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Feb 14, 2009

ZaBeth rated it:

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 d More...

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Jan 26, 2009

Amber rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 28, 2009

Anna rated it:

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 p More...

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Mar 08, 2009

Jodi rated it:

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.

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Feb 24, 2009

Avery rated it:

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 More...

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Feb 23, 2009

Samantha rated it:

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, More...

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Nov 01, 2010

Becky rated it:

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, Coli More...

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Jun 25, 2010

Lady rated it:

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 More...

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Apr 25, 2010

Marie rated it:

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...

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Feb 14, 2010

Laurel rated it:

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 More...

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May 21, 2009

Kelly rated it:

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 fro More...

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Jun 13, 2009

Treasa rated it:

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 More...

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Jan 19, 2010

Alana rated it:

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, More...

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Nov 09, 2010

Katie rated it:

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.

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Feb 23, 2009

Emily rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 17, 2011

Lauren rated it:

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 More...

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Nov 26, 2011

Nicole rated it:

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...

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Jun 09, 2011

Tess rated it:

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 mod More...

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Jul 22, 2009

Tudor-Lee rated it:

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 More...

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Jun 08, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

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 ther More...

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Apr 14, 2009

Merand rated it:

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...

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Aug 15, 2011

Bree rated it:

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 chaperonin More...

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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 adequ More...

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Apr 04, 2011

Jenn rated it:

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...

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Oct 06, 2011

bijal rated it:

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.

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Aug 03, 2010

LeiAnn rated it:

Set in Regency era England, Charlotte Lansdowne lives in a make-believe world where princesses are rescued from fearsome dragons by handsome knights and live happily ever after. And when her distant cousin, the Duke of Dovedale, Robert, comes home from fighting wars in India, Charlotte fancies herself in the midst of her own romantic adventure. But Robert might not be the prince she imagines as his purpose in coming home is to infiltrate the degraded Hellfire Club and the spies that are using More...

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Mar 10, 2009

Alethea rated it:

I like these books entirely more than I expect to, though this is probably not my favorite. Lady Charlotte is a lovely heroine, bookish, practical and yet unworldly, but Elouise irritates me more and more. I really should just start skipping her chapters.

On the other hand, this delivered pretty much exactly what I go to these books for--amusing historical fiction with fun characters. (I'm not a romance reader at the best of times, so I tend to fine the romantic plots somewhere bet More...

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Apr 03, 2009

Kelly rated it:

I read these books genuinely for pure fun (or crack, whatever way you're looking at it), but I did notice that Lauren Willig is playing creatively with her formulaic plots and making them a bit more interesting.

And it's also good to point out that her female characters improve immensely with each book- Amy in the first book is pretty much over the ridiculous line, Henrietta is hilarious (sometimes in a good way), Letty is annoying, Mary was cool because she's such a huge contrast to More...

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Sep 11, 2010

MzDivaDawn rated it:

It pains me to say this, as I am a HUGE fan of this series, but this one was my first disappointment of the series thus far. I guess I expected more interaction with the Pink Carnation, and she wasn't even seen in this book. There were only two other main characters (Miles & Henrietta) that appeared in this installment, and the rest were non-existent, which left me a bit disinterested.

I was intrigued with the furthering of the relationship between Colin & Eloise, and the possibility th More...

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Mar 31, 2010

Bree rated it:

So far, for me, the least compelling of the series. Charlottle is a little too head-in-the-clouds and in attempting to show that her love is adolescent and immature, we never really get a good look at the hero or understand why he is supposed to be so compelling. I wanted to tell Charlotte to grow up and Robert to get a backbone.

I did enjoy the mystery surrounding King George - it was well written, although a little confusing in the flow of the overall espionage plot.

Eloi More...

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