The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, The Masque of the Black Tulip, The Deception of the Emerald Ring and The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. Her next novel in the series is The Betrayal of the Blood Lily is due out in January, 2010. If you are in the mood for a Regency era romantic spy comedy romp, I recommend this book highly.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose