If you have been listening to our book group podcast, Books and Beverages Podcast, you have already heard the recommendation for this week’s book: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, by  Lauren Willig.

This is a fun book for historical fiction fans, as well as for fans of romance stories. This is the first book in a series about a group of English spies working in France after the monarchy has been toppled. Each book looks at a different flower – and in this one spends a lot of time looking at the adventures of the Purple Gentian.

Come for the historical mystery, stay for the romance!

“Nothing goes right for Eloise. The one day she wears her new suede boots, it rains cats and dogs. When the subway stops short, she’s always the one thrown into some stranger’s lap. Plus, she’s had more than her share of misfortune in the way of love. In fact, ever since she realized romantic heroes are a thing of the past, she’s decided it’s time for a fresh start.

Setting off for England, Eloise is determined to finish her dissertation on that dashing pair of spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. But what she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: the secret history of the Pink Carnation—the most elusive spy of all time. As she works to unmask this obscure spy, Eloise stumbles across answers to all kinds of questions. Like how did the Pink Carnation save England from Napoleon? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly escape her bad luck and find a living, breathing hero all her own?”