It's time :)
10. Lauren Willig, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
Lady Charlotte Dovedale loves to read romantic novels about knights in shining armor. So when her distant cousin Robert comes back from fighting in India to take up his responsibilities as the new Duke of Dovedale, she immediately endows him with every heroic attribute. But Robert is far from perfect - he’s home to wreak an elaborate scheme of vengeance, and his path will take him into the sinister depths of London’s Hellfire Club. One of the secrets he discovers there could have disastrous consequences for England - and for Robert’s relationship with Charlotte. Will true love once again conquer all? (Gee, I wonder!)
Willig is still going strong in this fifth installment of the “Pink Carnation” series. It’s lighthearted, enjoyable, and a lot of fun. I enjoyed the espionage aspect of the story a lot, despite its utter improbability. I was actually less pleased with the romance angle. Robert was sometimes selfish and a bit idiotic, while Charlotte was naïve and silly. I felt like they were just the standard romance-novel hero and heroine, with nothing special to set them apart or make them more interesting. Every once in a while they surprised me by being sweet or funny, but for the most part their story fell flat. Still, I liked the book, and I’ll definitely continue with the series - apparently a sixth book is in the works!
(Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge, books, and 100ormorebooks.)