The Passion of the Purple Plumeria
by Lauren Willig
I really enjoy the books in the Pink Carnation series, They are fun, exciting, and thrilling to read. I have a couple of issues with them. I wish the publishers had somehow made the current story more easily recognizable in the text, perhaps used a different font for the current story or numbered the chapters differently. I dislike the abrupt switch from one story to the other, but that's just my opinion as a reader, and I notice it each time I read one of the books in the series.
Running complaint handled, now to The Passion of the Purple Plumeria. Miss Gwen has always been one of my favorite characters, and I love that she got to tell her story. I'm not quite sure where the wandering over-arching plot is going from here, but I am excited to see how the author finishes up the story. She seems to have written herself into a corner with the main and familiar characters.
The plot was fairly easy to guess as I read it, and there were no real surprises. Well, there was one surprise, but I'll not say anything about it, lest I give away spoilers. Underneath it all, this was a love story rather than a spy story, but the Pink Carnation novels all have an undercurrent of love story to them. The spy aspect is a more a subplot than a main one.
I find them interesting as they are connected by recurring characters more than the main characters, and each book tells the story of a supporting character. It's a fun way to connect a series. The thread of the Napoleonic spies runs through the series, but the characters change in each installment. The ones who were main characters in one novel are relegated to supporting roles in the next. It's a fun concept, and I am enjoying it. I am sorry there are only two installments left. There are many friends in the series who deserve their stories to be told and I am sorry not all of them will get the chance.
One Bear's Opinion: Four glasses of lemonade with a plate of iced cakes while "watching" Artaxeres
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
