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jessalu's review against another edition
5.0
I added an extra star for the Princess Bride reference ;)
wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the carnation books, I think this one is my favorite.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Adorable, as I expected Sally Fitzhugh's book to be. But it also feels a teensy bit unsatisfying since it is disconnected from the Pink Carnation/spy plot in general (even though Miss Gwen/Mrs. Reid pops up to help keep it tied in). Hugely satisfying to see Turnip as a daddy, less so to have my favorite couples name-dropped (Geoff/Letty, Miles/Hen, Vaughn/Mary) without any actual interaction with the characters (no Richard/Amy or Dovedale/Charlotte although the Dowager Duchess does get in a line).
Great shout-out to The Princess Bride - you'll have to be looking for it. My copy had a sneak peek of [b:The Lure of the Moonflower|23398702|The Lure of the Moonflower (Pink Carnation #12)|Lauren Willig|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416926829s/23398702.jpg|41242249], the last in the Pink Carnation series (for now, although Lauren hasn't ruled out revisiting side characters in novellas or specials) and, augh, must wait 'till next summer!
Full review: http://balletbookworm.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-mark-of-midnight-manzanilla-pink.html
Great shout-out to The Princess Bride - you'll have to be looking for it. My copy had a sneak peek of [b:The Lure of the Moonflower|23398702|The Lure of the Moonflower (Pink Carnation #12)|Lauren Willig|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416926829s/23398702.jpg|41242249], the last in the Pink Carnation series (for now, although Lauren hasn't ruled out revisiting side characters in novellas or specials) and, augh, must wait 'till next summer!
Full review: http://balletbookworm.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-mark-of-midnight-manzanilla-pink.html
maryanne6828's review against another edition
3.0
Not much spying going on in this one. But, I did like the modern romance developments!
nevclue's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Another cute, fun entry in the Pink Carnation series. The historical romance between Sally and Lucien was sweet, and Sally was a hoot. There's humor and banter and for the most part, they don't take themselves too seriously.
The modern story with Eloise hit way too close to home, aka academia. I pretty much could not read the scene where she talks to her advisor and he tells her Accurate, way too accurate for comfort.
Another cute, fun entry in the Pink Carnation series. The historical romance between Sally and Lucien was sweet, and Sally was a hoot. There's humor and banter and for the most part, they don't take themselves too seriously.
The modern story with Eloise hit way too close to home, aka academia. I pretty much could not read the scene where she talks to her advisor and he tells her
Spoiler
that her dissertation is not good enough.gaderianne's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I was getting a little tired of the pink carnation series, but this book breathed new life into the series for me. It was fun,mainly, and there was a stoat. A stoat! Loved it!
cammmiam's review against another edition
4.0
With Miss Gwen’s gothic novel now published, a vampire craze has taken hold of London. Rumors spread about the Duke of Belliston, who had been absent from the scene for twelve years. Some say his eyes glow red. Others say his family is cursed, which is why he is a vampire and has resorted to sacrificing chickens. Miss Sally Fitzhugh believes herself to be the only one above these rumors. She does not shy away from a dare that places her on the duke’s property, nor does she falter (much!) when the duke is found in the presence of a dead body with fang punctures on the neck. There is a story behind this duke, and there is a reason for this murder, and Sally intends to unearth the truth, no matter the absence of an invitation for her to offer her help or advice.
My honest opinion: I adored Sally! I wanted more of her and more of this story. It was so easy to fall into her head and travel along with her thought process. It was so familiar to be amongst her friends and her brother, Turnip, again. The sharp wit of her dialogue reminded me that when Lauren Willig is on her game there are very few who can top her in this genre (and this was a good reminder to have when some of the books toward the middle-end of this series have done little to impress me). Sally and Lucien were great fun and perfectly suited for one another. If I could beg Lauren to give me more, I certainly would.
My only detraction from this book would be that it did not provide the full extent of an adventure, as I would have wanted. Rather than dig for clues in numerous places around Town, Sally and Lucien were ensconced mainly in the society scene. Ballrooms and gossip played a larger part in this book than any other in the series, according to my memory. It worked well with Sally -- no doubt about that -- but I will always be the reader who wants to see more action-adventure from a historical mystery set novel. If you are familiar with this series, then I would say this book reminded me of Turnip’s; it was immensely enjoyable, but it stretched the connection with the League of the Pink Carnation a bit farther than the tether probably should have gone. I would have liked for this story to have been more involved in the series as a whole, especially since the end of Miss Gwen's was such a game changer to the way The League had been run. Manzanilla could have easily been a 4+ star book had it achieved this desire.
As for Colin and Eloise? Discovery is the name of their game, but I will say no more than that. The end of their storyline was perfect.
My honest opinion: I adored Sally! I wanted more of her and more of this story. It was so easy to fall into her head and travel along with her thought process. It was so familiar to be amongst her friends and her brother, Turnip, again. The sharp wit of her dialogue reminded me that when Lauren Willig is on her game there are very few who can top her in this genre (and this was a good reminder to have when some of the books toward the middle-end of this series have done little to impress me). Sally and Lucien were great fun and perfectly suited for one another. If I could beg Lauren to give me more, I certainly would.
My only detraction from this book would be that it did not provide the full extent of an adventure, as I would have wanted. Rather than dig for clues in numerous places around Town, Sally and Lucien were ensconced mainly in the society scene. Ballrooms and gossip played a larger part in this book than any other in the series, according to my memory. It worked well with Sally -- no doubt about that -- but I will always be the reader who wants to see more action-adventure from a historical mystery set novel. If you are familiar with this series, then I would say this book reminded me of Turnip’s; it was immensely enjoyable, but it stretched the connection with the League of the Pink Carnation a bit farther than the tether probably should have gone. I would have liked for this story to have been more involved in the series as a whole, especially since the end of Miss Gwen's was such a game changer to the way The League had been run. Manzanilla could have easily been a 4+ star book had it achieved this desire.
As for Colin and Eloise? Discovery is the name of their game, but I will say no more than that. The end of their storyline was perfect.
corvinaq's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this brisk and breezy Regency mystery/romance. The major criticism is that the Regency portion is narrated alongside a modern romance that is boring. I had no interest in Eloise and Colin’s relationship issues.
cotokeet's review against another edition
5.0
Well this book surprised me!! Me, reading the description: Really? The next book in the series is about vampires? -.-
Me finishing the book: *flails* and can't contain a glowing review.
The non-romance part of the book was a little weaker than some of the other books in this series.
But this was my favorite romance by far. Lucian and Sally's friendship comes across as very genuine and believable. It was funny, relatable, and I saw myself in Sally, if I were just a bit more confident. It was nice to see a very real (if quick) relationship develop between the two.
Me finishing the book: *flails* and can't contain a glowing review.
The non-romance part of the book was a little weaker than some of the other books in this series.
But this was my favorite romance by far. Lucian and Sally's friendship comes across as very genuine and believable. It was funny, relatable, and I saw myself in Sally, if I were just a bit more confident. It was nice to see a very real (if quick) relationship develop between the two.