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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
(The worst sort of review possible; a "meh" review to be posted soooooooon.)
Upped one star just because of LI BAI SHEN. Because fucking fabulousness.
I came across a recommendation for Jeannie Lin online, and I was definitely intrigued when I heard she wrote historical romances in Tang Dynasty China. This exceeded all my expectations.
The writing was exciting and fun, with genuine emotion and characters I was invested in. The classic "My Fair Lady" storyline worked so well in this context. I found myself having to guess all the way through how they would get their happily ever after, and the ending was just a delight. I was a little slow when I started out reading this, because of my mood at the time, but I got to the point where I really just couldn't get enough. The build-up was fabulous.
I definitely plan to read more from Jeannie Lin, especially within her Tang Dynasty series. Definitely recommended for all historical romance fans, especially for anyone looking to explore settings and periods not typically covered within the genre.
The writing was exciting and fun, with genuine emotion and characters I was invested in. The classic "My Fair Lady" storyline worked so well in this context. I found myself having to guess all the way through how they would get their happily ever after, and the ending was just a delight. I was a little slow when I started out reading this, because of my mood at the time, but I got to the point where I really just couldn't get enough. The build-up was fabulous.
I definitely plan to read more from Jeannie Lin, especially within her Tang Dynasty series. Definitely recommended for all historical romance fans, especially for anyone looking to explore settings and periods not typically covered within the genre.
Another fun and fascinating book by Jeannie Lin! This novel takes the familiar concept of My Fair Lady and puts a Tang Dynasty twist on it, which is something I am very unfamiliar with but appreciated nonetheless. It's a very compelling, if somewhat restrained, story with a great supporting cast. There might not be any flying swordsmen in this, but it still transports you and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
An important thing to note: this is not your typical romance novel. In a romance novel set in Victorian England or the Regency period, there are a lot more stolen kisses, and the sexual tension is more obvious. This novel will seem tame in comparison. Some might say even too restrained and detached. While I think Lin could've preserved the Eastern ideals of duty, honor, and familial responsibility while increasing the sexual tension more than she did, I didn't mind the restraint. The stakes felt very real, so I was compelled to keep reading even when the romance stalled.
The lack of sexual tension (except in the last 80 or so pages) is the reason I docked this a whole star. Otherwise, there's a lot to love. Her descriptions are beautiful without being over the top. The cast was interesting and fun, and the pacing was decent. Overall, I recommend this novel if you're looking for a little something different or if you don't like lurid romances.
An important thing to note: this is not your typical romance novel. In a romance novel set in Victorian England or the Regency period, there are a lot more stolen kisses, and the sexual tension is more obvious. This novel will seem tame in comparison. Some might say even too restrained and detached. While I think Lin could've preserved the Eastern ideals of duty, honor, and familial responsibility while increasing the sexual tension more than she did, I didn't mind the restraint. The stakes felt very real, so I was compelled to keep reading even when the romance stalled.
The lack of sexual tension (except in the last 80 or so pages) is the reason I docked this a whole star. Otherwise, there's a lot to love. Her descriptions are beautiful without being over the top. The cast was interesting and fun, and the pacing was decent. Overall, I recommend this novel if you're looking for a little something different or if you don't like lurid romances.
Just an absolute delight from start to finish. I always enjoy Jeannie Lin's books, and this one was hot affffffffff. I love a good historical romance, and it's so nice to spend some time in historical China instead of it always being Regency England.
My Fair Lady in historical China!
This slow burn romance was so completely delightful. I loved Mr. Strong and Silent, ego was almost too bound by duty and honor to let himself love. The tension between them is palpable, and the side characters are delightful. The final twist is predictable from miles away, but it was still fun watching them get there.
This slow burn romance was so completely delightful. I loved Mr. Strong and Silent, ego was almost too bound by duty and honor to let himself love. The tension between them is palpable, and the side characters are delightful. The final twist is predictable from miles away, but it was still fun watching them get there.
This was described to me as My Fair Lady in ancient China and that is spot on. Very cute.
Romance novels and I have a complex relationship. As a feminist, I can barely stand the jealousy, possessiveness and all around stifling control of the ultra-masculine heroes. Nor can I stand the virginal, accepting compliance of the ultra-feminine heroines. Almost everything about the plot will irritate me -- the near-rapes, the inevitable interjection of the hero's former lover and the total and utter miscommunication that begins at page 3 and ends at page 83 crush my soul a little more each time.
And yet, as a reader, I adore them. They are light and fluffy when I need something to be light and fluffy. I can read as much or as little as I like. Often, I'll skip entire chapters or paragraphs and feel no guilt, because that's how I like to read these books and I don't think that will change.
My usual romance novel is a category I have coined The Sexually-Objectified Scotsmen series -- books that always feature bare-chested highlanders on the cover, luminous nipples and all. I tend to read only "historical" fiction -- I say "historical" because the books, while accurate with their dates of battles and Gaelic never mention body hair and their heroes, who seem to have bedded every woman in the country, have never once suffered from any venereal disease.
And so, here you see my history of romance novels has been alarmingly white, heteronormative and same-y.
Enter My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin, as recommended by my friend Anya. (Thanks, girl!)
Fei Long Chang is desperate to preserve his family's honour and has enlisted a lost tea girl to do it. But first, he needs to turn her into a princess in order to do so. Enter Li Bai Shen, a camp, gay actor with a proclivity for sass and snark that at times, feels a little forced, but I love him regardless.
Yan Ling, the peasant girl, learns to read and write under Fei Long Chang's patient tutelage -- and I actually really appreciated this part of the novel. I loved that Yan Ling is empowered and learns skills that enrich her world so much. I love that Fei Long Chang is a gentleman -- he is masculine without being aggressive, he is articulate and unreadable without being cryptic, he is authoritative without being totalitarian.
The most enjoyable part of this book for me was discovering that the many painful tropes of romance weren't a given -- there were no near-rapes (marital or otherwise), no ex lover to concoct a jealousy so foul I nearly put the book down and no frightened virgin who had no idea what was in store for her because her partner didn't care to tell her.
Instead, there are calligraphy lessons that are rife with tension and a hero who struggles with honour over what his heart wants. It's lovely, it's sweet, the start is slow but it's worth it in the end.
However, I will say if you're looking for a super erotic romance novel, this is not the one for you unless pale gasps of wrists are your thing. I'm just hoping that all of Lin's characters aren't the same, which tends to be a regular feature of romance in general.
But I adored this. Thank you Jeannie Lin, for showing me that reading a romance novel doesn't mean I have to set my feminist self aside.
And yet, as a reader, I adore them. They are light and fluffy when I need something to be light and fluffy. I can read as much or as little as I like. Often, I'll skip entire chapters or paragraphs and feel no guilt, because that's how I like to read these books and I don't think that will change.
My usual romance novel is a category I have coined The Sexually-Objectified Scotsmen series -- books that always feature bare-chested highlanders on the cover, luminous nipples and all. I tend to read only "historical" fiction -- I say "historical" because the books, while accurate with their dates of battles and Gaelic never mention body hair and their heroes, who seem to have bedded every woman in the country, have never once suffered from any venereal disease.
And so, here you see my history of romance novels has been alarmingly white, heteronormative and same-y.
Enter My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin, as recommended by my friend Anya. (Thanks, girl!)
Fei Long Chang is desperate to preserve his family's honour and has enlisted a lost tea girl to do it. But first, he needs to turn her into a princess in order to do so. Enter Li Bai Shen, a camp, gay actor with a proclivity for sass and snark that at times, feels a little forced, but I love him regardless.
Yan Ling, the peasant girl, learns to read and write under Fei Long Chang's patient tutelage -- and I actually really appreciated this part of the novel. I loved that Yan Ling is empowered and learns skills that enrich her world so much. I love that Fei Long Chang is a gentleman -- he is masculine without being aggressive, he is articulate and unreadable without being cryptic, he is authoritative without being totalitarian.
The most enjoyable part of this book for me was discovering that the many painful tropes of romance weren't a given -- there were no near-rapes (marital or otherwise), no ex lover to concoct a jealousy so foul I nearly put the book down and no frightened virgin who had no idea what was in store for her because her partner didn't care to tell her.
Instead, there are calligraphy lessons that are rife with tension and a hero who struggles with honour over what his heart wants. It's lovely, it's sweet, the start is slow but it's worth it in the end.
However, I will say if you're looking for a super erotic romance novel, this is not the one for you unless pale gasps of wrists are your thing. I'm just hoping that all of Lin's characters aren't the same, which tends to be a regular feature of romance in general.
But I adored this. Thank you Jeannie Lin, for showing me that reading a romance novel doesn't mean I have to set my feminist self aside.
Rating: 3.5
This story is My Fair Lady meets Ancient China. I really enjoyed it. There were times when the story dragged a bit--my interest would be elsewhere at times or I just got bored--but I'm glad I pushed through. Yan Ling and Fei Long are great characters, Fei Long's characterization as a steely man of honor was very well done. Yan Ling was sweet, and her journey of self-improvement tugged at my heartstrings. Also, Li Bai Shen is amazing and deserves all the good things.
I loved, loved the ending. I live for HEAs. I had no idea how it was going to end (which made it really hard to enjoy that sex scene), but I'm glad it was solved that way. Everyone was happy and obtained their heart's desire.
This story is My Fair Lady meets Ancient China. I really enjoyed it. There were times when the story dragged a bit--my interest would be elsewhere at times or I just got bored--but I'm glad I pushed through. Yan Ling and Fei Long are great characters, Fei Long's characterization as a steely man of honor was very well done. Yan Ling was sweet, and her journey of self-improvement tugged at my heartstrings. Also, Li Bai Shen is amazing and deserves all the good things.
I loved, loved the ending. I live for HEAs. I had no idea how it was going to end (which made it really hard to enjoy that sex scene), but I'm glad it was solved that way. Everyone was happy and obtained their heart's desire.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I don't know how historically accurate it was but the author did not ignore what appeared to be social conventions and I did feel myself transported to a different time and place. It was well written too. I felt genuinely engaged in the story and interested in all the characters, not just the hero and heroine. The romance was subtle and avoided verbal cliches of authors who think they need to be constantly referencing body parts in a romance novel. An excellent example of the genre! I'll be looking out for more by this author.