Book Review: The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

Title: The Mischief of the Mistletoe
Author: Lauren Willig
Series: Pink Carnation # 4.2
Release Date: October 28th, 2011
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Age: Adult

Arabella Dempsey’s dear friend Jane Austen warned her against teaching. But Miss Climpson’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies seems the perfect place for Arabella to claim her independence while keeping an eye on her younger sisters nearby. Just before Christmas, she accepts a position at the quiet girls’ school in Bath, expecting to face nothing more exciting than conducting the annual Christmas recital. She hardly imagines coming face to face with French aristocrats and international spies…

Reginald “Turnip” Fitzhugh—often mistaken for the elusive spy known as the Pink Carnation—has blundered into danger before. But when he blunders into Miss Arabella Dempsey, it never occurs to him that she might be trouble. When Turnip and Arabella stumble upon a beautifully wrapped Christmas pudding with a cryptic message written in French, “Meet me at Farley Castle”, the unlikely vehicle for intrigue launches the pair on a Yuletide adventure that ranges from the Austens’ modest drawing room to the awe-inspiring estate of the Dukes of Dovedale, where the Dowager Duchess is hosting the most anticipated event of the year: an elaborate 12-day Christmas celebration. Will they find poinsettias or peril, dancing or danger? And is it possible that the fate of the British Empire rests in Arabella and Turnip’s hands, in the form of a festive Christmas pudding?

I haven't read the Pink Carnation series, but it's Christmas and this book has been on my shelf waiting for the perfect time to read it.

I'm glad I did it. If you are looking to read a fun and sweet holiday book, this one is! I thought that being an historical book, it was going to be more serious, but Lauren Willig sure knows how to be funny with the simple things...as a Christmas pudding!

Arabella Dempsey is poor and with broken heart. Her father is old and her sisters are still young, so she decides to teach at the Miss Climpson's Select Seminary for Young Ladies. That way, she can be independent while keeping an eye for her sisters and maybe offering them an education. Of course she wasn't expecting to become involved with Reginald Fitzhugh or "Turnip", brother of one of her students and finding a Christmas pudding probably from a French spy the same day!

Turnip is a special character. He's rich, sweet and often made fun by his colorful clothes, but he's happy and so much fun! He isn't the typical alpha male, but much more relaxed and still very protective. He likes Arabella and wants to spend time with her, without thinking the consequences that might bring, but always with the best intentions. It was refreshing to like a male character as Turnip, and I was glad Arabella and he made such a sweet couple.

There is a mystery involving Christmas puddings with messages written in French, and Turnip is sure they are from a French spy (but Arabella doesn't agree). Why there would be a spy at a Young Ladies school? The mystery was intriguing and it wasn't easy to discover the "spy", but I definitely liked it more because it was always connected with random and funny situations.

Overall, The Mischief of the Mistletoe is the perfect holiday read if you want something sweet and funny! I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it more if I had read the Pink Carnation series, but it's definitely on my wishlist from now on.

More about this book at www.laurenwillig.com, Goodreads, Amazon, The Book Depository.