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The Seduction of the Crimson Rose (Hardcover)

by Lauren Willig (Author) "Four pounds," demanded the fourteen-foot-high statue of Hercules..." (more)
Key Phrases: black tulip, ham haunch, quizzing glass, Lord Vaughn, Lauren Willig, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose (more...)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In the fourth installment of the Pink Carnation series, Mary Alsworthy suddenly finds herself on the outside of polite society after her younger sister, Letty, marries Mary's intended. Partly from boredom, partly from fascination, Mary accepts the advances of spy master Lord Vaughn when he asks her to help uproot a French spy called the Black Tulip who has a weakness for dark-haired women. As it turns out, the Black Tulip is no longer interested just in beautiful companions; he demands a sacrifice of Mary that she is reluctant to make. Navigating both the world of high society, where, if Mary doesn't find a husband soon she'll be doomed to live off her sister's charity, and the underworld, Mary may only realize too late that the Black Tulip is more connected to her than she ever imagined. This historical romance is filled with witty repartee and arch conversations between Mary and Vaughn, leaving no doubt as to the story's conclusion. Though the occasional jumps to the modern-day travails of Eloise Kelly, a grad student researching the Vaughn family for her dissertation, are as jarring as ad breaks in the middle of a film, the novel handily fulfills its promise of intrigue and romance. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The fourth installment in Willig’s Pink Carnation series finds beautiful, ambitious Mary Allsworthy still smarting from her sister Letty’s inadvertent theft of her suitor in The Deception of the Emerald Ring (2007). At the suggestion of the Pink Carnation, the imperious Lord Vaughn recruits Mary to help him uncover the identity of the Black Tulip, a French spy who threatens England’s interests. As determined as Mary is to find a husband, Lord Vaughn, a widower, is equally determined not to succumb to her charms, creating a palpable friction between the two. The closer they get to their goal of finding the Black Tulip, the more their adversarial feelings dissolve into attraction, even love, just as a secret from Vaughn’s past threatens to keep them apart forever. In the present, graduate student Eloise Kelly delves deeper into the archival papers to discover the Black Tulip’s identity. Willig’s series gets better with each addition, and her latest is filled with swashbuckling fun, romance, and intrigue. --Kristine Huntley

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Product Details

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Dutton Adult (January 31, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525950338
ISBN-13: 978-0525950332
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #295,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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This is item 4 in The Pink Carnation Series.

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
"Four pounds," demanded the fourteen-foot-high statue of Hercules. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
black tulip, ham haunch, quizzing glass

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lord Vaughn, Lauren Willig, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, Miss Alsworthy, Aunt Imogen, Lady Hester, Lady Euphemia, Hyde Park, Sibley Court, Lady Henrietta, Lady Vaughn, Vaughn House, Lord Richard, Miss Fustian, Vaughn Collection, Crimson Rost, Common Sense Society, Lady Uppington, Mary Alsworthy, Bond Street, Lauren Williq, Great Chamber, Belliston Square, Aunt Arabella, Turnip Fitzhugh

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	67% buy the item featured on this page: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose 4.2 out of 5 stars (32) $18.21
	9% buy The Temptation of the Night Jasmine 3.9 out of 5 stars (28) $17.13
	9% buy The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation) 4.2 out of 5 stars (29) $10.20
	9% buy The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation) 3.7 out of 5 stars (36) $10.98

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Customer Reviews

32 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (32 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite So Far, February 7, 2008

By	Nicholas' Mom (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This book, the fourth in the series, centers around Lord Vaughn and Mary Alsworthy, the older sister of Letty, the heroine of the last novel. When this book opens, the vain and self-centered Mary is still reeling from being jilted by Geoffrey, a former suitor who ended up marrying Letty. Although not brokenhearted (Mary's interest in Geoffrey was purely financial), Mary is still bitter over the fact that after several seasons, she is remains unmarried. Afraid she is about to end up a spinster, she agrees to help Lord Vaughn, an elusive, sardonic rake who is constantly quoting (and misquoting) Shakespeare, attempt to capture the French spy who calls him/herself The Black Tulip.

As the action unfolds-- and there is a lot of suspense in this installment-- Mary and Vaughn are drawn to each other, although they fight against their growing attraction. Many of their exchanges are reminiscent of Rhett/Scarlett or Benedick and Beatrice in that they spar and flirt, while still guarding their feelings. Eventually they fall in love, but their romance is not conventional-- in fact, there isn't even a real love scene between them (my only real disappointment with this book. It was a glaring absence).

While I was reading "The Seduction of the Crimson Rose," I thought that it would likely generate a lot of mixed reviews, largely because Mary and Vaughn are not conventional protagonists. Also, although there are romantic scenes, both characters are so pragmatic that they don't get swept away in the manner of the pairings in the other three "Pink Carnation" books. This is not to say, however, that there aren't romantic scenes. They are, and they are sweet, although still in keeping with the characters' more emotionally reticient natures.

For me, this installment was the most interesting and satisfying, not only because the writing is the strongest, but because Mary and Vaughn, despite their unconventionality, had what felt like the most real romance.

Are Vaughn and Mary likeable? Not as immediately endearing as Henrietta, Amy or Letty or, for that matter Richard, Miles, or Geoffrey, but they are very well drawn, distinctive characters. In the previous books, Vaughn came across as lecherous and a little creepy. It is to Willig's credit that in this one we get a deeper impression of the man as highly flawed, but still sympathetic-- complex, but surprisingly tender. And when Mary falls in love with Vaughn and performs her first unselfish acts, it's hard not to like her.

There are many reveals in this novel, and the writing is very crisp. Also, Eloise finally makes progress with Colin.

To my mind, the Pink Carnation books are unlike anything else on the market-- a very readable hybrid of historical fiction, romance and suspense. And this installment was, for me, the most compelling of them all so far.

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a very entertaining read, February 10, 2008

By	tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Like the previous reviewer, I enjoyed "The Seduction of the Crimson Rose" very much and also thought that it was probably the best installment in the series so far -- perhaps it was because Lord Vaughn reminded me so much of some of my favourite Georgette Heyer heroes, or perhaps it was because the modern bits of this novel was limited to the bare minimum -- charming and amusing though the bits pertaining to Eloise Kelly are, I did find myself skimming through those few chapters in order to read more about Miss Mary Alsworthy and Lord Vaughn. Whatever the reason, I'm recommending "The Seduction of the Crimson Rose" as an enjoyable must read.

Her pride and self-confidence already shot when the gentleman she had chosen to be her husband, Lord Pinchingdale, accidentally ends up marrying her less beautiful younger sister, Letty ("The Deception of the Emerald Ring"), the beautiful Mary Alsworthy finds that she is willing to consider any enterprise that will not make her financially dependent on her sister and her new brother-in-law. Which is why, when the jaded and sardonic Lord Vaughn comes to her on behalf of the Pink Carnation with a plan to flush out the dreaded French agent, the Black Tulip. Of course this would mean having to spend more time with the infuriating Lord Vaughn, but Mary is willing to put up with the rake if it will help her achieve her aims. The last thing she expected was to find herself entangled with the many secrets of Vaughn's past, or that she would come to rely and care for him...

I really enjoyed Vaughn and Mary as a couple: their interactions sparkled with wit, energy and sexual tension, and it was this chemistry between the two principal characters that made the book such a wonderfully entertaining read. What also made the book very satisfying was the manner in which the author "fleshed" out both Vaughn's and Mary's characters. Neither character is the typical kind romantic hero or heroine -- both are a bit self-contained, pragmatic and manipulative, used to having their own way. And "watching" how other, softer traits that these two characters possesses came to the fore as the story progressed was both enjoyable and satisfying. Of course the story was an interesting one too, even if I did wonder a little about the practicality of Pink Carnation's scheme to entrap the Black Tulip. This, however did not prevent me from losing myself in the book. All in all, "The Seduction of the Crimson Rose" was a very nice, entertaining read, and one I would recommend wholeheartedly. And I would end by noting that readers should ignore all those lamentable tags that compare this series to "Pride and Prejudice" and to Bridget Jones. This series is nothing like.

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seductive, yet..., February 7, 2008

By	K. Hoving (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have read, re-read and enjoyed all of the previous books in this series, and eagerly waited for this one to be published. As a good page-turning read it did not disappoint. This is certainly the most well-written of Willig's books to date -- the action is exciting, the story line compelling and without the plot holes that plagued the earlier books.

All the same,I just didn't like it as much as the earlier installments -- and that is largely because I did not find the main characters sympathetic. Willig tries hard to humanize the very prickly Mary and Lord Vaughn, but even their romance does not make them seem less shallow and selfish. One of the best thing about the carnation books has been the flawed but endearing heroines -- and Mary doesn't fit into their ranks any better than she does in the scene where she stands painfully outside their circle of friendship at a party.

That said, the Eloise and Colin chapters positively shine in comparison. Eloise is at her most endearing, Colin charming and far more human, and there is an actual plot developing with the introduction of a "bad guy" to the scene.

All in all, this book is well worth the read, and certainly advanced the action a good way forward. I'll look forward to a return to a more appealing heroine in the next installment -- perhaps sweet, shy Charlotte will finally get her long promised man?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars I'll Read More In This Series!
This is the first book I've read in this series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The book was well written and a good mix of intrigue and romance. I enjoyed Mary. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Book Worm

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as seductive...
... as the rest of the books in this series. While I love all the other books in the "Pink Carnation" series, this one didn't have quite the "oomph" I've come to expect from... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Leslie M. Spiller

4.0 out of 5 stars Chic-lit that is entertaining and a great addition to the Pink Carnation Series
What I like about this series: The adventure, comedy, fun, historical references, and that the characters (the lead women) are all very different, and still find a man that fits... Read more

Published 2 months ago by J. Wood

5.0 out of 5 stars The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
This is another great book in the Pink Carnation Series by Lauren Willig. I believe this is the fourth in the current count of 5. Read more

Published 3 months ago by S. Bryant

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise
I happened upon Lauren Willig's first novel by happy accident a few months ago, and have devoured each subsequent book. Read more

Published 3 months ago by J. Donovan

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing Story
For the fourth installment of the Pink Carnation series, this story was a breath of fresh air from the young idealism of the past novels. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Rebecca Herman

5.0 out of 5 stars Still reading and listening to it slowly and enjoying it over and over again...
I have been listening to the audio and reading the book because I love it! This is probably by far my favorite installment next to the first book. The characters are great. Read more

Published 4 months ago by scrappygirl

5.0 out of 5 stars really good!!
After reading "..Emerald Ring" I found myself doubtful that I could enjoy "Crimson Rose" because I couldn't imagine rooting for the Mary character. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Sandra Lemire

4.0 out of 5 stars different and enjoyable
I enjoy Lauren Willig's historical fictions more for the history and adventure, less the romance. If you are like me, this will be your favorite of the series. Read more

Published 5 months ago by X

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Success for Willig
Mary is an "old maid" whose marriage options seem to have vanished, yet the last thing she wants to do is rely on her new brother-in-law--and former lover--to finance another... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Story Circle Book Reviews

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