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nbvanderhyden's review against another edition
CW: death of an infant on the page. Really great book besides that.
iloveswedishchef's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
misspentdays's review against another edition
I always enjoy Sherry Thomas and this novel was no different. I listened to it through Hoopla and found it quite enjoyable. (I was not sure what to expect listening to a romance.)
antimonium's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emosheeran's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I didn’t expect this to start off where it did, but I was pleasantly surprised considering I love some pain and angst in my romance lol.
The characters were great, a wonderful mix of vulnerability and strength that makes them likable and interesting to read about. I don’t think the prequel really made that much of a difference in how I view them as they felt different, so it kinda just generally felt separated. I also liked that they were friendly and not at eachothers throats (lol) for the most part. The mutual respect was nice.
The back and forth timeframes were melded in well and flowed smoothly. I really enjoyed reading about their memories from the past and how they came back to them in the present. This mostly not being set in England was refreshing, it was really interesting to read about Chinese Turkestan. That in combination with the action scenes and historical artifacts gave me a lot of Lara Croft/Tomb Raider vibes, which of course I loved.
I do think the last third was a little rushed (for a lack of a better word), though in saying that, I don’t really know how else I’d think for it to be written.
The characters were great, a wonderful mix of vulnerability and strength that makes them likable and interesting to read about. I don’t think the prequel really made that much of a difference in how I view them as they felt different, so it kinda just generally felt separated. I also liked that they were friendly and not at eachothers throats (lol) for the most part. The mutual respect was nice.
The back and forth timeframes were melded in well and flowed smoothly. I really enjoyed reading about their memories from the past and how they came back to them in the present. This mostly not being set in England was refreshing, it was really interesting to read about Chinese Turkestan. That in combination with the action scenes and historical artifacts gave me a lot of Lara Croft/Tomb Raider vibes, which of course I loved.
I do think the last third was a little rushed (for a lack of a better word), though in saying that, I don’t really know how else I’d think for it to be written.
shogins's review against another edition
3.0
Catherine Blade is a half-English half-Chinese orphan, raised by her step-father who she yearns to impress. When he sends her to England to hunt down clues to a treasure, she runs into her ex-lover Leighton Atwood, who she had assumed was dead, accompanying his fiancée. Catherine and Leighton fell in love in Chinese Turkestan while she was pretending to be a male Turkic thief and he was pretending to be a Persian merchant, but their false identities cause them to betray each other. Can they ever bring themselves to tell each other the truth about who they are and what they felt?
I wanted to like this more than I actually liked it.
I wanted to like this more than I actually liked it.
kgroberts13's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
I loved the idea of this book and it's companion book, [b:The Hidden Blade|22751852|The Hidden Blade (The Heart of Blade Duology #1)|Sherry Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405922335s/22751852.jpg|42298214], but couldn't quite connect to the story and characters. I really wanted to like the heroine: she's tough, smart, and capable of holding her own ala Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; but instead I found her aloof and difficult to sympathize with.
There is one part of the story that is completely heartbreaking, almost too heartbreaking to handle.
I was also surprised at how tame the love scenes were. Ms. Thomas can be quite sensual with her writing, so I was disappointed with the short moments where the hero/heroine connect on such an intimate level.
I loved the idea of this book and it's companion book, [b:The Hidden Blade|22751852|The Hidden Blade (The Heart of Blade Duology #1)|Sherry Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405922335s/22751852.jpg|42298214], but couldn't quite connect to the story and characters. I really wanted to like the heroine: she's tough, smart, and capable of holding her own ala Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; but instead I found her aloof and difficult to sympathize with.
There is one part of the story that is completely heartbreaking, almost too heartbreaking to handle.
I was also surprised at how tame the love scenes were. Ms. Thomas can be quite sensual with her writing, so I was disappointed with the short moments where the hero/heroine connect on such an intimate level.
heydebigale's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this duology SO much. I’d definitely recommend reading The Hidden Blade first.
This is an friends-to-enemies-to-lovers second chance romance with elements of magical realism due to the martial arts written in the style of the wuxia genre.
This book is fairly violent so definitely check content warnings.
I love nearly everything Sherry Thomas writes, but this is my favorite yet.
Notes: takes place in north-western, China and London, England. Catherine/Ying-Ying is Chinese and Leighton is English.
This is an friends-to-enemies-to-lovers second chance romance with elements of magical realism due to the martial arts written in the style of the wuxia genre.
This book is fairly violent so definitely check content warnings.
I love nearly everything Sherry Thomas writes, but this is my favorite yet.
Notes: takes place in north-western, China and London, England. Catherine/Ying-Ying is Chinese and Leighton is English.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Gore, Child death, and Violence
plottrysts's review against another edition
5.0
All possible stars for this amazing novel!! Seriously, where else are you going to read about star-crossed (but FATED) lovers who meet again after an 8-year separation? This book is written as a series of flashbacks. This is a really tough literary device to get right (we usually end up loving either the flashback story or the present, but not both at the same time), but Thomas's command of the structure is impeccable. Both the flashbacks and the present-set portions shed light on each other in the best possible way. There is a lot of suspense but it never feels forced.
The love story is poignant and the payoff is big once you get there. There are no explicitly erotic scenes, but the sexual tension and longing is palpable.
Oh, and did we mention that Catherine is a martial arts master? We recommend going into this book with no expectations, because it meets no genre standards we can think of (other than the HEA). Reading My Beautiful Enemy is a supremely satisfying experience!
And as our final word, we recommend reading the prequel AFTER this one (in publication order, not chronological order). This book absolutely stands on its own.
17-Word Summaries:
Laine: Spy goes to her father's homeland for a treasure map; encounters the lover she thought she killed.
Meg: Star-crossed lovers reunite in this genre-bending gem of a novel. My Beautiful Enemy = The Most Beautiful Angst.
www.linktr.ee/plottrysts
The love story is poignant and the payoff is big once you get there. There are no explicitly erotic scenes, but the sexual tension and longing is palpable.
Oh, and did we mention that Catherine is a martial arts master? We recommend going into this book with no expectations, because it meets no genre standards we can think of (other than the HEA). Reading My Beautiful Enemy is a supremely satisfying experience!
And as our final word, we recommend reading the prequel AFTER this one (in publication order, not chronological order). This book absolutely stands on its own.
17-Word Summaries:
Laine: Spy goes to her father's homeland for a treasure map; encounters the lover she thought she killed.
Meg: Star-crossed lovers reunite in this genre-bending gem of a novel. My Beautiful Enemy = The Most Beautiful Angst.
www.linktr.ee/plottrysts