The Masque of the Black Tulip

Yep, this (fortunately!) still holds up to what I remember - which is to say, I like it more than I like the first book. Most of that has to do with Henrietta and Miles, who are ADORABLE, if a little frustrating. Sure, Henrietta???s got herself a bit more ???together,??? as it were, than Amy, but boy can she misread like a champ! And Miles! Man???s got golden retriever energy and is the absolute sweetest, but BOY IS THE MAN ALSO DENSE. Intense himbo energy right there, to be honest - which, if I???d been aware of that word when I first read this novel, I???d definitely apply to Miles. He???s sweet, he???s handsome, and also not too bright: that???s all the qualities of a himbo right there.

I also like how their romance progresses more than Amy and Richard???s. The ???You???re my oldest friend and I think I might be in love with you??? trajectory of their relationship is something I really enjoy. Especially since they keep trying to deny it at first, and so wind up misreading each other all the time, which leads to certain squee-worthy (and facepalm-worthy!) incidents in the book.

 That being said: I???m not entirely fond of Eloise and Colin???s romance in this book. Probably because it???s fairly clear there isn???t going to be any payoff for a WHILE, unlike the romance between Henrietta and Miles. And while I KNOW there is going to be payoff for them eventually (since this is a reread), I still think that their romance takes a very clear backseat to the romance between Henrietta and Miles.  I also enjoyed the focus on some actual spycraft for once - things like secret agents, and secret codes, and double agents, that kind of thing. The first book was really a lot more like The Scarlet Pimpernel in plot and vibe, but this second book is where the series begins to gain it???s own identity as it were, while still being linked back to Orczy???s work (though that gets more and more tenuous as the series goes on, if I recall correctly).

So overall, still very much a fun, light read, and one that happily holds up to my memories of when I first read it.