The Betrayal of the Blood Lily

by Lauren Willig Narrated by Kate Reading

Overview

The heroines of Lauren Willig's bestselling Pink Carnation series have engaged in espionage all over nineteenth-century Europe. In the sixth stand-alone volume, our fair English heroine travels to India, where she finds freedom-and risk-more exciting than she ever imagined.

Everyone warned Miss Penelope Deveraux that her unruly behavior would land her in disgrace someday. She never imagined she's be whisked off to India to give the scandal of her hasty marriage time to die down. As Lady Frederick Staines waits, Penelope plunges into the treacherous waters of the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where no one is quite what they seem-even her husband. In a strange country, where elaborate court dress masks even more elaborate intrigues and a dangerous spy called the Marigold leaves venomous cobras as his calling card, there is only one person Penelope can trust...

Captain Alex Reid has better things to do than play nursemaid to a pair of aristocrats. Or so he thinks-until Lady Frederick Staines out-shoots, out-rides, and out-swims every man in the camp. She also has an uncanny ability to draw out the deadly plans of the Marigold and put herself in harm's way. With danger looming from local warlords, treacherous court officials, and French spies, Alex realizes that an alliance with Lady Staines just might be the only thing standing in the way of a plot designed to rock the very foundations of the British Empire...

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

The latest sure-to-please installment to the popular Pink Carnation series transports the action to colonial India. Lady Frederick Staines, née Penelope Deveraux, averts a scandal in early 19th-century London with a hasty marriage and a posting for her louche husband as special envoy to the court of Hyderabad. In India, Penelope discovers dangerous intrigue having to do with the overthrow of British rule and a spy called the Marigold. After demonstrating considerable bravery uncharacteristic to ladies of her rank, she finds an ally in the honorable Capt. Alex Reid. Together they chase traitors, travel the countryside on horseback, dodge assassination attempts, challenge each other to duels, wrestle with long skirts and numerous buttonholes (crucial in the love scenes), battle cobras and unravel the mystery of Marigold. As in other books in the series, the story is presented by a contemporary narrator, another strong-willed woman involved with an English aristocrat. Willig hasn’t lost her touch; this outing has all the charm of the previous books in the series. (Jan.)

Library Journal

Reading the sixth book in Willig's "Pink Carnation" series (after The Temptation of the Night Jasmine) is like getting a plate of warm-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies; it's hard not to eat them all at once, but you also want to savor each bite. The cleverly connected historical and contemporary story lines are well blended with complementary turning points, but it's really the historical characters who steal the show. Penelope and Lord Frederick Staines have been forced into marriage and shipped off to India to serve as Governor General Wellesley's Special Envoy to the Court of Hyderabad. Escorting the couple is Capt. Alex Reid, born and raised in India. The unexpected connection between steadfast Alex and headstrong Penelope transforms the pair into appealing underdogs. The political intrigue among nations, intricate and double-crossing spy system, and engrossing historical view of India add essential elements of drama and action. VERDICT A great choice for readers who like their mysteries with historical or romantic elements. Fans of Deanna Raybourn, Tasha Alexander, Ariana Franklin, or M.M. Kaye are likely to love Willig, too. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/09.]—Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., IL\

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169239713
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	01/12/2010
Series:	Pink Carnation Series , #6
Edition description:	Unabridged

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