'Tis the season to get Pink! Lauren Willig's beloved Pink Carnation series gets into the holiday spirit with this irresistible Regency Christmas caper. Arabella Dempsey's dear friend Jane Austen warned her against teaching. But Miss Climpson's Select Seminary for Young Ladies seems the perfect place for Arabella to claim her independence while keeping an eye on her younger sisters nearby. Just before Christmas, she accepts a position at the quiet girls' school in Bath, expecting to face nothing more exciting than conducting the annual Christmas recital. She hardly imagines coming face to face with French aristocrats and international spies... Reginald "Turnip"Fitzhugh-often mistaken for the elusive spy known as the Pink Carnation- has blundered into danger before. But when he blunders into Miss Arabella Dempsey, it never occurs to him that she might be trouble. When Turnip and Arabella stumble upon a beautifully wrapped Christmas pudding with a cryptic message written in French, "Meet me at Farley Castle," the unlikely vehicle for intrigue launches the pair on a Yuletide adventure that ranges from the Austens'modest drawing room to the awe-inspiring estate of the Dukes of Dovedale, where the Dowager Duchess is hosting the most anticipated event of the year: an elaborate twelve-day Christmas celebration. Will they find poinsettias or peril, dancing or danger? Is it possible that the fate of the British Empire rests in Arabella's and Turnip's hands, in the form of a festive Christmas pudding?
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"My friend, knowing that I love books, picked this up for me for my birthday. I had never heard of the series nor the author, but I later found to my delight that it was written in a Jane Austen style, and I LOVE Jane Austen. Recently, I've been getting into Pride and Prejudice, and I adore that book, and I was pleased to find little mentions of Pride and Prejudice in Mischief of the Mistletoe such as Bingley and Darcy. And even the little Elizabeth statement. Mischief of the Mistletoe is a great book, and I am definitely going to look into the other books of the series :)"
— Haleigh (5 out of 5 stars)
" I seriously love this series. "
— Randi, 2/18/2014" I thought this was better than the last couple of Carnation books EXCEPT that I missed Eloise. "
— Cory, 2/17/2014" I love the Pink Carnation series and this was a fun Christmas edition. "
— Stacey, 2/16/2014" Loved it. Can't believe I've waited this long to read this series. Turnip Fitzhugh is adorable and reminded me of Freddie from Heyer's COTILLION or Rupert from Loretta Chase's MR.IMPOSSIBLE. Arabella is the perfect practical foil for Turnip's scatterwittedness. And I loved the Willig blended Jane Austen herself into the story. The notes at the end about Austen's history during her time in Bath is fascinating. A wonderfully charming read. "
— Manda, 2/14/2014" Perfect Christmas novel. I very much enjoyed the Jane Austen-like setting, wit, and characters. Turnip was a great leading male. The Pink Carnation series is a lot of fun to read. I highly recommend them. "
— Laura, 2/7/2014" Oh, this was a sweetly silly romance---lots of fun to see a familiar side character take center stage. And it's Turnip! He's surprisingly appealing, and Arabella seems like exactly the right romantic foil for him. A pleasing holiday visit to Pink Carnation land. "
— Abigail, 1/30/2014" This is a really fun holiday season read. Since I began the series I have always had a soft spot for Turnip. It was heart warming to see him find a really nice lady to love. The story is sweet, funny and gives you a chance to visit with some of her previous characters. "
— Georgia, 1/25/2014" Great mix of romance, mystery, and wit set in early 19th century England! "
— Kathryn, 1/19/2014" This book is Jeeves and Wooster meets Jane Austen. It's hilarious! "
— Jenny, 1/11/2014" See The Secret History of the Pink Carnation "
— Kristin, 11/20/2013" What a great side story by Lauren Willig. While I missed the main characters from the presenst generation, I quite enjoyed the love story and fun characters. Finding a secret list, falling in love don't always go together,but they did in this case. "
— Marti, 3/7/2013" This wasn't as good as some of the other books in the series, but still enjoyable with some really funny parts. "
— Michele, 9/29/2012" I love Turnip! What a doll!!!! "
— Ginger, 8/18/2012" This book was a quick read and fun! "
— Patty, 7/16/2012" Yeah, yeah. Totally fun read. "
— Elizabeth, 2/6/2012" The two main characters are delightful. But I kept skimming and saying "blah,blah,blah". "
— Cheryal, 9/2/2011" Wonderful! I'll never look at a Christmas pudding the same way again. Hooray for a story about Turnip Fitzhugh. Willig is as predictable as Austen in that you know which two characters are going to end up together; you just don't know what adventures they'll have before they do. "
— Carah, 7/26/2011" I enjoyed this mystery/romance/historical fiction. The heroine is a friend of Jane Austen who because of circumstances becomes a teacher in a girls school. "
— Ruth, 5/13/2011" I wasn't really expecting much from Turnip's story, but I Ms. Willig proved me wrong. I found myself engaged by both Turnip and his heroine throughout the story. "
— melody, 5/10/2011" This book was a quick read and fun! "
— Patty, 5/1/2011" Best and cleanest of the lot. "
— Ali, 4/29/2011" Annoyed that this was written slightly out of chronological order - I would have preferred to read it before the last book. "
— Abby, 4/19/2011" Light Regency/Mystery Romance. Harmless, light, I'm learning about the genre to help patrons so don't judge me too harshly. "
— Laura, 4/13/2011" Unlike The Pink Carnation, Willig left this pretty much scene free! "
— Amanda, 4/6/2011" A great addition to the Pink Carnation series... and perfect timing for the fun Christmas theme. This book fits right in the middle of the series, and it promotes secondary characters that readers have seen previously to the main characters. Fun read! "
— Marissa, 3/26/2011" cute...but strangely predictable for Ms. Willig. <br/> "
— Rsspadafora, 3/4/2011" I love Freddy-like heroes and giggled a lot through this one. Perfect pick-me-up book for a dreary day.<br/><br/>There is Jane Austen cameo, which I normally find annoying, but it didn't detract too much. Probably because I enjoyed having no intrusive Eloise story breaking in. "
— Mayakda, 3/3/2011" This was such a great Christmas addition to the Pink Carnation series!<br/>I loved the way that it tied in with Betrayal of the Blood Lily! "
— Megan, 3/1/2011Lauren Willig is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty novels of historical fiction and historical romance, including the RITA Award–winning Pink Carnation series. An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in history from Harvard and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.