Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs

Wolfsbane (Aralorn, #2)(Sianim, #4) by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated


Shape shifting mercenary Aralorn leads a dangerous existence. Now she must return home for her noble father, the Lyon of Lambshold, has passed away. But when Aralorn and her companion Wolf arrive, they find he's not dead, but ensorcelled by the ae'Magi, using him as a conduit to destroy Aralorn and Wolf. She must overcome this mysterious mist or fall to the blackest of magic.


Love Briggs!


       This continues the story of Aralorn the mercenary and her Wolf. This is not your typical romance by any means. The romance is very much side story.

      When Aralorn travels to Lambshold for a funeral she is alone and upset with the death of her father. Without giving anything away, she is prepared to say her goodbyes when an unexpected "miracle" is brought to her attention.

       Wolfsbane is action packed. It is a little more violent then I prefer to go but in no way explicit just revealed afterward. I was able to get over the violence for the fact that it was a very important part of the story and didn't last very long. I recommend this book to Brigg's lovers and fans of The Host by Stephenie Meyers.

Masques by Patricia Briggs

Masques (Aralorne, #1)  by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Minimal Kissing



Said to be heavily rewritten from the original story of 1993.

After an upbringing of proper behavior and oppressive expectations, Aralorn fled her noble birthright for a life of adventure as a mercenary spy.Her latest mission involves spying on the increasingly powerful sorcerer Geoffrey ae'Magi.But in a war against an enemy armed with the powers of illusion, how do you know who the true enemy is-or where he will strike next?



I truly enjoyed this book. It was SUPER creative and left me happy and feeling like I had just watched a new movie! I am continually impressed with Ms. Briggs writing and can almost promise to continue to be a long time follower. If you enjoy other Briggs' book then this one is NO EXCEPTION!!

*Some War Type Violence

The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas by Lauren Willig

The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas by Lauren Willig

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating:Fluff


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 12-day Christmas celebration. Will they find poinsettias or peril, dancing or danger? And is it possible that the fate of the British Empire rests in Arabella and Turnip’s hands, in the form of a festive Christmas pudding?



My favorite in the series!!!! Loved it! I hope that Ms. Willig will stay with this new formula of writing.

The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig

The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Hot


A New York Times extended list bestseller in hardcover-the sensational sixth book in the national bestselling Pink Carnation series.

Whisked away to nineteenth-century India, Penelope Deveraux plunges into the court intrigues of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where no one is quite what they seem. New to this strange and exotic country- where a dangerous spy called the Marigold leaves venomous cobras as his calling card-she can trust only one man: Captain Alex Reid.

With danger looming from local warlords, treacherous court officials, and French spies, Alex and Penelope may be all that stand in the way of a plot designed to rock the very foundations of the British Empire...



This is my least favorite in the series but still an interesting book! I never like Penelope so an entire book about her is hard to take... I didn't like the adultery and felt like to ending was kind of tied of quickly and weak.

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated-Hot


After years abroad, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, has returned to England to avenge the murder of his mentor. To uncover the murderer's identity, he must infiltrate the infamous, secret Hellfire Club. But the Duke has no idea that an even more difficult challenge awaits him-in a mistaken, romantic-minded young lady.



Charlotte Lansdowne wistfully remembers the Robert of her childhood as a valiant hero among men. Too aware of his own flaws, Robert tries to dissuade Charlotte from her delusions, even as he finds himself drawn to her. When Charlotte takes up a bit of espionage-investigating a plot to kidnap the King-Robert soon realizes that she is more than the perfect partner in crime.



Caught in a dangerous game full of deadly spies and secret rites, Robert and Charlotte must work together to reveal the villain...and confront their true love.



Once again Ms. Willig is going for a darker plot. This is my least favorite in the series. Charlotte and Dovedale had terrible communication skills and that was quite frustrating. Most of the previous books have had the heroine being equally quick witted and self sufficient but not in this books. Disappointing but love still prevailed and we ended happy.

The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated


Determined to secure another London season without assistance from her new brother-in-law, Mary Alsworthy accepts a secret assignment from Lord Vaughn on behalf of the Pink Carnation. She must infiltrate the ranks of the dreaded French spy, the Black Tulip, before he and his master can stage their planned invasion of England. Every spy has a weakness and for the Black Tulip that weakness is beautiful black-haired women—his “petals” of the Tulip. A natural at the art of seduction, Mary easily catches the attention of the French spy, but Lord Vaughn never anticipated that his own heart would be caught as well. Fighting their growing attraction, impediments from their past, and, of course, the French, Mary and Vaughn find themselves lost in a treacherous garden of lies.



And as our modern-day heroine, Eloise Kelly, digs deeper into England's Napoleonic-era espionage, she becomes even more entwined with Colin Selwick, the descendant of her spy subjects.



Our hero, Lord Vaughn, was darker and more sinister than previous hero's in Willig's book. While this was not my favorite in the series I still enjoyed it and will continue to read the series.

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated


The Barnes & Noble Review

Lauren Willig follows up her two earlier engaging romances with a third rollicking historical about British spies and romance in the early 19th century, set against the background of a possible Irish uprising. It stars the trustworthy Lord Geoffrey Pinchingdale, determined to woo the beauteous Mary Alsworthy, and her younger sister, Letty, who is equally determined to break up an elopement that would mar the family's good name. As a result, Geoff and Letty wind up in the same carriage at midnight, which means, in 1803, that they are very much compromised -- and forced to marry immediately. Nonplussed by marrying the wrong sister, Geoff sets off to Ireland on a mysterious voyage; secretly, he is a spy, high up in the League of the Purple Gentian. Letty decides to track him down, falling right in the middle of his secret life, with wonderful comic and romantic results. Once again, this is set as a story-within-a-story, with a contemporary romance slowly blossoming between historian Eloise Kelly and Colin Selwick, whose family papers star in The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. Ginger Curwen



This one had some cute humor in it and only one sex scene. Letti had a cute way about her and Geoff balanced her out.

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated


The Pink Carnation, history's most elusive spy and England's only hope for preventing a Napoleonic invasion, returns in Lauren Willig's dazzling imaginative new historical romance. The Masque of the Black Tulip opens with the murder of a courier from the London War Office, his confidential dispatch for the Pink Carnation stolen. Meanwhile, the Black Tulip, France's deadliest spy, is in England with instructions to track down and kill the Pink Carnation. Only Henrietta Uppington and Miles Dorrington know where the Pink Carnation is stationed. Using a secret code book, Henrietta has deciphered a message detailing the threat of the Black Tulip. Meanwhile, the War Office has enlisted Miles to track down the notorious French spy before he (or she) can finish the deadly mission. But what Henrietta and Miles don't know is that while they are trying to find the Black Tulip (and possibly falling in love), the Black Tulip is watching them.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Hot


"This genre-bending read a dash of chick-lit with a historical twist has it all: romance, mystery, and adventure." Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries

Deciding that true romantic heroes are a thing of the past, Eloise Kelly, an intelligent American who always manages to wear her Jimmy Choo suede boots on the day it rains, leaves Harvard's Widener Library bound for England to finish her dissertation on the dashing pair of spies the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. What she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: a secret history that begins with a letter dated 1803. Eloise has found the secret history of the Pink Carnation the most elusive spy of all time, the spy who single-handedly saved England from Napoleon's invasion.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, a wildly imaginative and highly adventurous debut, opens with the story of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a book within a book. Eloise Kelly settles in to read the secret history hoping to unmask the Pink Carnation's identity, but before she can make this discovery, she uncovers a passionate romance within the pages of the secret history that almost threw off the course of world events. How did the Pink Carnation save England? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly find a hero of her own?

This was a cute story and I laughed a lot while reading it... there were 2 sex scenes that were not explicit but easily skipped. The following books in the series have no sex. I was recently told that new authors are most often required to input sex in order to be published. . . Makes me think differently on reading a second book in a series to give the author a chance.