By Lauren Willig

The newest novel in Lauren Willig’s series about aristocratic spies of the 18th century picks up where the Seduction of the Crimson Rose leaves off – current historian Eloise Kelly has finally got her man, Colin Selwick, descendant of one of the spies she had been researching, the secretive Purple Gentian. As Eloise has come to find out, however, Colin’s ancestor was just one in a whole bouquet of florally-named spies, and as she delves further into the Selkirk archives, she finds that the oft-overlooked, innocent Lady Charlotte Lansdowne comes to the fore when she accidentally uncovers a plot to subdue and kidnap the King – mad King George III, who may not be as mad as everyone believes. Her discovery coincides with the return from India of her favourite distant cousin, Robert, Duke of Dovedale. Long enamoured of Robert, Charlotte’s romantic notions of her white knight are dashed when Robert takes up with a gang of libertines, the notorious Hellfire Club. But little does Charlotte realize that Robert has returned from India hot on the trail of the man who betrayed his regiment to the enemy and killed his mentor. And little does Robert realize that the plot Charlotte uncovered involves the same killer, the elusive but deadly “Night Jasmine”. In trying to recover the king, their paths merge, but will their hearts? As Eloise discovers their story, she uncovers something quite unexpected about the object of her own affections: that the apple may not fall far from the family tree. Moving back and forth through time and written with quick wit, this latest romantic adventure from Lauren Willig is as thoroughly researched as her past novels, and is as every bit as enjoyable to read. Click here to find The Temptation of the Night Jasmine in our on-line catalogue.