The Betrayal of the Blood Lily

Okay, so I finished The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig today. I must say that it surpassed my expectations. I was really looking forward to reading it, but at the same time I was kind of hesitant because of how different from the previous books it was - completely different setting, the main character already being married. But it was really good. The character development was more pronounced in this novel than the previous, for both Penelope and Captain Reid. Once I started, I could barely put the book down, which is slightly detrimental to the whole going to class and doing homework and working thing that I'm apparently expected to do as a college student. No one seems to take into account that I would rather be reading. More's the pity. Ha. Thus I have read this novel over the dragging pace of three days. It was brutal to have to pause to do practical things like class. But anyway, I would definitely recommend this book as well as the rest of the Pink Carnation series. Unlike some series where the quality of the books steadily declines the more that are written, I have found that each installment in the Pink Carnation series meets, indeed surpasses, expectations, not a small feat when there are already six books out. :)