Several years ago, I discovered Georgette Heyer, who wrote Regency romances reminiscent of Jane Austen. They are wonderfully good stories about a time period I love. The Pink Carnation series is simply Georgette Heyer with spies! Could it get any better?
The story of the creation of the Pink Carnation, a British spy in Napoleon’s Paris à la the Scarlet Pimpernel, is perfectly framed by Eloise’s story, a young woman who is writing about the Pink Carnation for her doctoral dissertation. Except all of the myriad historical documents she’s looked through have no hint whatsoever of who exactly the Pink Carnation was. Until she gets permission to look through the documents of the Selwick family. There she discovers more than she bargained for.
Both Eloise and Amy (the main historical character) are fun narrators full of their unique voice and style. The book is replete with witty dialogue between the characters in both time periods. Overall, this is just an enjoyable read – the perfect escapist book for those moments when Regency spies are just your cup of tea.