The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

Title:  The Mischief of the Mistletoe

Sub Title:  A Pink Carnation Christmas

Publisher:  Penguin Group

Publication Date:  2010

Pages:  339

Source:  Purchased from Amazon

ISBN: 978052595872

 This was a wonderful book to read for Christmas!  It has so many things that I love!  It has romance, mystery, intrigue, suspense, and humor and it is all wrapped around a Christmas Pudding!  Yes, I said a Christmas Pudding.  It is a wonderful mystery that is written in the style of Jane Austen, and the mystery begins with a message found in a Christmas Pudding!  This is the first book in the Pink Carnation series that I have read, and it was wonderful.  The book  does not have to be read in any particular order, as I was able to know what was going on without having read any of the other books.  I loved the characters in this book, and even Jane Austen herself makes a few appearances. But, my favorite character is Turnip Fitzhugh.  He is handsome, smart, athletic and just seems like a perfect hero.  I will definitely be reading more of Lauren Willig's books!  I am a big Jane Austen fan and of course I have read all of her books, so I am always looking for books that are written in the same fashion as hers.  Sometimes I am disappointed, but not with Lauren Willig's stories.  In the book Jane Austen Made Me Do It,  Willig's  story was one of my most favorites and after reading this one, I suspect that she will be permanently in my favorite authors list.  I look forward to reading her other books. 

Here is a little sample of the humor that is found in this book.  "As he  clasped her right hand with his left, prancing in a circle with Danforth and Lucy Ponsonby, she smiled up at him and unselfconsciously gave a little puff of breaath to blow a stubborn lock of hair out of her eye. 

It was the most uncously seductive thing he had ever seen.  Turnip nearly lost his footing.

Of course at this point, she could  debone a kipper with a fish knife and he would find it seductive, he was that far gone."