The Masque of the Black Tulip - Lauren Willig

I had a difficult time getting in to this book.  Somehow the characters and the action seemed confusing and did not grab me.   There were some good sections and a nice trip in to the seedy part of England during one section.  In one encounter with a bar maid the “hero” worried about “asphyxiation by bosom” as he has an encounter with a barmaid.

The writer has some very witty descriptions that made me laugh - “Richards lips clamped up with a sound that might have become a growl if allowed to grow up.”

This is strange combination – romance novel meets spy thriller, but it is low on thrills, and more romance than I bargained for.  I did not have any trouble finishing the book – but I would not recommend it except for the lightest reading.  However, those of you who read my reviews regularly know I have an eclectic taste, but still it is limited and my like or dislike should not necessarily affect yours.

Description from Audible.com  might give more details for you and a better look at the storyline.
The Pink Carnation, history's most elusive spy and England's only hope for preventing a Napoleonic invasion, returns in Lauren Willig's dazzling, imaginative new historical romance. The Masque of the Black Tulip opens with the murder of a courier from the London War Office, his confidential dispatch for the Pink Carnation stolen. Meanwhile, the Black Tulip, France's deadliest spy, is in England with instructions to track down and kill the Pink Carnation. Only Henrietta Uppington and Miles Dorrington know where the Pink Carnation is stationed. Using a secret code book, Henrietta has deciphered a message detailing the threat of the Black Tulip. Meanwhile, the War Office has enlisted Miles to track down the notorious French spy before he (or she) can finish the deadly mission. But what Henrietta and Miles don't know is that while they are trying to find the Black Tulip (and possibly falling in love), the Black Tulip is watching them.