Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
110th out of 738 books
—
1,606 voters
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (Pink Carnation #5)
by
Lauren Willig (Goodreads Author)
The much anticipated fifth installment in the inventive and original Pink Carnation series
Pride and Prejudice lives on in Lauren Willig’s acclaimed Pink Carnation series, which continues with another deliciously lighthearted, romantic, and suspenseful novel. Willig introduces to her series the most elusive spy of all time, whose calling card is the faint whiff of jasmine i...more
Pride and Prejudice lives on in Lauren Willig’s acclaimed Pink Carnation series, which continues with another deliciously lighthearted, romantic, and suspenseful novel. Willig introduces to her series the most elusive spy of all time, whose calling card is the faint whiff of jasmine i...more
Hardcover, 388 pages
Published
January 22nd 2009
by Dutton Adult
(first published January 21st 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
This book didn't grab as much as the earlier ones in the series. Jane didn't even show up, and was only mentioned once, in passing. The series should be called The Henrietta series, as she seems to be more of a recurrent character.
I really liked the main character, Charlotte the book worm. However, I don't feel the author did a good job of making her or especially her love interest, Robert, come to life. The story about the kidnapping of the King was good, but the execution (of the plot, not the...more
I really liked the main character, Charlotte the book worm. However, I don't feel the author did a good job of making her or especially her love interest, Robert, come to life. The story about the kidnapping of the King was good, but the execution (of the plot, not the...more
Lauren Willig has created two very likeable characters in Lord Dovedale and Lady Charlotte, who mimic their present day counterparts with errors in miscommunication. Eloise Kelly, who for her Ph.D. dissertation is on the trail of the legendary English spy the Pink Carnation, and her lover a true descendant of the Carnation’s, Colin Selwick. But beyond the errors caused by their simple lack of courage to communicate neither storyline offered much of a mystery filled with intrigue, or threat of da...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The fifth addition to the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. A nice addition to the Pink Carnation series. Robert, Duke of Dovedale, has returned to England from India. He is out to avenge the death of his mentor. Charlotte is a distant cousin whose father was the duke before Robert. Robert doesn't have time to get distracted by his lovely cousin but things don't always work the way you plan. There wasn't as much "spying" as earlier books but it was still good. Likable characters and a good...more
I was disappointed in this novel. While I liked Robert and Charlotte (a lot more than Eloise and Colin) I didn't see the point of this story. The bit about King George was interesting but only in a vague sense. I've also begun to actively dislike Eloise. I think the series has a lot of merit, but with this book, it took me forever to get to a point where I thought it was interesting.
For once, I enjoyed the historical plot more than the romantic. Don't get me wrong, Willig's novels are always an enjoyable read, but what happened to the sexual tension that she has been so adept at delivering?
The first three Carnation books followed a vague sexual structure: first kiss, heated second kiss, and then the sex scene. That all evaporated in the 4th book. The Crimson Rose delivers on the first two steps, at least, but Night Jasmine doesn't even deliver a proper second kiss! I though...more
The first three Carnation books followed a vague sexual structure: first kiss, heated second kiss, and then the sex scene. That all evaporated in the 4th book. The Crimson Rose delivers on the first two steps, at least, but Night Jasmine doesn't even deliver a proper second kiss! I though...more
I was surprisingly impressed by this latest Willig novel. I mean, I absolutely adored Pink Carnation and I tend to reread it very regularly, but for some reason I haven't felt the same about many of her other efforts, particularly the last one (Crimson Rose). I suppose on one level, Willig's very detailed and carefully drawn characterizations tend to incline the reader to identify very strongly with certain of her heroines. With that said, perhaps it's no surprise that I like short, outgoing, bo...more
**SPOILER ALERT**
Well, it's another in the flowery tales of intrigue from Willig...and it's not her best in the series.
I was fearful of a trend that I noticed starting with "The Deception of the Emerald Ring" (PC3) in that there was a little less espionage and a little more romantic story line. We saw in "The Seduction of the Crimson Rose" (PC4) that there was a definate move AWAY from the main character; the Pink Carnation makes a cameo only which is eclipsed by the Black Tulip [the nemisis]. I...more
Well, it's another in the flowery tales of intrigue from Willig...and it's not her best in the series.
I was fearful of a trend that I noticed starting with "The Deception of the Emerald Ring" (PC3) in that there was a little less espionage and a little more romantic story line. We saw in "The Seduction of the Crimson Rose" (PC4) that there was a definate move AWAY from the main character; the Pink Carnation makes a cameo only which is eclipsed by the Black Tulip [the nemisis]. I...more
After reading the previous book in the series, my expectations on this book weren't very high. I was hoping that it would be better but I was a little skeptical about it. But, read the book I did.
Lady Charlotte Lansdowne is a wall-flower, she's a heiress and she lives in her own little fantasy world. She also has a grandmother that loves to control everything and everyone her. It's not easy to be her own person with grandmother meddling in her life. When her cousin, Robert returns from his decad...more
Let me be up front in saying that I honestly grabbed this audio book, not just because I had already listened to the previous four that came before, but because I was so invested in the "modern-day" story that is embedded in these spy novels. While the spy stories are being told, we as readers understand that it is through our modern storyteller, Eloise Keller, that we are getting anything at all. It is her story, and her romance with modern day descendant to the Pink Carnation, Colin Selwick, t...more
Jun 25, 2010
Lady Knight
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
mystery,
regency,
adult,
19th-c,
favorites,
england-uk,
on-my-shelf-book,
war,
2009-tbr-pile-read,
romance-focused
Wow! Talk about an amazingly good story! Blurring the lines between spy thriller, mystery, historical fiction, and romance, "The Temptation of the Night Jasmine" is a great read.
Fifth in Lauren Willig "Pink Carnation" series, "Night Jasmine" follows two story arcs, the contemporary over arc (that continues from the earlier books in the series) and the historical arc that is loosely connected to the previous novels. Not having been able to read the first five novels (at least not yet!) I jumped...more
Fifth in Lauren Willig "Pink Carnation" series, "Night Jasmine" follows two story arcs, the contemporary over arc (that continues from the earlier books in the series) and the historical arc that is loosely connected to the previous novels. Not having been able to read the first five novels (at least not yet!) I jumped...more
In The Temptation of the Night Jasmine: A Novel, Robert, The Duke of Dovedale, returns to England after being in India for a number of years. He soon becomes reacquainted with his distant cousin, Charlotte. It seems that there's an immediate attraction, but Robert has returned to avenge the murder of his mentor and doesn't need any distractions. Meanwhile, Charlotte stumbles upon a plan to being harm to the King and embarks on a little spying adventure of her own. The two run into each other a n...more
In the fifth installment in her "Pink Carnation" Series, more Napoleonic espionage ensues as Lauren Willig spins her captivating tale of 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 to his ducal estate in Sussex after a decade in the Army in India rekindles Lady Charlotte’s idealistic fantasies. Fueled by her passion for romantic novels such as Ev...more
I can say that I believe this one wasn't quite as compelling for me as the first four books, possibly because the Pink Carnation didn't appear, and didn't appear to be involved.
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine focuses on Charlotte Lansdowne, a friend of Henrietta Dorrington's (the heroine of the second book, The Masque of the Black Tulip). Charlotte falls hard for her (extremely distant - to the point of being barely related) cousin, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, recently returned from twelve yea...more
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine focuses on Charlotte Lansdowne, a friend of Henrietta Dorrington's (the heroine of the second book, The Masque of the Black Tulip). Charlotte falls hard for her (extremely distant - to the point of being barely related) cousin, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, recently returned from twelve yea...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I greatly appreciate that this book is much cleaner than the first few books of the series. On the other hand, the story was not nearly as interesting as the previous books. The whole spy part of the series was basically absent, except for a few thrown-in references to the Pink Carnation or the Black Tulip. I am hoping that a later book will help tie this book in to the whole underground spy world - perhaps the villain in this book was actu...more
Charlotte has been living with her grandmother since her parents tragically passed away when she was a child. And since that moment, due to a simple act of kindness, she has idolized Robert, a distant cousin who became the Duke of Dovedale after her father's death. His return from India seems to be a sign that her dreams were about to come true, but Robert is set on avenging his mentor and really doesn't have time for Charlotte. Worse yet, he must rebuke her in order to get closer to the men he...more
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine is the fifth installment in Lauren Willig's "Pink Carnation" series of historical fiction novels. The series follows American graduate student Eloise and her search for information on the English & French spies of the late 1700s/early 1800s that all seem to be named after flowers. Turning a bit of fiction into reality for her world, Willig's books exist in a reality where the Scarlet Pimpernel was a real spy for England during the French Revolution, though...more
I enjoyed this book, though not as much as the earlier books. It is slow moving, and takes a while to get to the real spy plot. Eloise's story is less interesting this time around as well, and the sexual tension between her and Colin is much less intense.
However, the development of the love between Charlotte and Robert is very well done. Willig does a nice job developing their relationship from the early stages of lust and infatuation to real love.
However, the development of the love between Charlotte and Robert is very well done. Willig does a nice job developing their relationship from the early stages of lust and infatuation to real love.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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 story lines. 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, Night Jasmine opens after Eloise and her new beau Coli...more
Framed once again by the research and relationship trials of graduate student Eloise Kelly, Night Jasmine opens after Eloise and her new beau Coli...more
Both of the main characters in this are easy to identify with. (Let's face it, I'm a sucker for any book in which one of the main characters is a bookworm.) Willig does a great job of setting up the future stories in this book, and she also does well at keeping the reader guessing on what will happen next. It's always interesting to see the characters that we already know through other characters' eyes. This was a fun romp and I greatly enjoyed it. I found it especially interesting to read Willi...more
I enjoyed this book. I really did. It was a sweet romance with characters I enjoyed. The mystery was very superficial, but I liked the scope (France, India and England). I also liked the historical facts that Ms Willig added - it felt like a researched novel.
The problem is that, while I thought it was a stand-alone novel (the cover reads "a novel), it quickly became obvious that I'd stumbled on a series. In fact, it's Book 5 of a series. There's
a whole story line set in modern-day England that...more
The problem is that, while I thought it was a stand-alone novel (the cover reads "a novel), it quickly became obvious that I'd stumbled on a series. In fact, it's Book 5 of a series. There's
a whole story line set in modern-day England that...more
I love this series, but I was dismayed to find that I identify rather too much with the heroine. Ie.- lives in books, tends to ascribe a pedestal to men who probably don't deserve it, etc. That said, it was another cracking read from Lauren Willig. This tome focuses on Charlotte, one of Henrietta's friends who has popped up in other books and Richard, a heretofore unseen hero who falls headlong into the flowery spy brigade purely by chance. Some people might not care much for the heroine of this...more
i have managed to get myself roped into reading series! this is the fifth in the pink carnation series. the story alternates between elouise's story - a grad student researching papers for her thesis on spies during the french revolution. the story taking place during the l8th century is that of Robert Dovedale and Charlotte Landsdowne. Charlotte is an innocent maiden living under the care of the Dowager Duchess. Her distant cousin Robert returns from India after serving in the service there for...more
Very interesting. This book had a darker side to it with its foray into the world of the Hellfire Clubs and the seamy side of the gentry. This makes an odd juxtaposition to the main character's naive, sheltered, and sweet personality. I really liked the two main characters and mourned over their continued romantic misunderstandings. There was very little to do with French spies and more to do with India in this book (a marked difference from the previous four books) and no involvement from the P...more
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine is the fifth novel in Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series but we turn away from England vs France in this installment. Charlotte Landsdowne, friend of Lady Henrietta Selwick is the daughter of the late Duke of Dovedale. Both her parents are deceased, leaving her to be raised mostly by her grandmother, the very formidable Dowager Duchess of Dovedale, who has appeared in short scenes in previous books, usually to scare men off from the girls she is chaperoning...more
Nov 18, 2010
Brooke
added it
This one was a bit different from the other Pink Carnations. It focuses on Charlotte, who falls in love with her cousin Robert, who is a Duke-one of the highest peers in the "ton". The book wasn't as "adventurous" as the other Carnation books, mostly because Charlotte wasn't trained in espionage, and neither was Robert. Willig sets the stage for her next book, and although we didn't hear about Penelope as much, (who is the focus of the next book), I'm sure we were given adequate knowledge of Pen...more
Oh dear. This just was not my cup of tea. I have really loved this series--and I have every intention of continuing, but this one mainly bored me. I also didn't care for either of the main characters. I've actually looked forward to an installment starring the bookish Charlotte. But she grated on my nerves at every turn. In the beginning she had her head in the clouds romanticizing everything. When she was betrayed by Robert, his actions turned her into an unforgiving and whining snob. On occasi...more
This was a sweet little something I found in my search for chicky books that are competently written. It's apparently part of a series that I'll have to track down. The overarching 21st-century story line is pretty blah, and I'm not sure why the author bothered. Charlotte's charming adventure would have stood perfectly well on its own. There's cheesiness, naivete, misunderstandings, bickering, angst and even a visit to one of the sex/wanker clubs I read about over the summer in the (godawful) Si...more
Okay, a few things:
* Lackluster mystery, but that's okay because Charlotte is great. Plus, Henrietta. I could totally be into the adventures of Henrietta and Charlotte.
* New narrator. Her Eloise is better (read: less smug) than the old narrator, so there's that. But I still kind of hate Eloise anyway. And then her Colin pronounces Eloise's name a couple of different ways and no. Stick to one pronunciation. Also, the old narrator does a better Henrietta and Miles.
* Our hero hovers on the line be...more
* Lackluster mystery, but that's okay because Charlotte is great. Plus, Henrietta. I could totally be into the adventures of Henrietta and Charlotte.
* New narrator. Her Eloise is better (read: less smug) than the old narrator, so there's that. But I still kind of hate Eloise anyway. And then her Colin pronounces Eloise's name a couple of different ways and no. Stick to one pronunciation. Also, the old narrator does a better Henrietta and Miles.
* Our hero hovers on the line be...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romance Lovers fo...: Series Read: Pink Carnation #5: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (Start Date: July 12th) | 94 | 20 | 22. Juli, 15:22 Uhr |
Lauren Willig is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven works of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards, and chosen for the American Library Association's annual list of the best genre fiction. After graduating from Yale University, she embarked on a PhD in English History at Harvard before...more
More about Lauren Willig...
Share This Book
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“They were close enough that he could feel the hurried beat of her heart. He could feel Charlotte's indecision in every word she didn't say and every move she didn't make. She was tense with uncertainty, quivering with irresolution. She might not be leaning into him, but she wasn't pulling away, either.”
—
26 people liked it
“There was nothing the least bit radical about her. In fact, she was the most conventional creature alive. She believed in true love, and loyalty to one's monarch, and death before dishonor. It was just that, sometimes, things didn't quite turn out as one would have wished. In those cases, there was nothing to do but carry on. And on and on and on.”
—
5 people liked it
More quotes…
15. Juli, 02:39 Uhr