The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

From the book cover:
Nothing goes right for Eloise. The one day she wears her new suede boots, it rains cats and dogs. When the subway stops short, she's always the one thrown into some stranger's lap. Plus, she's had more than her share of misfortune in the way of love. In fact, after she realizes romantic heroes are a thing of the past, she decides it's time for a fresh start.

Setting off for England, Eloise is determined to finish her dissertation on that dashing pair of spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. But what she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: the secret history of the Pink Carnation - the most elusive spy of all time. As she works to unmask this obscure spy, Eloise stumbles across answers to all kinds of questions. How did the Pink Carnation save England from Napoleon? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly escape her bad luck and find a living, breathing hero all her own?
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This novel was recommended to me by one of my lunchtime book club members. She said it's fluff - perfect for vacation reading, I concur. It's great for holiday reading because you'll have no problem putting it down to go swimming, hiking, skiing or any other activity that's on your getaway itinerary.

Reading this novel, I felt like I was reading a dollar bin reject. The romantic scenes are so over done. Some of the plot lines make absolutely no sense. Did masked men commonly roam the streets of Paris and take ferries in the middle of the night in the 18th and 19th century? Since when is it romantic to shove your hand down a women's top on a ferry? Checking for bruises is a cheesy excuse. How can two people roll around on a boat in the throws of passion, with one of them wearing a mask? I had a hard time buying a lot of the plot that Lauren Willig was trying to sell.

Would I recommend this novel? No. It's not worth the time and the tums you'll have to take to keep your lunch down after reading the cringe-worthy love scenes. Some people have said this novel contains bits of comedic relief, I found none - unless you count all of the 'harrumphs', 'cracks','thumps','whumps' and other sounds littered throughout the novel. This novel isn't even at the level of a Harlequin.

2/5