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    The Deception of the Emerald Ring
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    The Deception of the Emerald Ring
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    The Deception of the Emerald Ring
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Deception of the Emerald Ring

    Written by Lauren Willig

    Narrated by Kate Reading

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Eloise Kelly has gotten into quite a bit of trouble since she started spying on the Pink Carnation and the Black Tulip -- two of the deadliest spies to saunter the streets of nineteenth-century England and France.

    Not only has she unearthed secrets that will rearrange history, she's dallied with Colin Selwick and sought out a romantic adventure all her own. Little does she know that she's about to uncover another fierce heroine running headlong into history.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 16, 2006
    ISBN9781429586528
    Unavailable
    The Deception of the Emerald Ring
    Author

    Lauren Willig

    Lauren Willig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Band of Sisters and Two Wars and a Wedding, plus four popular historical novels cowritten with Beatriz Williams and Karen White. An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in history from Harvard and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She lives in New York City with her husband, two young children, and lots and lots of coffee.

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    Reviews for The Deception of the Emerald Ring

    3.5/5

    381 ratings23 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This series is part The Scarlet Pimpernel and part romance novel. I wish it were MORE Scarlet Pimpernel and LESS romance novel, but what can you do?Fun little women-spy romp around London and Ireland.
    • 4/5
      After the fun, rollicking pace of the first two books in Willig's Pink Carnation series, this third installment had more of a muted build to the plot lines, the intrigue and the romance. The story did improve - especially with Willig bringing Jane and Gwen back as part of the main cast of characters for this latest espionage intrigue in Ireland. The forthright "call it like she sees it" Gwen is one of my favorite characters.... such a hoot and love how she brandishes her parasol and her tongue with barbed, non-nonsense acidity. Willig has a keen eye for drawing her historical heroines as intelligent, witty and feisty individuals capable of holding their own against unwanted advances from both society rakes and devious, deadly spies. I really like how each installment so far has involved a different "couple" to represent the historical espionage and romance part of the story, while the present day story consistently follows the "hopefully" budding romance between Eloise and Colin. Another delightful adventure in 1800's Europe paired with a charming modern day chick-lit romance.
    • 3/5
      This is the third book in what Willig, on her website, calls The Pink Series, which takes place in a slightly A/U version of The Scarlet Pimpernel series. That is, A/U in comparison to Orczy's in that The Pimpernel continued to spy for England after the Terror until he was unmasked, and has now been followed by a series of other flowery-named spies. This is not great literature, but to be honest, neither was The Scarlet Pimpernel. It was a series of adventure/romances, and that's what the Pink series is, for readers of a hundred years later- and unlike Orczy, Willig can remember what her characters look like from book to book.But while I'll be reviewing The Scarlet Pimpernel series eventually, I'm not doing that now. In this book, Letty Alsworthy attempts to prevent her older sister Mary from eloping with Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe, accidentally putting herself in a position where she must marry him instead. Immediately after the wedding, Geoffrey leaves her for Ireland. Attempting to minimize the embarrassment to herself and her family, Letty follows him, only to discover that he was not only attempting to avoid an unwanted wife, but joining the Pink Carnation in an attempt to prevent the French from using a rebellion there to gain a back door to invading England.First, the good. Letty isn't an obvious heroine, having been a very minor character in the first two books. She isn't particularly promising spy material, which makes her unlikely in this series, yet she's willing to defend herself, which puts herself leaps and bounds ahead of heroines in more traditional adventure stories. Nor is Geoff a likely hero. For all that he plays an active role in the Pink Carnation's plans here, he's more of a Clark Kent who disguises himself and acts as Superman when needed than a hero with a mild-mannered disguise.We're told that one day, Jane will get her own book, but for now I like that she's a prominent member of the supporting cast. It's much easier to forgive any ill-considered moves on the part of the heroine if the mastermind is somebody else.Then there's Vaughn, whom those who have read The Masque of the Black Tulip will remember. In the notes at the end of this book, Willig mentions that Vaughn is the character who seems most likely to show up unannounced at her apartment, and it shows. You can tell when somebody who was meant to be only a minor character hijacked the plot, and Vaughn has done it twice- and it's hard to resist them.The indifferent: Eloise and Colin. I'm not sure that they are necessary, but I don't find them particularly distracting, either.The touching on my personal pet peeves: I'm getting a little sick of women who are "too round" feeling unattractive because of it, and the hero assuring them (or monologuing to himself) that it's really much more desirable that way even if it's not fashionable. This is for two reasons: a) it's not like the women are ever genuinely heavy, and the author is really trying to subvert traditional standards of beauty, they're just curvy, combined with b) the notion that curvy women have ever really been out of fashion- show me a slender heroine who has small breasts to go with it. The last woman with wide hips and small breasts who had a man taking on the world for her was Anne Boleyn (and we know that didn't work out so well in the end). Those two factors together show that this is confirming a standard of beauty, not challenging it. But from some of the future heroines Willig has mentioned, this shouldn't be an omnipresent issue in the series.The bad: Willig has an unfortunate habit of forcing her nineteenth century characters to mimic modern expressions. "If all your friends were driving their carriages off bridges, would you do it, too?" (possibly a slight paraphrase) comes to mind. This could possibly be excused on the theory that Eloise was filling in details in her mind as she read the letters, but there are two reasons why I find that unsatisfactory. One, from Eloise bits in The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, the reader gets the impression that everything in the historical chapters really is in what Eloise is reading, in the sense that none of it was ommitted (even the characters thoughts, unlikely to be written down), and that none of it is conjecture. Two, Eloise is a history graduate student and her imagining Letty using such an expression isn't much more satisfying an explanation than Willig using it in the first place.All in all, a fun, fast read that might offend the sensibilities of somebody who can't imagine anybody having sex (even with their spouse) in something related to the Scarlet Pimpernel series, but which won't offend those of us who are more distressed by passive, allegedly clever but decidedly unimpressive heroines.
    • 4/5
      As always, Lauren Willig's books are sheer pleasure to read. Geoff and Letty might be my favorite couple so far. The relationship combines some of the adventurous obliviousness of the other books with something more serious, introverted, and a bit insecure. It makes them seem very real. I loved seeing their relationship slowly develop over time, from justified dislike to a deep appreciation and love for each other.Plus, some of my favorite characters had bigger roles in this book than before! Jane and Miss Gwen are awesome, and significant here for the entire book, not just a bit. Lord Vaughn is always fascinating, too. The only one missing is Turnip. If there is a negative, it's that I still have no interest at all in Eloise and the modern-day framing story. It contains some funny moments and I think I'd enjoy it in its own book, but as it is, I'm always just annoyed when the historical story is interrupted.
    • 5/5
      I am really enjoying this series. In this episode another member of the band of aristocratic spies finds himself inconveniently married to the sister of the woman he loves. Letty is the younger sister and the practical family "fixer." She isn't the sort to inspire poetry like her sister. She is short, round, outspoken, and completely unable to convincingly tell a lie. Geoff is a seasoned spy but more usually works in the background to prepare things for the more intrepid spies. They get together by accident but he persists in seeing Letty as some sort of schemer who wanted to trap him into marriage. The two of them find themselves in Ireland just in time to thwart the 1803 Irish rebellion. Things are complicated by the interference of our hero Geoff's dastardly cousin and the mysterious and enigmatic Lord Vaughn who seems to be everywhere in this series.Hurt feelings, misunderstandings and too much pride manage to keep our young lovers at odds for much of the story which is filled with action and danger and all sorts of mysterious characters.In the present story line, Eloise finds herself obsessing over an absent Colin who turns up at the most inconvenient time - just as she is out on a blind date that was set up by her grandmother. What is so intriguing to me about this bridging story line is that only a couple of weeks have passed since Eloise met Colin. After following three romances in the historical time period, it feels like more time must have passed in the present day one. I can't wait to read the next book in this series and am really glad that there are twelve books in the series. Looks like I have lots of enjoyable books in my future.
    • 3/5
      This is the third book in what Willig, on her website, calls The Pink Series, which takes place in a slightly A/U version of The Scarlet Pimpernel series. That is, A/U in comparison to Orczy's in that The Pimpernel continued to spy for England after the Terror until he was unmasked, and has now been followed by a series of other flowery-named spies. This is not great literature, but to be honest, neither was The Scarlet Pimpernel. It was a series of adventure/romances, and that's what the Pink series is, for readers of a hundred years later- and unlike Orczy, Willig can remember what her characters look like from book to book.But while I'll be reviewing The Scarlet Pimpernel series eventually, I'm not doing that now. In this book, Letty Alsworthy attempts to prevent her older sister Mary from eloping with Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe, accidentally putting herself in a position where she must marry him instead. Immediately after the wedding, Geoffrey leaves her for Ireland. Attempting to minimize the embarrassment to herself and her family, Letty follows him, only to discover that he was not only attempting to avoid an unwanted wife, but joining the Pink Carnation in an attempt to prevent the French from using a rebellion there to gain a back door to invading England.First, the good. Letty isn't an obvious heroine, having been a very minor character in the first two books. She isn't particularly promising spy material, which makes her unlikely in this series, yet she's willing to defend herself, which puts herself leaps and bounds ahead of heroines in more traditional adventure stories. Nor is Geoff a likely hero. For all that he plays an active role in the Pink Carnation's plans here, he's more of a Clark Kent who disguises himself and acts as Superman when needed than a hero with a mild-mannered disguise.We're told that one day, Jane will get her own book, but for now I like that she's a prominent member of the supporting cast. It's much easier to forgive any ill-considered moves on the part of the heroine if the mastermind is somebody else.Then there's Vaughn, whom those who have read The Masque of the Black Tulip will remember. In the notes at the end of this book, Willig mentions that Vaughn is the character who seems most likely to show up unannounced at her apartment, and it shows. You can tell when somebody who was meant to be only a minor character hijacked the plot, and Vaughn has done it twice- and it's hard to resist them.The indifferent: Eloise and Colin. I'm not sure that they are necessary, but I don't find them particularly distracting, either.The touching on my personal pet peeves: I'm getting a little sick of women who are "too round" feeling unattractive because of it, and the hero assuring them (or monologuing to himself) that it's really much more desirable that way even if it's not fashionable. This is for two reasons: a) it's not like the women are ever genuinely heavy, and the author is really trying to subvert traditional standards of beauty, they're just curvy, combined with b) the notion that curvy women have ever really been out of fashion- show me a slender heroine who has small breasts to go with it. The last woman with wide hips and small breasts who had a man taking on the world for her was Anne Boleyn (and we know that didn't work out so well in the end). Those two factors together show that this is confirming a standard of beauty, not challenging it. But from some of the future heroines Willig has mentioned, this shouldn't be an omnipresent issue in the series.The bad: Willig has an unfortunate habit of forcing her nineteenth century characters to mimic modern expressions. "If all your friends were driving their carriages off bridges, would you do it, too?" (possibly a slight paraphrase) comes to mind. This could possibly be excused on the theory that Eloise was filling in details in her mind as she read the letters, but there are two reasons why I find that unsatisfactory. One, from Eloise bits in The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, the reader gets the impression that everything in the historical chapters really is in what Eloise is reading, in the sense that none of it was ommitted (even the characters thoughts, unlikely to be written down), and that none of it is conjecture. Two, Eloise is a history graduate student and her imagining Letty using such an expression isn't much more satisfying an explanation than Willig using it in the first place.All in all, a fun, fast read that might offend the sensibilities of somebody who can't imagine anybody having sex (even with their spouse) in something related to the Scarlet Pimpernel series, but which won't offend those of us who are more distressed by passive, allegedly clever but decidedly unimpressive heroines.
    • 2/5
      This was my least favorite book pf the series so far, largely because there was little about it that felt remotely believable.

      1) Not the fact that the heroine *finally* admits to herself (realizes?) in the latter part of the book that she has loved her now-husband Geoffrey from a distance (in a sense of complete hopelessness, of course) for a long time. That little detail came much too late and with too little substance to feel valid.

      2) Not the fact that Geoff had pursued Letty's older sister, Mary, for so long, but due to a case of wrong-place-wrong-time-mistaken-identity is forced to marry Letty instead of eloping with Mary as planned.

      3) Not the fact that Letty is the polar opposite of her sly, insincere, older, thinner, arrestingly beautiful, more sophisticated sister, Mary (for whom Geoff has evinced an unrequited passion for more than one London season), in almost every conceivable way....but throw in Geoff's sudden and unannounced departure for Ireland (during his own wedding feast, no less), Letty's following him later that day (much to his displeasure), a little deception, a little spying and of course, a dead body (with more mistaken identity), and voila! Geoff realizes he has never really "seen" Letty before, and now he can't keep his eyes (or other body parts off of her). [Insert graphic belated wedding night sex scene -- which is, of course, completely "perfect" with absolutely no awkwardness. But no one has even mentioned the word "love."] So far each of the three books has contained at least one graphic scene (the first book contained two), and somehow the fact that the woman (girl) is giving herself up to a man that she isn't even remotely sure loves or wants her is irrelevant because it is such an earth-moving experience that leaves her wide-eyed in amazement. Ummm....no.

      4) Nothing about the final resolution of the action in Ireland is believable. (Miss Gwen holds off several grown men with her pointy parasol? Really? Even though it does conceal a thin sword somewhere in the handle....again, no.)

      At this point, I don't even remember (or much care) where we left modern-day couple Eloise and Colin in the he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not waltz. (Not with an kind of resolution, that's for certain.)
    • 3/5
      The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig - Another enjoyable entry into the Pink Carnation series... though it just ends... abruptly... almost mid-thought... very disconcerting - don't they know they need to give more warning than that? shees!
    • 4/5
      The Deception of the Emerald Ring is the third book in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series and I have to confess I haven't read the first two. But it seems to stand well on its own. It's a light read, which means that although the characters get into some dangerous situations, they never stop tossing quips at each other. That's fun, but I suppose it could be disappointing to someone expecting a serious spy novel, especially since this is based on a real situation when France, England's enemy at the time, was conspiring with Irish rebels against the crown.The plot is about a nineteenth century, English marriage between Letty Alsworthy and Lord Geoffrey Pinchingdale that comes about through a series of events including a mistaken identity, a botched elopement, and an over the top sense of honor that doesn't seem well advised. The romance in this book starts with a marriage rather than ending with one.The 1800s story is bracketed by a modern tale about a woman researching the nineteenth century events as part of her work on her doctorate. I couldn't see any reason for the modern story, although it might have made more sense to me if I'd read the preceding books in the series.One of the aspects of the book I found most interesting was Letty's relationship with her older sister, Mary. Lord Pinchingdale was supposed to marry Mary, not Letty. Letty was the less attractive, less sophisticated, sister. Mary had been trying to catch a suitable man for awhile and Lord Pinchingdale seemed her best hope.Letty had a fair inkling of what Mary had been thinking. Letty's older sister had passed three Seasons as society's reigning incomparable. Three Seasons of amassing accolades, bouquets, even the odd sonnet, but shockingly few marriage proposals. Of the offers that had come in, three had been from younger sons, four from titles without wealth, and an even larger number from wealth without title. One by one, she had watched her more eligible suitors, the first sons, with coronets on their coaches and country estates to spare, contract matches with the chinless daughters of dukes, or bustling city heiresses.Mary hadn't wanted to take any more chances so she planned an elopement. That's when things started going awry. Letty compares herself to her sister throughout the book in an intriguing manner that says more about her own self confidence than it does about her sister.The Deception of the Emerald Ring is a fun read based on a real event. I enjoyed it.Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions
    • 4/5
      Before I start, I just have to get one tiny detail out of my system: Enough with dressing women in breeches! One character even points out how ludicrous such disguise would be - 'Although how anyone could take one look at Letty in those trousers and believe her a man ...' - yet there is a whole host of female spies/French agents/clinging wives running around in ill-fitting masculine get-up in this instalment of the Pink Carnation series.Pants aside, I am really starting to enjoy each and every one of Lauren Willig's novels (bar the first, oddly). I love the Scarlet Pimpernel in-jokes ('the League merrily went its own way, freeing prisoners from the Temple prison, filching secret documents, and generally doing everything in their power to harry the assistant to the minister of police into a preciptate decline'), the complementary narratives of Georgette Heyer's 1803 and modern day chick lit in 2003 (Eloise's 'Ken doll' observation made me laugh), and the mostly endearing matching of couples. Eloise and Colin are taking their time, but Letty and .. Geoff .. (a truly terrible and ill-fitting name for any hero - even Sir Percy fared better) are two of my favourites, after Charlotte and Robert and Miles and Henrietta (that's nearly everyone but Amy and Richard, you may note). I didn't think I would enjoy the Emerald Ring - named for the oversized betrothal ring given to Letty on her ill-fated wedding day - being a story set in nineteenth century Ireland and written by an American author, but Willig is far from biased towards 'the Old Country' of her character, and skilfully weaves yet another historical event into her fictional world.Recommended, even when read out of order - although getting books three and four in sequence would probably add weight to Mary's story!
    • 3/5
      I had a difficult time getting into this book, but that may have been because I came in the middle of the series and didn't have enough background. I thought that the love story between Geoff and Lettie was interesting, but was somewhat confused about the spies (again my own fault). I found Eloise's story to be somewhat interesting, but it did not pull me in and so I found myself rushing through those chapters.
    • 4/5
      In this third installment of the Pink Carnation series, Eloise comes across some undiscovered references for the work of the Pink Carnation while at the same time she is expanding her social life.Noticing a discrepancy in some records at the library, Eloise digs deeper and finds details of the Pink Carnation's effort to foil the Black Tulip (French operative) and stop the Irish Rebellion of 1803. The background story is extremely entertaining and the characters, both new and old, especially the tale of Eloise's blind date is terribly amusing. The love story and introduction of more members of the Pink Carnation band expand the readers desire to join up and defeat the French.I started this series earlier this year and have been moving steadily along but I admit, this is my favorite so far. Definitely a series keeper.
    • 5/5
      Of all the books in the Pink Carnations series that I have read (five thus far), this one continues to be my favorite. Following the formula of previous books, we have the framework story of Eloise as she continues to investigate the doings of daring English spies during Napoleonic times, using the personal archives of the Selwick family. Handsome Colin Selwick poses a continual distraction, but Eloise is devoted to her work, and this time she has stumbled upon espionage in Ireland.The story begins with our two new historical love interests, Lettie and Geoffrey. Geoffrey is madly in love with Letty's sister, Mary, and has planned a secret elopement with her. When Lettie learns of this madness, she attempts to put an end to it. Unfortunately, Lord Geoffrey does not come in person but sends a servant - an intimidating servant - to pick Mary up and bring her to him. The man ignores Lettie's protests that he is making a mistake, and before she can stop it, she is spirited away on the elopement meant for Mary.Needless to say, Geoffrey is none too pleased. He must marry Lettie because they have been seen by others in a compromising position, and he thinks that Lettie planned the whole switch in order to nab a Lord for herself. Lettie, though secretly in love with Geoffrey since he started paying court to her sister, is incensed at his accusations, and the two start their marriage in mutual animosity. Geoff takes advantage of being assigned to Ireland on a mission to leave his unwanted wife behind, and Lettie, humiliated, takes it upon herself to follow him. In Ireland, the real sparks fly.I was so entranced by the romance plot of this story that everything else took a back seat. Rebellion in Ireland, supported by the French in an attempt to divert British forces, multiple agents of the Black Tulip, yadda, yadda, yadda. Okay, no, that's not true - the plot is as addictive and fun as previous books in the series. Honestly, I prefer my love stories to be nested in books that have decent writing and interesting plots, and Willig fulfills both requirements. The plot is fast paced and intriguing, and provides a great vehicle for the love story.I'm a sucker for this sort of romance set-up: boy hates girl, girl despises boy, but secretly they both are attracted to each other and slowly fall in love. The tension is delightful. Completely implausible, but I don't read these stories for their verisimilitude. I read them because they are fun! As I already mentioned, I really like this story. In fact, I picked up the book to verify names for this review and ended up rereading the whole thing. A definite must read for fans of chick lit of romance stories. Just don't read the books out of sequence, you will spoil earlier plot lines if you do.
    • 2/5
      Geoff and Letty had practically no dimension to their characters. I read this solely so I would know what was going on in the next book.
    • 4/5
      As with each of the novels in this series so far, there is a level of tension, and in this case, I actually really enjoyed the distance and frustration introduced so early on in the story. Rather than a shallow, "I love you and feel passionate towards you" from the get-go, we have two characters who have to learn more about one another. Honestly, Letty is a sweet character, and one that I felt got blamed for too much of Lord Pinchingdale's frustrations. Although Letty is not described as the beauty that her sister Mary is, we get the sense that Letty has a keen mind and strength that gives her strength. Lord Pinchingdale, however, is also someone we learn to see as a man dealing with the job he is expected to carry out in the midst of the chaos of marrying the sister of the woman he originally meant to marry. Yes, he comes off as the scoundrel, but the misunderstandings the couple must overcome help to create a story that you believe a little more than the two previous to it.In my opinion, this was my favorite installment of the three in the series. Because of Letty's confidence and personality, and the work that the couple has to go through to actually learn to love one another, they make this mystery/spy romance pretty charming. There is something vulnerable, yet strong, about Letty that I really liked, and I appreciated that she could stand on her own two feet.As a side note to this story, this was the book in the series that finally made me a frustrated and left wanting more with the secondary story being told in the present, from the researcher Eloise Kelly. Through her work on her thesis, her research has taken her deeper and deeper into the female spy ring, thanks to the letters and journals owned by Colin Selwick. In the other installments, the present-day research plays a major backseat, but in this novel we really grow to care about Eloise getting her research, and maybe getting a handsome, rich Colin on the side?!? I don't know why, but the Eloise & Colin storyline reminded me of an earlier Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy twist. It's only a shady reminder, but still there to taunt a bit!
    • 1/5
      Eloise continues her search for more information (using only primary sources of course) regarding the adventures of various spies during the Napoleonic Wars. This book revolves around Geoff and Letty -- who were caught in a 'compromising' situation and were forced to wed basically as strangers. I did find it interesting but I felt like this relationship was a little forced. I mean Geoff suddenly realizes Letty is this honest and wonderful girl after what, like a couple of weeks?! Of course they end up falling in love (that isn't really a spoiler) but the story just didn't flow as nicely as the previous novels did. However, I loved the development of Eloise and Colin's story. I like Colin more and more in each book I think.
    • 3/5
      Not as good as The Masque Of the Black Tulip, but still a delightful book. Nobody can beat Miles and Henrietta - and I was very sad of the absence of them in this book - but Geoff and Letty, while a different sort of pair, were just as funny and cute together, although in a different way. Lord Vaughn continues to peek my interest. And excuse my French, but Miss Gwen kicks ass!!
    • 4/5
      I LOVE this series - Willig's writing is charming, funny and romantic. And her characters are too!
    • 4/5
      As silly as this series is, I keep going with it, despite the fact that the characters make me want to strangle them sometimes. It's pretty much on par with the two previous novels, although I think I actually liked this one a little better, though I can't put my finger on why exactly. Each book basically follows the same format with slightly differing characters. So why am I still reading this series??? -- I don't know. Guilty pleasure, I guess. :')
    • 4/5
      after enjoying the masque of the black tulip so much, i eagerly and joyously snatched up the deception of the emerald ring, especially upon finding out where most of the adventure takes place. ireland! i love ireland!!! turns out that predilection, and some other things, pretty much doomed the book for me. i'm probably being too much of a purist, too exacting and finicky in the case of a book like this, but the author *is* a historian after all, so shouldn't there be some balance in her depiction of ireland's relations with england? the conflict there was a lot more than just a "rebellion" instigated by napoleon. how about centuries of invasion, plantations, and oppression, hmmm? i'm not biased, not at all... but i did resent this book's clumsy handling of a historical situation that offered so much potential for complexity and nuance. ah, but it's mere fluff, so i shouldn't be complaining... fluff fluff fluff. it became a mantra for me as i read through the emerald ring, striving valiantly to keep my resentment at bay and squash my irish sympathies. it all comes down to the complaint i voiced in my previous review of the black tulip: too clear cut and black and white. and while i was more forgiving with the black masque, not so much with the emerald ring. incidentally, why call it the deception of the emerald ring? the emerald ring did not participate in any deception that i was aware of, unless the deception was more metaphorical. and the ring in question was mentioned only about three or four times throughout. minor annoyance there, if i choose to be really picky about it. but i don't want to bash the book completely, because i did smile a bit, and it was a fun read. it just lacked the sparkle of the black masque, which, i think, got the light bantering tone just right without pushing it too far or laying it on too thick - which was the problem with the pink carnation. here willig erred in the other direction. not witty or playful enough! clearly there's no pleasing some people : ) the emerald ring did deliver where the pink carnation failed however, in terms of the espionage and adventure aspect of the book. it all seemed like a comical farce in the pink carnation (damn you, amy!) but with a hero who actually seemed to take his job seriously, and with the pink carnation herself calling the shots, the element of intrigue and adventure struck the right tone and was carried off successfully. i'm a big fan of jane, so i was happy to see her play a bit more of central role. as for miss gwen, jane’s side-kick, as it were, i have two words: sword parasol. the book is worth reading just for that.the plot itself seemed to derail near the end, though, with a kidnapping that was entirely tangetial and incongruous. as for the two main characters themselves, they didn't have quite the same charm and appeal as miles and henrietta (the star couple of the black tulip) but they were engaging enough. the deception of the emerald ring tells the story of letty, a responsible younger sibling who's always been in the shadow of her glamorous, gregarious sister and geoff, a member of the league of the purple gentian who's been smitten with letty's sister for years. i don't think i'm spoiling anything by saying that he doesn't end up with letty's sister, though the way that he does end up with letty follows the tired path of a big misunderstanding, a plot device which i don't appreciate at all. it didn't bother me so much in this case, mostly because it kept the tension between letty and geoff going and there was no meanness, pettiness, or browbeating involved. but still, as the premise for a book it was unoriginal. my major objection was the heroine's "i'm not pretty enough to be loved" neurosis, which brought the romance to a screeching halt at the happily ever after denouement, completely killing my interest and enjoyment. it just didn't ring true, and it was annoying to boot, especially since letty seems like a reasonably strong, spunky character the rest of the book. i was cheering her on the whole way. until the end. the book went along pretty well, but staggered and limped across the finish line, if you'll pardon my attempt at analogy. eloise’s story, on the other hand, was still fun, even if the conflict between her and colin seemed a bit forced in this installment of their romance. but whatever, go eloise!lord vaughn, unsurprisingly, makes many appearances in the emerald ring. see my review of the black masque for a more detailed account of my opinion, but suffice it say, i am not a huge fan. so the emerald ring was better than the pink carnation, but not as good as the black masque. i wish i could be more enthused by it. the end.
    • 3/5
      This book is all about fun. It's a quick read, the characters are funny, smart, and caught up in adventure and romance. The author is a Harvard history major and so the book is definitely historical fiction but with a sexy twist-perfect for a weekend read.
    • 4/5
      So far this is my least favorite of the series. This doesn't mean it was bad, I just didn't think Letty and Geoff were as developed as they could be. I enjoyed that Letty seems to be an unusual heroine and her spunky attitude is nice. I'm glad that Geoff didn't end up with Mary!
    • 4/5
      I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two in this series. I find Eloise to be a little tedious, and breeze through those chapters to get back to the historical action. I enjoyed watching Geoff and Letty work their way past their difficult beginning.