Lauren Willig

It has been quite some time since I read the first book in this series but I immediately fell into the story again. I love the juxtaposition of a modern day historian's discovery of the papers of Regency heroes and heroines with the story of the heroes and heroines as they were living their story.

I found many parts of the story to be laugh-out-loud funny. In fact, I was laughing so hard that I had to put down the book to wipe my eyes. The situations as two rank amateurs get involved in show more uncovering a dastardly French agent were both thrilling and amusing. I especially liked the friends-to-lovers plot as Henrietta and Miles each realize that their long-standing friendship was growing into something more but who don't realize or believe that the other has come to the same realization.

I like the modern parts of the story too which has Eloise wondering very much about Colin Selwick who is definitely a man of mystery. I am eager to carry on with this series to find out what happens next in 1803 and also what happens next for Eloise and Colin. show less

I dithered between giving this book four and a half stars or the full five, because there were one too many cliches, and the dialogue seemed more modern than usual, but then the whole thing was just such good fun! So five it is, only now there is no way to improve on perfection!

Lauren Willig's Pink series is proving to be a secret pleasure for me. I love her Regency romances, even though I cannot stand Georgette Heyer, and ditzy Eloise, the modern-day narrator, is a comic gem.

'Three whole show more days with Colin's charmingly dysfunctional family was not my idea of a romantic weekend. It was, however, my idea of an Agatha Christie novel.

Once again, I am reading the books out of sequence, though, so the tension between Eloise and boyfriend Colin's family was somewhat lost on me, but I loved the Paris setting (and I need to try a marzipan pig!) Eloise's 'research' into the 'Silver Orchid', another spy from the Pink Carnation's school, makes this possibly my favourite adventure to date, however. My favourite couple changes with every novel I read - bar Amy and Richard in the first - but my word, Laura and Andre set my imagination on fire! I am a sucker for a father figure in books and film, and Andre Jaouen, the agent of the Prefecture de Paris whom Laura is sent to spy on, is a Freudian dream. Forget comparisons with Jane Eyre or The Sound of Music, Andre reminded me most of Atticus Finch, even down to the spectacles! Widowed with two young children to care for, Andre moves Laura into his crumbling Paris mansion as governess to nine year old Gabrielle and four year old Pierre-Andre (who is lively and impossibly cute), while Laura has been enlisted by the Pink Carnation to pass on information about Andre's current investigation. The convoluted plot to overthrow Napoleon and bring back the monarchy didn't interest me over much, despite previously reading about an earlier Royalist plot in Catherine Delors' novel, For The King, but the romance developing between Andre, the intelligent idealist, and Laura, his mysterious new governess, was captivating. He is so tender, patient and endearing, with his bright blue eyes and the cowlick of hair that matches his young son's, and she so independent, caring and capable - not to mention just my age! - that it was obvious, yet natural, that they should belong together. Rochester was far too alpha male for my taste, and Von Trapp had too many kids, but Andre, like Atticus, deserves to find love again.

The story - sorry, got sidetracked there - is more than usually dramatic and cleverly plotted, seamlessly weaving historical fact into fiction. Andre is based on Louis-Nicolas Dubois, Prefect of Paris, and his house, the Hotel de Bac (I'm sure that should be 'du Bac', but never mind), is modelled on the Musee de Carnavalet (I've been there!) Lauren Willig also mentions that she imagined Andre to resemble a painting by Marguerite Gerard - Portrait of Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson - but sadly, I cannot find an image anywhere online! I preferred the building tension - between Laura and Andre, and Delaroche and Daubier - in Paris to the cliched flight to the coast, which was like a story by Orczy or, yes, a farce by an Italian comedy troupe, but the whole novel was fast-paced and engrossing. Plus, bonus points for referencing Austen, with The Children of the Abbey and The Romance of the Forest.

Possibly the only disappointing scene was the inevitable romantic 'climax'. I didn't object to the sex - hell, I was waiting for that! - but I felt that the dialogue was unnecessarily crass and the behaviour of the characters too modern. Yes, Laura is a mature heroine from an uncoventional background, and of course she and Andre were going to get together eventually, but I felt that she sacrificed her reputation (a lady's only possession) too quickly, without thinking of the consequences. And Andre, telling her, 'Feel. This is how much I'm mocking you' - well, that was hardly the gentlemanly act of my studious, sensitive hero! The dialogue also slipped in the later chapters - 'I did rather get that' - and non-words like 'kerflummoxed' and 'inadept' started appearing. I don't normally nitpick with Lauren Willig's novels - not because I can't, but because the stories are meant to be light-hearted - only these few exceptions jarred with me for some reason.

All told, however, The Orchid Affair is definitely a five-star frolic, and Andre is my new literary crush! show less

I don't usually like romances or anything without aliens or dragons, but this book is amazing. It could legitimately be termed straight-up historical fiction, but there are enough romantic elements to be fulfilling, too. The history is well-drawn and natural, not strained or so overly-detailed that it's distracting. The characters are realistic - varied and unpredictable, yet consistent in their own ways. Individuals. And I have to mention that each character is seen differently by every show more other character, adding another layer to the realism that really makes it seem like real people with real lives.

The writing is glorious and yet it keeps you moving from page to page without delay. What really impressed me most was Willig's skill in choosing where to move from time period to time period, where to drop in a revelation at just the exact moment and when to hold off, keeping you at the edge of your seat. It feels like an effortless book, yet it must have taken unbelievable care to create.

I read the first 50 pages one day, then the entire rest of the book in one sitting the next. Marvelous.

(Also, I should mention that it's not rapey in the slightest. Not sexist. Remarkable statement for a romance novel and a welcome breath of air.) show less

When the big name American male author who has leased the Castle of Kinloch on a small island in Scotland is found murdered, the pool of suspects is small. Particularly as other than the inhabitants of the island, the only other people there are the three American writers, who purport to be best friends there on a writing retreat to work on a collaborative book. But anyone who has met Cassie (wife and mother of 6 with a prolific backlist of cozy mysteries), Emma (respected author of dull as show more dirt history books), and Kat (brash author of dark supernatural erotica) can tell they're not exactly friends. Did they come to the island to commit murder? And if it wasn't them, who else on the small island could have possibly wanted the victim dead?

A really fun murder mystery that pokes plenty of fun at the publishing industry, but also reflects many of its realities. While it took me some time to warm to the characters, particularly Kat who is very stand-offish (for good reason), eventually all three became a delight to follow. Divided into two parts, following our main three characters before the murder and as they try to solve it themselves gives the reader lots of time to explore the characters as they reveal more and more of their secrets while working towards the final resolution of the whodunnit. Setting the novel on a small Scottish island in December gives it plenty of atmosphere, that I throughly enjoyed. And while the authors include plenty of humour (the plaid! the sheep jokes!) throughout the book, they also thoughtfully engage with some serious themes including sexual assault. An excellent read for those who enjoy a solid mystery with a heavy dash of (eventual) female friendship. show less