The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig

Published: August 4th, 2015
Publisher: NAL
Pages: 528
Copy: Library
Summary: Goodreads


In the final Pink Carnation novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla, Napoleon has occupied Lisbon, and Jane Wooliston, aka the Pink Carnation, teams up with a rogue agent to protect the escaped Queen of Portugal.
 
Portugal, December 1807. Jack Reid, the British agent known as the Moonflower (formerly the French agent known as the Moonflower), has been stationed in Portugal and is awaiting his new contact. He does not expect to be paired with a woman—especially not the legendary Pink Carnation.
 
All of Portugal believes that the royal family departed for Brazil just before the French troops marched into Lisbon. Only the English government knows that mad seventy-three-year-old Queen Maria was spirited away by a group of loyalists determined to rally a resistance. But as the French garrison scours the countryside, it’s only a matter of time before she’s found and taken.
 
It’s up to Jane to find her first and ensure her safety. But she has no knowledge of Portugal or the language. Though she is loath to admit it, she needs the Moonflower. Operating alone has taught her to respect her own limitations. But she knows better than to show weakness around the Moonflower—an agent with a reputation for brilliance, a tendency toward insubordination, and a history of going rogue.

Review:

Well this is the last book in the series and I am very sad about that.  However, I'm also glad that Ms Willig has ended the series before most of her readers got fed up with it.  I'll be honest, I listened to a lot of them, and that made them all the more enjoyable for me.  I couldn't wait for the audio of this one, but I'll probably listen to it anyway when it comes out, because I love the narrator (Kate Reading) so much.

To be honest, if you haven't already started the series, I would absolutely say DON'T read this one.  Go back to the beginning and learn about all the different characters who just keep popping up in various guises.  I was kind of sad not to see Miss Gwen in this one, but since she had her own story in the last book, it was understandable that she was too busy for this one. 

A regency romp full of fun and danger, laughter and sadness and a nice neat ending to a series that has long been one of my favourites.  I hope that if you are not yet aware of this Pink Carnation series that you'll seek it out and try it.  If you enjoy historical fun and spy frolics I'm sure you'll enjoy it.