Book Review - Lauren Willig's The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig
Published by: NAL
Publication Date: January 31st, 2008
Format: Paperback, 480 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
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Things aren't going very well for Mary Alsworthy. Her midnight elopement ended with a married younger sister and herself still on the shelf. Not that she really loved Geoff or anything, but the title and the houses were just the thing. Now she's stuck rusticating with the new couple who are sickeningly in love and oversolicitous of her. She might just be able to stomach it if they weren't so apologetic about the whole situation. But when she hears that they are going to pay for her next London season she can't take their kindness anymore. Lord Vaughn, at the urging of the Pink Carnation, has made Mary an offer. With her coloring and her bearing she appears to be just the type of girl a certain Black Tulip might hire as one of his assassins. After his recent foray in Ireland he is short a few petals. Mary agrees to play the game in exchange for one last chance at a suitable match. With Vaughn as her escort and entree to some of the more radical groups, she tries to establish herself as just the type of girl a famous French spy might seek out. From Vauxhall to Vaughn's House, she tries to find her way in the world, all while trading barbs with the king of cynicism and insult, Lord Sebastian Vaughn himself. Mary does meet one eligible prospect, a Mr. St. George. But an earnest lord who spends so much time rusticating in the country with his widowed sister looks less and less appealing next to the unattainable Vaughn. Mary would rather trade insults with Vaughn than words of endearment with St. George. Could it be that the ice maiden, who has always viewed her marriage as a commodity where the best bank balance wins, be falling for a man who turns out to be unattainable after the reappearance of his long dead wife? But matters of the heart might not signify if one of the hearts is no longer beating, because the Black Tulip doesn't hesitate to spill blood and he really wants to spill Vaughn's. Someone will die and a happy ending might not be in the cards. And while Eloise looks into Vaughn's past, could her present collide with Serena Selwick's heartbreaker?
Lord Vaughn has been a scene-stealer since his inception. Once he showed up in The Masque of the Black Tulip he has been unwilling to cede his title until he met his match. Surprisingly that match showed up in Mary Alsworthy. She who is conniving and cold-hearted and only looking out for herself. But she is also wickedly smart. Therefore Mary and Vaughn are the perfect sparring partners. They duel with words in a way that is sheer entertainment and hasn't been seen since Elizabeth and Darcy, though with far more innuendo on Vaughn's part. No saccharine sweetness, we have barbed and witty repartee that just keeps the pages flying long through the night. They are what this series needed more than ever, a balance. Not all heroes are virtuous and good, not all are in it for the good of the country. Some heroes are just in it for themselves. And the fact is that Vaughn looks down on the Pink Carnation and her ilk because, while yes, they have saved the country time and time again, they haven't really paid the price. They haven't been subjected to the darker side because in the end their love for each other and king and country have put blinders on them and their can-do attitude. It can be sickening. Too much sugar isn't good for you, everyone needs a bit of Vaughn once in awhile. If this book has one flaw, it's that once they start to fall for each other their bark is worse than their bite. Their claws retract a little and it's never more enjoyable than when they are at each other full force. There are also no misunderstandings between the two. They have their obstacles, that's for sure, but they always know where the other one stands. They are a perfectly matched set. I just hope that married life doesn't sweeten them one bit. But aside from the titular hero and heroine, we finally get a satisfactory conclusion to the identity of the Black Tulip, who is far more deranged, deluded, and demented than we thought. With motivations that work for and against France, he was a nice surprise and not a simplistic ending to a plot device that has been going strong for three books. A satisfactory ending all around, even if just the tiniest bit of sweetness sneaks in at the end, but who can fault a happy ending?
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