Blame it on the Mistletoe...

I'm so excited about this review, mainly because I didn't have to write it. Yes, IRR, is featuring the first guest posting!  YAY, guest posting!  What is the point of having a zillion, funny, smart and well-read friends, if you don't use them to make your life easier?  Our guest blogger today is Jessie, a fellow librarian and avid reader who is going to give us the low down on Lauren Willig's newest installment in her Pink Carnation series, The Mischief of the Mistletoe!  This series seems to grow in popularity with each book and according to Jessie, the praise is justified...  

The Mischief of the the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig is part of the Pink Carnation Series. It’s set between the fourth and fifth novels in the series, and the reader will see some of the intersecting stories from the 4^th and 5^th book interwoven in the story. As usual, spies and romance are involved and in this book a few Christmas puddings are thrown about as well. To really enjoy this book, you would need to have read at least the first 4-5 novels in the series (in my opinion).

The story begins with Arabella Dempsey, a young woman of good family who had lived with her aunt for many years after the death of her mother. When the young man she thought would ask her to marry him, asks her elderly aunt instead, Arabella goes home to her father and 3 younger sisters. She knows she can’t stay there indefinitely, so she decides to take a position in a school for young ladies. Turnip Fitzhugh’s (readers will remember him from previous novels) younger sister is at the school where Arabella will teach. An errant   Christmas pudding is given to Turnip and he and Arabella discover a message written on the muslin wrapper. An investigation ensues and is continued at a Christmas party in the country. The relationship developing between Turnip and Arabella is sweetly done and fun to watch. As usual, Willig’s dialogue is witty and well done. I don’t want to give too much away as to the plot, since it is a bit of a mystery and that’s half the fun of reading this series.

One part of the book that I’m still not sure about is Jane Austen is written in as an old family friend of Arabella’s and she pops up occasionally throughout the story. Although I usually dislike things like this, Willig does this well, and with a light touch. The interactions between Austen and Arabella are brief and fairly neutral. Willig has a nice note at the end of the book about Austen and how a character from The Watsons inspired the character of Arabella.

The Pink Carnation series is one of my favorites. I love historical fiction, mysteries, and romances and this series combines all three with really great stories and characters. I read The Scarlet Pimpernel when I was about 14 and this series really plays into that type of novel. The premise of the novels is very clever. Eloise Kelly is a Ph.D candidate doing her dissertation on a network of British spies at the beginning of the 19^th century (so 1805-ish) fighting Napoleon. The spies have flower codenames (hence the titles of the books). The story jumps between Eloise in present-day London and Regency England. Throw in some French spies (also with floral names), some younger sisters, society ladies, Regency society, and one hot Brit in present day and you’ve got a really great plot. Each novel tells the story of different characters that belong to this band of spies. There’s always a romance and a mystery. The characters are fantastic. Minor characters from earlier books in the series are highlighted and given their own story, giving them more depth and rounding them out. The ongoing relationship between Eloise and Colin in present-day makes it fun because you’re never sure when Willig is going to pop back to present-day to their story. I look forward to the next installment in the series, The Orchid Affair, due out on January 20, 2011.

For the record, the Pink Carnation series is not one of those you can pick up in the middle or read out of order.

Well, I have a copy of Mischief sitting on my desk, but I'm going to take Jessie's advice and start at the beginning with this series.  I plan to read them over the holiday break and I'm eagerly anticipating the thrill of finding a new historical fiction series to love!  Thanks Jessie for the inspiration and the review.  Great job!