The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

Thus far in the course of my reread of this series, I???ve generally compared my previous experience of the book from when I first read it, to my current experience as I???ve read it now 10-plus years down the line. And so far, what???s happened is that the book in question has either lived up to my memory of it, or (as in the case of the previous two books, but especially in the case of the Deception of the Emerald Ring) failed to live up to that experience.

But in the case of this book, I???m going to have to say that my current experience of it actually exceeds my previous experience. I remember being entertained by Charlotte and Robert???s romance, but not liking it as much as Letty and Geoffrey???s. Now, though, I think I might actually like Charlotte and Robert???s romance more than Letty and Geoffrey???s, mostly because I thoroughly enjoyed ups and downs of their dynamic - in particular, the way Charlotte deals with her disillusionment regarding Robert, and how they resolve that in the end. It was clearly painful, but I really enjoyed how Charlotte negotiated that pain and came out all the stronger for it at the end.

As for Robert, I found him interesting because he was so different from the previous four male leads. The way he thinks of the nobility and their habits and pursuits are very different from the way Richard, Miles, Geoffrey, and Lord Vaughn think about it, and it was really rather refreshing to get another perspective on that whole thing. His own concerns regarding the relationship he has with his family and his title are also interesting to read about, mostly because of how conflicted he is about both.

Speaking of family, I realize that in today???s online climate, the whole thing about Robert and Charlotte being cousins may lead to some rather...LOUD displays of scandalized horror from certain quarters. So to make things clear: it???s laid out in the first chapter that Charlotte and Robert are VERY distantly related, so their romance is rather like two people from a small town occupied by a handful of families getting together and settling down. Secondly, such marriages were common amongst the nobility from many cultures around the world as a means of consolidating and holding on to money, property, and power. Hell, in many cases the consanguinity would be MUCH closer than the very distant relationship Charlotte and Robert have, with first cousins oftentimes being viewed as acceptable for such marriages. It might not be right, but the fact remains that such marriages were practiced in the past, they were practiced during the Regency, and continue to be practiced today.

(If you???re interested in how such marriages can go awry across the generations, then look into the Habsburgs, whose family tree - and the consequent health concerns - make for morbidly fascinating reading.)

Additionally, this book dips into something that not of novels set during the Regency look at: King George II???s mental health. I won???t get into that too much because of spoilers, but suffice to say that there???s a reason why this specific period in time is so often called the ???Regency???, and George II???s mental health had much to do with it. This novel also gives readers a glimpse into how mental health conditions were treated, and it puts into perspective just how VERY far we???ve come in the 21st century when it comes to mental health treatment. Makes me damn thankful too.

So overall, this reread was a lovely ride - one that I think is better than the previous novels thus far, and ranks higher than Deception of the Emerald Ring, which was my favorite up until this point. Here???s to hoping the next one???s not so bad - though I???m also setting my expectations low because it takes place in British-occupied India.