The Betrayal of the Blood Lily

It’s been awhile since I have read one of the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig but The Betrayal of the Blood Lily was quick to remind me of what first attracted me to this series. Like an expensive confectionary with a tasty, chewy center, wrapped up in a delicious coating of chocolate sweetness and presented in a pretty box these books appeal to many of my senses. They are pure fun with plenty of romance, mystery and adventure.

This sixth outing follows the adventures of Penelope Staines who arrives in India with her dandified husband as he is about to take up his role as a special envoy to the Nizam of Hyderabad. Freddy and Penelope have very little love between them as the marriage was forced upon them and this quick mission show more is actually to get them away from London society to allow the gossip about the timing of their marriage to die down. Of course, Penelope finds herself in harm’s way as there is betrayal in the air and with her husband busy installing a nautch girl in the residency and showing a distinct lack of interest in her, she has only the gallant Captain Alex Reid to stand between her and a deadly spy known as the Marigold.

In the present day, the book also follows the love life of Eloise, a historical researcher and handsome Englishman Colin whose relationship has advanced to girlfriend/boyfriend status. Eloise is meeting more of his family and finding out perfect boyfriends don’t always have perfect families.

My only quibble with the book is the title. There was no Blood Lily in the book so where did this flower name come from? show less

WARNING: This review contains spoilers!

Tempestuous Penelope has never been the kind of girl to sit back and let others determine her fate. She delights in scandalizing London society, but after one too many amorous trysts, she finds herself the wife of Lord Frederick Staines. Now she and Freddy have been packed off to India, where her new husband plans to take a government position. Although Penelope is intrigued by India and its customs, she is painfully aware that she and Freddy aren’t well suited to each other. She also learns that the political climate in India is unstable, to say the least: both the British and the French have forces there, not to mention the various local rulers who don’t exactly welcome foreign interference. show more Things go from bad to worse when a pro-French spy called the Marigold begins stirring up revolutionary sentiments in the area. Penelope finds herself in the midst of it all, and a few thoughtless comments place her life in danger. Despite herself, she asks for help from Captain Alex Reid, the taciturn young man whose grudging respect for Penelope soon grows into much more…and Penelope finds herself feeling something for Alex that she could never feel for her husband.

I think Lauren Willig did a smart thing in moving the setting of this latest book to India – it was refreshing and interesting to catch a glimpse of British India. I thought Penelope was a great heroine, even though I didn’t always like her; in fact, I think that’s why her characterization is so strong. Alex is my kind of hero – tall, dark, and honorable, with a good head on his shoulders and a sense of humor. The aggravating thing about their romance is that Penelope is married to somebody else, so I was in the awkward position of hoping her husband would die so that she and Alex could be together. I don’t care how much she and Alex love each other; I don’t want to see them committing adultery. I can’t root for characters who would do that, especially when they don’t really seem to experience any negative consequences. That’s just not okay. Anyway, it’s just my opinion, and I still liked the book overall. The focus was heavily on the romance, so the spy plot suffered a little from neglect. However, I did enjoy the book, and I think the Pink Carnation series is still going strong! show less

Willig continues to surprise me. After six novels in this series she continues to write with humor and verve. These stories continue to be fun light-hearted reads while at the same time skewering all the tried-and-true tropes of the Regency Romance. Do not read this series if you really really like Regency Romances and life in a world where the aristocracy falls in love with ordinary people. If, however, you are a reader who enjoys reading romance novels while recognizing that they are pure escapism, then this book is for you. It features a tarnished heroine and her dashing, but slightly off color hero, and lots of gnashing of romantic teeth and some daring do that involves assumptions about the gallant hero. As I said earlier, more of show more the tried-and-true tropes done with a back-handed sense of humor.

While I agree with some of the other reviewers on the points about a rather aimless plot and mostly insipid characters, it does what a novel of this ilk is supposed to do - entertain. And that it does admirably.

I listened to this novel while on a long-distance drive and found it entertaining and a pleasurable way to pass the miles. I do wonder where the title comes from as I found nary a mention of a Blood Lily. There were plenty of other flowers named in this book, but as far as I know there was no Blood Lily spoken of in the entire novel. However, I did get the feeling that with the profusion of naming of other flowers that was liberally sprinkled throughout the book, that the author was poking fun at her own series. That said, I wonder when I will read about a Moonflower, or a Calla Lily, not to mention a Marigold? show less

This is, by far, my favorite Pink book. Penelope is such a fascinating character, and I really do *feel* for her. Frederick is completely useless and ridiculous, but Alex is perfectly imperfect, with such a rich characterization and backstory that you can't help but fall in love with him a bit.

A marriage of convenience that is remarkably inconvenient for for all parties concerned sees Penelope Deveraux married to Lord Frederick Staines and on her way to India. Freddy has been appointed a special envoy. Freddy isn't at all qualified unless there is a secret need for someone to drink, play cards, and cavort with women not his wife. Penelope is as outrageous as possible to cover her regrets.

The journey to Hyderabad gives her a chance to meet Captain Alex Reid who is a representative of the British leader of Hyderabad. She immediately takes him in dislike and suspects him of all sort of things, not the least of which is treason.

Freddy neglects Penelope badly once they get to Hyderabad and she comes to depend on Alex for show more companionship. A letter from home also puts her on the alert for the Marigold, a French spy. All sorts of adventures happen including venomous snakes, long journeys through the countryside, and more spies than seem possible.

This was an engaging story set in a country and time that is new to me as a reader. I loved the descriptions. I also loved getting to know Penelope better and coming to understand why she was the way she was in the earlier books.

I am also enjoying the story of Colin and Eloise as they get to know one another better. Colin certainly has an interesting family with all sorts of conflicts. show less

Willig's latest installment in her Pink Carnation series brings us her feistiest heroine yet, the fallen Penelope Staines, whose surname was recently acquired. We last saw her in the previous book, disgracing herself by a revealing slip of the tongue in a crowded ballroom. We were told that she was hastily married to the man she implicated along with herself, but since the focus of that book was Charlotte and her Duke, we only had glimpses of Penelope's frustration and rebellion. Now we have the opportunity to see events from within Penelope's mind, and I was glad for that chance.

She had been a fun character earlier, sarcastic and snide, but not so good or likable as the other ladies of Napoleonic England that Willig has featured. show more Penelope was often insulting the men or isolating herself from her friends, and while the author suggested that something deeper than ill nature ran beneath the surface of these actions, Penelope was always on the side lines and we could never be sure. Finally hearing her voice made me like Penelope, right from the start. We quickly learn that Penelope felt stifled in the social world in England, forced away from her home and horses by her socially ambitious mother, and, as a result, she rebelled royally with her scandalous behavior. As she tells a character towards the end of the novel, Penelope has the tendency to do the opposite of anything she is ordered to do. While I don't think such behavior is the smartest life choice, it does make Penelope's character more sympathetic and understandable. Her husband, on the other hand, becomes more reprehensible with every passing page. He is lazy, arrogant, and blames Penelope for their predicament even though they were both equally responsible. Freddy is such a terrible human being, actually, that when Penelope meets Captain Reid I was happy to know that the novel would contrive to bring Penelope and Alex together. I'm sure I'm not spoiling the ending for anyone, since this is a romance espionage story with a formula, and we all know how it is going to end, even if we can't predict all the the twists and turns that will take us there.

One of those twists is the affair between Penelope and Alex. A bold move on author's and character's part, since such behavior was much frowned upon in Penelope's time, and still meets with a good deal of censure in our own. I personally don't approve of an affair, no matter what the motivations - and Penelope certainly has strong incentives given Freddy's personality and the strictures imposed on women - and was none too pleased that they gave in to their desires in such a fashion. Yet, Penelope suffered afterwards for her indiscretion, and though I don't condone her choices, I find them understandable. I still wanted her and Alex to be together in the end, and was happy that the obstacles to their union were soon legitimately cleared.

The romance is one thread in the plot, and the other major strain is espionage. This time, our intrepid heroes are tracking a spy called the Marigold, who is trying to rally the Indian leaders in revolt against British troops currently residing in that country. Apparently, during this historical period both the British and the French had stationed people in the country, in various stages of shifting alliances with the Indian leaders. Willig offers her usual supply of historical information that grounds the story setting, and I enjoyed the change of locale in this book in the series. The story is filled with action and intrigue, a fast paced read that is as much fun as its predecessors. I continue to be amused by this light hearted series, and will read more as they become available (in paperback). show less

Huzzah! I'm pleased to say that I think The Betrayal of the Blood Lily is Lauren Willig's finest yet! Perhaps my enthusiasm overtakes me, as The Secret History of the Pink Carnation might still claim the number one spot as the origin of all, but I was so delighted with Willig's latest novel that I devoured it in a single sitting, knowing with every turn of the page that Willig was in top form.

This is the sixth in the Pink Carnation series and to describe it, I steal a description from the modern narrator, Louise: "It's got dash. It's got swash. It's got buckle." For those unfamiliar, the books always have two storylines going. The first is modern, dealing with grad student Eloise and her research into aristocratic and independent spies show more post-French Revolution. The second takes place during the time Eloise studies, following those wrapped up in the plots and intrigues of those spies and focusing on a single couple who will inevitably have a happy ending. In The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, things remain fairly tame in the modern day, where Eloise is still dating Colin, a descendant of the spies in her dissertation. Eloise harbors some faint suspicions that the "spy novel" Colin is working on is just a cover for his real job as an actual spy, but she frequently dismisses this as fancy. The more pressing issue this time around is Colin's sister, Serena, who's very sweet but has always been a bit of a mess (a beautiful mess, yet, but a mess just the same). With Colin taking such good care of Serena, it means that Eloise rarely gets him all to herself, and so Eloise has been determined to set Serena up with someone. Anyone. She and Colin clash over whether Eloise is pushing too hard and Eloise learns a bit more about Colin's complicated family, but otherwise, things are fine in modern day England.

As for the past? Well, our heroine this time is Miss Penelope Deveraux, a fiery redhead with a hatred for being told what to do and a fancy for dark alcoves. She had been repeatedly warned that her somewhat risque behavior would get her in trouble... and indeed, it did in The Temptation of the Night Jasmine. She committed a bit of an indiscretion with Lord Frederick Staines, a second son who was quite a cad anyway... and now they've both been bullied into making a match of it to save Pen's reputation. Even this isn't enough to get the scandal to totally die down, really, so they've been sent off to India, where Freddy will be a special envoy to the Nizam of Hyderabad (aka glorified messengerboy that people currently in India will see as more of a hindrance than a help). Freddy and Pen (who are definitely not "in love" but certainly might be called "in lust" at the beginning of this novel) are somewhat unprepared for the truth of the situation in Hyderabad, which is a great deal more unsettled than expected. English Empire is not as secure as everyone might believe; a number of insurrections and problems with the locals and the French have led to some complications in the region which make everyone suspicious of everyone... with good reason. Merry old England is rife with flowery spies and it turns out that India is no different -- here, we'll find the Marigold has been at work in the region, potentially connected to a missing weapons delivery. Unsurprisingly, Penelope is far more adept at picking up on this information than her husband, who is more interested in women and card games. They make the acquaintance of Captain Alex Reid, a dashing young man with close ties to India that has been sent to escort them from Calcutta to Hyderabad. While Alex has little time to play chaperone to these newcomers, he's also fairly interested in making sure that Freddy does not make a muck of current plans to smooth things over in the region. Freddy is exactly what Alex expected but Penelope... well, Penelope turns out to be quite different from the usual pampered lady. She swims, shoots, and rides better than most everyone, and that's just the beginning of her many talents. In turn, Pen finds that Alex is full of mysteries, too, as questions arise concerning his family and complicated Indian politics.

What delighted me about this book is that I find Willig has returned to her two great strengths. Number one: by setting this book in India, the reader is reminded of Willig's fantastic ability to describe location and time period with exquisite depth and detail. After five books in England, Willig had somewhat exhausted her resources in describing the ton, court politics, and country homes. It wasn't her fault, she was still doing a great job, it's just that one forgot to notice. Here, it's like a breath of fresh air to find ourselves in India, where she has all kinds of new material to draw upon. She clearly revels in historical detail and the reader catches this enthusiasm. In addition, the political situation in India has the potential to be overwhelming, but Willig holds firmly to our hand to lead us through. Number two: this is a truly playful romp, complete with romance and sex. You might not think this is a big deal, but it's been a while that we've gotten more than just some steamy kisses and smoldering looks in a Willig novel. I've been worried that she was getting more conservative with her sex scenes... which aren't the sole reason for reading these books, clearly, but one of the first things I appreciated about Willig was her ability to let go and have fun, no matter how ridiculous things might be. For goodness sake, in Pink Carnation, a gentleman's fingers do some fancy work on a lady in a boat on the Thames! After that, she seemed to back away from the crazy scenes and it really did feel like she was reigning herself in. When I was reading Night Jasmine with the incredibly virtuous main couple, I somehow knew that the scandalous, redheaded Penelope would be our next heroine and she would not disappoint!

I can't say that any details of the story much surprised me, but I don't need to be surprised when the story is being told well and I enjoy the characters. Pen and Alex have their predictable misunderstandings and miscommunications. Penelope is quite easily jaded considering her limited experience, even if she was quite familiar with dark alcoves. Alex is a bit too perfect, but Willig men tend to have this "flaw." It's fiction, after all, and when we're 95% sure of a happy ending at the end of each book, we all must make some sacrifices. There was one particular phrase that Willig used which I didn't like the first time around and liked even less when it was used again, but otherwise I thought that Willig is certainly benefiting from being a full-time writer. She clearly had the time to do her research and develop strong characters.

If you've visited laurenwillig.com, you might notice that she touches upon the issue that despite the title, there is no Blood Lily in this book. A Marigold, a Moonflower, and some frangipani, but no Blood Lily. She attributes this to the fact that originally, the title was supposed to be "The Something Something of the Something Marigold," but since Marigolds aren't quite sexy, she made a last minute plea to readers on her site to help her brainstorm... and the Blood Lily was settled upon as being somewhat indicative of redheaded Penelope.

Now, I must sit and wait another year for the next installment in this fresh series. Thank goodness Willig is fairly reliable in turning out a book every year! I haven't heard who might be the focus of the next novel... perhaps one of Alex's sisters? No matter what, I'll impatiently wait, trusting that Willig will turn out another delightful novel full of dash, swash, and buckle.

Check out laurenwillig.com for more information on the series and visit http://www.laurenwillig.com/books/bloodlily.html for the whole first chapter of The Betrayal of the Blood Lily. show less