The Passion of the Purple Plumeria by Lauren Willig

There were even moments that made me giggle. Although I have read her before ( The Ashford Affair) this novel was a lot different in that it was pure fun. One of my favorite aspects of the book was following Gwen's gothic novel, The Convent of Orsino, which is a tell-all of her adventures as Purple Plumeria, her alter-ego. She can hold her own, she's clever, witty, and a lot of fun.

Gwen is the kind of herioine that I love in The Passion of the Purple Plumeria. Then the plot thickens! Lauren Willig's latest installment in the Pink Carnation series, The Passion of the Purple Plumeria, is a fun and light historical read that I enjoyed getting lost in. Thankfully, Gwen accepts the task of finding the two girls along with the handsome Col. He is hoping the girls are merely visiting his daughter's older sister in Bristol however, much to his dismay, that it is not the case. What is even more sad is the fact that Reid has been waiting to be reunited with his daughter as he sent her away to be educated and for her safety many years ago. Reid, whose daughter has also disappeared along with Agnes. While at boarding school, it seems that she has 'disappeared.' While investigating the situation, Gwen meets Col. Meanwhile, Jane and Gwen are called back to England to receive some bad news about Jane's sister, Agnes. At night, in Paris, she masquerades as a man and spies on Napoleon's foreign minister. She is also a spy and a good one at that. But Gwen’s partnership with quick-tongued, roguish William may prove to be even more of an adventure for her than finding the lost girls…' The year is 1805 and Gwen, lady companion to Jane (The Pink Carnation) isn't what she appears to be. Thrown together by circumstance, Gwen and William must cooperate to track down the young ladies before others with nefarious intent get their hands on them.

But, when the Pink Carnation’s little sister goes missing from her English boarding school, Gwen reluctantly returns home to investigate the girl’s disappearance. Having served as second-in-command to the Pink Carnation, one of England’s most intrepid spies, it would be impossible for Gwendolyn Meadows to give up the intrigue of Paris for a quiet life in the English countryside-especially when she’s just overheard news of an alliance forming between Napoleon and an Ottoman Sultan. Upon his return to the Isles, however, he finds that one of his daughters has vanished, along with one of her classmates.

Goodreads says, ' Colonel William Reid has returned home from India to retire near his children, who are safely stowed in an academy in Bath.

The Passion of the Purple Plumeria by Lauren Willig